Kelly Stevenson-Lal

When I was going through my 2019 desires I chose Intentional for my word of the year.

I’m embracing the word by trying a year of intentional living. I plan to slow down the flow into my life. So I can enjoy what I have, be present, get clarity within different areas of my life and clear out what isn’t serving me.  It’s inspired by a low spend year – to be conscious and intentional when spending my money, slow living, minimalism, decluttering, konmari of course, conscious consumerism, and sustainable living. As well as Leonie Dawson’s No spend experiment & Jen Storers Depth Year

What if for a whole year you stopped acquiring new things or taking on new pursuits. Instead, you returned to abandoned projects, stalled hobbies, unread books and other neglected intentions and go deeper with them than you ever have before. ~ David Cain

Yes yes yes! This quote has it nailed for me.

My intention for my intentional year is to minimise the inflow into my home especially that which doesn’t serve us.

To use up, finish, enjoy or declutter the things we already have. Also stopping the flow of more & more information, next best course etc that I ‘need’. I love it but I have so much digital content which I’ve already purchased that I a) haven’t started or b) haven’t implemented what I have learnt.  

How does this look?

I’ll go over some of the areas that I will be focusing on.

The old way

I have a whole pile of books that I’ve brought but haven’t read. Yet I go to the library with the kids all the time & come away with 10 books that I try and get through before half of them are due back. My kindle app & Ibook apps both have books I’ve brought that I haven’t read/finished.

The new way

Read my books I’ve brought one at a time. Decide if it’s a book I want to keep – usually I just keep the ones that I earmark so much that it’s easier to keep than take notes from. I’ll also read my kindle books when out & about.

Once I’ve read all the books I own I’ll get two at a time from the library – one to start & one back up to start when number 1 is finished. I’ll be saving in library fines too 👍🏽

Clothes

👩🏻Me – Finding which clothes I love & which are my favourite. Then decluttering what I don’t want. We wear 20% of what we own 80% of the time. I always grab for the same outfits, I choose to wear the ones I love & feel good in over and over. I need to declutter the mediocre which I put on and think “it’ll do”. Who wants to wear “It’ll do”! I want it all to be my fave.

👦🏽👧🏽 Kids – every time I do washing I think god they have a lot of clothes. So they are done for the year.

I am getting a pair of pants made locally for the boy because he only has jeans as long pant at the moment.

I will declutter their small clothes & what they don’t wear too. I try to keep a small selection for Playcentre. Because it’s lots of messy play I don’t want a whole bunch of paint & dye covered clothes. I’d rather just have a small collection of those, as you can’t pass them on when they grow out of them so it seems a waste.

✂️ I also have a pile of clothes that need small repairs which I will get to this year too.

I love a good opshop find so I really need to steer clear of them, because who can pass up that amazing $5 top thats black like the rest of my wardrobe. No self control in an opshop so best not to go there. One caveat to the rule would be going with a set amount of cash for a very specific item. This again could be safer through Trademe or another online secondhand platform.

Digital Content

I have online courses which I have purchased and haven’t completed, haven’t started or haven’t implemented what I’ve learnt. I’m not signing up for any more courses this year I want to go through what I’ve got and actually use it. I also have a variety of PDFs saved on my iPad. I’m good. Mantra – “I’ve got all the information I need and when I need it the perfect information/inspiration will find its way to me.”

Personal Care

I make some of my own products from Essential Oils so I’ll still be getting my monthly wellness box from Doterra. But I will only get what I haven’t already got. I get some other products from Miessence I’m quite well stocked up on this at the moment but if I need anything once I’ve used it up I’ll grab some more.

I do have some random lotions, oils, and other products which I haven’t finished off yet so will try to use these up before I get anymore.

Stationary

I love stationary and can’t resist a cute notebook. So needless to say I have enough to get me through the year. No more notebooks, diaries, cards, pens, stickers, pretty paper. I might be inspired to send more snail 🐌 mail 💌 to actually use some of my stationary. I love to make mini vision boards in my diary as I go through them & think I have enough supplies for this too. I could print things out if need be.

Craft

I’ve got material that I brought with great intentions but it’s still sitting there so I’ll decide what to make with that & use it. I have a few other craft projects that are yet to be completed. And a bunch of rimu & other wood I want to make something with. Will tick them off or get rid of them. Basically just stopping the flow in and using all the things I have, finishing projects & decluttering what I don’t love. Looking forward to spending more time getting creative rather than scrolling. I won’t be buying any new craft supplies. If I’m looking to do creative projects after I’ve finished up or discarded the others I’ll look at what I can use around me – using natural resources, up cycling etc.

Notes

Im going to finish projects up & use up products etc. But if Im not enjoying the projects & they have lost their appeal I’ll get rid of them. Same goes for the products if I don’t like them they are out.

Its like a slow very intentional Konmari method – it has to spark joy, if it doesn’t it will be discarded mindfully. Konmari mets Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Upcycle, Recycle.

PS I did read and follow Marie Kondo’s method a couple of years ago. But I didn’t discard as ruthlessly because I did have in mind the wastefulness and unethical side of just throwing things away. I did get rid of lots of clothes but not much from the other categories.

This year more thought is on the refusing/reducing what comes in.

Main reasons why I’m doing this

🎀 Keep the flow into our home low

🎀 Accomplishment of finishing projects, online courses & books. Getting them off my mental & physical to do list.

🎀 Mindful spending / consuming

🎀 Declutter mindfully what I don’t love.

🎀 Getting creative offline

🎀 Slow down my information consumption – information overload.

🎀 Forming better habits around spending, consuming, finishing what I start.

I’m just sharing my musings, getting myself accountability & keeping a reminder/record of what I intend to do. I’ll post along the way.

Much love

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