Things to do, not just think about
Each exercise is a small, concrete act of observation. They work best when approached with curiosity rather than expectation.
Why exercises rather than rules
Rules tell you what to do. Exercises help you understand what you actually want to do. The difference matters more than it might seem at first.
A rule like "buy nothing for 30 days" can be followed without any real understanding. An exercise that asks you to trace the last five things you purchased back to the feeling that prompted the purchase is a different kind of engagement entirely.
The exercises in this course are designed to be done in real life, with your actual possessions and your actual habits. They are not thought experiments. They require you to look at real things and notice real patterns.
Seeing what is already there
The Inventory Walk
Walk through one room of your home with a notebook. Write down every object you notice. Not a catalogue, just a list. Then mark each item with one of three symbols: something you use regularly, something you keep but rarely use, something you have forgotten was there.
What you are looking for: the ratio between used and unused, and whether that surprises you.
The Purchase Trace
Choose five things you have bought in the last six months. For each one, write down: what you were doing when you decided to buy it, what you were feeling, and what you thought it would change. Then write what actually happened after you got it.
What you are looking for: the gap between expectation and reality, and whether it has a pattern.
Finding what actually matters
The Ten Objects
Imagine you are moving to a much smaller space and can only bring ten objects beyond the absolute essentials. Write down what you would choose. Then spend some time with the question of why those particular things and not others.
What you are looking for: what your choices reveal about what you actually value, versus what you think you value.
The Aspiration Audit
Look at the things you own that represent a version of yourself you have not yet become: the running shoes, the language learning books, the cooking equipment. Write about what those objects are really about. What did you hope they would make possible?
What you are looking for: the difference between genuine intention and purchased identity.
Building a personal framework
The 48-Hour Pause
For one week, introduce a 48-hour waiting period before any non-essential purchase. At the end of the 48 hours, ask yourself: do I still want this, and if so, why? Keep a brief note of each time you use the pause and what happened.
What you are looking for: how many impulses dissolve on their own when given a small amount of time.
The Replacement Question
Before bringing anything new into your home, ask: what does this replace? If nothing, ask: what does it make possible that was not possible before? If the answer to both is unclear, that is useful information.
What you are looking for: whether the addition is genuinely additive, or just additive.
Sustaining a lighter way of living
The Monthly Review
At the end of each month, spend fifteen minutes reviewing what came in and what went out. No judgment, just observation. Over several months, patterns become visible that are impossible to see in the moment.
What you are looking for: seasonal patterns, emotional triggers, and whether your choices are shifting over time.
The Gratitude Inventory
Choose ten objects you use regularly and genuinely appreciate. Write a sentence about each one: why it is useful, what it enables, and why you are glad it is in your life. This is not about positive thinking. It is about understanding what genuine usefulness feels like, so you can recognise it more easily in future decisions.
What you are looking for: the texture of genuine value, which is different from acquired value.
Want to work through these with a group?
The exercises are more illuminating when done alongside others and discussed in a structured session. That is what the live workshops are for.