First, I want you to take a deep breath; you should be calm and relaxed before trying to make life changes. Then, you need to consider what is taking up the most space in your mind and controlling your anxieties. Once you realized what your problem areas are you can continue to let go of what you cannot control. Too often we let other people´s thoughts or feelings affect what we do or want. You may even find it difficult to commit to a tiny home lifestyle due to these external factors. Therefore, we must allow life to not overwhelm us because the truth is: everyone is focused on themselves. It may sound selfish, but it is true and actually... not that selfish because life is hard, and everyone has their own struggles. When you take that mental step back, you’ll feel a tremendous amount of relief. Remember life is like a marathon, you need to pace yourself and congratulate your victories.
Now you may be wondering how this could relate to living a simpler life. The trick is when we care less about what other people think we start to keep things that have true value to us. We are then able to stay true to our basic wants and needs and really focus on ourselves. I think in this day in age we move so fast and never slow down enough to enjoy the parts that make life great. Once you slowdown from the chaos of life you will have the time and energy to spend time doing things that truly give value: self-care, family time, outdoor activities, etc.
Next is to get back to the basics of what you need to live a happy and healthy life. As in, we all need a place to eat, take a shower and to sleep. You may have noticed in your tiny home adventure that these homes focus on those key values. Tiny homes are structured to focus on your basic needs and to allow yourself to thrive in other aspects of your life. Filling your tiny home should be simple as everything should have a purpose or meaning. Figure out what items you own mean the most to you and find a way to celebrate them in your home. However, you need to also allow yourself to get rid of the things that are taking up space and possibly causing some anxiety. Once you do this you can truly enjoy life to its fullest. I loved the book that came out a few years ago that was all the rage: Life Changing Magic of Tidying by Marie Kondo It begins as a lesson in cleaning your house but aluminates the bigger message to only buy and keep the things you truly love. I think it's a must read for everyone, especially those who want to downsize and live a more simple life.
A large variety of materials are needed to build a tiny house. Understanding what those materials are and where they are used can significantly speed up your build by reducing the number of trips to, and the time spent at the store.
Living tiny is really only 10% the actual tiny house itself and 90% the attitude of the people going to live there. There are many people who have their mentality backward – they say, “Living tiny will allow me to do these things,” when they need to start living tiny well before they even get there.
Over the years Tiny Home Builders have worked with countless people in the tiny home community, from advocates and enthusiast to building companies, and diy’ers, maybe even a few naysayers. They all have a unique story to share and this is one of them. (Please look for more stories in this blog series: “The Inside Story”)
Not everyone is a cook. Not everyone needs to have a chef-level kitchen. But at some time in your tiny living situation, you are not only going to have to cook, but more than likely you are going to have to plan out ahead of time what you need and where you are going to store the food that you buy.
There is much to consider when you are going tiny including downsizing by pairing down your things. You favorite dog or cat does not need to be one of them. There are many people that live tiny with not only small animals but larger ones as well. Sure, you hear of folks who are moving to NYC and have to get rid of their dog, but for the majority of us, a house pet, whether they are tiny or not, are part of the family.