“Thriving with less is better than surviving with more.”
—Ryan Nicodemus
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Two Sides of Deadlines
Words by Bernice Go
Deadlines exist to give us a set, finite amount time to work on projects we otherwise would possibly never finish, a limit to how long we can tweak our work. They enable us to get things done and out the door, so we can move on to the next.
In a recent burst of desire to upgrade my professionalism, I made myself a goal to always finish things far before the deadline. I started submitting things a week or so before they were needed, both to mine and my clients’ joy. This also had the added benefit of keeping my schedule clean and empty because I could quickly cross items off my to-do list.
Eventually I noticed that despite my good intentions, I was actually submitting “crammed-quality” work. The only difference was that now I was doing so to an internal deadline, as opposed to an external one.
And as we all know, crammed work is typically not one’s best work.
Somewhere along the way, I had started viewing my projects simply as things “to do” and therefore “to finish,” but not things to really craft and develop. My motivation became to get things done quickly, not to get things done well.
That’s when I found the other side: deadlines can be seen as a hard stop line, because they definitely are, but they can also be seen as a “keep working” line. They can give you more time for your projects, and allow you to leave them time to breathe and grow. Aside from nagging you to ship, they also say, "we don't need this yet." It's a wonderful habit to submit things early, but they often aren't needed too early.
As lovely as the idea is to give every single project enough time, however, we don’t often have that luxury. This is where the minimalist practice of making the best use of our resources comes in.
Take a look at your schedule and figure out which projects you need to simply get done, and which ones could benefit from a few more days or weeks before you submit. Generally speaking, it’s probably safe to say that creative projects need more “breathing space” than more administrative-type tasks. By being more discerning of our tasks instead of treating them all equally, we can more intentionally appropriate time for each, and more consistently produce work that leave us feeling proud and fulfilled.
Minimalism and Your Health
Words by Eric Levinson
If you’re reading this, perhaps it’s because you or someone you care about is struggling with chronic illness. And you’re probably wondering what minimalism has to do with your health.
I struggled with chronic Lyme disease for nearly a decade. And all the solutions I found were extremely complicated, time-consuming programs that took every available drop of time and energy to implement. The stress was often causing me crippling anxiety, and after years of this vicious cycle, I was giving up hope of ever feeling well again.
That’s when I discovered minimalism, and with whatever strength and focus I could muster, I began getting rid of everything I could. I started with the typical stuff, like books, old clothes, and clutter. I cleaned out the kitchen drawers and the fridge. But most liberating of all was throwing away what might have been at least a thousand dollars’ worth of supplements.
I had been so overwhelmed by all the programs that required sometimes more than 20 different supplements, with complicated schedules, and with no clue what was doing what, that it just made sense to quit them all. Every time I looked at the supplements, I felt various combinations of disappointment that they weren’t working, guilt that I wasn’t taking them, and desperation that I’d tried everything already.
That’s when minimalism really saved the day. I prioritized only what really brought me joy, and as that principle permeated everything in my life, I started to feel a sense of relief and lightness that I hadn’t felt in a very long time. What had started as a somewhat trivial complaint almost a decade ago just kept accumulating more and more complexity. My illness was just like physical hoarding. And I realized I was so attached to this identity, this diagnosis, that I was burying myself underneath it.
Obviously, getting rid of all that stuff didn’t just magically heal me. But it did create the space to allow for healing. Instead of filling my day with supplements, detoxing, researching, and obsessing over everything related to my health, I started meditating. I started taking walks. I started listening to my body and eating the things that really felt good.
Minimalism saved my life. It opened the door to healing by giving me permission to do the things that reduced my stress levels. And that has made all the difference in how well I feel today.
A Little More of Less
A few other articles we think you might enjoy…
→ 40 Life Lessons from 40 Years by Joshua Fields Millburn
→ Remove These 10 Things From Your Closet Today by Courtney Carver
→ How to Become a Minimalist Without Decluttering . . . Yet by Karen Trefzger
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