4 Pieces of Advice I Actually Follow: My 2017 Takeaways
This year – without having a clue what I was getting into – I embarked upon my blogging adventure. I’ve always loved to write, and I wanted to share my passions for both minimalism and sustainability with anyone willing to read. I also desperately needed an outlet as I juggled parenting, my family’s household and all things related to adulthood.
They say ignorance is bliss and it’s completely true: On a total whim, I bought a domain name at the tail end of April 2017.
8 months and many late nights later, I can honestly say my only regret is I didn’t take the plunge sooner.
Indeed, this little blog:
- has helped simplify my hectic life.
- has forced Ani and me to get more creative with less.
- has educated me on best practices for the environment.
Even better, this blog born out of ignorance is growing; exponentially, in fact. I have new subscribers daily (to all of you: thank you!) and I’ve just started a podcast to be rolled out in 2018. It’s getting real!
A little-known fact: I’m not just a face behind a computer screen. I’ve actually implemented (or at least attempted!) nearly everything I’ve endorsed here at MamaMinimalist.com.
As I reflect on the year, here are the four pieces of advice I’ve given – and personally enacted – that have actually improved my life.
WITH REGARD TO SIMPLICITY:
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1. Tackle school lunches
This post was my most successful this year and – every Sunday evening – I follow the step-by-step process I outlined To. The. Tee. I own the items I recommend in the post; I cook the recipes, too.
By doing a week’s-worth of lunch-related work up front, I feel as though I’ve actually reduced the stresses associated with filling Ani’s lunch box.
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2. Do all the laundry at once
I interviewed a fellow mom with a super-streamlined laundry routine and I adapted it to fit my household. My biggest takeaway? Reserving just one day per week for laundry drastically shifts the way I view the chore.
Laundry as a whole (the washing, drying, hanging, folding, and putting away) feels significantly less daunting when I dedicate a single day to doing it all. It also frees up the other 6 days of the week so that I (hardly) think about laundry at all.
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WITH REGARD TO MINIMALISM:
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3. Rotate toys
In hopes of keeping my kids stimulated with “newish” toys, I suggested rotating them with mom friends. These days, I rotate regularly. You can read about my strategy or you can listen to it on my new (and very choppy) podcast.
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WITH REGARD TO SUSTAINABILITY:
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4. Bid adieu to items that are individually wrapped
No granola bars. No cheese sticks. No yogurt pods. Now I buy everything in bulk; when I get home, I separate items into individual portions myself.
This small step has saved serious money; even better, because we no longer “buy in” to excessive plastic packaging, I’ve seen a significant reduction in the amount of trash my household produces. These days my family of four produces one trash bag of garbage per week.
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AREAS WHERE I CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE:
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Well, I’m still stressed, and parenting continues to be really, really hard. The declining health of our planet keeps me up at night, and I’m forever depressed about the Earth we’re leaving our children.
There’s much more work to be done.
Onto 2018!
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