I've been reading many, many posts on Zen Habits. The main author, Leo Babauta, writes about his minimalist, vegan, incredibly simple life. For months, I've been wanting to simplify my life and I've found something that is constantly inspiring and motivating me to do it. In his posts about making the changes in your life to become minimalist, vegan, simpler, or just healthier, he emphasizes small steps. Gradually changing into the truest you. So, I am going to start.
I'm going to outline the changes that I want to make and give myself a "deadline" for each one, so I'll be sure to keep on track. Also, my progress is going to be periodically put up on here, so you guys can see how I'm doing.
First, my space. Currently, I live in a 9-by-11 bedroom with a walk-in closet. My room is small by most standards and not packed, so much as cluttered. I have recyclables, clothes, boxes, and other random things on my floor and, honestly, most of that, I don't really need. And that's only on my floor. The surfaces of my nightstand, windowsill, bookshelf, and dresser, among other things, are strewn haphazardly with arbitrary (word of the day) stuff. By May 29th, 2011, I will have half as many possessions in my room as I do now.
Next on the space agenda is my locker. I know that it's just this little space to call my own, but I need to at least keep it clean. I'm going to purchase an add-in shelf or two, so I don't have to be kneeling to get to my books. Organizing my locker should only take me about 15 minutes or so after school one day, so I'll give this a week (by February 5th), so I can go buy the shelves.
On to my time. As of now, I have a semi-free schedule after school save for some sports, commuting times, and clubs. But how I use my free time needs to be put to better use than excessive sleeping, watching TV, using the computer, and just vegging out. I want to put my skills and talents to good use. From tomorrow on, I am going to set aside one hour to do something for another person or to be creative. *Post about Etsy coming up soon.*
Of the creative things to which I can dedicate myself, I've been very consumed with the idea of making YouTube videos. Video blogs, or vlogs as they are know as today, are very popular. In vlogs, people talk about their life, much like a text-based blog. I'm subscribed to many a vlogger on YouTube and they all inspire me to do interesting things with my life. I plan to do little trial runs on my digital camera (but not uploading them) just to see what it's like. If I do enjoy this, I am going to put my money down and buy a good video camera and start uploading! That is, if I get my father's permission. ;)
Next, my eating habits. I am going to start eating less and healthier. THIS IS BY NO MEANS BECAUSE I HAVE AN EATING DISORDER, because I don't. I am doing this because I constantly see and hear about the increasing obesity rate, number of heart attacks, and all these health problems that could have been prevented by eating healthier and exercising. I am not going to shorten my life by eating all junk food. This post on Zen Habits reminded me that you're not supposed to eat just to keep you alive; eating is supposed to be a fun experience. One that doesn't make you feel guilty or sick afterwards.
I am going to start eating whole, real foods. Fruits, veggies, things that taste good and that the earth created, not machines. I plan to cut out about half of the processed foods that I eat (by January 1st, 2012). The other half will be when I go with my family to fancy restaurants, where I don't exactly have another option. I love the Whole Foods supermarket, even though I've only been there once. They have fresh, organic foods that make you feel good when you eat them, not guilty. I know that my dad wants to start eating healthier, too, so I am going to help my family start making better food decisions at the grocery store.
These are the main three areas in my life that I am going to work to simplify, but I'm sure there are lesser ones that could use some toning up, or down rather. Thanks for reading this, even though it was particularly lengthy.
Love.
P.S. I'm going to tweak the graphics on this blog to fit the purpose a little better. Tell me what you think. :)
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