Making Room for What Matters and Letting Go of the Things That Don’t
I’ve found one of the most important jobs I have as a grown-up is deciding what things deserve space in my day-to-day and what things might need to go by the wayside.
Sometimes I look back in wonder at how different my life used to be in terms of what I spent my time doing. After my divorce life changed dramatically in that I needed to suddenly be in charge of EVERYTHING and didn’t have much in the way of a second set of hands helping.
One of the biggest realizations that I had was that not everything deserved my time and energy. In my younger years I had many roles because I was ‘capable’ in several areas. I might cook, decorate, host, complete work projects and be the person to keep my social circles connected.
Now that I have less time and energy to play with, I have started to question more thoughtfully which activities fit the life that I want and which don’t. For example, if at my age I want to get more sleep, carve out time to move my body, or even sit to add to this blog (which I get a lot of enjoyment out of)- I know I need to let go of other things. It’s a trade-off.
Here are a few examples of letting go and also making room in my life:
Letting Go of Cooking
I know how to cook. I’m actually kinda good at it. I can throw together a meal from random ingredients and it usually works out just fine. But I’ve also realized that just because I can do something doesn’t mean I have to.
Cooking is one of the first things to go when I need more time or mental space. I’ve found creative ways to get out of the weekday dinner grind. I might pick up a few ready-made meals that I can reheat, order out or take something out from the freezer that former me was smart enough to save as leftovers. I’m more concerned about nutrition than presentation so I make sure I have protein options that are easy to grab and go.
What this allowed me to make room for: Relaxation
I’d love to say that with the extra hour or two I get from not having to cook an elaborate meal nor thoroughly clean up I’m super productive, but honestly the most meaningful thing it has helped me with is giving me a little extra time to sit and relax. You might call it wasting time, I call it soothing my nervous system.
Letting Go of American Consumerism
There’s a very unique way of consuming and buying that American’s have and it’s usually characterized by a constant need to update and get the newest thing. Not only is it wasteful but it costs more than just buying things to last. I’ve decided to opt out of this.
What is also included in this is unfollowing influencers who encourage endless buying, skipping window shopping, and making a concerted effort to check the thrift shop before I buy new.
What this allowed me to make room for: Travel and wellbeing
If I ever wonder if I need to buy that new lipstick, I think about the money instead going toward the next trip I want to take. It’s the easiest trick in the book to keep me from spending on things that aren’t necessities. I would rather put those funds toward a flight somewhere. Also, I consider travel a big help toward my relaxation so again, my wellbeing!
Letting Go of Hobbies that Don’t Make Money or Improve My Physical Health
This is the one that was the hardest to admit to myself. As someone who loves the whimsy of a good (not capitalist-driven) hobby, I look forward to the days when I can spend longer amounts of time water coloring or embroidering, but for now those are done in short stints only on occasion when I’m on holiday. I know it won’t always be this way but what I do right now with my spare time is focused.
What this has allowed me to make room for: Investing in my future
I’m in a stage in life where I’m very focused on building my career and ensuring I’m in good stead for a long healthy life. To do that I know I need to bank a certain amount of funds and also a certain amount of time training my body.
Conclusion
Life evolves and so do our priorities. I’m certain in 10 years I’ll probably have organized my life in an entirely different way depending on what I need. But I’ll still use the same principles I talk about here when it comes to letting go of the old to allow the new.
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