This past week I started the Lighten Your Load, Lighten Your Life Challenge. It’s a personal challenge to remove 5 things from my life every day of 2024.
I’ve invited others to join me (and pick their own number). Together in a private Facebook group we are sharing ideas, support, and a few laughs, plus offering accountability with optional daily reports of how we’ve lightened our loads.
When I set out to do this, I expected maybe a handful of my friends might join me, and even made two friends to promise they would join, so I wouldn’t look pathetic if someone I didn’t know decided to join.
To my happy surprise, lots of people have joined the group and the number grows every day (you can join us too! Click here to read the original post and to find the link to our group). It’s been fun and inspiring to see what everyone’s unloading, plus I’ve already gotten a ton of great tips (did you know that Smartwool has a sock recycling program?).
This new practice has changed how I look at everything. I’m constantly scanning every drawer I open and reconsidering each item I put away, looking for things to give away or toss. Even Nick has gotten into it, each time he tosses something in the trash (even actual trash), he says, “Here’s one of my five.”
I’m piling up things to donate and giveaway, although some things, like the holey potholder that has burned me for years, go in the trash.
Where I live, ‘thrifting’ is a verb and there are at least thirty second-hand shops, thrift stores, flea markets, and emporiums within a twenty minute drive. I often stop to poke around in them when I am out running other errands, but now I think, “But do I really need anything?” and drive right by.
Because I have to find five things a day, I’m trying to pace myself. That’s a total of 1825 things I have pledged to get rid of in the next year. When I look at the stuffed closets and drawers and pantries, the barn full of stuff, the office piled with bins, and my laptop groaning under its digital load, I know I can do it.
I did a big purge years ago when I read the Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by (now famous) Marie Kondo. The problem with that approach was while it helped me get rid of a lot of things (but clearly not enough), it also gave me license to say, ‘Does this item spark joy?’ every time I was shopping.
Much too much in this world sparks joy for me, because those initially barren spaces quickly filled up.
This time around, I’m still considering the joy factor, but I’m also considering the obligation factor. Do I have room/time/money/energy for this latest purchase?
For the time being, I’m not planning to bring anything else into my life that isn’t consumable. Everything else will go through serious scrutiny—do I absolutely need it? Sure, it might bring me joy, but I’m drowning in the joy I’ve already accumulated.
And remarkably, so far, (and it’s early folks, I know that), I haven’t purchased anything beyond food (and alcohol, because…wine) and dog toys (but in this house, those tend to be consumables).
The only thing I have given myself permission to purchase is warmer hiking pants as this winter has already proved much colder than last. And because this challenge will noticeably lighten my credit card load, I may just purchase them first-hand. Maybe even from the uber-amazing and expensive catalog that comes every week (which I plan to cancel as one more thing I’m unloading – check out Catalog Choice where you can cancel catalogs in mass).
Even if you don’t choose to join our challenge, I still encourage you to find ways to lighten your load this year. We are all carrying not just too much stuff, but too many expectations of ourselves and others, too much weight, too much stress, too many obligations. It’s like the pandemic ended and we jumped back into life like we had to make up for lost time.
Let this year be lighter – in every way. (I imagine taking things lightly is the only way we’ll survive this election year.)
How will you lighten your life and lighten your load this year?
Hey, thanks for reading. I know you’ve got lots of options, so thanks for sharing a few of your minutes with me.
Honored,
Cara
If you’re a writer (or you wanna be) and you’d like some guidance, editing, accountability, or some good old fashioned encouragement in meeting your writing goals, reach out. I offer one-on-one coaching. Learn more here.
My latest novel, Blind Turn is a mother-daughter story of forgiveness in the aftermath of a fatal texting and driving accident. It won the Womens Fiction category of the American Writing Awards in 2022. Learn more about it and find out how to get your copy here.
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My Life in Paragraphs 