Year of Enough Challenge

Before I get into this challenge, I do have a quick update.  In my last post about my experience going through the KonMari method, I had finished everything but the sentimental category with the goal of finishing it by the end of 2017.  I did finish sorting through all of my sentimental items.  However, I don't feel like this category is completely resolved when it comes to pictures.  I did put all of my pictures into a bin, but I didn't sort through them.  This larger "picture project" is one I will tackle in 2018.  More on this in another post....

Has anyone heard of Earth Overshoot Day?  If not, check it out on overshootday.org.  Basically, it's the date that we use more resources than the earth can renew.  We hit this date on August 2, 2017.  So, we are now officially consuming more resources than the earth can support.  The goal is to move the date to reduce our burden on ecological resources such as fishing, forests and the atmosphere.  My goal is to reduce my footprint.  This year, I will be taking steps to #movethedate to the best of my ability.  It will take everyone doing their little part, so I'm going to focus on my contribution.  

This leads me to the topic of this post: Year of Enough Challenge.  Since it's New Year's Day, it's typically a time to make resolutions and goals.  I wanted to use this as a time to start this challenge to be more mindful of my purchases and how the quantity and quality of the items I buy impact our planet.  In case you're wondering, I didn't come up with this challenge.  I heard it on a podcast I listen to from The Practical Minimalists.  Here are the rules that I'm going to try to stick to:

Consumables 

  • This category includes food, soap, make up, etc and anything that is not a physical item that gets used/consumed in any way. 
  • Food.  I'm going try to purchase food with as little packaging as possible.  This means shopping in bulk and bringing my own bags and/or containers to put the bulk items in to minimize single use packaging.  If an item cannot be purchased in bulk with my own container, then I'm going to try to buy the item in a glass container first and a recyclable plastic container if glass is not an option.  This will hopefully focus my food purchases to actual ingredients and not pre-packaged food.  
  • Eating out.  I cannot eat out or make random food purchases because I didn't plan ahead.  So, this means bringing my lunch to work everyday (which I already do), and bringing snacks with me when I'm out and about.  If I eat out, it must be for a special occasion or with friends and no more than twice per month.  
  • Household supplies.  I've already switched over pretty much all of my household cleaning supplies to ones that I make using safe, non-toxic ingredients.  My goal is to continue with this, so the only items I will need to buy for this will be the ingredients, such as vinegar, baking soda, castile soap, alcohol and a minimal amount of essential oils.  
  • Shampoo, conditioner, soaps, make up, etc.  I recently starting to look at the quality of the products I'd been using on the Environmental Working Group website (ewg.org).  It was an eyeopener to say the least (which also led me to make my own household cleaning products).  My goal is to purchase a product that meets two criteria: 1) has a good EWG score, and 2) doesn't come in plastic packaging.  
  • Running shoes.  I'm going to classify these as consumable because they do  need to be swapped out routinely to prevent injury.  I bring my old shoes in to be recycled at the store, so I'll continue to do this.  

Non-Consumables

  • Clothes.  Last year I sent a lot of clothes to Thread Up and donated others.  I still have more clothes than I think I need, and I'm finding the quality of some of my clothes and shoes aren't the best and are not holding up.  I know there will need to be some replacements made during the year, so I'm putting some rules around it.  First, if the item can be repaired, then I will take it to be fixed.  Second, if the item doesn't fit within a basic capsule wardrobe, I cannot purchase it.  Third, I will look a second hand options first, such as Thread Up.  If a new item does need to be purchased, then I will look for a company that aligns with my ethics and produces quality items that will last.  Also, I have an empty Thread Up bag.  So, if I buy a new item, then I need to put 2-3 items of clothes for each new item into the bag.  
  • Household supplies.  Let's face it, I know there will be some purchases throughout the year for items that need to be replaced.  While these purchases are not completely avoidable, my rule will be make sure each item is truly at the end of it's usable life before replacing it.  Before getting a replacement, I'll determine whether the item is truly needed or not.  And, if it is needed, purchase the item from a company that has ethics that I align with and that is the most gentle on the earth.  
  • Books.  One goal I have for this year is to read more.  I have a library card and typically get the Kindle version.  The only physical book that I had already purchased before this year started was a Leuchtturm 1917 notebook to start a bullet journal.  Otherwise, I plan on sticking with the library or borrowing books from friends and family.  
  • Electronics.  I will try to purchase second hand (off ebay).  I already know I will need a good photo scanner for my picture project.  So, my plan is to find a good one on ebay and then sell it when I'm done.  Otherwise, I don't have any planned electronic purchases.  
  • Gifts.  When giving a gift, it will be something that is consumable or an experience. 

I'm sure there are things that will come up that I haven't thought through yet, but my goal is to be more mindful.  I hope to pause and really think through what I'm purchasing and consuming this year.  I'll give some updates during the year to see what I'm learning along the way.  

I wish all of you a happy new year!  

Konmari

I was first introduced to this little book about 2 years ago, but I never gave it much thought.  Perhaps I wasn’t ready for it yet….  Somehow this book crossed by path again early in 2017 and this time I devoured it.  “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up” is written by a Japanese woman, Marie Kondo.  To me, the book is more of an easy, practical step-by-step method of how to purge all of your belongings to keep only the items that bring you joy.  The premise is not that you are going to get rid of the things that you don’t care for anymore, but rather that everything is going to go except for those precious items that spark joy.  She coins this approach “KonMari” after her name. 

The method is a process that you go through, only once in your life if you do it correctly, to declutter and organize.  It flips our normal thinking of how we “tidy” and notes that every item that is kept should have a home.  The first step is a mental exercise to visualize how you want your space to look and feel.  For me, visual clutter also feels like mental clutter, so I wanted a space that displays a minimal number of items.  I also wanted my closets and cabinets to not feel so full.  I had my vision and went to work. 

The process from start to end should be completed in a “short” amount of time which is quantified in less than 6 moths.  There is a method to the madness and you declutter not by room, but by category.  The categories must be completed in this order: clothes, books, papers, komono (miscellaneous), and sentimental.  Each large category can be further broken down into subcategories.  For example, clothes can be divided into tops, bottoms, dresses, shoes, etc.  Komono is a Japanese word but encompasses the items associated with everything “else” such as office, kitchen, living room, utility room, pets, etc.

At first, I was excited to get going with my KonMari decluttering project but was feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of items to sort.  I found a printable checklist online and felt ready to go.  In her book, Marie Kondo says you must gather everything from the category in which you are working and put them all in one place.  At first, this seemed unnecessary, but she explains the visual impact of seeing all of your dresses, for example, all in one place will help you see just how many items you actually possess.  So, I stuck with her instructions and soon had every single shirt I own on my bed.  I was horrified.  How can one person need so much?  Of course, this is the whole point of doing this.  Marie Kondo says to pick up each item and if it sparks joy, you keep it.  If not, then thank it for the job it has done and get rid of it. 

Out of curiosity, I kept track of how many of my possessions I was parting with.  My goal was to limit the amount of actual trash as I did not want this project to contribute to landfill.  I still plan on getting rid of more, namely clothes, but here’s the count so far:

  • Clothes: 6 bags were sent to Thread Up and 2 bags were taken for textile recycling (approximately 1/3 of my wardrobe)
  •  Books: I kept 36, took 7 to work and sold 34 at Half Price Books
  • Paperwork: Nearly everything was recycled which was 4 bags.  I scanned important documents and downloaded items, such as instruction manuals, to my laptop. 
  • Komono: 2 bags of towels and linens were donated to the animal shelter; 21 bags of miscellaneous donated to Salvation Army; 1 small bag of DVDs was sold at Half Price Books (about half of my DVDs)
  • Trash: 1 bag which was mostly expired lotions, makeup, pantry items, etc

To date, I have gone through every category except for sentimental.  I completed the first 4 categories pretty quickly, in approximately 3-4 months.  Sentimental has been delayed partially because I didn’t have all my sentimental items in one place.  That is now resolved, but I have yet to start this last category.  The goal is to have that completed by the end of 2017.

The process itself is challenging at first and then becomes easier the more you “exercise” the skill of letting go.  I have to say, I have not felt regret for letting anything go so far.  When I drive away from the donation center, I feel a sense of relief and lightness.  Honing in on the items that really matter has become a new obsession and my closet is not safe.  I will continue to work on that and am considering moving to a capsule wardrobe.  Overall, I’m so happy I dove into the KonMari method and highly recommend this to anyone and everyone. 

Intentional

I didn't set any New Year's resolutions this year.  Instead, I have a word that captures my overarching goal for many aspects of my life this year: intentional.  I want to remove the physical and mental clutter from my life to enable me to focus on what brings me joy and satisfaction.  I also wanted to better align my way of living with my values.  

The first half of the year, I went through the Konmari method.  Marie Kondo is the author of a book called The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up.  It's a little book and a quick read but the impact is powerful.  She coined the term Konmari after her name and it is a process of going through each and every item you own and deciding on whether you keep it or not based on whether it brings you joy (or not).  

In the second half of the year, I want to implement my values in a more thoughtful and intentional way.  More on this later...

Below is a vision board I made during a self-care activity at work at the beginning of the year.

Intentional Vision Board.jpg

And so the adventure begins...

I created this website for a few reasons.  I wanted an outlet for creativity and to see if I could build a website.  I'm not artistically inclined, so I thought this would be a manageable project.  Another reason was to create a way to keep up with friends and family.  I also thought this would be a good place to collect and post my picture, inspiration, aspirations, and thoughts.  When it came to the title or home page, I wanted to identify 3 words that capture me and the purpose of this site.  It came down to these:  nourish, explore and dream. 

Nourish.  As most of you are well aware, I'm a dietitian and passionate about food.  Everyone has an emotional connection to food, the memories they invoke and the role they play in our health.  But, I wanted more than just food reflected.  When I think of nourish, I think of  not only the body, but also the mind and soul.  I don't want to neglect the other activities that sustain us such as physical activities, reading, reflection, religion and love. 

Explore.  I love to travel.  The experience of new foods, cultures, and seeing the beauty that our world has to offer.  I also enjoy being a casual photographer to capture some of these moments.  Mostly, I just like to get out into the world and take it all in.  

Dream.  The more I travel the more I want to see.  I have a wish list of destinations and experiences that only grows as time goes on.  I often find my imagination going wild and dream of all the places I have yet to experience in our beautiful country and beyond.  One day, I hope to get to all of them. 

Just like all other aspects of this website, I'm not sure what I'm going to post yet.  I'm all for trying new things and am going to give this a whirl.  So, here's to blogging.