Before I begin

A list of 15 things to do in order to prepare for living a more simple life.

After creating my long and complicated list of rules on how to live simply, I realised that some tasks are one of and other are habits. These one off tasks can put you in the right physical and mental state for the habits to begin.

After working through the list I culled it down to 15 important items. Some are very difficult and others are very easy, so I decided that if I could achieve 10 of the 15 then I'd qualify myself as ready to move on to the habits. Below is that list.

1) 90/90 – have I used it in the last 90 days, if not, will I use it in the next 90 then sell.

2) One car

3) Sell your stuff and use the proceeds for a holiday, big stuff first as it will make the goal much closer quicker and you will have more room sooner in your home.

4) Outside of work clothes

a) 10 collared shirts

b) 5 shorts

c) 3 shorts active

d) 3 pants

e) 4 pajamas

f) 2 jumper/jackets

g) 4 shoes – runners, dress, thongs, general

5) Savings must have $1000, personal credit card

6) Set up a direct debit into savings as soon as you get paid.

7) No more rooms than people in your house

8) Prioritise your hobbies

9) Find friends/family who share your favourite hobby and get socially involved

10) Unsubscribe from email lists

11) Automate everything you can

12) Use the cloud to store your digital files

13) Create a follow up email folder, leaving you with three choices, delete, archive and follow up

14) Buy ten meal size Tupperware container. Get the lids that seal well

15) Delete social media apps on your phone

Now the easy stuff is to delete social media apps, use the cloud to store files, prioritise your hobbies. Though you may need to remind yourself to not add the stuff you removed from your life. My own example is the last rule. Because I am using social media platforms to share my content, I decided to add them again because I need to post during the day while I don't have my laptop with me. But really, I'm sure I can set a time delay post. So its important to understand why you turfed out your ten items in the first place. After checking how my post was doing on facebook for 15 seconds I spent the next 15 minutes scrolling and not consuming any content of value. So, out the apps went.

I've been finding that doing the things I love are so much easier when I cut out the distractions which I'm so easily drawn too. Its not that I don't want to write, its that our world provides so many convenient options to waste time.

The harder stuff will likely not be done by many (if any) before beginning. However, keep these 5 leftover items in the back of your mind as I believe in the value they can bring. The house room rule is the best. Now, you wont always be able to adhere. A single person may live in an area which don't have apartments and that's cool. Just be mindful of the space you need. I think that a two room home is probably the lower bound.

I've already written a post of my experience with the clothing item. If you'd like to hear about my experience and thoughts on any of these other items send me a message and I'll be happy to put my thoughts on the screen for you.

I hope you find value in this initial list to get you started. It has helped me be cleaner and has made my choices simpler.

Go Slow and Be Simple.

Sean