Have you hopped on the bandwagon of the tiny house trend yet?
If not, don't worry, I haven't either, and I'm not here to tell you that you need to downsize your living space to <400 square feet. I am, however, going to challenge you to think outside the box when it comes to how much space you use.
We often think we need more space than we really do. The reality is, that the more space we have, the more we tend to fill it with stuff.
You can use the principles of a tiny house in considering your own lifestyle and need for space. It's about exploring ways to use the space you have, without needing to go bigger.
How Much Space is Too Much?
I grew up in a small Cape Cod-style home in Massachusetts. My parents could've afforded a larger home, but they never upgraded. There was simply no need for more space.
So many of us have in our minds that the natural progression of homeownership is a starter home, and then upgrading to something larger down the road. Occasionally, I see people downsize from their McMansion to a smaller, forever home when the kids move out and they become empty-nesters, but not always!
The need for more space is reasonable if you physically require more of it for all the people living in the home. Obviously, a family with four kids will need more space than a family with two. If you frequently entertain, you need room for people to mingle and chat. Our houses need to offer us the ability to spread out and be separate sometimes. You certainly don't want to be crammed in like sardines in a can.
What I'm addressing in this blog is space for all of our stuff. We've gotten to a point where bigger is better and more space means more stuff.
We have storage units full of what our homes can't fit, garages packed with stuff we didn't even know we owned, and drawer upon drawer of junk!
Even our attempts to organize with bins, containers, and endless supplies can end up being more clutter.
"I'll Just Buy More Space!"
Space isn't just an issue when it comes to our physical environment, it's also something to consider in the digital world as well.
It's getting less and less expensive to upgrade your digital storage. Fill it up. Purchase more. Fill it up. Purchase more. It's an endless cycle.
But how much is too much? How much do we really need? Do you know what's even being stored up there in "the Cloud" or on your Google Drive?
We often have far more storage than we actually need and fill this digital void just because we can. It often feels like because it's out of sight, it's not something you have to worry about. It's not affecting you if you can't see it, right?
However, when you go looking for something, and can't find it because there's simply too much, it can greatly impact your productivity and flow.
The Empty Drawer Challenge
I work with a lot of people who have massive kitchens with more drawers and cabinets in one room alone than are in my whole home! They feel the need to fill every cabinet and drawer with more stuff. One of the exercises I do with these clients is to have them empty out several of the cabinets and leave one completely empty to see how they feel. For some, this is very uncomfortable.
I challenge you to do the same! Empty a drawer or a cabinet in your home and leave it empty. What if you didn't need to fill that space? How does it feel?
Space allows you room to breathe.
Space in your home, in your office, in your closets, in your car, etc. According to the principles of Feng Shui, leaving space allows for more of what you want to flow into your life freely.
Space on your calendar allows you more time to do what you love, take a vacation, be present in your meetings.
Choose some spaces in your home that you don't fill up, pick a day on your calendar where you don't book a single appointment. Allow yourself some more space and see how it feels.
Ready to try it? I want to hear how it goes if you take me up in this challenge! Email me and let me know which space in your home you're going to try this with first!
