I live out of a travel bag. And the weird thing is, I haven’t traveled in quite some time.
The thing about traveling is the feeling of lightness. There’s something about a road trip that makes you feel careless and free. The act of moving from one place to the next with only essential belongings on board. I didn’t want to lose that feeling when I returned home from my last trip. I never unpacked.
The modern world is about more and more and more and it feels heavy and it feels tiresome and like this sentence, it’s just too much.
It feels like a heavy meal where you keep mindlessly munching even though you’re no longer hungry but don’t recognize the feeling of enough. The more you eat, the worse you feel, yet there’s always more to devour. Leave room for dessert.
The feeling of lightness comes from saying no to the extra.
By recognizing.
By saying: I’m full.
It comes from making space.
It’s the idea of waking up in the morning with a sense of excitement. Knowing that the day will be filled with simple joys instead of burdensome work. Feeling lighter knowing our task list is small and manageable. Rarely feeling rushed, stressed, or god forbid, busy for busy’s sake.
Nimble Living
Nimble living is not about tossing out all of your stuff, ending friendships, or living out of a travel bag, although that may be part of it. It’s about paying attention to the things that make you feel free. About how we spend our time and what we devote to our existence.
Putting time into perspective is a good way to make decisions on belongings, relationships, and so forth. [Is the time worth it?] We are a slave to things we refuse to let go. And if there is one thing that makes life feel heavy, it is the perception of a lack of time.
The idea is to ask yourself: What is taking up my time? If I eliminate those things, will I have more? Will I feel lighter?
Here’s how to live nimbly.
- Possessions — Do I want to spend my time maintaining, cleaning, and organizing my things? Do they make me feel heavy or light? As a minimalist, I don’t own many things and the stuff I do have, I love. The less I own, the more liberated I feel. Again, the feeling of being on the road.
- Relationships — Do I feel energized being around this person or do they make me feel drained? People are hard. And they’re notorious for wasting other people’s time with little consideration. I like to keep my relationships few. I have a small circle of close friends and a larger group of acquaintances.
- Tasks — Is this a hell yes, or a hell no? I like to keep my calendar open and make it a habit of keeping my to-do list short. This is a great way to be available for last-minute opportunities and well-deserved downtime. In fact, there are a lot of things that we normally do, that don’t NEED tackling in the first place. A good habit to practice is making a ‘not to-do list’ and avoiding everything on that list.
- Projects — Does this project excite me, or am I dreading it? I’m a big believer that there are only two things a person needs outside of good health to live a happy life. Meaningful work being one, and enduring love being the other. Work shouldn’t feel like work. When it does, we end up paying the misery tax. Make it a point to be sure you are enjoying your work. Quickly pivot when you are not.
- Requests — Do I want to do this, or should I say no? Learning to say no effectively should be taught in every classroom in every school. I can’t think of a more powerful word in the English language. The word no is a warrior fighting to defeat life-sucking tasks that offer no real benefit outside of serving other people’s interests. Over the years, I have rarely regretted using the word no. More often than not, I have regretted saying yes.
- Spontaneity — Do I have the luxury of being spontaneous? This is where my travel bag re-enters this piece. Part of my reasoning for never unpacking was the idea that I would be ready for an impromptu adventure at a moment’s notice. However, staying packed isn’t enough. It’s important to live in such a way that there is very little in our lives keeping us from having the option of being spontaneous. By limiting things that tie us down, we can increase this luxury.
Ending Thoughts
Nimble living is a mindset. Something that allows us motion and the ability to pivot. The freedom to make changes, adjust or move in a different direction. It also creates a lighter feeling and a more adventurous life.
My advice is to start with possessions, move on to tasks and commitments, then deal with relationships. Eventually, you may find yourself living out of a travel bag — even if it’s purely for symbolic purposes.
Now if you will excuse me, I need to plan my next trip.