Recently, my husband and I talked about adult friendships, and if it was harder for us to make friends as adults. We both agreed that it is more challenging to make friends as “grown-ups.” The way we make friends has changed. We don’t get to spend time with friends on the playground or in the classroom anymore.  Also, our adult friends have commitments like: jobs, partners, kids, aging parents, time constraints, and more. Add a global pandemic into the equation and making friends seems even harder. Or is it? After exploring the research on friendship, I learned that I can make friends ..read more

If you want to simplify your closet, dress with less and save your time and energy for something other than answering the question, “what am I going to wear today?” or if you often find yourself thinking, “I have nothing to wear.” this list of things to eliminate from your closet will help. If you are a long time reader of the Be More with Less blog or newsletter, you know that I do not care what’s in your wardrobe and believe you should should wear whatever you want. This list includes things I’ve removed from my own closet and by eliminating these items, I realized that I didn’t need more cl ..read more

A few weeks ago, I had coffee with friends and we talked about how to spend less money. Our conversation was wide ranging and interesting. I noticed that my friends want to spend less money for reasons like: inflationary pressures paying off debt over-consumption  recently laid off retirement or travel plans grow their savings account and more Can you relate to some of the points above? I certainly can! For example, before I simplified my life, I shopped for happiness, lived paycheck to paycheck, and had a mountain of student loan debt.  My husband and I changed our habits and paid ..read more

These strategies for simplifying and practical decluttering are slow and steady. There isn’t one right way to declutter, but in most cases, getting rid of everything overnight isn’t sustainable. Think about the big changes you’ve made in your life. Do you have a better track record with fast and furious, or slow and steady? I know it can be frustrating. Slow and steady isn’t as sexy or glamorous as fast and furious, but it does have a few lovely attributes. Slow and Steady can be gentle, meaningful, and soothing instead of a more rapid, stressful approach. Slow and steady provides a platf ..read more

Don’t miss the digital declutter checklist at the end of this article. I love digital spaces! A few of my favorite spaces include my inbox, Notes, and messaging apps. I wouldn’t have written the previous sentence five years ago, though. In the past, I felt overwhelmed by my email accounts, calendars, photo library, and other digital tools. I had too many things to keep track of, and too many notifications demanding my attention! My digital world left me feeling distracted and unorganized. After reading about digital minimalism, I began to slowly declutter my digital life. It’s been a game ..read more

We all know the “I’m so busy” people. I used to be one. Maybe you are one too. We say “I’m so busy” in response to people kindly asking, “how are you?” and we sometimes use it to turn down personal and professional invitations or requests. It’s such a habit that some version of I’m so busy, too busy or very busy just slides out. I started writing about busyness and slowing down in 2010. I remember sharing a post on social media that said, “Let’s stop telling each other how busy we are.” It resonated and I thought it was the start of something, perhaps a collective shift. Did I mention I’m pret ..read more

I’m guessing this isn’t the first time you’ve wondered how to get rid of negative thoughts. I hope these recommendations are more helpful than what you’ve come across before. For most of my life, I’ve struggled with negative thoughts. These thoughts have come up around work, relationships, and my health. I’ve tried stopping negative thoughts from entering my mind. But stopping negative thoughts hasn’t worked for me.  Instead, I learned how to reframe the stories I told myself. To do this, I found support through therapy, books, and long conversations with friends. These reframing strategi ..read more

This is often the time of year where we start to wonder how to get back on track. From getting back to the gym and steering clear of bad habits and behaviors to identifying good habits and figuring out what we really want in our everyday schedule, it seems like we are always in a cycle of starting something new, getting off track and deciding how and when to get back on track. It’s really important to note that this is always the way. We are always in an ebb and flow of being on track. It might not look like that on Facebook or Instagram where everyone there seems to have more willpower, bette ..read more

During my twenties, I started a morning journaling practice because I was a stressed-out graduate student. The practice lowered my anxiety, boosted my happiness, and helped me finish my degree. Those were only a few of the benefits of journaling I experienced. Surprisingly, my journaling habit stuck! I’ve been journaling for the past twenty years. It’s a beloved creative project.  Writing in my journal has benefited my life in so many ways. It’s helped me: navigate grief,  career changes,  start a gratitude practice,  and rethink how I care for my health. For example, I s ..read more

Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky is one of my favorite happiness researchers. Her writings helped me understand the science of happiness, and how to choose happiness in my daily life. It’s worth noting that Dr. Lyubomirsky is a distinguished researcher, professor, and author who has been studying happiness for over 30-years. Dr. Lyubomirsky argues that “happiness takes work.” Happiness is a habit that you can build, just like exercising or eating whole foods. Choosing happiness is something you can do for yourself, and for the people around you. Also, building a happiness habit doesn’t mean you should ig ..read more