2017, Small Primal Habits
SPH Lecture
http://www.smallprimalhabits.com
[0:12] Today we're doing a lunch and learn on what minimalism and.
Drop the conversation even strong the phone,
please just pause and stop and let us know if you have questions because I think this presentation go a lot better if there's a little bit of interaction so she'll feel free to interject.
[0:37] Minimalism is something that if you looked at the news with think it's about living out of your suitcase.
Or having a super spiny small house or not own any stuff.
But really it's about a lot of different things so today my goal is to.
Heather on our goal is to kind of talk through hell minimalism this more about not having stuff it's actually a mindset.
And with the whole entire overarching goal is to get rid of the excess clutter in your life and maybe some.
Maybe Timmy Lobby stuff and maybe accuser Malden may be any number of things so we're going to go through a couple different Avenues and talk about a few different things and hopefully when they will come out of a good on overview of that.
So nobody owns minimalism it's not trademark it's not it's it's a concept.
There are under one you seem to go fast.
Trufuel amples I can talk about living out of a suitcase vs. haven't small tiny house.
Different ways somebody has embraced minimalism.
It can be different for everybody so I want to make a point as none of them is different for every person for me it's different when Heather gets here she can talk about her differences.
[2:09] But everyone could find something if you're living out of RV left your versus the Nets great that's your recipe for Mentalist.
[2:18] But no matter what your stuff questions and it's the question that you always end up asking is does this.
Add value to My Life um I think a great example of that is I am.
I'm in Peoria now for about 16 years and when I moved here I moved here from the Cairo Illinois indicator has a lake Rhea course as a family lived on the lake had a boat and it later I bought a Jet Ski.
The growing up that has a value to my life when I go to Peoria I put that Jessica on the trailer and brought it here with me.
The joke about owning a boat is the two three days or life is the day you buy your boat your second favorite day of the day tell your bug.
Jet ski my little I wanted.
You fast forward to a different point in my life on a trailer I gotta drive from Morton down to the to the river all the sudden.
Outside in value to my life
if you look at it.
Get yourself because I'm not going to talk about Lil bit later my sweet if you're my garage.
[3:39] You tend to hold on the things and say that doesn't cost me anything cost me anything on that.
The next Point here clearing the Clutter from your Life Path even though that jetski might have been paid for.
It is consuming my time it was a piece of water that was in my life every year I wanted to use that I had to winterize it.
I had to put gas in it I had to maintain a had to pay insurance on it all those little things add up to.
Seen that is
taking time away from whatever I want my wife has to be.
[4:22] Did the Cowboys win feed the cup roll through.
No matter what which mythology look at you look at your life through that lens.
You can find yourself with more time more money.
Maybe even more freedom to do things that might add more means your life and as we go through the rest of the presentation example.
I'm going to show you a little bit more about that and then any kind of give you a few examples and yes I'm going to do laundry right here come on over at my first pizza dirty laundry.
[5:05] That is if it's worth keeping it's worth keeping organized.
What's that mean we'll look at here on the left the left is a picture of my workbench.
[5:19] That is clutter that is adding time on to any of my projects I jokingly say that.
[5:29] I started judging my project on the weekend by how many trips I have to take to the to the hardware store.
Does it take me an hour to fix a cycle That stripper.
Figure out where the cool as I know I've got one where is it so a little help.
And maybe you might even say some weed Six Sigma.
Concepts the picture other picture is of my organize tools no matter what I know obviously I'm missing the hammer right now.
No matter what I know it was her project and over is anyone in the project I take a look at how to say it's a piece of wood let's say it's extra now.
And now I change that lends to the way I look at it by saying yes that's paid for I know it's paid for it's not going to cost me anything to actually keep that.
What is cost me something cost me the amount of time to keep it organized because if I don't do that right at the end of the project.
Dennis not ever going to be able to be sometime later that's an example of how once I change the way I thought about that.
[6:47] If it made a big difference in the same everything in the subway.
If it's worth keeping for keep you organized leave the organization of the street or in the store all the paint is in this location just putting.
And then making a mess off that says when that door gets home I'm going to clean up the stuff that I put something in its got all fit in that drawer or.
You know I only have this much area for four piece because let's face it if you if you if you been in the house for a while and you go to repaint touch up something.
Apenas going to be any good in three or four years anyway it's going to be hard as a rock we open it up the point.
You guys to think about things lately different what's the first thinking about what kind of change the way and now my basement is working perfectly.
[7:51] I'm going back to me.
I did get some stuff but no joke this is literally garage looks like right now we have 3 motorcycles crammed in front of their still there.
In front of my convertible which has moved
what's break that down to Freedom.
There is nothing better for me than the freedom of being out of the motorcycle even if it's on the way to work now I just don't take the long way go through these Peoria and I will do that this year yet.
The question is I need ask myself why have I not been able to do that because right there on the top that's freedom of time available for growth.
I have the event because I have this stuff in my life that you need something done to her before I can.
The second bullet point says the time you spend on your stuff so if I was going to take that wonderful motorcycle ride with her talking about I need to.
Get up get the convertible running pulled out of garage grab at least one of the motorcycles off the motorcycle stand price for SATA,
and then I change freshen up the gas and get it ready to roll and move it somewhere right.
That time
is something that I have to spend in order to get the value.
[9:27] In this example of the three you know I would probably pick one get it going and you know the other one stuck in there.
This is an example something I need to be dealing with.
To try to make it so for me that time I spend isn't as much on my stuff and it's more on that freedom.
The last one getting clear on what matters in getting rid of what doesn't.
[10:00] All these examples of talked about starting the target stuff.
Because stuff even think about it even think about the amount of time to take to deal with your stuff.
Also think about it from the mental side.
All the information for gets on the list.
If we take back and we think about that lens we've been looking at some other things like our stuff then then let's say.
Everything that all those projects that I need to be doing.
Arson around in my head every time I get home I open the garage door and see the area I need to be cleaning so every time I walk through the garage on my way into the.
You do that you do that you do that you do that and they all rushed back into the front of my head.
Dora and I'm greedy my children with myself.
Things I need to be doing well that's things you should have been doing at work even though how many people think about that on our way drive home I'll crap into that okay I didn't do that.
All of the things I found that once I could dump them out of my head and into a system that works for me whether that be a Google Keep or a you know my to do list on my laptop.
Just the fact that oh I know that's all I got that organize and prioritize please my mind.
[11:38] It was a little bit of not getting rid of just the Clutter but sometimes that clutter than might be in your head and for some reason for me in my not be the same for you but for me I find the flag.
Lately common in the fact of yeah I know about that project and I know it's being organized with the other six and I see something that says you need to do that.
No my list.
I want to come I was right away cuz then I can be prioritized and for some reason that gives me the comet knowing I know what's on my plate and I organized this items in the way I want to get them.
[12:18] Switching gears even one more time to talk a little bit about travel.
Travels interesting easily grasp so here's a picture of me and my wife and we had an amazing opportunity when we were yet married I just actually.
Who is TKA one month trip to Asia.
And number many people get that opportunity halfway through your career so you spend a large amount of time but I did desk and all the sudden you have an opportunity to to clean up or something crazy like this.
You have to make a big decision because you have a month and you have
a bag.
Hugh bags but you gotta think about what you're going to take.
Funny whole entire concept of what adds value to your life smacks you straight in the face.
Not just your life but whatever it's your life and you're going to carry it around Asia for a month.
So in the end it's so kind of you hear those are a couple of pictures in my favor is the one in the corner because I have two backpacks on one big one that I'm on my back and one.
[13:46] AC unit thinking through it and I miss my sister was living in Asia at the time and she gave us free direct feedback and we started that trip and that was Queen on.
Laundry when you're there
in a pinch we can we can watch something in spank
but.
The Limited outfits that are multi-use and we're going to get into that in just a second
I would say that.
I felt like going into that trip that I didn't bring anything.
But I had to backpacks in Grand of the are small and we made them small on purpose so we can put them in overhead containers of the airplanes and we did on purpose.
When we trip.
I think next time we would go on a trip like that if we ever have to do that again and every time I traveled since I have a different spot on what I take because.
I try to almost spit my entire trip into it into the overhead compartment so I don't have to check a bag anymore.
I don't want to bags anymore so if I did this Asia trip again I would not be wearing that backpack that red backpack on the front.
Those are just a few things that.
I started to think about once you started to travel and like I said now I have a limit to myself where it's all going to fit in a suitcase or I'm not going to go and I am challenge with that I'm taking my to.
[15:27] To Canada yet this year and I will be challenged to get now only my stuff and put her stuff into one bag because that's the rule on setting for myself.
And I will talk through a few items,
tools and tricks section II but I want to bring her up here to talk about she's not only done what I talked about doing for a one month but she is Revolution ice cream or entire wardrobe,
around the industry fascinating so they can come up your clicker.
[16:07] In the trunk
he might switch over.
[16:24] Alright
healthy food introduction my name is Heather McKay I am.
Mom I'm a wife I'm a friend I'm a worker at caterpillar and I took on maybe what's in it down to the graphical in the terms of my wardrobe.
I never anticipated that I would love it I actually thought I'd hate it but I'm going to.
Show you what it's about the project 333 is a fashion challenge.
And what you do is you have 33 items in your wardrobe it sounds crazy and it is.
For most women but I was finding myself surrounded by piles.
All the time I had laundry I was feeling very overwhelmed and I thought you know what,
this is something I can try my closet it's probably you can't see the stage but it's about half the size of this stage cuz it's an old brute we live in an old house.
We did this room to be in my closet I am tired that closet fold my clothes I have my husband father.
[17:42] A poem about halfway with my clothes and then another closet with some of my clothes and my clothes and everything.
And I don't wear 95% of this stuff maybe this is going to work for me so this quote or this statistic of.
54% of Americans feel overwhelmed by clutter and 78% have no idea what to do with it with tell me because.
I had all the sputter but this was one thing I thought was maybe maybe I can start with this little tiny.
[18:15] So here are the rules
you have a Ford over 33 item.
Fremont
if they cleared your accessories your shoes.
Your jewelry and outerwear when I started this it was January 1st.
So I had out where I was frustrated because I'm also a rule follower and so I pick.
A monster starting where I would have one of those items taken up by a stupid Jack.
I was counting all these clothes that I would have and.
[18:55] A little bit but then. Okay what doesn't count your wedding ring your jewelry some anything that you never take off though.
I actually do take off my wedding ring quite frequently but don't like where it all the time so I didn't count because my husband would have been frustrated I pray that all the time so I didn't count that underwear that somehow.
Sleepwear in-home loungewear which is tricky because I could categorize a lot of things as it helped loungewear but I tried to be a.
A very frugal with that and work out clothing and that's another one that can handle me if you if I have lots and lots of play games.
Different tank tops that I wear to work out in and try to minimize those the Builder The Voice you can have 33 item.
What I didn't do that. Did was take pictures of the before I'm too embarrassed to take pictures of them before and I never want to actually see it again so but I do have a small picture of my after.
This doesn't include my shoe if I have 4 pairs of shoes I found that I wore.
A three about one of them I never actually touched and so those went to Consignment and then I had two pairs of jeans and 2 pairs of work pants and most searched and maybe a dress or skirt.
That was it and what I found was the falling need it it was.
[20:27] It was unbelievable that for three months I put outfits together with just those items.
And no one ever said to me that you were that it was crazy.
When you do it you choose your 33 items I select in Mine by color.
I actually gravitate towards black and what I didn't realize but I also gravitate towards orange so most of my things with black grey white orange and so that was very helpful you can mix and match black and white and blue.
But then everything else I took it either if I knew it was absolutely didn't said or didn't like excite me anymore I took that.
Confinement but the other stuff that I was like I really don't want to get rid of that I put in a box and filled it away and thought you know what if it doesn't work.
Happily as crazy as I think it is.
That I can have it back but the but the thing is I never got into that box it was going to but you filled with tape that you don't get in it.
And then one of the things you think of is that you have and you can do this a couple different ways to don't have to give Extreme as I wasn't create only one who could take a play on this and.
Try to do it work 33 and a casual 33 speak of your weekend 33 and your work 33 I went full Full Throttle but I did it made me think about what clothes.
[21:58] Let me which closes don't I mean as a mom I've had 800 sizes that I've been in because I was pregnant I had some of those clothes left and so it's so things just go straight away.
If you don't have things that fit with a had lots of white shirts that were.
Either didn't fit or were also kind of ready or to have a little bit of a stain on them anyway so.
Is the Wild Thing I've actually replaced a couple of my white shirts with much better one.
I'm the one thing I want to talk about before I stop and give this back over to John is what it's done for me as far as.
As a mom is it was a worker at caterpillar if I have found that once I.
Stop making all the decisions about my clothes and moving my clothes from place to place to place every day.
That I had a lot more time to think about other things I wanted to do so instead of.
Making decisions about what are going to wear black pants and.
Top and where's that top because it's in a pile of clothes I was able to quickly grab something out of my closet get to work.
Earlier for a time and then the end of the day I didn't feel that decision fatigue that you kind of get because you go to work and you think about all these different things and Visions all.
[23:28] You go home and your kids meet you or you trying to fight you going to work out or not or what are you just choose the easy thing.
I didn't do that anymore and I was able to have a little bit more or a lot more energy at the end of the day.
The other thing is my house of state A Lot cleaner without laundry transfer everywhere so I know where all my clothes are because I.
I have 33 every time and I can move those to this through the process of cleaning them a lot faster and I think the one thing that John mentioned that I totally agree with is.
This is one piece of Freedom that I have if I'm not.
I'm not tied up in my clothes anymore and it sounds silly but I was just.
Drowning in piles of clothes and it's easy it's it was easy for me a limb.
Is easy for me after I started doing it to make the transition to I don't want to go back and so when I.
Started thinking about my three months being over I didn't know I had a hard time transitioning to spring because I thought oh my gosh I'm going to have to.
Think about adding close and I don't want to I just if I wish I could wear the same clothes I had to I had to reevaluate and it sending me cuz you pick the first thing or different season.
I don't think now somebody John works with me any probably doesn't notice my clothes but he does not but.
[25:04] I never had anyone say to me that you're still wearing that out Saturday so it no one ever notices or cares enough they're looking more here than they looking at your outfit.
Something better
make life a little easier.
[25:23] You have a sec.
Please ask me questions if you have any.
[25:36] The nation are areas that last year was talking to us about his equipment.
About time they are at the start of the programmer work on the program with they were swapping hold on just a second let's go.
Wallpaper.
And then they went out with hope that sounds like something that would be good for what you're doing its combination of that we're so you're not wearing the same thing I muted.
Makoto,
if it's me out a little bit because I'm like I know we're supposed to Mother people wearing but it's very popular they get mail to you and then you wear a Min then when you're done you don't ever see him again,
301 Fairlawn the phone in my first car that they're talking about that a couple of different things the concept if you just Google that is colditz Castle.
But I think I think around here.
You do toasty in the room on six explain it for just two seconds just what it is.
Oh yeah oh yeah I did look homeless whole was pretty cool it for like business casual type of setting I want to do with you if you have a personal stylist that you go in and it's just like that every season.
[27:09] Certain clothes may send you close and it kind of like a recycle program the clothes you don't have to shampoo or wash them or anything you put them back in the bag and it's just.
Promote and fish to make women have some inexpensive ways of wearing you know business-oriented clothes.
Are you not to have a whole bunch of clothes and spend that money into your wardrobe I save so much money money I spent about $49 a month,
but I mean I didn't have to go to get and buy jeans that cost $49 that I might get out of size and neck.
I have been trying to do this whole lifestyle of eating healthy and he's like that so like my science has been changing and fluctuating.
So just to spend that extra money is just to me was not feasible to winglets Hope was actually.
Saving money I didn't have again putting things in my closet so it was great and it is saying time and it did give me find it's not funny I gave me.
[28:11] Did you ever think about how long it takes you to get ready in the morning and so get up and so I wear that she does not going to be right by me and it really puts a lot of mental stress on the talk was great and then.
[28:26] Unova league right I might have to try this 3.
It it it is the close Freedom this is so awesome you feel so much better and you're right you know is that people don't pay attention to your clothes anymore and pay attention you can't even tell you what you were.
[28:41] Thank you for sharing I appreciate that that's great it's like we just talk through what are talk about some tips no more questions of the time talking about the.
Ways to think about things and and or processes that you can try to implement and then will close with a couple different activate things that are coming up so.
A 30 day event minimization it is basically the game but the really are you can,
it is it's a challenge more than one in as a game they want to play the game because I want you to get like 5 or 6 people in a group and then try to head up to the concept is for this for the challenges you start getting rid of one thing.
Day one for me actually did that some.
First day of the easier to start on the first of the month then you can think about it.
But if you get one thing then you get to.
3in all the way up to about the second week is not to have too bad but about weeks 3 and for you to start thinking about those big sea fishing tackle.
Another example of why I don't even want a picture of the way my closet with left and I forgot that was kind of me and one of the things I did a couple of days the very end was.
Anything that needed ironed.
[30:11] I put the bag and I gave him my brother because I decided that it was Ultra a dry fit and I am free for me.
That's the concept so it if you want to try to do that you can definitely Google 30-day and you'll find a ton of blood.
The different challenges to get a partner and that's a really fun one like I said he gets really hard near the end I found myself sandbagging three things that we get rid of Morrow.
The moving packing party it's called moving party some people call it a packing party but I think Heather explain a really well when she said I took those things out of my closet,
I did think about you and I put them in a box and put the box in the base.
This is the extreme version of that that would be your situation where you could do a room you could do a for your house you could do your entire house.
You could have those people dropped off the creek to create a container and from your house and you take everything boxed up and put it in there and then you you try to limit them out you have in your house to say.
If I need to come get it.
So those little things that use once a year Acura great-grandma's punch bowl or whatever you start to realize I really never use that.
Email from you I was moving so I hadn't actually do this packing party but I did move houses.
[31:45] I looked at China and I thought if China why do I have it just for the one can occasion that I host Christmas dinner and if I did that I know what paper.
I want to clean up break so I start to think about things a little bit different way when you're putting everything in a box.
[32:09] Danny.
[32:12] The concept was the skinny party is that you get 5 people together and you buy inexpensive scanner and you take those all those old pictures you have in that box in your base.
[32:23] Nowadays the party because I see scanners are such even be honest even photocopiers can you scan email I mean my printer fax or whatever the house of the week.
And so for me.
I have one pepper container inside the headlight fuse label keepsakes and it has your books and it had pictures of me when I wasn't even when I was five kinds of stuff in there in.
You know I've never opened that since I moved.
5 years I've never opened it something like that and I probably an open it's five years before that 72 throw something extra in there and I went to Lou extremely that I scan the pictures that meant something to me and pictures.
The Originals because now I have a mole on Google Drive and I can just type in the search box tree and it's got all my pictures that have trees in them.
[33:22] I took I took my my yearbook for yearbooks from high school.
Who's crazy enough I have some books when I was in college was I've never even opened nor did I even have you heard anything.
A couple pictures that I like is ripped at his rally yearbook because who wants my old stand in a page I did that I thought you know what I'm going to kill these people wrote in my.
My senior yearbook I opened it up and looked at it never really had anything.
And if it did so page was actually wrote something of meaning on a picture maybe another night or two handed in and I got rid of that huge thing and an appointment with trigger me the most.
When I was taking out the garbage I cannot believe how much a heavy and how much that stuff iPhone in the.
Move from house to house to house in never ever looked at as the first time I open my ear but probably since I was in high school.
[34:30] That's the photo scanning party the just in case.
How many people keep something just in case they need it.
Coinbox Aviance worth organizing.
The other way to look at if you go somewhere and get that item in 20 minutes or if it only cost $20.
[34:57] Is it worth keeping that's a different way to look at it but the concept is.
And I think for me this meant the most when I thought about travel you have a tendency to say oh well it's bring the big box of diapers I have kids.
How do you sleep for me.
Thinking about Rutherford I can just under the store I mean.
Honest diapers almost every grocery store even a lot of big gas stations have diapers.
That's just in case and I bring an extra pack of diapers or wipes just in case I need it well I have.
Be honest I had to use that just in case the floors Marathon I've had to go ahead and open wife's I was asked.
Babies R Us I think I run a clean because I needed that I did not bring enough but the point is,
when you get to that situation only times you keep something just in case in and when you when you add up all of those just in case items.
Then maybe then better just to go out and get a new one we needed it.
[36:12] Last one the Big Show my wife my family my family especially my parents to give gifts their love languages.
[36:28] And it's taking me awhile but I do think I have convinced them that experiences a little bit better.
We've done a lot of things but grandfather used to say hello you know what are we going to get our grandparents now,
and we have instituted a very much only give grandparents and family members a calendar of our kid.
And we go ahead and say we was all the work.
We give them that every year and we pull all the kids.
Together and all the kids kids together and make a Wonder and you know what I guarantee you have gotten better feedback on that.
Any present we give the one year we talked about not doing that we're going to have an Arceus and make it to me.
That's an idea of an experience as a gift and also if you take that the other way of us not giving gifts with us receiving.
Oh we go to the zoo we love those things they give us a gift card and we'll meet you halfway and we'll go out to dinner because that will mean more to my kid.
Later in life then in this way you know so my my my parents or my dad is the same stuff mom live in Springfield.
Free quotes no reason why we can't hang out with them and we got in the situation where we are meeting? Lincoln for dinner and it was.
[38:02] Net worth of them.
Send a little I can tell you what they got for Christmas from them they probably might be able to they may not even remember but my kids will remember those trips pictures I've got.
So much better
kind of my end of the tips and tricks just a few more points on on closing out.
Just a little longer.
[38:36] Season what you think what adds value to your life.
How many hours of time do you spend on your.
[38:50] If you could clean up some clutter in your life would you have more time for your health.
I love you, cuz you know.
When you talked about that I'm thinking about you or your wardrobe gives you more time to think about other things too great.
You're talking about relationships but it could be your passion to you know your back your mind you're always thinking me and I really want to do a marathon but never have time to run.
You don't have to think about what you didn't think about what you're doing for lunch baby
a Challenger.
Re-open with everybody looks it looks at minimalism differently.
I think you should try to pick one thing that might change yours would like to get rid of something to give you a little more free.