EST. 2011
We live in a world where distraction has become a way of life.
Information overload, never-ending to-do’s, non-stop thinking and planning, and going-going-going. I’ve been thinking a lot about the actions I want to take to peel back some layers and simplify. Enjoy some peace and quiet. Slow down and declutter the things around me that have a little excess going on that isn’t necessary.
I’ve started to tidy up areas of my life the past couple of weeks so that we can come back from our trip to a clean home, unintimidating inbox, and are excited and ready to take on fall’s fresh start…
Unsubscribe Me
I’ve been unsubscribing to email lists on the reg and letting people know that I will be as far-flung from my inbox as ever before. I’ve noticed much less incoming notes, and it feels so good! Clicking my inbox app is second nature (need to rewire my brain and quit this!), so having less to look at will keep me at ease.
Digital Organizing
Between my phone and laptop’s images and downloads–– the files, storage space, and order are simply out of control. I’m taking the next few days during downtime to slowly clean these up! Go through screenshots, images, notes and minimize as much as possible…
Social Sift
I am trying to spend *much less time on social media and one thing that helps me step away a bit more is to narrow down my following count and focus on feeds that are 1) my friends and family and 2) only accounts that bring me pure joy and inspiration. I mute A LOT of accounts I follow, too. Just because I find that stories can be such a time suck and honestly, it doesn’t do much for me most of the time. I mainly use Instagram to chat with those who send me notes to my DM’s (love love love this!) and scrolling my feed quickly when the mood strikes to see what people are up to/and to collect inspiration, but other than that… I keep my app pretty minimal and clean! Everyone is different here, though. I used to be more excited about scrolling Instagram pre-blogging fulltime, but now I find that it just takes away from time I could be spending creating something unique!
Closet Cleanse
I did this a couple of weekends back and it felt amazing! Like, a real deep cleanse. My closet is down to joy-sparkers and is organized, minimal, and ready to take on a new season.
Cabinet Decluttering
Since our registry gifts have been slowly making their way to us over the last few months, this has been a top priority for me. I spent a few hours recently going through every cabinet and drawer and getting rid of things we don’t need or that we replaced recently. I reorganized everything like a game of Tetris and our kitchen (in particular) has never looked better!
Sparkly Kitchen Goals
Every so often, I hit a point where I feel compelled to pull everything out of the fridge (usually when it’s more empty and needing a grocery trip) and wipe down the shelves, drawers, etc. I do the same thing with our kitchen drawers and food cabinets. I am a little OCD clean though, but to me, this makes such a big difference! Also, it’s just disgusting having sticky jams on fridge doors and crumbs all willy-nilly in cabinets. Yaaaa know?
Clearing my Mind
Since earlier this summer leading up to our wedding, I struggled a bit with maintaining balance. Having a lot on my mind and plate, and juggling different parts of my life has led me to feel burn out. I feel like my mind has been running non-stop. As soon as I wake up, throughout the day (which can be super distracting from what I’m actually trying to focus on), after closing my laptop and even my eyes–– I dream of the things I need to be doing. I recently got back into meditating and started a gratitude journal which has helped immensely.
It can be hard sometimes working for myself. Feeling a bit isolated and having the time to overthink things which ultimately leads to me being in my own head and standing in my own way. I’ve always loved personal development and self-help books, but they are more important to me now than ever. They have the power to change my way of thinking, be more present and mindful, and help me navigate through my own roadblocks. I have felt so much better lately reimmersing myself into those powerful pages. I love re-reading The Power of Now and You Are a Badass… two of my absolute favorites that always have a way of putting my head back on straight.
I have always been a very self-aware person, and that usually leads me to bounce back faster if I ever feel off. But, being my own boss sometimes allows me to fall into bad habits (like lack of structure and way too much screen time). Sometimes it feels like I autopiloted my way into a rut and I don’t know how to get out of it.
I’m feeling a lot better now, but this trip couldn’t have come at a better time! I’m so excited to step away, reset, give my mind a break. Remove the pressure, to-do lists, and just have FUN (aka what life is all about). I’m excited to focus on what actually matters (my husband) and soak up all of the magic and splendor that Italy has in store for us.
So here’s to cleansing all aspects of our lives and heading into a new season (the most heartwarming season at that) with clear minds and clean fridges. lol. xx
