minimalism

6 Ways I’m Simplifying Life to Better Focus in 2016

January 12, 2016 by Abbigail Kriebs 2 Comments

Since this year is all about FOCUS, I thought I would share some ways I’ve simplified life to make more room for what I want to be doing in life and business. It’s easy to get sidetracked when there are so many wonderful things out there to see and do. I love new and exciting too much, so keeping some of life on automation is key to also getting stuff done in a timely fashion.

1. Stitch Fix

I’ve not really shopped for clothes in more than a year, and I have Stitch Fix to thank. If you’ve not heard of it, Stitch Fix is an online personal style service (that sounds way too fancy for me) that takes all your measurements, preferences, and inspiration boards and sends you five items at a time to try on at home. Occasionally, a friend and I will hit up some local thrift stores, and we had one epic strikeout at the mall a few months back, but really, Stitch Fix has been the way I have built my professional wardrobe over the last couple of years. It comes to my door, allows me to try on clothes alongside what I already have in my closet, and then I send back what doesn’t work. No spending time at the mall, no waiting in line, leaving me more time to focus on what I do and not what I wear.

2. YNAB – You Need A Budget

I talked about YNAB about a year ago – it’s the budgeting software that Scott and I use to keep all the transactions of a two-person household in one place. It doesn’t seem like our finances should be that complicated with just the two of us, but all those little charges for milk, fuel, and cat food add up to a large pile of receipts at the end of the month. When we are diligent, we put all our transactions into YNAB as we make them, and then there is no pile staring at you all month long that you feel like you should take care of. These last couple of years it has helped us pay off my student loans and save toward building a house – and it made it really simple so we could focus on other things. Use this link to get $6 off.

3. CoSchedule

For all of you bloggers on WordPress, this is your new best friend. CoSchedule integrates with your WordPress blog to lay out all of your content in one easy-to-see calendar. It also allows you to schedule your social media shares, leave notes and reminders for yourself, and adjust all of these things by dragging and dropping them onto new days when plans change – because plans always change. CoSchedule is one of the biggest reasons I was able to blog 2x week all of last year – it kept me organized and still does.

4. Keeping a LogBook

I’m trying something new this year and keeping a logbook. I’m following Austin Kleon’s method of jotting down little tidbits from each day so that I can look back on 2016 and remember all the little things that made it big. I snagged this Moleskin daily journal to keep me on track. I’m also using Momento, an app for iPhone, to save pictures to days that I don’t want to share on social media, but that I still want to remember years from now. So far, I’m finding this method far less heavy-feeling than keeping an actual journal, which means its working.

5. BackBlaze

BackBlaze helps me sleep at night. It keeps my computer automatically backed up and all times to the cloud, and would allow me to re-install all of my files onto a new computer should anything ever happen to my current one. It’s less than $5 month for unlimited storage, and that means all my files and photos are safe. Less time worrying about data loss, more time to focus on other projects.

6. Meal Plans

I’m getting back in the swing of planning out our meals a week or two in advance, hoping to eliminate that 6:05 PM question when I walk in the door: what are we having for dinner? I very much dislike deciding every day what we need to eat (sad, but true), and I find if I sit down and decide all our meals for two weeks, then it’s less taxing. And of course, let’s me spend evenings rockin’ out the side business instead of staring at an open pantry wondering what magic I might be able to bring forth. This year, I’m using the weekly planner from Creatives in Transit. I was using a horizontal version, but I’m hoping I can print two copies on each sheet this way and save some paper.

That’s how I’m making life a little more simple these days. What about you? Anything I don’t have listed that I should try?

Most of the links in this post are referral links, meaning that if you click on one and sign up for a service, I may get a kickback. I only recommend services I love, so rest easy.

Story in Review: Essentialism by Greg McKeown

April 9, 2015 by Abbigail Kriebs 9 Comments

“Essentialism isn’t about getting more done in less time. It’s about getting only the right things done.”

In my constant quest to simplify life, I stumbled upon Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown. McKeown posits that if we invest ourselves in fewer things, we make better progress on the things that matter most. He calls this “living by design, not by default.” In doing so, we enjoy the journey of life and not just the destination we work toward.

I loved this book. McKeown strikes the right balance between information and anecdote as he makes his case for a less jumbled life. He is passionate about this topic, and it shows on the page. This book touched on all of my favorite productivity topics – sleep as a necessity, the idea of decision fatigue, saying “no” to things that aren’t The Best Yes – and did so in a way that was engaging, yet not overwhelming. I actually found myself staying up late to read nonfiction for the first time in my life.

Even though I am firmly on the simplify and minimalism wagon, I find “Essentialism” to be a term that feels more true. Minimalist gets a negative connotation at times, and simplicity can often seem less sophisticated. “Essentialism” makes this way of living life into an active choice – and I find that this really resonates with me.

Favorite Quotes

“Success can distract us from focusing on the essential things that produce success in the first place.” – p. 13

“[Essentialism] is a discipline you apply each and every time you are faced with a decision about whether to say yes or whether to politely decline.” – p. 19

“An Essentialist creates space to escape and explore life.” – p. 65

“Being a journalist of your own life will force you to stop hyper-focusing on all the minor details and see the big picture.” – p. 75

“Imagination is the source of every form of human achievement. And it’s the one thing that I believe we are systematically jeopardizing in the way we educate our children and ourselves.” – p. 84

“In a nutshell, sleep is what allows us to operate at our highest level of contribution so that we can achieve more, in less time.” – p. 99

“… a true essential intent is one that guides your greater sense of purpose, and helps you chart your life’s path.” – p. 128

“We can all live a life not just of simplicity but of high contribution and meaning.” – p. 226

Should you read this book? Yes.

The principles in this book are helpful for editing life, whether you are a mom stretched a little too thin, a business owner who feels like they are constantly spinning their wheels, or anyone who feels like they are sacrificing the important things at the altar of the urgent.

Should you buy this book? Yes. If you have $20 dollars, do it. With all the essays and blogs out there about simplicity and minimalism available for free, I was at first hesitant to pick this up – but it was definitely worth having all this information in one place and in such an engaging read.

So, if you can, pick up a copy of Essentialism. If you are in the Madison, WI area – ask to borrow mine.

P.S. Read more on minimalism here. And more on learning to say “no” here and here.

Supporting Artists While Maintaining A Minimalist Lifestyle

May 30, 2014 by Abbigail Kriebs 2 Comments

Supporting Artists, Practicing Minimalism | Inkwells & Images

Selling my house and preparing to move for the first time in almost eight years has me thinking a lot about the physical stuff we carry around this world with us.

We humans spend a lot of money just to move our stuff around with us everywhere we go.

There are entire companies that built up around the fact that we need places for all of our stuff. Storage companies, moving companies … they aren’t around to serve people – they are around to serve people’s stuff.

Think about all the money spent each day to check baggage. To take our stuff with us to our destination – and then bring it back again.

My husband and I rented a storage unit when we listed our house on the market. As all the staging experts say, we needed to “declutter” and make our small house less peronsal: so the people looking at it could envision their lives there, and not just see ours. We took down our wedding photos, we packed up what knick-knacks we had, and we purged.

And then we purged some more.

We downsized clothing stockpiles. I instituted a “no grocery shopping until our cupboards are really and truly bare” plan. I even went through and got rid of some of my books, which for those of you that know me in real life, is an utter miracle.

And we have survived.

In fact, the more stuff we got rid of, either by giving it to someone else or donating it to the local second hand store, the better we felt. The lighter our lives were. The easier it was to pick up the house. I don’t miss any of the stuff that was sitting around not being used.

We’ve learned to use the library more, and to borrow (and lend!) the things we only need once in a while. We’ve learned that the less we have to take care of, the happier we are.

There is one conflict that remains after learning to live a more minimalist lifestyle: how do I support other artists while still saying “yes” to less?

My love for art and desire to support artists & creators is in a constant battle with my frugality and tend toward minimalism.

My budget says, “Borrow it from the library and save the money.”

My heart says, “But won’t you want people to BUY your book when you finish writing it?”

My budget: “Do you really NEED to own that album? Or can you just pull up their YouTube channel and click play when you are in the mood to hear their music?”

My heart: “Buy the album! They will thank you – and the cover art is amazing and will look great on your shelf.”

Do these same dialogues go through your head when you are deciding whether or not to buy the book or bring home that print from the gallery you stumbled into on vacation?

How do you decide WHAT to buy and WHO to support?

For some great reading on minimalism, visit Joshua Becker’s “Becoming Minimalist” blog: www.becomingminimalist.com. His writing helped me take the first leap, and to realize that minimalism means different things for different people.