Limitations get a bad name. One of the wonderful things about babies is thinking about all of the possibilities that lay before them. We don’t like to think of the ways in which they, or we, might be limited. Today I want to show you how limitations can be useful to your decluttering efforts… and a special little limitless guy I recently had the pleasure of meeting. Welcome to the world baby Hari, my brand new nephew. Congratulations to my sister and her husband on his safe and happy arrival!
He is perfect and, while he certainly made them work for it, his parents are both doing well and are appropriately pleased with their work.
More importantly, his birth meant a quick flight from Canberra to Brisbane for me!
I didn’t want to waste time and stress dealing with checked luggage (especially after hearing about staff shortages etc. and all the complications with airlines in a post-lock-down Aus). So, I opted for carry-on only.
Obviously, it wasn’t an entirely unexpected trip, they might not give us a detailed itinerary of their arrival but babies generally do give us a bit of time to prepare. I already had a small case packed and had been living around in for a couple of weeks, trying to avoid wearing the clothes I had packed, less they be washed and wet when I needed to take off. 🛫
I was quietly pleased with myself for having packed everything I needed, some creature comforts, a couple of treasures to pass on from my babies to my sister, my laptop/cables etc.
Under 10kg, plus my handbag and all within the dimensions of the overhead compartment.
👩🎤Rockstar. That’s me!
When I got word that the new prince 🤴 was on his way I booked the next flight and (thankfully) clicked the link to confirm the restrictions on carry-on luggage.
A few strong words were projected loudly as I learned that *this* airline has a smaller allowance than the one on which I’d based my packing.
🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
I had to cut 3kg! A third of my luggage.
My ever-present inner voices began negotiating amongst themselves about the possibilities of repacking, giving up and just checking the original case, calling off the whole thing because it’s all just too hard (yes, clearly *this* was the hardest thing going on that day… #worsethanchildbirth).
🚨 Spoiler Alert 🚨
I made it to the airport with plenty of time and got on and off the plane with my carry-on only and not a single hassle. Mission accomplished.
The key, as with any decluttering, is to *prioritise*.
In the end, I did not bring my laptop, my book to read for pleasure or an outfit for exercising in.
I can work from my phone (guess where I’m writing this?), I can read from my phone, I can walk or work out in *gasp* normal clothes (over 23,000 steps and 30 flights of stairs yesterday thank you very much).
I packed a special blanket, teddy, and baby carrier, as offerings and have left some picture books and mum books behind (he probably can’t read yet anyway).
My priority, what was most important to me, was to be there.
As I got out of the car at the airport, Mitch asked if I had everything. I answered, “I have my phone. It has my ticket. Everything else is a bonus.”
You don’t have to be travelling to learn from this strategy.
You can challenge yourself to declutter a space in your home right now by reducing the size, quantity or volume of an area and start by focusing on your priorities.
In Simplicity with Lauren Winzar, I use this same strategy to walk members through how I dramatically decluttered my cookbook collection without stress or regret. Would you like to join the community and learn how to simplify your life your way? Book your free discovery call here – I look forward to meeting you!