How I radically simplified my life in the last 18 months

If you’ve been following me, you’ll probably know, how over the last 18 months, I’ve simplified every area of my life; Home, gadgets and the cloud, businesses and business systems, I’ve simplified my finances by decreasing the monthly outgoings and increasing my monthly savings and so much more. My simplifying game has been strong if I can say so myself – this practice of simplifying has consumed me in the best way possible.

How I radically simplified my life in the last year and a half

HOME

I’ve let go of more than half of my material things. Sold it, gave it, recycled it, and donated it. I let go of things I’d cherished, but I knew I were not going to use, like my Mum’s sarees that were as old as I am. Out of the 10 sarees, I kept one for myself (the one I remember Mum wearing a lot when I was a child) and one for my sister-in-law.

Facebook Marketplace & local Charity shops have been my best friends during the last 18 months; I have given away, donated and sold EVERYTHING that was excessive, I didn’t use, didn’t need and so on – and it has been freeing.

Khushi & I downsized from a 2-bed apartment on the ground floor with two bathrooms, a built-in hallway closet and a garden into a 2-bed apartment on the 3rd floor with one bathroom and no extra storage last year in April. Before moving, I gave away at least 40% of our all belongings, the first couple of weeks after moving, gave away at least 20% more and since then up until now, about 50% of what I had left.

Believe me when I say this; we still have stuff, but it has and still is, in the process of narrowing down to the essentials; what we need, what we use, what we love and what brings us joy – this means that I’ve kept all the best stuff for daily use and not for that one special day or a gathering etc.

Maya Angelou Quote

Every day is special – and should be lived and celebrated that way. Those beautiful wine glasses, that expensive Wedgwood dinner set, the Egyptian cotton bedding and towels, that designer perfume – USE IT!

This being said, I don’t buy as nearly as much as I used to do a couple of years ago, but when and if I do bring in something new, I remove something old from my closet or space.

I had over 600 books, my little library was my pride – the only thing was, I never actually read the books, I just liked having them. This all changed before we moved; I sold them all, the ones I really loved (and read), and I bought them on Kindle.

BEAUTY + BODY

This (below) is it! I only own what I ACTUALLY USE regularly; from make-up, skincare, jewellery, hair care, perfume & body mist, nail polish & nail care etc. – only one on each.

BUSINESS

I didn’t stop with decluttering and simplifying my home, I went on to the same for businesses and business systems, I even closed down a business and cancelled a domain I owned as I couldn’t resonate with them anymore. I used to have 6 websites with 6 email accounts, 6 MailChimp accounts, 2-3 social media channels for each of the 6 websites, 2 cloud storage and the list goes on. I’ve now got 3 websites, 1 email, 1 MailChimp account, 1 main cloud storage, and 4 social media channels altogether. As Marie Forleo say; “Simplify to Amplify“!

RELATIONSHIPS

I’ve worked on strengthening the relationships that matter and are important to me and slowly cut down contact with people that drain me.

With all of this simplifying and cleansing, I feel an Inner Peace is starting to reveal itself.

CHECK OUT MY OTHER POSTS ON LIVING A SIMPLE LIFE BELOW:

5 Lessons I Learned from Intentionally Letting Go:

1. Everything is fleeting

The passage of time shifts and modifies our perspective on loss. While losses might be painful initially, it’s a fleeting sensation. Trust in this process and understanding.

If you’ve been hesitating to throw something away you’ve never used “just in case” you might need it someday, embrace the loss, let it go, and see how you feel a few months later. My guess is you won’t miss any of it once it’s gone.

2. Lighter is better

Stuff can be burdensome – weighing us down. It’s not just the physical heft of objects, but it’s the time we take out of our lives to maintain, prop up, and care for what we own. To let go is to provide yourself the opportunity to feel the lightness of having less responsibility for material goods. Today’s losses are tomorrow’s freedom.

3. You can break the chain of materialism, intentionally

There comes a point where we must question whether materialism allows us to live the life we’d like to lead. By choosing to let go, we push against the societal norms and messages that say we must consume more to be happy.

Something changed in me back in 2018/19, and by parting ways with about 90% of my overall belongings since then, I placed a stamp of commitment to become minimalist. This was the first radical step to more with less, but I needed to persist through the doubts, fears, and losses.

4. You define what’s important

If the stuff we own doesn’t define us anymore, what does? Well, that’s for you to decide. For me, “loss” allowed me to focus on all that matters to me. We must question what today’s potential feelings of loss might be stopping us from becoming, doing, and supporting.

5. Losses can be reframed

To eschew the materialist messages of our society, consume less, declutter more, and become a minimalist might involve loss. It’s a potent, powerful feeling that can prevent us from acting up and changing our ways. Inversely, we could move away from the very concept of loss altogether, and see the act of letting go as giving back and making time for more of what matters most. In that light, loss becomes a positive force for good. Minimalism isn’t about the things you remove from your life – it’s about freeing up your life to add back in the truly important things.

Minimalism hasn’t made me flippant about stuff; rather, it’s helped me focus on what matters most. As my attachment to material possessions lessens, I can develop a greater appreciation for those things that could never be replaced.

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