Well everyone, I did it- I deactivated my Facebook a few weeks ago and I’ve never been happier. I had a few reasons; one being the overwhelming political posts as we approached the election, another being the constant and inevitable comparison of myself to others on the platform, usually sounding something like, “Holy crap, she’s 30 with two children and I’m 29, divorced, and eating mac and cheese for dinner for the 2nd time this week.” But really, the reason was about clutter. Too many distractions, too much negative self talk, too many things taking my time and energy away from the things that actually mattered.

I started taking this stance with other areas. I started chucking old magazines, throwing away socks with a hole in one toe, donating clothing I no longer wore, and working through reserves of supplies rather than always buying more, more, more. True life: I’m a hoarder of all things from Staples. #postitsforlife

Next, I turned to my gmail inbox. Ten thousand emails stared at me like the scale stares at me after Thanksgiving dinner. But I’ve been plucking away, deleting old emails from college and unsubscribing from shopping emails in anticipation of the shopping season. Speaking of holidays, I slashed both my expectations and my shopping list. I decided to focus on creating experiences with my family members and loved ones, knowing that money in the emotional bank always has a better return on investment. Who needs more stuff when you can have more memories?

I’ve been working on emotional clutter too. Facebook was part of this initiative. I was spending my energy agonizing over what I didn’t have yet, or what baggage I had that others seemed not to have. I was looking at pictures, wondering if I looked healthy and slim in my pictures I posted. I was seeing pictures of new homes, new babies, new marriages and feeling inadequate and insecure. So I shut down FB, trimmed down my Instagram feed, and unfollowed those who triggered me. I decided that I could cultivate my online experience to feel however I wanted it to feel. I’ve been trying to lose old grudges, to stop worrying about things outside my control, and to keep my eyes on my own paper so to speak.

If you allow yourself the chance, you might be able to see that you can live with less. Fewer pairs of shoes, fewer headache, fewer rotten bags of kale sitting in your fridge (again, this is me usually). Live smaller, live simple, live happier. If it’s not tax related, you can probably do without it.

WTF can you lose?