Less | October 2023

Hello out there! This is my first blog post since October 9th, which is the longest I’ve gone without an update since 2016. Yikes! It seems like I took my word of the year to heart in October and coped with the outrageous month by narrowing my focus so tightly that it didn’t include my blog.

But friends, I have missed my time here. And I haven’t skipped a One Little Word update in many years and wasn’t about to do that now. Forgive this post in advance – I already feel out of practice and awkward in this space but need to break the ice with something!

Today I’m going to share how I did on my 31 Day Decluttering Challenge and about how focusing on Less helped me in October. This won’t be a long post but I’ll hope you’ll pop in for a visit!

31 Day Challenge Update

I gave myself a 31 Day Challenge at our last One Little Word Check-in: to declutter 31 (very small!) locations in my home throughout October. I finished the month with 22 checkmarks on my list — 9 shy of my goal.

I’m not too upset with myself because there were two weeks when almost all of us were pretty sick and Matthew was recovering from having two wisdom teeth taken out. I’m calling it a win, especially since I tackled one of the most cluttered closets in my home!

Time will tell if my effort made decluttering a habit; I’m trying to figure out how to work little reminders into my life!

“Less” In Other Ways:

I don’t have to recount all of the ways in which October was a nightmare for most of us. What.A.Month around the world and here, close to home. It was necessary for me to pull back and focus on a small sliver of life if I was going to make it through the month with any sort of emotional well-being intact.

Not blogging for most of October is a clear indication that I focused on Less in October. While I have continued to read and stitch, it’s not at the pace that has been typical for me in the past. Instead, I chose one thing that would receive my full effort: our homeschool. And friends – it has felt so good to finally, in our fourth year of homeschooling, feel like I have a grasp on our day and to see my plans through fully. I credit that, completely, to putting some of my other interests to the side and focusing on this one thing.

My blog content has always been reading, stitching, and a tiny bit of personal stuff. It’s difficult to be vulnerable on the internet but I think it’s time for a change if I’m going to continue to show up in this space in a consistent way. Fewer blog posts are in my future, but I’m hoping they will be more impactful and personal.

2024 will be here in a flash and I’m hoping it’s my most reflective and encouraging year yet.

---

Thank you, Carolyn, for hosting the one little worders again this month. Here’s to an excellent November.

Take good care.