Caroline and I finished up our summer homeschooling yesterday. I now have two weeks off and we’ll start up with the new school year the day after Labor Day. I have been making small and large changes during August that are already paying off in terms of more time and less stress. I could write a post about each of these (and probably will), but for now I’m simply going to list them.
One, I have been steadily removing myself from email lists. I have significantly reduced the amount of email I receive. I’m already pretty careful about this, but have taken it to another level. Anyone who emails too frequently and doesn’t give me an option for less? Gone. Anyone subtly inserting propaganda that makes me feel stressed or angry? Gone. And so on. Even if it’s a company I like and might buy from again, if their emails annoy me they are gone.
Two, I deleted my Twitter account this week. I do plan to write a full post about this. Twitter is by far the most stressful social media I’ve ever used. It’s not even close. I think their algorithm is designed for it. I already feel different today by not having it.
Three, we have been cleaning out each room of the house. Last weekend, David took a carload of donations to a local charity that operates in our part of the county. I decided I didn’t care if there were things I could sell on Facebook for a few dollars. I asked the Lord to bless the people who find the things and provide that money for us in another way.
Four, I’ve been cleaning out homeschooing materials. Now that I know what we’ll be doing the last two years of homeschooling, there is no reason to hang on to a lot of things. I’ve been pitching stuff left and right. Some things will be donated.
Five, I moved all of my media files in posts to my own hosting/server. Every podcast and video I’ve made for both of my sites is now self-hosted. I have left some of them up on other platforms so people can find me, but nothing is embedded from anywhere else. No more adapting to changes on other platforms.
So that’s what I’ve been doing to simplify my life this month. Have you made any changes lately? Please share in a comment below if you have. Maybe your ideas will inspire someone else!
“White Pansies” by Archibald Lampman
Things I am doing to simplify my life are mostly related to organization. My life has always moved fast with the resulting piles of unfinished projects and disorganized piles of useful but out of place implements.
I have collected all my gardening seeds into two plastic photo cases which are divided by individual plastic cases. I still can not find my heirloom wheat grains that I grew and saved.
Likewise, all my garden tool are located by my primary garden. I need a garden shed for them before winter.
Going through rooms trying to declutter. This has been challenging because my home is little but I do soooo much and need lots of items to do them. I am considering reducing the scope of what I do (cheesemaking, baking, office work, canning garden produce) but they all seem necessary.
Finally, I am trying to obtain technical freedom from the web of devices I need to remain aware of life off the farm. Special thanks to Sally for encouragement to follow Jeffery Peterson. So far I am Windows free. Learning how to create my own network server to prevent intrusions to my privacy on line. Final goal is to move to a de-googled phone.
I appreciate Sally’s work toward removing her content to her own site. Her actions inspire my own endeavors.
Hi Salle,
Recently our daughter Leia ( 19) has been doing more of the family driving. During the better weather of course. This little change has made life way simpler for us. We drive 50-70 thousand klms. a year between work residence and the cottage and the condo in Florida. A quick trip for bread is 70 klms. So our daughter sharing some of the driving has greatly simplified our schedules and driving burden.
We are trying to make life easier/ Deleting and unscribing numerous e-mails.
Joan,Marion and Marilyn
A way I have simplified this month is by deleting the blog I recently started. After a long blog hiatus, I returned in July, with a blog geared to simplicity and slow living. I ultimately came to realize that, for me, part of simplicity and slow living is to minimize my time on the internet. In many ways, I find the internet to be the single biggest distraction in my life! So, I’m no longer blogging, and I have vastly pared down the blogs I want to continue reading.
My very carefully curated Twitter feed is enjoyable, but I remove anyone who becomes too partisan and focus on gaming, books I enjoy reading, and a smattering of homeschooling and church stuff.
I’ve been trying to clear out and variously declutter as much as I can right now, but am not the best focusing on that.