I was recently talking to a mom on the playground about a trip to Europe my husband and I just took with our almost-3-year-old. She has a kid the same age and claimed that she doesn’t want to travel for a few more years. It’s just too much hassle with a toddler. And I agree all the extra packing and a long flight can seem daunting. (Scroll down to get straight to the Europe packing list for your toddler!) But many of us who love travel don’t want to give it up when we become parents. In fact, we’d like to share this passion with our children from a young age. I’ve made a quite a few long-distance and international trips with my toddler, and I’ve previously written about travel with…
-
-
Intentional living can be powerful for an INTP. It simplifies and streamlines your life. And it demands you answer the why behind everything you do. If you’re an INTP, all that probably sounds pretty appealing. If you’re unfamiliar, intentional living refers to focusing on meaning and purpose in your everyday life. Philosophies like minimalism and essentialism – which I also write about often – support intentional living. The idea behind all of these is to actively choose your life – the things you do, people you interact with, and things you pay attention to. Instead of passively letting life “happen,” you actively consider the value of everything you give your time, attention, and resources. Often, this involves cutting away low-value pursuits in favor of those most meaningful to you. As I explained in my Enneagram series, I see personality typology…
-
So many of us drift through life for years wondering in the back of our minds when we’ll “find purpose.” The challenge to this task is that everything in modern society is designed to distract us from our purpose. Every advancement in technology and shift in media formats is geared toward grabbing our attention. Given this environment, it’s no wonder we can’t focus long enough to figure out what’s meaningful to us personally. So, how can we start to find purpose? One of the best frameworks I’ve found for shifting my perspective and focusing on what matters is intentional living. Essentially, intentional living means “living on purpose.” Knowing what matters to you – and what doesn’t. And making daily decisions based on that. Sounds simple enough, right? But it can be quite…
-
If you’re an INFP, the concept of intentional living will almost certainly interest you. If you’re unfamiliar, intentional living, at its core, just means focusing on meaning and purpose in your everyday life. Movements like minimalism and essentialism – which I write about a lot here – support that same goal: to choose every aspect of your life with intention. Instead of just letting life “happen” to them, proponents of intentional living carefully consider their commitments, jobs, relationships, and even daily habits. And they select only the most meaningful to have a place in their lives. As I explained in my Enneagram series, I see personality typology as extremely useful in crafting a more intentional life. That’s because frameworks like the Enneagram and Myers Briggs…
-
Preparing to have a baby? Wondering if you can possibly keep or start a minimalist lifestyle with a newborn baby? You’re in the right place. First, I can tell you it is possible. In fact, while I dabbled before, having a baby was my catalyst for major decluttering and a lifestyle shift. Below I share my best advice for parents (and future parents) for how to be minimalist with a newborn baby. Find advice about newborn essentials (and what you don’t need), baby room organization, and baby life hacks to stay sane as a newborn mom. Some Advice for Staying Minimalist with Your Newborn Baby Before we get into links with specific advice, let’s cover some general advice for baby planning the minimalist way. 1. Don’t add…
