Courtney Carver

Weekend Favorites: free course, decluttering projects and wild flowers

by Courtney Carver

Weekend Wisdom: Don’t let the things you want distract you from the things you have.

I’m making something new.

I’m in this sort of joyful, kind of terrifying stage of making something new. The stage where you know what you want it to be but you don’t know what you are doing. It’s the stage where the edges of the puzzle pieces have come together but you can’t see what the middle of the puzzle looks like, and all of the pieces are the same color.

The best part of it is that even though I don’t have it all figured out, I’m doing it anyway. It’s how I do everything. If I wait until I know where every piece goes, I spend more time overthinking than creating and engaging. Once I get started, the pieces always come together and they rarely look like I thought they would.

If you are considering something new and feeling held back because you don’t know how things will turn out, remind yourself that not knowing how things will turn out is the only way anything comes out at all. And then take a step forward.

Ok … onto the favorites:

If you are worried, read this.

10 benefits kids gain from an UNbusy life.

You’ll love yourself more when you stop doing these 3 things.

Let’s help 18 kindergarteners (mostly from low-income homes) get back to school safely. P.S. If everyone who read this gave only $1.00, we’d far surpass the goal.

If you want to simplify your life but don’t know where to start, try these tiny decluttering projects.

It’s wildflower season here in Utah (pictured above) and in Castelluccio, Italy.

I’m on day 4 of this free course designed to be an eye-opener and a call to action for those who seek to be allies to Black women.

What’s for breakfast?

This time last year I wrote this.

This made me smile.

When I want to write for about an hour, I listen to this playlist.

Awww, poor thing.

And my Instagram fav of the week is from @glennondoyle …

I hope you enjoy this edition of Weekend Favorites and have a beautiful, safe, healthy, loving weekend.

xo,

Courtney

3 Compelling Reasons to Schedule More Nothing

by Courtney Carver

It seems as if there is always more to do, so doing nothing can feel like a luxury we can’t afford. Even with quarantine cancelations and schedule changes, we still manage to fill our days with more to-dos.Unfortunately when we refuse to do nothing, we compromise everything.

We can only take so much doing before our bodies say, “enough” and we break down. The break down might not be obvious or dramatic but we lose focus, feel exhausted and struggle to be inspired or motivated. And then we think that we are supposed to feel like this because there is so much to do and feel and be.

Slowing down and doing nothing is a chance to find rest, renewal and delight.

3 compelling reasons to schedule more nothing

1. Margin makes room to better handle emergencies and surprises.
Test fate and plan your day, hour by hour. Don’t leave any room in between tasks, appointments or commitments. Emergencies and surprises consider this an invitation to show up and blow up the notion that you think you run the world. Instead create margin and leave a little room for nothing. The nothing may turn into something and you’ll have time for it. If the nothing is nothing, consider it bonus time for a nap, a walk, or just sitting quietly.

2. Less rushing around makes you a kinder person.
Compare how you feel coming home after a day of back to back meetings with how you feel after coming home from a run or a long walk. Consider how you treat people after constantly reacting to email, social media, people you work with, and your racing mind all day versus how you treat people after you’ve unplugged for a while and given yourself time to be alone; away from people and your digital devices. You are likely more present, softer, and kinder.

3. Time for nothing invites you to remember yourself.
Doing nothing gives you the opportunity to listen to your heart and process ideas and emotions. After a day of non-stop input, you have to recover, shut down, or numb out. Instead schedule nothing if only to give yourself a minute to remember who you are, what you want, and how you want to live.

If doing nothing is hard for you, consider the benefits. Hanging around, puttering, daydreaming or whatever form your nothing takes is restorative for your mind, body, and heart. It’s a gift to you and everyone around you.

Weekend Favorites: doomscrolling, dry July and 5 million stars

by Courtney Carver

Weekend Wisdom: When you are engaged in the things that light you up, it’s easier to let go of the things that don’t.

I’m trying something new.

I am the queen of monotony. I thrive in routine and enjoy doing the same things over and over again. The last few months though have put even me to the test. I don’t mind staying home but I’ve been craving something new or different.

Instead of buying something new or going somewhere new, I added a new habit to my morning routine … cold showers.

For the last week, my morning routine has looked like this:

wake up
meditate
cold shower (only 30-45 seconds for now)
journal
walk
yoga

It’s too soon to rave about benefits of cold showers but I can tell you that even after only 30 seconds, I am WIDE AWAKE. It feels like a double espresso without the lingering caffeine jitters.

Ok … onto the favorites:

No more doomscrolling ok?

Currently listening to More Than Enough by Elaine Welteroth

Because of my love for monotony, sometimes I get stuck in a music rut, listening to the same things over and over again. Today, I’m letting Spotify pick my music. Here’s what they came up with.

I enjoyed this little yoga practice.

Dry July?

Finally reading Where The Crawdads Sing and I never want it to end.

I’m not traveling but when I do, I’d like to stay at this 5 million star hotel.

The smell of space. Seriously?

I want to make this and drink it with ice every morning.

Check out the archives for more weekend favorites.

There is an amazing list of comfort movies in the comment section here.

Try this instead of lashing out the next time you feel offended.

And my Instagram fav of the week is from @mytherapistsays because this made me laugh! I love going to bed early (but not this early).

I hope you enjoy this edition of Weekend Favorites and have a beautiful, safe, healthy, loving weekend.

xo,

Courtney

P.S. Something good is coming your way this fall.

9 (Not so Little Things) that are Holding You Back

by Courtney Carver

Clutter comes in many forms. It’s not just the extra coffee cups and photos you never look at or clothes that don’t fit and shoes that hurt your feet. Clutter can appear on your calendar, in your relationships and even in your heart and mind.

Say goodbye to any of these not so little things that may be holding you back.

Then say hello to joy.

9 (Not so Little Things) that are Holding You Back + How to Say Goodbye

1. Guilt
Letting go can stir up guilt. You might feel guilty for letting things build up, for not paying attention to what really matters, or for overspending. It’s time to let the guilt go with the stuff.

How to say goodbye: You’ve paid enough. You paid with your money, time and attention. And now you are paying with your heart and guilty feelings. You can let go now. This three-step process will help.

2. Apologizing
We can be kind and loving without being sorry. Apologizing for things we don’t need to be sorry for is exhausting and often a quiet reminder that we aren’t good enough.

How to say goodbye: Start here.

3. Drama
Much of the worry, stress, overreacting, gossiping, and complaining we add to our day is unnecessary drama and it’s holding you back from enjoying your life.

How to say goodbye: Don’t engage. Simply smile and walk away.

4. Catching up
The illusion of catching up goes something like this: If I take a full day/weekend/week and abandon all the things I enjoy doing, I can get everything done that I feel guilty about not doing before. Then I will feel better, everyone will love me and all will be right with the world. The reality is that catching up never ends. There will always be more.

How to say goodbye: Be present. If you are paying attention to what didn’t get done yesterday, you can’t pay attention to what’s happening right now. How can you be your most creative, most interested, and do your best work, when you have anxiety about the undone? To practice presence, set a timer for 5 minutes and agree to set your worry aside for that short amount of time while you engage in the here and now.

5. Full plates
If you are completely depleted by the end of the day, chances are your plate is too full. Full plates are holding you back from engaging in what matters most to you.

How to say goodbye: When your plate is full, you have three choices.

6. Proving yourself
When you are busy proving your love or convincing the outside world how invested you are, you compromise, push too far, and forget that when you need to prove your love, that’s not love.

How to say goodbye: Show up. Be love instead of proving love. If it’s not love, walk away.

7. Emptiness
Freeing up space and time in your life can feel uncomfortable. You may feel compelled to fill the emptiness of a decluttered room in your home with more stuff, or an empty calendar with appointments and commitments to avoid the discomfort.

How to say goodbye: Fill your newfound time and space with things that really matter to you. If you don’t know what that is yet, fill your time and space with curiosity, self-reflection, and love.

8. Schedule shaming
Schedule shaming happens when we tell ourselves …

I should be more organized.
I should have more check marks on my to-do list.
I didn’t do as much as everyone else.
I am lazy and unaccomplished.
I let people down.
I didn’t do enough.
I am not good enough.

How to say goodbye: Let’s stop measuring who we are by what we accomplish. We need to measure less by what we cross off our to-do list, and more by what’s on our heart, by how we feel, and by how we treat people.

9. Pretending
I’ve pretended to be an extrovert, pretended to like my job and pretended to smile. Living outside of yourself is exhausting. If you’ve been pretending too …

How to say goodbye: Give yourself all the space, time and love to remember who you are. And this.

The little things do count. Every tiny step does. Use the momentum, inspiration and confidence you get from taking the tiny steps to tackle the big ones. Goodbye stress, shame, and overwhelm. Hello joy.

Weekend Favorites: boundaries, cold showers and self-care DIY

by Courtney Carver

Weekend Wisdom: Paying attention to people you love is 2% effort and 98% not looking at your phone.

I’m going to tell you something embarrassing.

I thought I might find a way to make anti-racism work more comfortable for myself.

Ugh … seriously? How white privileged is that?

It’s my nature to try to make change low stress and more enjoyable so I stick with it. But this is different. Taking a good look at my own behavior and bias, learning how baked into our world racism is and learning what feels like a whole new language is a lot. It is not meant to be comfortable. This isn’t a complaint, just an observation. Discomfort or not, I’m committed to learning, taking the anti-racism small business pledge, getting more involved on a local level and through tiny steps, contributing to the big change that the BIPOC community deserves.

I know I could have kept this to myself but I’m sharing in case you thought this work might be easy or comfortable. Keep going. If you need more encouragement, next steps or resources, this might help.

Ok … onto the favorites:

I may have taken a cold shower this morning after listening to this.

It’s articles like this that keep me close to home for the time being. (NYT)

Bailey and I talk sustainable swaps in the latest episode of Soul & Wit.

Dark August comes out next week and it’s going to be your new favorite novel. RSVP here to attend the kitchen launch party!

This time last year, I wrote this.

These 7 courses will teach you to become anti-racist

Kids are getting less exposure to traditional TV ads, but marketers have found sneaky ways to reach them anyway.

I’ll never make these self-care DIYs but I enjoyed thinking I would for a moment.

5 ways to set healthy boundaries around news and social media

There are some days when I feel just like this.

Her favorites are always my favorites too.

If you need a little hope, this song will help.

And my Instagram fav of the week is from @letterfolk because I think we are all out here trying our best to be our best.

I hope you enjoy this edition of Weekend Favorites and have a beautiful, safe, healthy, loving weekend.

xo,

Courtney

P.S. If you never know what to share but want to have way more fun posting consistently on Instagram, try this challenge.

Capsule Wardrobe Tips for Beginners (less stress getting dressed)

by Courtney Carver

This spring was all about the loungewear but as we move back into the world, a capsule wardrobe can help ease some of the stress we may be feeling.

It’s long been my belief that since we can’t control most of what goes on in the world, streamlining what we can, and eliminating stress in certain areas of our lives can help us have more capacity for handling stress that is out of our hands.

Remove Stress From Your Closet with a Capsule Wardrobe

Surprisingly, you can reduce a significant amount of stress in your life simply by removing items from your wardrobe. Sometimes choosing an outfit is fun but usually it’s just one more decision and decision fatigue is real, it’s exhausting and it’s stressful. Decision fatigue depletes us so when we finally make the time for what’s important and interesting to us, we are apathetic and unmotivated.

In addition to the stress from making decisions, closets contain another source of stress built right into the items hanging inside. The stress lies in our emotional connection, especially to the stuff we never wear. Clothes that don’t fit, that we spent too much on or that someone gave us and we never wear don’t exactly lift us up and make us feel great every morning. Just seeing them adds a little bit of heaviness that we usually don’t even recognize until they are gone.

If you are a capsule wardrobe beginner or beginning again, these tips will help you build a decision-free closet so you can get dressed with less stress.

1. Eliminate accessories. Instead of trying to figure out what scarves, handbags, jewelry, or other things you accessorize with, eliminate all or all but one. This may not be a permanent step, but removing the decision-making process for a few months will help you experience the benefits of dressing with less without struggling to choose.

2. Wear your favorite colors. If you love wearing blue but have a few red items in your wardrobe to “mix things up” or because red was the color of the month in your favorite fashion magazine, let yourself off the hook. You don’t have to dress in seasonal colors or colors you think you are supposed to wear. Remove the colors or patterns you don’t feel good in for a while.

3. Keep it all in one place. I used to have clothes and other wardrobe items in different drawers, closets, and storage bins so I never really understood how much I really had. Get all your stuff in one place and then divide it into the stuff you are actually wearing and enjoying and the stuff you aren’t. There is no reason to be sifting through what you don’t wear to find what you want to wear.

4. Identify 5 favorite outfits. Statistics show we wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time, but we still show up and ask “what am I going to wear?” every morning. Instead, photograph yourself in your 5 favorite outfits and before you look in your closet, choose from your favorite looks.

5. Get rid of the tags. If there are things in your closet with tags still on them, remove the tags and the items. Give them away, consign them or sell them. The tags may not seem harmful but seeing those bad purchase decisions everyday is a stressful reminder of impulse shopping, overspending and bad purchase decisions.

6. Only keep one size in your closet. Multiple sizes may feel like a safety net, but they may also be a painful reminder of how you feel in your own skin. There’s no proof that smaller sizes encourage you to lose weight and the stress of trying could even contribute to weight gain. Keep one size in your closet and take a walk with the extra time you save in the morning when deciding what to wear.

7. Let go of the guilt. Closets are full of emotion with guilt often at the top of the list. Guilt for spending too much, for not wearing what you have, for clothes fitting poorly and for not enjoying pieces other people have given you. Unfortunately the guilt is completely unproductive. Take a look through your closet and pull out anything that makes you feel guilty. Box it up and revisit in 3 months. If you don’t love it by then or it still makes you feel bad, give it away.

8. Add music. Instead of continually adding new pieces to your wardrobe because they are on sale, or because you need a shopping lift, or whatever excuse you are using to buy something new, add music. Create a playlist of 10 songs that make you smile and when you feel the urge to shop, turn the music on instead. Those 10 songs will lift you up and the time that passes while you are listening will be enough of a delay to ease your mind and distract you from shopping. If you don’t want to make a playlist, try this one.

9. Ask a friend for help. Invite someone over who isn’t emotionally attached to go through your clothes with you. Trust them to help you let go.

10. Call a three-month time out. Give minimalist fashion challenge Project 333 a try. You have nothing to lose except stress, spending, and closet chaos.

As a capsule wardrobe beginner, don’t give everything away, just get it out of sight for a while and see how you feel dressing with less. Remove the stress and emotional attachment by separating yourself from your stuff.

PS If you want to work on your capsule wardrobe, or another big change (with tiny steps), join me in July and August in Summer School for Simplicity. Registration closes Friday and this is the last time you can join. Learn more here.

Weekend Favorites: 20 summer activities, hummingbirds and snow

by Courtney Carver

Weekend Wisdom: When everything is important, nothing is.

I was in the hospital yesterday.

I’m not sick or injured but I had to do a routine MRI for my multiple sclerosis treatment. If you’ve read Soulful Simplicity, you know how much I dislike MRIs. On top of my usual MRI anxiety, I had the “going to the hospital in the time of Covid” anxiety too.

When it was over, I thought I’d feel relieved but instead I was just really tired. Feeling anxious is exhausting, which may be one reason we may feel more tired than usual lately.

This weekend, I’m going to find some mountain air, breathe in some sunshine and take things slowly. Even though I feel like I “should” be exercising more and that I “should” be getting more done, what I will do is take care instead. My voice within tells me that the shoulds can wait.

Perhaps your shoulds can wait too.

Ok … onto the favorites:

Therapist-approved tips for talking to your partner about race.

We could all benefit from this feel-good summer playlist.

Watch this talk if you are reevaluating boundaries and navigating pandemic burnout.

If you haven’t been enjoying your own company lately, these 3 suggestions may help.

This tattoo parlor made me cry (happy tears).

I love watching hummingbirds, but not this close.

Negative emotions aren’t a bad thing.

If like me, you aren’t eating at restaurants yet, here’s how to make take-out feel special.

I’m reading this summer escape next.

Temps are warming up here so naturally, I’m thinking about snow.

20 summer activities you can do at home. I’m doing #20 this weekend!

And my Instagram fav of the week is from @selfcareisapriority because I know someone needs to hear this right now.

I hope you enjoy this edition of Weekend Favorites and have a beautiful, safe, healthy, loving weekend.

xo,

Courtney

P.S. Summer School for Simplicity is opening up next week for the last time. Learn more here and sign up for the wait list to join us on July 1st!

7 Journaling Prompts That Will Help You Simplify Your Life

by Courtney Carver

These simple journaling prompts invite you to consider your hold on stuff, and your response to the demands on your time.

If it seems like you’ve simplified your life over and over again, only to find your life more and more cluttered and complicated, perhaps a new approach is in order. Better understanding why you want to live more simply and what is standing in your way can help.

Even though I journal almost daily, simple journaling prompts help me direct my thoughts and examine how I’m feeling about something specific. With that information, I can create an action plan that resonates with me so that not only is it easier to get started, but the changes I make last.

If you want to simplify your life (for good this time), use these 7 journaling prompts (3 for clutter and 4 for busyness) to direct your thoughts, examine your feelings and create an action plan that works best for you.

When you start to journal, jot down one of these prompts at the top of the page, set a timer for fifteen minutes and go. At the end of fifteen minutes, stand-up, take a deep breath in and let it all go. Notice if you feel lighter or if you feel like writing more. The journaling process is just for you. You don’t have to share it or even reread it. Use the prompts that work for you and let the rest go.

Simple Journaling Prompts for Clutter

If it’s hard to let go, clutter keeps building up or you can’t stop shopping …

1. Ask yourself, why did I buy (insert name of thing here)? Journal about something you own that you never use. Describe what was happening in your life when you made the purchase and how you were feeling. See if you can identify if you purchased the item with expectations of how it would make you feel or make your life different.

2. Consider how you would live in your space if there was less clutter. Write about what would change, how you would feel, if you would miss any of it and why living with less might be better than living with more.

3. Take an indoor field trip. Walk around your home and notice your stuff. Look at the stuff on the counters and in the drawers. Look under the sink, in your cabinets and closets. Don’t forget all of the stuff that is hiding in the garage, attic or basement. Once you’ve seen it all, write about how owning all of that stuff serves you. Then write about how it holds you back. Journal on how it makes you feel too. Comforted? Overwhelmed? Secure? Confused?

Simple Journaling Prompts for Busyness

If you wonder where the days go, or find yourself doing more things out of obligation and expectation vs. genuine interest …

4. Consider the difference between spending your time intentionally and living the auto-pilot life. Write about how it feels when you are thoughtfully choosing how you spend your moments vs. the times in your day and life when you are simply doing the things you always do, or the things you are “supposed to do” or what you think you “should” do.

5. Write about how you would spend your time if there were no expectations (inner or outer) and money didn’t matter.

6. If you struggle to say no to protect your time and energy, write about why that is. Consider whether or not your propensity to please others is getting in the way of taking care of yourself and/or enjoying your own life.

7. Write about how you would spend your time if you only had a week left. Journal on who you would spend time with, what you wouldn’t spend time doing, and if there are any bucket list items you’d want to revisit. If you could let go of any big regrets or worries this week, what would they be? And don’t forget to write about joy. What would bring you the most joy? Then come back to today and journal on what needs to change in your life so you can bring some of those things you are saving for your last week into your right now.

Use these journaling prompts when you are thinking about simplifying your life, decluttering your stuff and trying to find more time to enjoy and engage in your life. When you have a better idea of what you really want and what’s important to you, it will be easier to let go of clutter and reclaim the time you have.

P.S. Summer School for Simplicity is opening for the last time at the end of June. Learn more here and sign up for the wait list.

Weekend Favorites: Being imperfect, lego homes and a time-out

by Courtney Carver

Weekend Wisdom: The only way to keep going is to stop going. Rest, recover, renew and be kind to yourself.

Like you, I’ve been doing some reflecting.

Tending to flowers and taking a walk around a mirror-like lake gave me time to reflect this week. Whenever big changes are happening in the world or even just in a small corner of our lives, the things that ground us are more important than ever. Whether you are practicing activism or decluttering a home full of things you don’t enjoy but don’t want to let go of, remember … this is going to take a while.

Rest and pace yourself. Talk to the people who ground you and take time for doing things that ground you. It’s only when you consistently take time for the grounding things, that you can take on the ground-breaking, world changing things.

Ok … onto the favorites …

I really like the idea of these lego-like houses.

So you want to talk about race.

I’ve saved sooooo much time (and energy) by not doing these 9 things anymore.

How to declutter your inner work space and get more creative.

If you are new to Weekend Favorites, you can see past editions right here.

We have some work to do.

Need a time out? These bear cubs will help.

I listen to this song before speaking in front of people and sometimes before writing things.

A once busy traveler finds a new way to see the world.

Graduation messages for the class of 2020 from front-line workers.

If you want to get rid of paper clutter, ask these 2 simple questions.

And my Instagram fav of the week is from @shopsundae because we all need to remember this.

I hope you enjoy this edition of Weekend Favorites and have a beautiful, safe, healthy, loving weekend.

xo,

Courtney

P.S. Summer School for Simplicity is opening for the last time at the end of June. Learn more here and sign up for the wait list.

Get Rid of Paper Clutter By Asking 2 Simple Questions

by Courtney Carver

If you are sick of piles of paper, have filing cabinets stuffed with out-dated material or feel like paper is taking over your life, go paper-free or at least, paper-less. Keep reading to learn how to get rid of paper.

While you’ll have to address the paper you have (which we’ll unpack below), you can prevent future paper collections by asking these 2 simple questions.

Get rid of paper clutter by asking these 2 simple questions:

Until you start asking these questions, you’ll continue to print and save paper without really understanding why.

1. Why Should I Print This?

In many cases we print things just to save it. Before you click “print” see if you really need it. Could you save it digitally or let it go? What’s the reality of you using what you print? Just pausing to ask and then making a more intentional decision to print or not to print will prevent paper build up.

I haven’t owned a printer in many years and while I still occasionally have things printed, it’s rare.

2. Do I Have to Save This?

Aside from taxes and important documents, what are you saving that you are actually using? Understanding the categories of paper that you save and noticing how you interact with them, will help you know what’s useful to save or not save moving forward. Instead of always working to better organize your paper, keep way less of it.

I remember when I emptied two filing cabinets of paper I had diligently saved and organized over the years. Hardly any of it was important and I never looked at it once it was neatly filed.

If you’ve ever printed something just to save it and never used it, you see how powerful these two simple questions are.

How to let go of paper clutter you already have

With the right approach, this doesn’t have to be a painful process. Choose what works best for you.

FAST AND FURIOUS

Turn on your favorite music or feel good movie and move all of your paper into one room. Bring in the filing cabinets, the boxes of papers you’ve been saving just in case, the piles on your desk, from your nightstand, and the kitchen table. All of it. You might need snacks too because this may take a while.

First, set aside anything you need to keep legally, like tax forms or important documents.

Next, admit that you’ve been holding on to the rest “just in case.” I’m not judging. I’ve been there. The question as you go through each piece of paper is, “Is this helpful?” If the answer is no, put it in the “shred or recycle pile.” If the answer is yes, put it in the “keep” pile.

Remove the “shred or recycle pile” from sight and revisit your keep pile. Go through each piece in this pile again and ask “Do I need to keep this and why?” If your why doesn’t make much sense to you, let it go.

With the paper you decide to keep, scan what you can (more on scanning below) and put the rest away in one single pile. It should be small enough that you don’t need folders, labels and other things to make your clutter look good.

NICE AND EASY

This approach takes more time, but is just as effective. Move all of your paper to one place and then commit to 15 minutes a day to work through the steps above.

More tips on getting rid of paper clutter …

1. Banking and bills. Sign up for e-statements and do your banking online.

2. Books and magazines. Read and recycle. When you are finished reading, bring them to your local library, share in a neighborhood tiny library or pass along to a friend. I like to give my books away on Instagram.

3. Mail. Open your mail outside and recycle what you can. Only bring in what’s important. Most of it isn’t.

4. Printing. Turn your printer off and try a 30 day print-free challenge. It’s easier to live without than you think.

5. Catalogs and junk mail. Here’s how to make it stop.

6. Journals. Extract your best ideas and let the rest go.

7. Personal identification and documents. Scan and store. You won’t get far with a scan of your passport, but having the scanned version will help if you lose the real one.

8. Children’s artwork, report cards and love notes. Instead of saving every report card, and work of art they bring home from school, select a few pieces and display them on a “wall of fame” that rotates monthly, or create a meaningful collage. A digital photo book is a nice way to preserve those memories too.

9. Photographs. Sort. Toss the duplicates, bad images, and pictures of things you don’t want, need or remember. Scan or display the rest. They aren’t doing any good stuffed in a box under the bed.

10. Financial and other important documents. Read How Long Should You Keep Records after Tax Day? If you still aren’t sure, consult with a local professional.

11. Medical records. Hospitals and doctor’s offices are going digital. You can too.

12. Scan it. Unless you need a pristine digital version of something, use your phone and a scanning app like TurboScan. Just don’t over scan in attempt to keep everything. Only save what you need, even digitally.

13. Sentimental. Parting with those old yearbooks and love letters can be challenging. Save the thoughts, words and memories that are meaningful to you, and then let go of the past to make room for the future. See what my friend Krissy discovered when she let go of decades of birthday cards, invitations and other messages.

Parting with those old yearbooks, birthday cards, and love letters can be challenging. Save the thoughts, words and memories that are meaningful to you, and then let go of the past to make room for love in the present and future.

All paper isn’t clutter, but most of it is. When you finally get rid of paper, the question you’ll be asking is, “why did I save this for so long?”

If We Are Going to Be In This Together, Let’s Be In This Together

by Courtney Carver

In this community, when the global pandemic broke out, we said, “we are in this together.” We supported each other, made space for each other and comforted each other. We raised money for people who were struggling to buy groceries, connected on Zoom calls and checked in on each other.

Now it’s time to use that momentum to be in this together when it comes to crying out against and ending systematic racism. Can we become anti-racist together? And if you aren’t sure what that term means, I’ll explain in a moment.

I’m no expert here, and I’m probably going to get things wrong, but if we are going to be in this together, things can’t be business as usual. We can’t ignore each other’s pain if we are in this together.

If you are a person of color, specifically a black or brown person in this community, and you are hurting, I’m holding you in my heart and committing to continue the anti-racism work I know I need to do.

I’ve been questioning my own blind spots when it comes to race over the last year and am not in a place of having everything figured out, but I am in a place of learning and listening. It’s not in any way comfortable for me to write about this, or to share it but my discomfort can not come before black lives.

I’m not in danger because I’m sharing these thoughts. I may lose subscribers and it may impact my business but neither of those things feel very important right now.

In case it’s helpful to you, here are 3 things I’ve learned.

1. Thinking “I’m not racist so this isn’t my problem” isn’t helpful.

Being not racist is not enough anymore. It never was but as Maya Angelou said, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” We must be anti-racist. Being anti-racist means actively opposing racism (more on how to do it below).

What has been really helpful for me to understand in being open to learning is this quote from writer Ijeoma Oluo: “The beauty of anti-racism is that you don’t have to pretend to be free of racism to be an antiracist. Anti-racism is the commitment to fight racism wherever you find it, including in yourself. And it’s the only way forward.”

2. When someone says, “Black lives matter” don’t default to “All Lives Matter”

Of course all lives matter. Of course they do. But All Lives Matter is not an appropriate response to Black Lives Matter. Here’s a really simple way to think about it.

All houses matter, but if your house isn’t on fire, let’s focus on the one that is.

This might help too. “Black lives matter doesn’t mean all lives don’t matter but all lives can’t matter until black lives matter.” – Justin Simmons

3. We must stay focused on the priority.

I don’t condone looting or property damage but that is not the priority.

Zerlina Maxwell, author and co-host of a morning show posted the following on Instagram that resonated with me. “You keep saying, ‘It’s horrible that an innocent black man was killed, but destroying property has to stop.’ Try saying, ‘It’s horrible that property is being destroyed, but killing innocent black men has to stop.’ You’re prioritizing the wrong part.”

If you find yourself asking, Shouldn’t Courtney stick to simplicity and stay in her lane, then please consider what Be More with Less is all about.

Be more with less means: Be more you. Give yourself all the space, time and love to remember who you are. Living with less clutter, busyness and stress will help you make the room to do what you need to do. Simplifying your life will give me the space, time, and love to be more you.

When I first heard someone say to me some of the things I’m saying to you, I felt a lot of different feelings, defensive and uncomfortable among other things. But I’m not racist! I thought. I’ve never used a racial slur or violence against a person of color. I care about all people. If you find yourself feeling those same things, I understand. What I’m asking is that before reacting, you breathe and be open to considering something other than your initial discomfort.

I’m not here to teach you about racism or to shame you into action. I’m a simplicity advocate. I help you simplify your life to find your way back to love and health and will continue to do that. As I’ve said a thousand times before, simplicity is the way back to love, the way back to you. That said, we know the way back takes more than decluttering.

If you are thinking, “Racism is terrible but what can I do about it?” thank you for being open and curious. I’ll get into specifics below, but things you can do include educating yourself, listening, donating and voting.

If you do want to learn more about anti-racism and how you can help, this is what I’m doing.

Following people of color on Instagram including:

Reading these books:

Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad

So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo

White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo

Donating to these organizations:

The Loveland Therapy Fund

Black Lives Matter

Campaign Zero

Check out this article and this one for more thoughts and resources. I’ll be sharing more resources in Instagram Stories too.

I will be in this together with you by listening, learning, supporting, donating and making space for and bringing awareness to black voices in the simplicity community, on social media and knowing better so I may do better. I’d love you to be in this with me too.

Weekend Favorites: summer tunes, walking with geese and bookstores

by Courtney Carver

Weekend Wisdom: Noticing what you love will help you release what you don’t.

This week was all about the geese.

On one of my morning walks, I noticed this gaggle of geese heading towards traffic. The parents, the teens, the toddlers and even the babies all waddling out to the street even though there was a perfectly good lake and rolling green hills behind them. Traffic stopped and the geese turned around but they couldn’t quite find their way back.

Once they were on the sidewalk, I walked along beside them discouraging them from walking into the road, heading back to the lake. We made it all the way back to the lake but they had other plans and walked away in another direction.

Two days later I came back and was thrilled to find them eating and resting by the lake. They didn’t need my help but it was lovely to take a walk with them (socially distanced of course). Oh, and note to self … no one needs me to tell them what direction to go or what’s best for them.

Ok … onto the favorites.

There are several resources here on becoming anti-racist. I’m digging in with inspiration from this quote by Angela Davis, “It is not enough to be not racist, you must actively be anti-racist.”

Why we don’t know what day it is anymore.

We are having a heat wave in Salt Lake City so I made this summer vibes playlist for you.

Speaking with Kim Forrester was an absolute pleasure. We talked about about the power of simplicity and explores how we can liberate ourselves from the relentless pressure to be more, have more, and do more, in our search for a fulfilling life.

If you are already thinking about it, why now might be the best time to quit drinking.

7 little notes to help with the fear of uncertainty.

Now that our hummingbirds are back, I am learning about these beautiful birds.

I want to celebrate the bookstores who have helped so much with Project 333. The Oxford Exchange in Tampa, FL has been a great support and has Project 333 in stock! Check it out here.

This is why you should bother (I contributed to this free e-book about people who have taken action after thinking, “why bother?”)

My baby animals make me smile board is one of the few reasons I visit Pinterest.

If you want to be more creative and have more fun on Instagram, this is a must read.

This time last year, I wrote this.

6 Lessons We Learned During Lockdown That We Can’t Forget After It Ends

And my Instagram fav of the week is from @jennaececelia:

I hope you enjoy this edition of Weekend Favorites and have a beautiful, safe, healthy, loving weekend.

xo,

Courtney

7 Little Notes to Help with Fear of Uncertainty

by Courtney Carver

Whether we realize it or not, we are always dealing with some level of uncertainty and lack of control. The last few months though have added a new level of fear of and confusion when it comes to uncertainty.

Here are a few things I am continually reminding myself to help with the fear of uncertainty.

1.

The universe must want me to understand this message on a very deep level. From now on, I’ll do my best not to ask the following questions:

Why is this taking so long?
How long will it take?
Will it really take that long?
Are we there yet?

I surrender to things taking as long as they take.

2.

If the fear of uncertainty is causing extra stress, reduce other stress that is within your control.

3.

Even through the fear of uncertainty, the world is still yelling. Pay attention to me! Buy me! Watch this! Read this! Scroll all the way to the end! Get on this Zoom call! Do this! Feel this way! Not this way!

And it will keep yelling. And you will keep putting your hand on your heart to remember what’s important to you. Even though things are different now, you still get to have boundaries. You still get to decide where your attention goes and when. And tomorrow, when things are different again, you can decide again. Put your hands on your heart.

4.

The hard stuff will pass and so will the good stuff. May that thought both relieve some anxiety and encourage us to really appreciate things for what they are.

5.

Gratitude makes the hard stuff bearable and the good stuff even sweeter. I remind myself of this over and over again, especially on really challenging days. Even in the midst of a bad day, there is something good to recognize and appreciate.

6.

I wrote this in Project 333 and in Soulful Simplicity as a reminder that we can’t shop, eat, drink or busy our way out of feeling what we we feel. We can’t escape ourselves and the sooner we realize that we don’t have to fix our feelings, the sooner we can notice that for the most part, they come and go. Some need our attention. Some don’t. And the ones that do need our attention don’t need us to numb them or shove them down, they simply ask us to take care.

It’s so tempting to quiet the feelings with outside forces right now but instead, come back to yourself. Remember that you are a force that can comfort and heal.

7.

When we lose our footing, we search for meaning to become grounded again. It’s then that we can more easily identify what matters and what doesn’t.

There will always be uncertainty, and there may always be some level of fear of uncertainty and we can ease that fear by taking good care, deep breaths and being gentle with ourselves and those around us.

P.S. Summer School for Simplicity starts on Monday, June 1st. If you’d like to join us, learn more and sign up here by Thursday, May 28th.

Weekend Favorites: kindness, skillet cookies and a 4-book giveaway

by Courtney Carver

Weekend Wisdom: “I have already settled it for myself so flattery and criticism go down the same drain and I am quite free.” – Georgia O’Keeffe

It feels weird to have a long weekend during a very long week/month/year.

It’s Memorial Day weekend in the US and usually we would say, “enjoy the long weekend” but no one is really saying that. Long weekends, holidays and other fun occasions aren’t the same lately but most days, I’m in the flow of being in between the old normal and the new normal.

Surprisingly, I like it here.

This is a time of waiting, wondering and creating for me. I’m seeing things through a new lens and through that lens, nothing is hurried or certain or exactly as it will be. Instead, there is more curiosity, rest and fluidity.

What are you noticing in between normals?

Ok … onto the favorites.

Summer School is open!

Who knew you could make cookies in a skillet.

This virtual symphony had me in joyful tears within the first ten seconds.

Never let go of these 5 things.

I love this list of 13 things my friend Heidi does in between the normals.

More joyful tears reading this article about putting wellbeing before grades in a beautiful way.

12 random acts of kindness you can do right now.

I’m giving away four books that were released during the pandemic (including mine) right here.

If your musical tastes are similar to mine, you’ll enjoy these five songs.

I normally wouldn’t look twice at this article but since we are in between normals, I want to decide what to eat and watch based on my Zodiac sign.

And my Instagram fav of the week is from @thewildfeminine for this reminder that we are always learning, growing and doing our best with what we know (and doing better when we know better).

I hope you enjoy this edition of Weekend Favorites and have a beautiful, safe, healthy, loving weekend.

xo,

Courtney

P.S. Join me for a free webinar on Tuesday, May 26th to see if Summer School for Simplicity is right for you.

When Decluttering Your Stuff Never Let Go of These 5 Things

by Courtney Carver

When decluttering your stuff, you probably have a list of things to let go of. I always recommend starting with the easy stuff like …

clothes that don’t fit
duplicates (How many spatulas and wooden spoons do you need?)
knick knacks and odds and ends with no meaning
almost everything in your junk drawer
books you’ve read and won’t read again

As you get to items that aren’t as easy, you may come up with excuses like, “I’ll keep this just in case.” or “I’ll keep this for my kids.” but what those excuses are telling you is that you aren’t quite ready to let go. That’s ok. Keep coming back to those items and for now, get excited because there are five things you never have to let go of. In fact, I recommend holding on tightly to these five things.

When Decluttering Your Stuff, Never Let Go of These 5 Things

In looking back at the decluttering articles I’ve written, I’ve realized that I’ve focused almost exclusively on what you should let go of and not much on what you should hold on to when decluttering.

Some things are meant to stay in your life forever including these 5 things.

The Five Things:

1. Humor
You must find a way to laugh while letting go. This strategy may help.

2. Intention
Always remember why you are letting go, why you are creating space and why you are simplifying your life. Letting go with this intention in mind will add clarity to your decisions and lightness to the process.

3. Rest
This is a marathon. You didn’t clutter up your life with stuff overnight and you aren’t going to declutter your stuff overnight. Choose consistency over intensity with tiny steps every day and lots of rest in between.

4. Grace
Letting go can bring up feelings of guilt around overspending, buying things you didn’t need and feeling wasteful by letting go. You might get frustrated that letting go is hard or that your family isn’t as excited as you are. When struggles come up (and they will), allow for grace. Extend that grace to yourself and others over and over again.

5. Joy
Decluttering your life with the idea that you’ll be happy when you are finished or that you will enjoy things when you have fewer things is robbing you of experiencing joy right now. There is no reason to delay joy. It’s not waiting for you, it’s within you.

Maybe these 5 things weren’t what you were expecting.

You may have been waiting for permission to hold on to journals and sentimental items, or clothes with tags still hanging on them, or things that were really cheap or really expensive, but the truth is … the only person who can make that decision is you.

You get to decide what matters most to you and what stuff you want to keep in your life. If you aren’t sure, one way to determine what matters most to you is to get rid of anything that doesn’t matter at all.

P.S. Summer School for Simplicity is OPEN for a few more days. Learn more here and join me for a live Q & A webinar on Tuesday, May 26th (sign up here) to see if you want to join more than 100 other people making positive changes to simplify their lives this summer.

Weekend Favorites: sustainable swaps, a bear in a tub and a less hurried life

by Courtney Carver

Weekend Wisdom: Shift your focus from being caught up with your life to being in your life.

Nature isn’t canceled.

My nephew is graduating from high school today! Even though he won’t be getting the pomp and circumstance he deserves, we’ll all be celebrating him virtually along with many other graduates. Congrats Axel, I love you!

So many events and meaningful moments have been canceled or put on pause and it’s sad. It hurts. We grieve. And we go on. We mourn what we’ve lost and turn to what we have. We embrace and celebrate what’s not canceled.

Nature is not canceled, including beautiful flowers, sunsets, and hummingbirds. We set up our hummingbird feeder recently (in the middle of the city) and the hummingbirds came back. It felt miraculous.

Connection is not canceled. We can talk on the phone, on video calls, and through love notes.

Simplicity is not canceled. If anything the call for simplicity is greater than ever. We know what matters now and we want more of that, which means less of all the other stuff.

And love … love is never canceled.

Ok … onto the favorites.

How to grow your own produce from kitchen scraps.

I shared a few of my favorite things with The Daily Good.

I could watch this bear splash in the bath all day long.

After I watch the bear all day, I’m going to listen to this song over and over.

This is the reason March felt like three years and April felt like two days.

Bailey and I argued about whether people would think this podcast episode was boring or not.

These sustainable swaps are a good thing that’s come out of quarantine.

15 years ago Mark and I danced to this song at our wedding.

A less hurried life wasn’t what we expected but perhaps it is what we all need right now.

If you want to be calmer and happier, Gretchen Rubin recommends bodyfulness.

This time last year, I wrote this.

And my Instagram fav of the week is from @elephantjournal. I’m feeling very inspired to resist other people’s storms and share my peace.

I hope you enjoy this edition of Weekend Favorites and have a beautiful, safe, healthy, loving weekend.

xo,

Courtney

A Simple Life is Not the End Goal

by Courtney Carver

I’ve been simplifying my life since 2006. I didn’t know that’s what was happening in the beginning. At first, I was only focused on eliminating as much stress as I could so I could feel better, so I could live well with multiple sclerosis.

Even when I finally saw the simplicity path I was on, I knew the finish line wasn’t a simple life.

With all of the focus around minimalism, simplicity, decluttering, and capsule wardrobes, it’s easy to believe that a simple life is the dream, but a simple life is not the end goal.

We don’t remove clutter, reduce stress, and boycott busyness to have a simple life. We do it to have a life. Not a beautifully organized life, or a completely calm life. Not a perfect life or one where we know all the answers but a life that we have room for, a life we can notice, a life we can enjoy and a life we create.

We simplify to have a life of …

purpose
health
connection
meaning
contribution
adventure
laughter
joy
love

These bullet points mean something different for everyone, but when we are constantly defeated by not being simple enough, or decluttered enough, we lose sight of what are really after.

Instead of wondering how to live a simple life, consider what you’d like more time and space for in the life you have.

The next time you are done paying off a credit card, or cleaning out your closet, or completing whatever simplicity step you are on, stop.

Before simplifying further, think about what you really want out of this life of yours. Is this the time to simplify more, or is this the time to deepen a connection with someone you love? Is this the time to move on to your bookshelves, or is this the time to create something new, or serve in your community?

Perhaps it is simply time to rest.

Simplifying with the goal of becoming as simple as possible will prove to be as empty as dieting to be as skinny as possible. It’s not satisfying and it never lasts.

As you create more time, energy, space, and attention in your life, use simplicity to make a life you are excited to wake up to. Use it to better engage in relationships. Use it to create freedom so you can live where you want, work where you want, and most importantly, so you can get back to being you.

Today, I do feel better. I am living well with MS. I don’t have a simple life but I laugh a lot more. I enjoy the work I do and I have the presence to be in my life instead of racing around trying to keep up with it.

When decluttering is frustrating, or you regret spending too much, or you aren’t sure where this whole simplicity journey is headed, remind yourself that you aren’t creating a simple life, you are creating a life.

Weekend Favorites: cutting hair, why to clean and new routines

by Courtney Carver

Weekend Wisdom: The stuff that surrounds you affects what’s inside you.

Happy Mother’s Day. That’s me in the front with my mom and little sister … a few years ago.

So I’ve been thinking about how scarcity mentality has served as a bit of a distraction lately. Like when there was a run on toilet paper and all bleach products. It made me feel anxious. Me. The person who has said over and over again, “I refuse to live in fear of not having enough.” Was I really worried about toilet paper or was it something else?

Even though most of us have enough of what need (more than enough), we still bought more … just in case. We convinced ourselves we needed more but really, we were soothing. We were soothing our fear and pain.

We may have thought that if we had more than enough hand sanitizer, we’ll be ok. Or, if we have way too much rice, beans, flour and yeast that we can protect our families.

Perhaps we’ve confused the fear of not having enough with the fear of not being safe. The problem is that when we try to fix the wrong fear, we end up with the same fear and a bunch of stuff we don’t want or need. The bigger issue is that the collective fear we share is something we can’t fix so we have to feel it.

That’s hard.

As someone who used to try to shop her feelings and pain away, I get it.

If we can slow down, be gentle with ourselves and pay attention to how we really feel and find ways to simply feel those feelings, we can avoid getting confused and stop buying things we don’t really want or need.

Ok … onto the favorites.

A good friend interviewed me for her podcast and it was like we were chatting on the phone.

I’m not getting one because a cat is enough (and I’ve have to move), but I just love these furry guys.

5 new routines to create work from home boundaries.

If you are tired of cooking every night, make your next meal with this playlist.

This was one of my favorite childhood books.

I’m not ready but if you are, here’s how to cut your own hair.

Motivation to clean your space.

It’s not exactly tomato season but I’m still craving this salad.

7 things I’ve learned by wearing the same things over and over again.

Learn more about the stress reducing technique I’m practicing every night by listening here.

After reading this, my heart is officially warmed.

If you want to feel happier, be more generous (even just a little bit generous).

And my Instagram fav of the week is from @selfcareisapriority. We have so much to learn and that’s a very good thing.

I hope you enjoy this edition of Weekend Favorites and have a beautiful, safe, healthy, loving weekend.

xo,

Courtney

10 Life Lessons Learned From a Decade of Blogging

by Courtney Carver

Ten years ago this week, I started Be More with Less.

Across the blog and social media communities, tens of millions of people have connected to this Be More with Less philosophy and message over the last ten years: “Simplicity is the way back to love.”

That one sentence is the heart of all of this. It’s been the guiding force behind why simplicity has been so powerful in my life. It’s brought me me back to love, back to health and back to me.

That’s why I can do my work with such conviction and tell you that simplicity can bring you back to love, back to health and back to you.

You’ll find that message (maybe not in those exact words) in every article, book, course and presentation I’ve ever made. Over the last ten years, I’ve learned a lot about writing, connecting, business and myself. The following life lessons serve me in work and my day-to-day life.

10 Life Lessons

1. Consistency matters more than intensity.
Every big change is the result of 100 tiny steps and they all count. A little bit each day is more powerful and sustainable than trying to make every new habit stick overnight or in 21-days or less. From writing to being well, consistency matters.

I have to work on myself every day. Feeling calm and centered doesn’t come naturally. I over react when I want to under react. I hold on when I mean to let go. In between all the lovely parts are messy parts. Sometimes I think I’ve got it all together but unless I’m intentionally focused, I’m all over the place. Living with less, practicing a morning routine, and taking really good care of myself helps me be more me. A little bit each day matters more than trying to squeeze it all in over a weekend. Consistency matters more than intensity.

2. Growth is never about one thing.
My business didn’t grow just because I wrote three posts a week for the first year or just because I was featured in a magazine or on podcasts or other sites. My social media numbers didn’t grow just because the algorithms liked me one week or just because someone with a big following shared something of mine. It’s been the combination of all of those things and more.

From business growth to personal growth, searching for one thing that is going to make everything better is a waste a time. There’s no one thing, no exact recipe. That’s why I keep trying new things and don’t count on one thing to be the thing.

3. I can do it alone but it’s better when we do it together.
I’ve had help right from the beginning. I didn’t know how to set up web hosting or install a theme when I started. I didn’t know what a plug-in was. Somethings I figured things out on my own (even though it wasn’t pretty), but most things required help from people who knew more than I did and that is still the case today in work and life.

From tech advice or brainstorming with fellow creatives to a friend telling me how to cook something or a therapist helping me figure out feelings I can’t work out on my own, my life is better when we do it together.

4. Keep things simple.
Simplicity has transformed my life and my work. Things build up and get complicated, but I keep coming back to simplicity. It means saying no, cutting things out, streamlining and sometimes stepping back to really see what has to change. Keeping things simple isn’t always the easy choice, but practice anyway. The simplest version of something is almost always the most appealing, most compelling, and most sustainable.

5. You have to do things you don’t want to do so you can do the things you want to do.
I wrote a whole chapter about this in Soulful Simplicity. I didn’t want to clean out my garage or spend years paying off debt but I did want to be clutter-free and debt-free. I didn’t want to write a book proposal (over and over again) but I did want to write books. The list goes on and on so now it comes more easily. I’m more accepting of the things I don’t want to do if they will allow me to welcome what I do want into my life.

6. I will not say yes when my heart says no.
Most of the time, when presented with an opportunity or invitation, I know the answer. My heart knows long before I take time to consider what I’ll say. When I think about saying yes when my heart says no, I can feel it in my body. I might clench my teeth, squeeze my hands, or feel stress where there should only be light. For many years, I ignored those outside signs of inside struggle, but now I pay attention.

7. You can get started before you know what you are doing.
Never wait until you think you know it all or until you think you have it all figured out because when you start, you usually discover that you really don’t know what you need to know and the only way to know is by starting, stumbling and discovering what really matters.

8. I don’t have to explain or prove myself.
I’ve jumped through all the hoops and climbed all the ladders and what was promised wasn’t waiting at the top. Instead it was lonely, empty and disappointing. The only person who has to be ok with what’s going on in my life and in my heart is me. I’ll make decisions people don’t like without explanation instead of people pleasing my way into convincing myself I have it all wrong. I want everyone to be well and safe and happy but I refuse to spend any more time making sure my choices are pleasing to everyone.

9. Working harder is not the answer.
When deadlines loomed, or the work piled up, I used to wake up, coffee up and get to work. I’d work through lunch or stay up late trying to keep up. I finally realized that kind of frenetic effort doesn’t result in better work. Now if I feel pressured or panicky, I take a walk, eat a slow meal, take pictures of flowers, or write down my heart until I calm down.

Movement without stillness becomes burnout. Rest, recover and be kind to yourself as you find your way in work and in life. Leave the keeping up and catching up behind. Don’t be afraid to walk away and give things room to unfold as you remind yourself that everything will be ok even if it feels like things are falling apart. As Wallace Stevens said, “sometimes the truth depends on a walk around the lake.”

You will feel better and work smarter when you get back from your walk.

10. The next ten years are a mystery.
If you had told me ten years ago that I’d …

have an Instagram account

write this book or this one

start a fashion challenge

or host a podcast with my daughter

I would have laughed. I’m not sure I knew what Instagram or a podcast was then.

I learned a lot in ten years and I’ll be learning more over the next ten years. About what? I don’t know. If the last few months are any indication, I don’t know what’s coming. It’s uncertain. So if the only thing I continue to learn is how to settle into uncertainty, it will be another remarkable decade. I’m hopeful.

Thank you

Be More with Less is not for all of the millions of people I mentioned earlier. I’m not for everyone but those who have found value here have become part of my family. If you are one of those like-hearted people, whether you’ve been here for ten years or one day, thank you. I’m so grateful we are doing this together.

Decluttering, creating capsule wardrobes, and reducing busyness are some of the ways we simplify our lives but simplicity is so much more than that. It’s about coming back to love, coming back to health, and coming back to ourselves.

Simplicity is the way back to love.

Weekend Favorites: spring flowers, boredom and berry crumble

by Courtney Carver

Weekend Wisdom: Uncertainty makes the simplest things the most meaningful and magical. Give yourself permission to notice and enjoy them.

I’m not ready.

Things are opening up in Salt Lake City and in other places around the world, but I am still closed. I think it’s too soon.

Am I right? I don’t know. I’d like to get my hair cut and meet up with friends for lunch, but for now I’ll wait a little while. Staying still feels like the next right step.

While I’m closed for going out in the world, I’m still open to new ideas. I’ve been dreaming up something new for 2021 (maybe sooner) and in the meantime have decided to open all simplicity courses for whenever you are ready, at least for the next few months instead of waiting until fall. There are a few new things too. Instead of in-person speaking, I’m offering Lunch & Learns for groups and organizations.

Ok … onto the favorites.

Take a walk with me.

Bailey & I talk about all of our favorite things in this week’s episode of the Soul & Wit Podcast.

Making do with what is.

Despite its bad reputation, boredom is secretly powerful and quite wonderful.

Cats and dogs.

This time last year, I wrote this.

This is the sound that love makes.

My weekend has baking this sweet treat written all over it.

This will make you want to write a letter to your best friend.

The brilliant Judy Blume perfectly explains why I burn and shred my journals in this conversation with Cheryl Strayed. I explain more about why I don’t save journals here.

And my Instagram fav of the week is from @chopra. We have so much to learn and that’s a very good thing.

I hope you enjoy this edition of Weekend Favorites and have a beautiful, safe, healthy, loving weekend.

xo,

Courtney

P.S. If you read Project 333, The Minimalist Fashion Challenge That Proves Less Really Is So Much More, would you please leave a review here on Amazon? I’d be very grateful.