A guide for minimizing anxiety and waste when moving homes — When I lived in Chicago, the alleyways were overfilled with last minute toss-outs every July or August 1st (popular move dates.) I still have an image of a stainless steel pot lying in the gravel and a shelf that had become waterlogged by the previous night’s rain. It was chaotic. …

And how I prioritized maintenance. — I always considered myself a fully functional person with one exception: my living space was completely disheveled. My struggle with home maintenance had never been a lack of energy; instead it was a lack of prioritization. I used to think maintenance was something I could take or leave, but now…

How to resist fast-paced consumerism by making shopping decisions that bring you happiness in the long run — Some jobs only exist to enable you to shop from your couch — and they pay quite well. A whirlwind of targeted advertisements, strategically timed sales, and enhanced shipping logistics can overpower your good sense if you don’t take a step back. Being so, it’s best to have some tools…

For when you need guilt-free rejuvenation — Oftentimes we shop in order to surprise ourselves; we want to walk away feeling renewed by what we’ve discovered and acquired. One study on product-evoked emotions found that a driving force behind our purchases is that we think they’ll have a transformative effect on our lives. But not only is…

Escape (or return) to the real world. — In her book, Wild, Cheryl Strayed recounts her experience hiking the Pacific Crest Trail after the loss of her mother and the breakup of her marriage. Originally, she set out on the trail with the daily intention to “weep tears of cathartic sorrow and restorative joy” and imagined “endless meditations…

A guide for minimal and sustainable wardrobe shopping — The most sustainable clothes you can buy are ones that you’ll wear at least 100 times. Their eco-consciousness is second only to hand-me-downs, vintage, or thrift. Even “sustainable” brands become resource drains if you buy a different sweatshirt for every day of the month. We collectively have a shopping problem…

Think of this task as a foundational habit for well-being — The click-and-fizz noise of a Diet Coke can opening was the soundtrack of my childhood. My mom used to drink around 6–8 cans a day even while she was a high school health teacher (and knew the adverse health effects). Oftentimes, our making unhealthy decisions isn’t for a lack of…

And why you should give up on it. — Following the 2016 US election, I started paying more attention to what my mom’s cousins had to say on Facebook. Before then, I had scanned over their (often sexist or racist) ramblings, but suddenly it became more relevant. I started sincerely engaging with them. I wanted to learn. I thought…

The first step to creating a cozy living environment is reducing chaos. — The coffee table in my home was built in 1990. It’s a solid oak rectangular storage box. My grandparents bought it for my parents from Amish furniture makers in Indiana, and it has traveled from their home, to Chicago, and now all the way to Boulder, Colorado. Like many people…