I am a firm believer that less is better, especially if it’s something I’m going to be spreading on my face. For nearly a decade I have used simple skincare products with natural ingredients.

I have never understood what most of the bottles in the drugstore are supposed to do. Nor do I believe most things you can buy in a store are going to actually do what they say.

I battled acne for years, but since I started doing this minimalist skincare routine and cleaned up my diet my skin has been clear and happy. I get the occasional breakout, but they are less frequent and heal quickly.

Face Wash

I don’t use a typical cleanser or face wash. Instead I use a microfiber face cloth to wash my face in the morning, and before bed. After bed, and sometimes in the morning, I wash my face with tap water. That’s it. No soap, ever. This has saved me hundreds of dollars and made my skin so much happier. I bought my face cloth in high school, and I still use the same one today. It dries quickly, and it naturally kills all of the bacteria as it dries so I don’t have to worry about it. I wash it right after use with a little soap, hang it up to dry, and it’s good to go.

The cloth takes all of the dirt, sunscreen, makeup, and dead skin off without stripping the skin’s natural oils. It also doesn’t kill the good bacteria and other good microbes that live on your skin and keep it healthy and protected.

Toner/Moisture

After washing my face I spray on pure aloe vera gel. No preservatives, no other ingredients. It’s cooling, calming, and moisturizing. I put it in a spray bottle from an old toner, and it works great! It sprays on a little goopy, but it rubs right in.

Face Oil

Jojoba oil was a game changer for me. I started to use it in high school during the height of my terrible acne and swim season. It calmed my skin and taught me a huge lesson about the importance of oils. Your skin needs oils to stay protected and healthy. Oil free products dried out my skin and only made my acne worse.

I put pure, organic jojoba oil on my face (and neck, chest, and back). I put it in a small, glass bottle with a pump so I can easily control how much a put on (too much of a good thing is real here. You end up feeling like an oil slick if you over do it).

I put a sum total of two ingredients on my face every day. Waaaaay less than 168 chemicals women put on their faces and bodies every day on average.

I don’t wear makeup. It annoys me in general. I don’t want to spend the time in the morning, try to not messing it up all day, and then have to either wipe it off or worry about getting on my clothes when I work out. It just isn’t for me.

If I’m going to be in the sun I’ll apply face sunscreen that only uses zinc (and other safe ingredients). If I’m going to sweat or hit the pool, I apply a heavier-duty waterproof sunscreen.

And that’s it.

Growing up, camping was something mystical that other people did. Our sleeping bags were used for indoor sleepovers and trips to grandma’s. I “camped” in the backyard once with neighborhood friends, and we 100 percent ended up sleeping inside in beds and blankets.

Camping in Butano State Park was my fourth camping trip, and I have to say, it’s growing on me. There is something to the quiet of the outdoors (until the birds have their say anyway), the lack of cellphone service, the space, the friendly people.

I haven’t moved away from car camping yet (I’m not ready to sacrifice all comfort. I’m working on it.), but we take as little as we can with us. Especially for a quick overnight trip like this one.

The first day, a quiet Sunday, we lounged around and read before cooking up dinner and sitting around the fire. On Monday morning we went for a short (my first since injury!) hike before packing up our camp.

What We Brought

Camping gear:
Two-person tent
2 sleeping bags*
2 sleeping pads*
2 pillows (stolen off our beds)
1 extra fleece blanket (so thankful we had it!)
1 yoga mat (this princess put it under her sleeping pad for extra cush)
1 lantern*
2 camping chairs* (First time we ever had them, so great!)
1 tarp*

*Borrowed from my awesome brother or his friend’s

“kitchen” stuff
1 medium microfiber towel
1 dish towel
1 dish rag
Small bottle of castile soap (for hand and dish washing)
2 reusable plastic plates
2 forks
2 spoons
Forgot the knife
Didn’t have a dish pan (oops)
1 small Jetboil
1 cloth napkin
1 small/medium cooler*

Food
Zero waste carrots in a jar
Zero waste bell pepper in a jar
Tortillas
Cheese
Lime
Refried beans in a jar (heated in the Jetboil)
Granola
Soy milk
S’mores ingredients
Lots of snacks (granola bars, rice chips, crackers, tortilla chips)

My bag
Book
Notebook and pen
2 pairs of socks
2 pairs of underwear (my mom always taught us to have a spare. Can’t kick the habit)
Trail running shoes
Fleece sweats
T-shirt to sleep in
Down jacket (doubled as a blanket at night)
Sports bra
Sweat-wicking shirt
Cropped leggings (too cold to wear them)
Sunscreen
Forgot the toothpaste
But had the toothbrush and floss
Travel aloe vera
Travel jojoba oil
Hairbrush
Water bottle, which I spilled in the tent yet again.
Wore in: yoga pants, 3/4 sleeve t-shirt, slip on shoes, and a sweatshirt

We got so lucky and had beautiful weather during the day, but since it’s so close to the ocean in Pescadero, it got cold at night. I ended up sleeping in my fleece sweats, t-shirt, sweatshirt, and socks all night. I also used the blanket and covered my feet with my down jacket. Not once was I too warm.

We had a great time and although I spent all week confused on what day it was, I really enjoyed the Sunday/Monday trip.

You don’t have to buy new things to create a minimalist wardrobe or capsule. While I love the perfectly curated wardrobes as much as everyone else, there are so many benefits of only focusing on what you have and not buying anything new. I can guarantee (unless you recently lost all of your clothes in a disaster) you can build a minimalist wardrobe from what you already own.

How to create your minimalist wardrobe

1. Make space. My favorite part of this process is clearing everything out. Remove everything from your closet and put back only the things you truly love. Not the things that are kind of okay. Not the things that were close to what you were looking for but not quite right. Not the things that don’t really fit anymore. Pure love.

2. Evaluate. The things I love are a bit of an odd bunch, but there are trends. I love things that are fitted, comfortable, and made from natural fibers. Things that feel good on my skin, make me feel good when I wear them, and have clean lines. Take note of what you like.

3. Fill the gaps. Do I LOVE my white t-shirts? Not particularly. But they fit and they support many of the other items that I love, so I kept them. These are the things that I might replace later when they wear out, but that work just fine right now.

4. Make it work. Be harsh in the beginning and try living with the least amount you think is possible. You don’t have to donate everything the day you take it out of your closet. But do spend time working with the smallest number of things you think is possible.

When I first started really cutting back my wardrobe, I had a whole list of things I thought I wanted to add in. But a tight budget and a hatred of most things in the store slowed me down enough to make realize that what I have is just fine. Sure some older things will need to be replaced soon, but right now what I have is enough. More than enough.

Why create a minimalist wardrobe from your closet

Save money. No budget necessary.

No shopping. Saves you time and the hassle of trying to choose the right pieces. It also helps you avoid impulse buys and the consumption circus that is most malls.

Limit choices. If you are anything like me, deciding what to wear is hard enough without also including thousands of choices from stores.

Define your style. Narrowing your wardrobe lets your style shine through. You will really get to know what you like, which means that the next time you buy something, it will fit in perfectly.

Save resources. Retailers are pumping out more clothing than ever. By not shopping you are helping to slow down fashion and get the most out of what you already bought. The most sustainable product is the one you already own.

Less pressure. I love looking at capsule wardrobes, but the planners and the dos and don’ts hurt my brain. The perfect capsule takes a lot of energy and focus that I just don’t have for it. Instead of choosing 30 or 35 pieces that you will wear for the next three months regardless of weather or social situation, you can simplify your closet and use it year round.

Mold can be so much more than a pesky problem in your shower. Mold spores are naturally found in both outdoor and indoor air, but they become problematic when they start to grow in our homes. In high concentrations, mold spores are considered indoor air pollutants. They can cause nasal stuffiness, throat irritation, coughing, wheezing, eye irritation, and even more severe reactions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Children exposed to mold during infancy have a much higher risk of developing asthma.

When faced with mold, many of us reach for a disinfectant like bleach. But there may be safer, and more effective, alternatives to the standby.

In a recent article on Rodale’s Organic Life, I pit bleach against lemons to see which comes out on top. From the pros and cons of bleach and lemon to permanent mold removal tips, I got the dirt on mold removal. Learn how to clean mold with lemons in the full article here.

The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss was one of those books that I picked up at just the right time. I started reading it while transiting to freelancing full time. The 4-Hour Workweek helped me to better understand my own values, priorities, procrastination pitfalls, bad habits, and goals. It was instrumental in helping me to decide what was important and create a new daily routine.

However, I have some problems with the main premise of the book: working for only 4 hours a week. He suggests doing this mostly by cutting out excess, delegating tasks, and relying on recurring income (like an established company or product).

This approach isn’t for me.

I will not hire a virtual assistant to handle my email or do background research for a project for me. I will not offload my work onto people in other countries who are likely poorly paid. I don’t have my own company already going with employees that I can just empower to take on more (of my) responsibility. I’m a writer and an editor, not a CEO.

One of his biggest points is building a system to replace yourself so you can travel the world and spend time doing the things you love, which is great, except for one small thing. I don’t want to to be replaced. I want to make an impact on the world and know that I contributed to making it a better place. I want to inspire change and connect with people.

The amount of people who can actually work four hours a week a support themselves are extremely limited. But that doesn’t mean that there wasn’t value in this book.

Biggest Takeaways from The 4-Hour Workweek

1. Our system of work and reward is broken in the United States.

2. Piles of money (or things or things bought with debt) should not be the metric for success.

3. Busy is bad.

4. We control our lives. We need to take control.

5. It’s not worth being unhappy for 40-50 years only to have 10-15 years (if that!) of a retirement.

6. Work is not something to suffer through.

7. Our time is poorly spent shuffling papers and going to meetings instead of getting things done and getting out of there.

What I now do differently based on The 4-Hour Workweek

1. Check my email twice a day and never on weekends. Ahh, sweet freedom.

2. Focus on only two critical tasks per day. I may fill my to-do list with 10 things I want to accomplish, but the first two have to get done first. These are usually the bigger items like completing an article, pitching a new client, or finishing my taxes. Both tasks are to be done separately from to start to finish without any interruption. I usually do them first thing in the morning and right after lunch.

3. Schedule my day at least the day before and stick to it. I have been scheduling time to write and to do the main things I need to get done. This helps me kick procrastination and feel like I have structure to my day.

4. Do not just fill time. It’s easy for me to reformat a perfectly good spreadsheet or organize files to feel like I am making progress when really I am just wasting my time. I have been using a Pomodoro timer (more on this soon) to make sure I stay on task and finish things in the time I have set aside from them. No more over-researching a story to the point where I don’t use 80 percent of the things I found and my hourly income for the project plummets (set price for the project divided by the amount of hours I work on it).

5. Give every task/ priority a deadline. Keep the deadline short to stay focused and force action instead of deliberation and procrastination.

6. Track how time is spent. Currently I only do this for projects I am working on for clients, but I would like to start doing it a few days a month to get a better idea of how exactly I spend my time and how I could improve.

7. Make nonfatal or reversible decisions quickly. I am the queen of changing my mind and deliberation. I spent an hour trying to decide between two different brands of practically the same exact product on Amazon yesterday. Such a waste of time for a $15 product. Needless to say, I have a lot of room for improvement.

Key Quotes from The 4-Hour Workweek

“Maximum income from minimal necessary effort is the primary goal.”

“At least three times per day at scheduled times ask ‘Am I being productive or just active? Am I inventing things to do to avoid the important?'”

“Stop asking for opinions and start proposing solutions.”

“Be decisive.” (I hear you Tim. I will work on this.)

Bottom Line

Read it. I learned a ton, and it was an interesting read.

There is something healing and comforting about drinking a cup of tea. The world seems to slow down as the steam slowly billows around your face. The cup warms your hands and you find yourself reflexively leaning in.

I start most days with a cup of loose leaf tea. Each sip eases me into the day.

I’ve always loved tea. When I was little my mom would make it for me with a heaping spoonful of sugar. I used to get so excited to drink mint tea or herbal teas so heavily sugared that they tasted like juice. Every once in a while she and I would go downtown and have high tea at a fancy restaurant. I felt like a princess.

For years I had boxes and boxes of tea. All different varieties, and even some duplicates. I finally realized how few of them I truly liked. How I would most often reach for one or two varieties and the rest sat in their boxes collecting dust.

I got rid of it all. I gave away boxes to friends and family who visited and liked the tea or who drank it regularly. I schlepped the rest of it to work where it’s been slowly dwindling.

Liquid zen. #greentea

A photo posted by Mandy Ferreira (@treading_lightly) on Mar 5, 2014 at 8:36am PST

When I was done I was left with four teas I loved. Decaf vanilla black, chai, yerba mate, and mint. As the boxes slowly ran out I decided to replace them with loose leaf. It’s insanely cheaper, massively reduces waste, lasts me much longer, and the flavor is incredible.

I originally made the switch to cut back on how much each cup of tea wasted, especially when I couldn’t compost the wrapper or the tea bag. I bought one pound bags each of my favorite loose leaf teas, and I’m still drinking them more than two years later. Based on how much I have left, it seems likely they will last me another year or so.

I live in a mild climate where I can wear 50-60 percent of my minimalist wardrobe year-round (thank you, Northern California!). I don’t really bother doing a strict capsule wardrobe since so much of it is repeated and the planning/cyclical shopping is too much for me. Instead, I have 43 pieces, 20 or so that I can wear year-round and the rest that are seasonal (e.g. down jacket, summer dresses).

Minimalist Wardrobe

4 short sleeve t-shirts
2 tank tops and layering camisoles
2 nice sleeveless tops (peplum and lace tank)
2 long sleeve tops
1 Denim button up
12 sweaters, 8 long sleeve and 4 3/4 sleeve
4 winter dresses
7 every other season dresses
2 pairs of pants (navy cords for winter, black jeans)
1 pair of shorts
4 coats/ jackets
1 skirt
1 pair of leggings (I also wear other leggings as layering pieces, but those are all included in my exercise clothing since that is how they are most often worn)

Minimalist Accessories

3 scarves
2 cross-body bags (1 small, 1 medium)
1 tote bag
1 shoulder bag

Could I have less? Most certainly! Counting out everything I have was a great reminder that I have what I need… and more. As many of my sweaters wear out, I will not be replacing them. I also don’t need any more scarves, jackets, or dresses.

I cut my wardrobe down quite a bit during the Minsgame (and got myself a little extra money by selling some of it). Some of my clothes need replacing soon, but for now I have been trying to see if I can do without them instead.

Laundry

Nearly all of my clothes are made from natural fibers. None require dry cleaning or special care instructions (other than wash cold, hang dry). I wash all of my clothes with my gentle, homemade laundry soap and hang about 80 percent of my weekly laundry to dry on a clothes rack in my room.

I rarely “have nothing to wear” and my laundry is a breeze! I do two small loads per week, one of my exercise clothes and delicates and the other of everything else that can be washed on a normal cycle (towels, socks, sweatshirts).

I could never go back to having my closet stuffed! My minimalist wardrobe saves me time and money and makes getting dressed so much easier.

Edit: Updated 11/15/18 to reflect my current closet. 

It only took me a few days to get used to not always being in my inbox. I expected to struggle for weeks, but overall it has been a pretty painless transition to only checking email 2-3 times a day.

To be fair, I’m not cutting back to the 1-2 times per week that Tim Ferriss champions in The 4-Hour Workweek, but not checking my email before I’ve rolled out of bed and taking the weekends off feels like a solid success regardless.

In the past two weeks I didn’t miss any important emails that needed immediate attention. I set up interviews, pitched publications, connected with editors and new clients, took assignments, and generally continued on business as usual without anyone noticing.

Now

My email is only open when it’s on my calendar. For the most part I check my email after I finish my first big task(s) for the morning (around 10:30 a.m.) and again after lunch/early afternoon. If I am waiting for a specific email, I may change the times I check based on when I think it will arrive. This is also when I will check one more time (3 total for the day) before I stop working.

Benefits

With a time limit on when I can email, I am much more efficient. I usually read and respond for 30 minutes or less each time. I respond to everything that requires a response within the day instead of putting off the things I don’t want to deal with for some indeterminate time in the future.

I used to incessantly check my inbox. It was the perfect distraction from the tasks that were challenging or that I wanted to avoid. Now I put them on my calendar and do them without disruption (for the most part. I still need to work on not moving calendar items to the next day when I could get them done now).

More than anything else, checking my email 2-3 times a day has opened my eyes to how frequently I used it to sabotage my productivity and waste time. I started doing this to get more done in less time. So far so good!