I am passionate about living with intention and putting it to practice in my own life. However, I’m not extreme. And living with intention looks different for each person striving for it.

Here are some examples of how intentional living looks in my life:

In my home:

• We utilize a refillery to reduce waste. We currently have low or zero-waste with the following items:
  • dish detergent | dishwasher powder | laundry strips
• Using products with natural ingredients to reduce chemicals in my home. This includes:
  • high quality candles | household cleaners | bamboo toilet paper
• Reusable products that last a long time before needing to be replaced:
  • wool dryer balls | fleece washable duster | worn t-shirts for cleaning rags |
    upcycled flannel un-papertowel | linen dinner napkins | mesh produce bags | reusable shopping bags
• A minimalist home environment is important to me. I have completed several rounds of 30-day challenges over a few years and now it’s habit and lifestyle to be removing things from our home that are no longer of use. It’s also changed how we view spending money on items coming into our home. We still have “stuff,” but what’s here is either loved or useful.

On my person:

• We utilize a refillery to reduce waste and toxins. We currently have low or zero-waste with the following personal items:
  • shampoo | conditioner | bodywash | hand/body lotion | hand soap | shave bar | natural make-up | deodorant | toothpaste | bamboo flossers | sunscreen
• I stopped dying my hair to reduce chemical toxins.
• I stopped painting my nails to reduce chemical toxins.

Intentional choices that effect my lifestyle:

• We compost our food scraps and cardboard. Adding our cardboard to our compost has greatly reduced our recycling.
• Being conscientious about waste. This is something that we are paying attention to and is an ongoing problem/solution in progress.
• I enjoy crafting – crocheting, painting, decoupage, all kinds of things. To satisfy my creativity needs and to keep creations from collecting in our home, I’m quite thoughtful about the things I create, then I sell my creations at local craft sales.
• Letting go of toxic people. I shed myself of people where I don’t feel good when I’m around them. This includes clearing my social media of toxicity — unfollowing, blocking.
• Intentionally communicating more often with people who make me feel great! Seeing my friends and family, creating game days, going for lunch. At the same time, respecting my introvertedness (I’m not sure that’s a real word!) and desire to just stay home. This is a delicate balance that I work on all the time.
• Utilizing e-cards instead of papercards, e-cards save on time, money, and landfill waste. Although there are times when a sending a paper letter old-style through snail mail carries a lot of meaning.
• Respecting my husband who is not a minimalist and is not as far along this road as I am. We are proof that a minimalist and not-quite-so-minimalist can live together in harmony (well…mostly. :D)
• Creating memories with my husband, we intentionally plan adventures and dates!
• I take good care of my dogs. They are intentionally considered daily for their needs.
• Grocery shopping with a planned menu and a list. Learning how food heals the body, and helps it deal with stress makes all the difference to eating with intention.
• I’m new to gardening, but was inspired by the Netflix documentary The Biggest Little Farm, to start growing our own food and figuring out how to do so with respect to nature. This is a work in progress, but something my husband and I enjoy doing together.
• I’ve learned that my time is precious. I place a lot of value on time and how I spend it. I feel better if I’ve been “productive” in my day. I’ve also learned the value of slowing down and intentionally identifying what I can reasonably accomplish in a day. I give myself lots of time to be creative, free from guilt.

Please know that these are all things I strive for. I am succeeding in some areas and heavily working in other areas. But one thing I know, is I have read a lot, listened a lot, watched a lot on this subject. I have studied it. As a professional organizer, culinary nutrition expert, and stress management consultant I have put many of the ideas I have learned into practice and discarded ideas that don’t fit my outcomes. I continue to study these topics and expand my experience.

I love to share ideas about how to live with more intention; how to lighten your load. Please reach out to me if you’re feeling overwhelmed, tired, burned out, stressed. I can help you regain control of the clutter in your home, find balance within the important areas of your life, find time for you.