How to Adapt to Living With LESS

There’s no question that learning to live with less is a process that doesn’t happen overnight for most people. For some, the act of consistently shedding and maintaining an intentional living space comes naturally- largely due to some reasons we’re going to discuss today, but for the vast majority, this is simply not the case.

Now, there are tons of psychological studies and phenomena that explain why there is such a clutter problem in the world today and why we have trouble letting things go on a more personal level– you can find information on these here.

But, while that knowledge can be helpful and motivating, it doesn’t explain how to adapt to living with less. Today, I want to chat about why this can be such a struggle and how to get through the struggle (and find more happiness in the process). I’ll also share 3 tangible tools that can help bend the learning curve along the way!

Stick around to the end because I’m going to be giving away some of my personal favorite tools to help bend the learning curve on your journey to adapting to living with less.

Perception And Discontent

It’s worth mentioning that the rewards of a spacious, minimalist haven, aren’t nearly as great as the process of achieving contentment and, as one author put it “a sense of mastery…or participation in determining the content of life” -Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi ‘Flow’.

Most of us have figured out, at this point, that how we feel about ourselves and the world around us (how much happiness we achieve), depends more on how our mind filters and interprets information and experiences than anything else.

Societal and genetic urges

In his book, Flow, the author talks about ‘Reclaiming Experience’ which I found really interesting. He describes social and genetic instructions as being 2 forces of control that, when followed unquestioningly, lead to helplessness and unhappiness.

So, what does that even mean- what are social and genetic instructions? Well, Genetic instructions would be those physically guided urges. Things that make us feel good, what we desire, food, alcohol, natural urges, instinct…physical desires.

Social instructions would be desires or rewards that society has agreed are worthy- the nice house, manicured lawn, sports car, the latest technology. Social desires.

This leads to great discontent. Constantly reaching for the next prize that always dissolves and reappears in the distance.

Hello, discontent.

It’s just never quite enough. The more we have access to the more we realize that external stimuli just don’t bring happiness. As Csikszentmihalyi put it, “this paradox of rising expectations suggests that improving the quality of life might be an insurmountable task.”

Now, of course, you can’t disregard society- it’s there for a reason- or your body -umm, it’s there for a reason too 🤪. But joy and meaning should be found in the ongoing stream of your life experience. Just living. Enjoying doing what you’re doing and being who you’re being in the moment.

Essentially, the key is to master your consciousness. (I’m aware that this sounds really taboo but makes perfect sense when you think about it).

Directing Your Thoughts (Or “Ordering Your Consciousness”)

Directing your thoughts, or “ordering your consciousness” is the core of “intentional living”- no doubt a term you’ve seen and heard around the internet.

You might feel the influence of outside urges- but the complex structure of our nervous system has developed a consciousness that is self-directed (which is just really freakin’ cool). It means, for example, you don’t have to eat when you’re hungry- you can override that biological sensation and choose not to.

You don’t have to fall in line with societal trends and impositions- you can choose to prioritize contentment and focus your attention on peace and joy in your current space.

Perspective

I think that camping (or downgrading your current level of sophistication and material goods in any case) is a good experiment on how much less we can truly live with (and oftentimes be even happier in the process).

Don’t get me wrong- I’m not ditching my tech either. But I think that exploring this idea of the true quality of life is important for finding balance and perspective.

You can adapt to living with less much quicker than you would think.

Case and point: our last camping grounds were shared between 6 people and 6 dinner sets. We each had a single cup, spoon, bowl, and plate for the entire week.

It took us less than a day to adjust to washing our dishes after each use (with no dishwasher). We became pros at wipe-rinse-dry. Even the kids! By the end of the week, it didn’t really matter what utensil was in our hand, we just used it.

I have a body pillow at home because I don’t like my knees touching while I sleep. But I slept like a baby with one standard pillow and an air mattress. We were even offered a lantern a few days in (one of many things we forgot at home) and declined because we had adjusted to not using one.

We are made to adapt. This ability is built into us on so many levels.

We Want More Because We’re Human.

The idea that an entire family routine could adjust in as little as a day to needing less stuff is pretty incredible. Humans can adapt to living with less much quicker than even I expected.

Part of being human means having active, creative brains that love to fantasize. We fantasize about what we need and want. We fantasize about having something that someone else has. The whole concept of fantasizing is to imagine something that isn’t already there. (Another advantage of our great consciousness).

This is just how our brains are programmed to operate. The moment we discover something interesting we begin fantasizing about it. Couple that with the fact that, overall, humans are social beings who are drawn to fitting in with others and you have a recipe for copycat consumption.

That’s not to say that we have no choice in the matter of what we choose to live with and purchase. It just highlights that going against the grain will require awareness and intention.

What Do You Completely Forget Exists When You’re Away?

The kids had none of their technology or toys. I didn’t have my memory foam mattress, my house slippers or my big pillows. Matt (who’s a major techy) didn’t have his video games and computer. Still, we managed to be happy the entire time. Our expectations (and our environment) had been altered.

Now, I’m not saying we are going to go home and ditch all of our technology and comfort items. If we can be perfectly happy without those key favorite items imagine how little we need the things that we’ve completely forgotten about!

So, what would those items be for you? How much more space, time and money would you have? One thing that became incredibly clear to me is that our environments have a huge impact on our ability to adapt to change, including living with less.

Had we been at home, we wouldn’t have been as satisfied with walking a quarter-mile to the bathroom and sleeping without AC. However, a change in environment and in expectations made this exact reality almost unnoticeable.

3 Things That Will Help You Adapt To Living With Less

There are 3 tools to add to your arsenal of ways to more easily live with less and really bend the learning curve! Those things are mindfulness, versatility, and spatial constraints.

1. Mindfulness

One of the greatest tools in your arsenal when it comes to learning to live with less is a practice of mindfulness 🧘‍♀️ ⁠(this sounds absolutely yummy to me because I could live in my mind all day 😋).⁠
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2 tools that I use on the regular to sharpen that practice are meditation and strategic journaling. ⁠These help to build on keeping aligned and intentional.

2. Versatility

It becomes much easier to live with less when you have items that perform multiple functions. This way you never feel like you’re doing without when you ditch the extra gadgets and tools because you have a single versatile item to cover it!

Anywhere you can ease the “loss sensation” when you’re first getting used to letting things go is going to help. Not to mention, it’s just smarter and more efficient with your space.

3. Spatial constraints

The third and final key (I might say) to living with less is spatial constraints. I’ve been teaching this powerful practice for years!⁠
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This is the bread and butter of clutter-free living!⁠

If you can give yourself firm boundaries for the belongings you use it becomes easier to let go of the things that don’t fit in those spaces AND easier to keep your place looking visually spacious with the items you do keep.

Giveaway

In the spirit of helping you easily adapt to living with less, I’m offering a limited time ‘Living With Less Giveaway’. This is in celebration of reaching 1 year on my YouTube channel! I’m sharing my personal, tried-and-true favorite tools to start packing your arsenal!

The giveaway runs from AUGUST 10, 2021 12:00 AM to AUGUST 16, 2021 12:00 AM!

Mindfulness:

As I said, 2 tools that I use on the regular to sharpen my mindfulness practice are meditation and strategic journaling. ⁠These help to build on keeping aligned and intentional.

I want to share that with you!

So, I’m giving away a 1-year subscription to the @Calm app as well as a @90xgoalplanner (my 2 favorite tools)✨✨✨⁠($105 value) 🎉⁠

Versatility

The most versatile thing I’ve added to my home recently is a Ninja blender. I tried other brands and promptly returned them but this thing is an incredible machine.⁠
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It, not only makes my healthy smoothies but recently chopped an onion 🧅 (diced, not mush!) and proceeded to shred chicken for my chicken tortilla soup 🍜(something I used to do by hand 😩). ⁠
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I got rid of my gargantuan food processor because of the versatility of this thing!⁠
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That’s why I’m giving away a Ninja blender (full size!) as a part of my Living With Less Giveaway!!⁠ ($80 value) 🎉⁠

Spatial Constraints:

I use this in a number of ways but the most notable is with our memory boxes. So many people struggle with letting go of sentimental items.⁠
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The truth is- you don’t have to. There are some things that you might want to hold onto while still living with some boundaries. We love our memory boxes for this function. 🥰⁠
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I’m giving one lucky winner a memory box bundle to get started putting those boundaries in place! ($25 value)🎉⁠

⁠Clutter Cure!

I almost forgot to mention that you’ll also get access to my signature course Clutter Cure! – the course that has helped hundreds cure their clutter and create inspiring spaces ($297 value) 🎉⁠

That’s over $500 of straight value that you could win by making some taps on your phone (or clicks on your computer). ⁠

It’s all you boo. ⁠

Why would you want to adapt to living with less in the first place? Well, aside from a quest for internal autonomy there are psychological impacts associated with clutter and a certain amount of freedom that comes when you reduce those ties.