the blog.
30 Day Minimalism Game!
Honesty moment: I went into November with the full intention to complete this challenge... and I failed. Not miserably, I still minimized about 50 items from my home, which is great! And considering I just spent months clearing over 50 percent of my belongings, that's a pretty impressive number. But I know I can do better. So I'm recommitting to a slightly tamed version of this challenge in December, and I really hope you'll join me!
Honesty moment: I went into November with the full intention to complete this challenge... and I failed. Not miserably, I still minimized about 50 items from my home, which is great! And considering I just spent months clearing over 50 percent of my belongings, that's a pretty impressive number. But I know I can do better. So I'm recommitting to a slightly tamed version of this challenge in December, and I really hope you'll join me!
What is the 30 Day Minimalism Game?
Originally posted on the minimalists, this game has very simple rules:
- Get a partner (or two, or three!) who's ready to purge their excess stuff;
- Each day of the month each of you discards the corresponding number of items (so on December 1st you each discard one item, on December 2nd you each discard 2 items, and so on.);
- You may discard whatever you like and in whatever fashion you desire (sell, donate, toss), but it must be out of your home by midnight;
- Whoever goes the longest wins!
#PBBMinGame
So how am I going to participate in the challenge this month? Rather than requiring myself to be rid of the items the same day (which is very difficult as I try to sell and donate as much as possible, and that can take a bit of time and coordination), the items must be out of my home by the last day of each week (Saturday at midnight).
I am also not going to discard each day. Instead, I am going to discard three days a week. I'm going to discard on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays to give myself a couple of days to get rid of the items at the end of each week.
Using this schedule I will be discarding a total of 226 items from my home over the month of December! While I expect to receive a couple gifts this holiday season (and already have received some lovely ones from Jason), they definitely won't outnumber the items I'm letting go of. And isn't that just the most exciting idea ever? Minimalist holidays for the win!
Ready to join me for the challenge?
Comment below letting me know you're in and be sure to like my Facebook page where I will be posting my discarded items all December long! Tag me on instagram and twitter @elizabethturn so that I can see what you're getting rid of and how you're doing. Be sure to use the hashtag #PBBMinGame so that I can see each and every post!
Until next time,
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I'm thinking of writing a post all about how to talk to your friends and family about not giving you too many "things" for the holidays (undoing all of your minimalist progress), in the very nicest way possible, of course! Let me know if you'd be interested in said post :)
6 Best Minimalist YouTube Channels
In honour of my picking up YouTube again I am sharing my 6 favourite minimalist YouTube channels for your viewing pleasure! Go check them out and get inspired to make more steps towards minimalism in your own life.
In honour of my picking up YouTube again I am sharing my 6 favourite minimalist YouTube channels for your viewing pleasure! Go check them out and get inspired to make more steps towards minimalism in your own life.
Coco was the first minimalist YouTuber I started watching, and she's still my favourite. Her life is so relatable, and her tips are extremely helpful. Her video on digital organization was the inspiration for me to organize my computer and email! I also love her aesthetic and calm demeanour.
This couple actually sold their home and began living in a VAN. Talk about inspiring minimalists! They share great tips, snippets from their life, and other minimalists' stories. They're actually incredibly relatable, despite their extreme lifestyle. I've found them more recently but have found myself spending lots of time on their channel!
Not only does she make really helpful videos on all aspects of minimalism, but she's also a vegan! (10 points for gryffindor!) She's concise and very warm in her videos and I love her personal style (she wears almost as much black as I do - which is really not an easy task!).
I have a serious hair crush on this girl. Oh, and her videos are great, too! Aileen's a big fan of the KonMari method, just like I am, and I really enjoy her videos about her journey with decluttering using Marie Kondo's book as a guide. Her channel is wonderful for those of you who are just beginning your journey with the KonMari brand of minimalism as she has quite a few helpful tutorials on methods from the book!
Jaime-Lee's capsule wardrobes are on point, and really helped me while I was in the planning stages of mine! She is definitely very style focused, so if you're a self-proclaimed shopaholic her channel might fulfill your urge to shop without actually having to buy anything. (A major pus when you're trying to reduce your belongings!)
Cynthia's another great one to watch for fashion inspiration. She's all about sustainable fashion, which really aligns with my perspective on clothing. She also does capsule wardrobes and encourages thrift shopping! Her videos tend to be on the longer end with a LOT of helpful information!
Who's your favourite minimalist to watch on YouTube? I'd love for all of us to find more quality YouTubers to pull inspiration from on our minimalist journeys!
Until next time,
Declutter Your Computer!
Most of us use our computers everyday. So why do we let them get way more cluttered and disorganized than our home? I recently did a laptop rehaul and wanted to share my tips and tricks to a minimal, organized computer with all of you!
Most of us use our computers everyday. So why do we let them get way more cluttered and disorganized than our home? I recently did a laptop rehaul and wanted to share my tips and tricks to a minimal, organized computer with all of you!
Keep your desktop clear.
The desktop of your computer is like your desk. It's home base, and everything you do stems from it. Or, thinking of it another way, it's like your foyer. The first and the last thing you see when using your machine. So why do we clutter our desktops up with random screenshots, files, gifs, and folders? I don't know about you, but when my desktop is cluttered it adds to my anxiety to a significant degree, without my even realizing it. Keeping my desktop clear at all times has been incredibly refreshing! I'm never going back to keeping 3 or 4 folders and countless random files there for "easy" access. Because, let's be real, how hard is it to just go to the file you need in finder or to search for it in the search bar?
I only keep files on my desktop that I'm currently working on (like graphics for my blog posts that I'm creating in photoshop). But as soon as I'm done working on it, away it goes.
Oh! Another thing, for Mac users specifically. Please oh please keep your doc tidy! A doc with 20 applications on it clutters up a desktop just as quickly as 20 files. I like to keep mine VERY minimal - just the finder, system preferences, mail, calendar (to remind me of the date quickly), iMessage, downloads, and trash. Anything else I need I can quickly open using the launchpad shortcut (by pinching with my thumb and three fingers).
Behold the glory of my clear desktop (and my handsome fiancé!):
Clean out your contacts.
Friend from elementary school's mom's cell number? Delete. Coworker from three part-time jobs ago? Delete. Ex-boyfriend with whom you never again intend to speak? Delete. When you clean up your contacts it makes life so much easier. No need to scroll through 12 Nicks to find the one you're trying to email. Bite the bullet and make friends with the delete button!
Another thing to try, especially if you have a lot of coworkers or acquaintances that you need to keep in contact with, is to add how you know them in the "company" field. This way you'll always remember which Susan is from your book club and which one works with you!
Sort your photos.
We take so many more photos than our parents, so shouldn't we have more captured memories to enjoy? Not quite. So many of us have such a disorganized photo folder that once a picture is taken, it never sees the light of day again. I find that sad. Why let thousands of photos take up precious storage space on your laptop without reaping the rewards?
But I know that you already understand why sorting your photos is important. So let's get to the real question: how the heck do you do it?
- Start by compiling all photos in one place. I choose to use a Dropbox folder, so that I can access my photos from anywhere and they're safe if my computer breaks. I don't use the carousel feature, however, as I just don't like it.
- Automatically backup new photos from mobile devices when you plug them in. I downloaded dropbox onto my computer and set it up to automatically save new photos from my camera roll whenever my phone or iPad are plugged in. This way every time I charge my photos are being backed up to dropbox!
- Create a naming system and stick to it. I like to keep it simple. All of my general photos are named in the following manner: year_month_day_short description (ex. 2015_10_19_autumndate3). Graphics I create for use in blog posts and on social media I name following my filing naming system (described below!). This makes it easy to find any photo! Even if I forget the specific day it was taken on or description I used, scrolling through that month's photos brings me to it pretty quickly! *For full disclosure, I'm still in the process of updating older photos to this naming system. I have quite a few and it's taking me a while, but I'm doing it and noticing a big difference!
- Delete duplicates and unnecessary photos. While it may take 20 selfies to get the perfect one (believe me, I've been there) - you don't need to keep them all. Delete all of the photos you're not going to want to look again again to remember a specific day or event, or need to post in the future. Be harsh when critiquing photos. Keep only the very best! Your future self will thank you. *I like to do it once a week so that I don't get a build up of too many photos that need to be sorted through. It also helps exponentially if you delete unnecessary photos on your mobile devices throughout the day before syncing to your laptop or desktop!
Create a filing system and follow it.
This is a big one. I keep all of my actual files on Dropbox (which just shows up as another file on my hard drive since I have it installed on my macbook) rather than in the "documents" folder. This way, all of my files are accessible from anywhere and protected from computer crashes!
The next step is to create just a few folders for your main categories of files (just like in my Take Control Your Email post!) Here are mine:
Within each folder I may have a couple subfolders, or not, depending on the category. For example, my PLANT BASED BRIDE folder has a couple of different subfolders for different purposes, while my HOME folder only has one: HOME_ARCHIVE. Each main folder has an archive folder for old files I don't reference regularly but may need someday down the line.
I also have a system for naming each individual file. Each file name starts with the shortcut for it's category (the main folder it belongs in). So blog files begin with PBB while financial files begin with FIN. Next comes the year and the month, then a short description. Here's an example file: PBB_2015_10_declutteryourcomputer_pin (category_year_month_blog post title_graphic type). Another example: HOME_2015_07_leaseagreement (category_year_month_short description).
You may have noticed my file named TEMPORARY. This is exactly what it sounds like! I keep this file for random screenshots and photos I save for short-term use. I make sure to delete everything in this folder on a weekly basis.
Backup your files.
Once a month I plug in my external hard drive and copy and paste my Dropbox folder into a file labelled: (year)_(month)_dropboxbackup. It's easy, and means I have a backup with all of my files easily accessible if dropbox ever goes down!
Reset once a year.
Once a year I like to reset my computer to its factory settings to keep it clear of cookies and hidden files that slow it down. It's like getting a brand new macbook each year!
And there you have it! My tips to declutter your computer and keep it organized all year long. I hope you try some of them out and that they simplify your life as they have mine! Watch out for my next post in the Living With Less series: all about decluttering your phone!
Until next time,
Do you have a system in place that you find keeps your computer in tip top organized shape? Please share it in the comments!
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Take Control of Your Email!
Email can be be a major stressor in so many of our lives. Emails flood into our inboxes, accompanied by that tell-tale ding, at a rate faster than we could possibly read and respond. Day after day the un-dealt with emails build up until you have hundreds of emails in your inbox and are too overwhelmed to even start sorting through them. I have felt this way for most of my life, but recently I decided enough was enough and developed a system to keep my inbox under control for good!
Email can be be a major stressor in so many of our lives. Emails flood into our inboxes, accompanied by that tell-tale ding, at a rate faster than we could possibly read and respond. Day after day the un-dealt with emails build up until you have hundreds of emails in your inbox and are too overwhelmed to even start sorting through them. I have felt this way for most of my life, but recently I decided enough was enough and developed a system to keep my inbox under control for good!
ONE Only check your email once a day.
Set aside a chunk of time daily, preferably always at the same time, to check your email. Let the people who email you the most know that you will like check your email at 9am and not again until the next day at 9am (or whatever time works for you!). Obviously if there is a time sensitive situation you should check back in more frequently, but on your average day checking email more than once eats into your productivity without any noticeable benefit. Try checking only once a day and notice the immediate relief!
TWO Aim for an empty inbox.
Every day, in your preset email maintenance time block, aim to reach inbox zero. This way, even if you miss the mark, you will be keeping the number of emails sitting around waiting to be dealt with to an absolute minimum. Plus, there is just something so satisfying about an empty inbox!
THREE Go through each email in chronological order and deal with it immediately.
Go down the list and read each and every email, and make decisions about where they need to go and whether they require a response or action from you. If it's junk, mark it so that your email can recognize and sort it for you in the future, then trash it. If it's an email that requires no action and you won't need to refer to it later, delete it. If it's an email that requires no action but may need to be referred to at a later date, file it. If it's an email requiring an action or response from you and you can do it immediately, do so and file if need be! If it's an email that requires an action or response that will take more time, leave it and come back to it once you've cleared the rest.
IMPORTANT: Don't just file every email. Really think about it and determine if you will ever need to read it again. If not, and you don't need it as proof of an agreement of some sort, you don't need to keep it!
FOUR Reduce the number of mailboxes you use to archive emails.
Use very general categories making it easy to sort. You'll likely use the search bar to find emails anyway, so don't worry about having more emails in less folders! My mailboxes are as follows:
- Customer Support (confirmation of online orders, customer support threads, etc.)
- Family & Friends (self explanatory!)
- Finances (bills, etransfers, paypal confirmations, correspondence with my investment manager, etc.)
- Performance (emails from my agent, stage managers, creative team, and other performers)
- Websites (anything regarding this site or my performing website, elizabethgreer.ca)
- Work (all emails regarding my part time jobs)
This makes sorting a breeze and looks so nice in my email manager!
FIVE Create a signature for your emails.
Save your very valuable time by creating a signature to be automatically added to each email you send. Why continually type your name and email if you don't have to? A general template would be:
First and Last Name Email Phone Number Website
You don't need to have all of this information, or maybe you have other things you'd like to add, but the above is a good place to start if you've never used a signature before and are feeling unsure about what to include!
SIX Create canned responses for common emails.
Always get asked what hours you're in the office? Or what your favourite colour is? Create draft emails with responses to your most commonly asked questions so all you need to do is fill in the person's name and you're good to go!
SEVEN Use Unroll.Me.
I signed up for Unroll.Me and it's one of the best decisions I ever made. They make it easy to unsubscribe from subscription emails and then roll up the ones you're still interested in into one easily digestible email. (I am not affiliated with them. I just use their product and love it!) Best part? It's 100% free.
And that's it! My seven top tips top reaching inbox nirvana. Give them a try and see if your blood pressure lowers a couple of points!
Until next time,
Did I miss a great email tip? Let me know in the comments!
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