When Having Duplicates Makes Sense
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Every Thursday, I share one action, habit, or project you may want to undertake in order to improve your health, happiness, and sense of well-being.
PROJECT OF THE WEEK
When Having Duplicates Makes Sense
For the last several weeks, I’ve been sharing my favorite travel tips and tricks, including Why You Need a Packing Checklist, How to Pack Only a Carry-on, and Having a Toiletry Bag Ready to Go.
What if I told you it could further simplify your life to have duplicates of some items for travel, the office, or in your car? We all know the phrase, "less is more", which is a concept I live by, but what if more is more, too?
I routinely ask myself, "Is this item, commitment, or project adding value to my life?” or “Is there someone else who could do this better, quicker, or use this more?"
I always find it amusing how often opposites are both true.
While I find a lot of value in simplifying, there are often times that adding more is a great solution. Both can be true!
Getting Started
I challenge you to think about where in your life it would add value to have duplicates.
Below are some ideas that have added a lot of value and reduced a lot of stress for clients I have worked with.
Phone Chargers - Are you always looking for a phone charger or moving them around the house? Think about all the locations you use them (outlets in the house, car, work bag, and purse). Purchase enough phone chargers for each location.
Laptop Charger - Are you constantly packing or moving your laptop charger? Perhaps you work a hybrid schedule and are in the office a few days a week or are often onsite meeting clients. Would it be valuable to have a laptop charger for each work location -- home office, corporate office, and your work bag. Pro tip: the same is true for your mouse! Maybe it makes the most sense to have one mouse for your home and the other for the office.
Office Supplies - Are there any supplies that you are regularly moving around because you work in different places?
Clothing / Uniforms - In September, we shared the value of Creating a Laundry Schedule. Are there certain clothing items that you need to purchase duplicates of so that you do not have to do extra loads of laundry throughout the week? Some common examples are kids’ sports uniforms, workout clothing, swim towels, and washcloths. I have friends who co-parent from two separate homes and find it most convenient to have two sets of sneakers or sports equipment to make it easier for their kids to go back and forth.
Kitchen Items - Are there items that you can wash in the dishwasher, but you don't have enough of them, so you often end up hand washing? One common example is your kids’ water bottle that you send to school with them each day.
Comfort Items - My niece loves her blanket. As a family, we learned the hard way it’s best to have multiple blankets in case one gets lost, dirty, or becomes overly well-loved.
Happy Spaces Tips & Tricks
The key to choosing which items should have a duplicate is to think about how much value having a duplicate will add to YOUR life. Yeah, go ahead and read that again.
Will it save you time?
Will it reduce the amount of time you have to do something you really hate doing?
Will it simplify your life?
You may prefer having only 2 water bottles for your child and washing one each evening.
Or, you might hate doing dishes and love the idea of never having to wash a water bottle by hand again!
Whichever item(s) you choose to duplicate, make sure the item(s) are the exact same. This way, you won’t be tempted to use your favorite phone charger because they’re all identical.
Need Support?
If you feel excited about implementing this strategy and want some additional accountability and support to get started, the It’s All in the Planning Started Pak was designed for you!
A Note from Happy Spaces
The goal is to add value to your life. If you think this project will add value:
Estimate how long you think it will take. I would recommend doubling the time you estimate.
Look at your calendar over the next week and pick a date and time to get started.
Make an appointment on your calendar for the estimated time.
If you estimate that completing this project will take longer than one hour, I recommend doing it over multiple days. This will support you in getting started!
Prior to starting this project, take a few minutes to make a step-by-step list of EVERY action you need to take to complete this project.
It's not all or nothing. You can choose to implement only the parts of this project that add value to your life.
An Accountability Partner can be a great support in following through on your goals and commitments.
We understand how challenging it can be to implement new habits and systems. For additional support please go to HappySpacesBySarah.com.
Creating a life you don't need a vacation from! ®
Sincerely,
Sarah Weingarten
Meet Sarah
Growing up as the oldest of nine siblings in Upstate New York, I learned to use organization to create sanity among the chaos. Today, I work together with individuals, families, and small businesses to create habits, systems, and spaces that support their needs, goals, and dreams. Clients often refer to our work together as "life-changing" and "better than decades of therapy". What I love most about my work is the lasting impact it has on real people's lives. Nothing makes me happier than hearing the many success stories of clients I have worked with.