More Freedom by Downsizing After 50

08/18/21 • 20 min

INTRO

Do you wish you had less stuff? Less clutter? Less to deal with? More time to spend on what you really want? Many people would love to lead a clearer, simpler life in their middle age and beyond. In this episode, we talk about how you can achieve that, but warning: It will require some work. But the payoff is fantastic.

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT

The common garage scene
Moving is a great opportunity to downsize your stuff
Story: The infernal knitting machine I couldn’t shake
How we accumulate
Why we keep stuff we no longer use
Wanting less as you get older
Wanting life to be simpler in midlife
Website: The Senior Nomads - https://seniornomads.com
Website: Allan Karl: www.allankarl.com
Quietly wishing you were more free
Lightening your physical load
Saying: “Have fewer possession-commitments.”
Paperwork - you don’t need most of it
- Digitising your paper
- Stopping paper mail coming in
- Creating a naming taxonomy
Clothes - you don’t need as many as you think
- Unnecessarily high-priced clothes
- The economics of having a few good things vs many average things
- Freeing up your money
Stuff in cupboards - Freeing up your space, time and energy
- Keeping too many items = more to deal with
- Using the three-box system
- How to deal with too many books
Gaining a sense of lightness and freedom
Website: www.TheMinimalists.com - keep what you truly enjoy, ditch the rest
The psychology trick to getting on top of things - blocks, not whole categories.

HOW TO WORK THIS INTO YOUR LIFE

Paperwork

Get a scanner to digitise your paper
Use a consistent naming format
Put aside a block of time to scan, save and toss each week

Clothing

Choose some cheaper clothes for mucking around in
Decide on ‘If I buy one thing in, I take one thing out’
Doesn’t fit, no longer wanted or no good anymore, take.it.out

Stuff in cupboards

Choose one cupboard to sort, and sort it until it’s finished.
Don’t try to take on a whole room, garage, or very large category like ‘all my clothes.’
Spend one block of time, do the job, then stop and treat yourself.

Use the power of imagination: Picture the end goal often - your paperless office or kitchen bench, your tidier wardrobe, and your clearer cupboards and garage. Imagine also, how that feels. This will engage more of your sense which makes achieving the outcome more likely. No woo-woo here, just science.

SHARE & CONNECT

Please share this podcast with others and on your social media

And do leave a comment, send me a message, or email me with anything you'd like to share, or any question you'd like an opinion on.

Love to hear from you and am always happy to help.

Regards

Rob

Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wisdomcafe)

INTRO

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT

The common garage scene
Moving is a great opportunity to downsize your stuff
Story: The infernal knitting machine I couldn’t shake
How we accumulate
Why we keep stuff we no longer use
Wanting less as you get older
Wanting life to be simpler in midlife
Website: The Senior Nomads - https://seniornomads.com
Website: Allan Karl: www.allankarl.com
Quietly wishing you were more free
Lightening your physical load
Saying: “Have fewer possession-commitments.”
Paperwork - you don’t need most of it
- Digitising your paper
- Stopping paper mail coming in
- Creating a naming taxonomy
Clothes - you don’t need as many as you think
- Unnecessarily high-priced clothes
- The economics of having a few good things vs many average things
- Freeing up your money
Stuff in cupboards - Freeing up your space, time and energy
- Keeping too many items = more to deal with
- Using the three-box system
- How to deal with too many books
Gaining a sense of lightness and freedom
Website: www.TheMinimalists.com - keep what you truly enjoy, ditch the rest
The psychology trick to getting on top of things - blocks, not whole categories.

HOW TO WORK THIS INTO YOUR LIFE

Paperwork

Get a scanner to digitise your paper
Use a consistent naming format
Put aside a block of time to scan, save and toss each week

Clothing

Choose some cheaper clothes for mucking around in
Decide on ‘If I buy one thing in, I take one thing out’
Doesn’t fit, no longer wanted or no good anymore, take.it.out

Stuff in cupboards

Choose one cupboard to sort, and sort it until it’s finished.
Don’t try to take on a whole room, garage, or very large category like ‘all my clothes.’
Spend one block of time, do the job, then stop and treat yourself.

SHARE & CONNECT

Please share this podcast with others and on your social media

And do leave a comment, send me a message, or email me with anything you'd like to share, or any question you'd like an opinion on.

Love to hear from you and am always happy to help.

Regards

Rob

Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wisdomcafe)

Previous Episode

When Silence is Power

INTRO

Having the answer, being right, and explaining the best way is not always the best way. Sometimes, remaining silent is a much more powerful mode in life, leadership and legacy. In this episode, we explore how not saying something can say so much more than opening your mouth and talking like the knowledgeable one. And, as always, Rob is first in line for the lesson.

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT

While talking is fundamental to our humanity it also has two sides to the coin
Times when talking is a positive thing
The downsides of talking
Saying: “The wise person knows when to talk, and when not to.”
Situations when talking is a no-brainer
Situations when talking won’t add value
Being wrong is not always wrong
Robbing others of their thinking and growth
The skill at the heart of coaching
When your silence holds more power
Self-restraint
How to grow strength and gentleness
Saying: “Gentleness is strength under control.”
The paradox of when looking good looks bad
Question: Is it more powerful to say, or not say?
Projection versus invitation
Not saying is very difficult
To be wise needs us to learn to master silence.

HOW TO WORK THIS INTO YOUR LIFE

The very next conversation you have, actively notice your tendency.
Do you want to talk over the other person?
Do you want to correct them, be right?
Ask yourself, does it matter? What’s the greater good here?
If it is to restrain yourself and remain (mostly) silent, then choose to do so.
Once the conversation is finished, reflect.
Was that an improvement, or not so much?
What better outcome was achieved for you, for them and for the issue?
If you feel this is worth pursuing further, make it a campaign for every conversation you will have for the next 24 hours.
Repeat.

SHARE & CONNECT

Please share this podcast with others and on your social media

And do leave a comment, send me a message or email me with anything you'd like to share, or any question you'd like an opinion on.

Love to hear from you, and always happy to help.

Regards
Rob

Next Episode

Letting Go of the Control You Don't Have

INTRO

Wise people say we have little control over most of the aspects of Life. And that letting go of any notion of control can leave us free to enjoy Life more and spend our precious time and energy on what we do control. And what is that? In this episode we explore control, rivers, why the World doesn’t care about us, and what we can indeed control. Mostly. Well, sort of.

WHAT WE ALK ABOUT

Learning great ideas from multiple sources and everyday life
Send your ideas to [email protected]
Stoic philosophy is about doing life well - Zeno
Quote: “Don’t ask for things to be as you would like them to be, but wish for them to be as they are, and you will be alright.” (Epictetus)
Wasting energy by wishing for things you cannot control
Reality dictates life
Almost everything is not within your control
Why it’s a dumb idea to try to divert a river
Letting go can bring freedom and a lightness
It’s you that needs to adjust
Epictetus was not a fatalist
Accepting reality allows you to cease wasting your time and energy
Freeing up your mind and resources for what you want instead
You control your attitude, thoughts, talk and behaviour
According to neuroscience, maybe not even much of that!
Quote: “Thinking is just the chatter of the brain” (Bialostockus)
Behind your actions are your decisions
The power of choosing actions consciously
If we weren’t here, nothing would change in the World
The World is not here for us
What we do in the World matters and is up to us
Send me your ideas, comments, or questions to either [email protected] or on Facebook @wisdomcafewithrob

HOW TO WORK THIS INTO YOUR LIFE

Give up your plans for World domination - it’ll never happen.
Pay attention to your thoughts and notice whether they reflect physical or natural reality.
E.g. You may be thinking, “This is going to work out well.”
It may not.
Try to re-work your self-talk. Instead of the above, try, “I hope this will work out well, I’m doing what I can to make it succeed.”
Better.
If it does, you can say things like, “Cool. That went well.”
If it doesn’t, you can say things like, “Damn! Something didn’t work out. Mind you, it happens. I wonder what it was?”
Each night, to cultivate reality-based living, you could say to yourself, “I am not in control of most of Life, but I’m gonna try my best to live well. Quod for feret, ferrous aqua animo.”
That’s Latin for “Come what may, we will meet it with courage.”
Very true.