Neena Nandagopal Of Almost Practical On How Simplifying & Decluttering Your Life Can Make You Happier
An Interview With Drew Gerber
Prioritize your activities. Spend your time doing the things you want to do and stop wasting time on things that don’t move you closer towards your goals. Remember that clutter is not just about “stuff”, it’s really all about taking back your time.
We live in a time of great excess. We have access to fast fashion, fast food, and fast everything. But studies show that all of our “stuff” is not making us any happier. How can we simplify and focus on what’s important? How can we let go of all the clutter and excess and find true happiness? In this interview series, we are talking to coaches, mental health experts, and authors who share insights, stories, and personal anecdotes about “How Simplifying and Decluttering Your Life Can Make Us Happier.” As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Neena Nandagopal.
Neena Nandagopal is a professional organizer and former CPA. She has always been passionate about organizing and personal productivity. So, she started a blog — AlmostPractical.com, where she writes about ideas for streamlining the little things in life while creating a simplified and inviting home.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share your “backstory” with us? What was it that led you to your eventual career choice?
Thank you for having me — I am happy to be here. The path to my career choice has had a few curves. I began my career as an accountant and CPA. But then I made the choice to stay home with my four children because my husband traveled a lot for work. As much as I loved being a full-time mom, I also wanted to pursue my interests, so I started a blog about parenting. This evolved into a lifestyle blog with a focus on organizing, productivity, and general home related topics. In 2014, I launched my company Almost Practical and started working on my own as a professional organizer and productivity consultant.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
My professional organizing career is made up of so many individual and interesting stories. But the one thing that really stands out is something that happened early in my career. Many people don’t realize that professional organizing is not about just putting clutter away. It’s about helping people create systems that empower them to take control of areas of chaos in their homes, businesses, and schedules. So, I had a client that needed help organizing her home office. As we worked our way through the room, I explained my reasoning for why we decided to put things in certain places and steps that she could take daily to maintain the space. While I spoke, she took out a pen and paper and began taking detailed notes. This really surprised me, and it was then that I realized the impact that learning how to organize can make in people’s lives. You can visibly see the relief that people experience when they realize that the “overwhelm” they have been feeling is actually manageable.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
Yes, I am working on creating an online course to help people keep track of their important information. These days, most of our life is online — everything from bank statements, medical records, bills, wills, family photos, you name it. And I think everyone knows how hard it can be to find your own stuff, let alone a loved one or significant other. So, organizing it all is really important. Of course, in theory, we could all do this on our own — but it’s one of those things that we put off. I think an online course will break the tasks down into bite sized chunks and help people get their documents and important information in order.
Can you share with our readers a bit about why you are an authority on the topic of “How Simplifying and Decluttering Your Life Can Make You Happier”?
As a professional organizer, I have seen the effects first-hand of what too much stuff costs in terms of time and opportunity cost. When people declutter, they have more space in their homes to spread out and relax, they spend less time managing their things, and they have more time to pursue new interests and opportunities. I have helped my clients learn how to prioritize and manage their time. And I know, when they get these principles down, they are much happier.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the main focus of our interview. We live in a time of excess. We have access to so much. But studies show that all of our “stuff” is not making us any happier. Can you articulate for our readers a few reasons why all of our possessions are not giving us happiness?
Possessions do not make us happier — and there are a few reasons why. It generally boils down to time, space, and money. Everything that you own takes time to maintain and manage. At a minimum you need to decide where to store it, and because we already have so much, we often don’t have extra space in our homes. On top of that, many of our things need to be maintained — this will take time and possibly money. So now, by having this new possession we have less time, less space, and less money. That doesn’t make people happier.
On a broader societal level, how do you think this excessiveness may be harming our communities and society?
Excessiveness definitely has a negative impact on society. We have adopted an “everything is disposable” mentality. So, much of what we buy ends up in landfills which is not good for the environment. It also is not good for our savings accounts — meeting your financial goals is easier if you make deliberate buying decisions. And then there is the issue of social status and being trendy. Of course, it is fun — but what happens when things go out of style? You end up with a lot of things that you no longer use.
The irony of struggling with happiness in modern times is glaring. In many places in the world today, we have more than ever before in history. Yet despite this, so many people are unhappy. Why is simplifying a solution? How would simplifying help people to access happiness?
Although we have more than ever before in history, it seems like a bit of vicious cycle — the more you have, the more you want. This leads to a sense of dissatisfaction with the things you already own. The way I simplify is by keeping the things that I use often and the things that I really love — and getting rid of other clutter. I make space in my home so I can appreciate and enjoy my favorite things. This also frees up more time in my day to focus on strengthening important relationships, learning a new skill, or simply relaxing. Simplifying does more than just tidying up your physical space, it also frees up your mental space and that can make you happier.
Can you share some insights from your own experience? Where in your life have you transformed yourself from not having enough to finally experiencing enough? For example, many people feel they don’t have enough money. Yet, people define abundance differently, and often, those with the least money can feel the most abundant. Where in your health, wealth, or relationships have you transformed your life?
Throughout my life, especially when I was younger, there were times when I looked around at my peers and felt inadequate or maybe a touch of jealousy. At the time I thought that having more was the answer. If I had the right clothes, the right shoes, attended the right events, or had more of something, then I would get the same results as someone else. But I realized that there was nothing that I could acquire or buy that would bring me satisfaction. I had to look within myself and change my mindset, create focus, and accept the “me” that I am. The most important first step was just to be grateful for the things I have and the people in my life. Finding one thing (or many) to be grateful for each day, makes you appreciate everything so much more and makes room for more happiness.
People, places, and things shape our lives. For example, your friends generate conversations that influence you. Where you live impacts what you eat and how you spend your time. The “things” in your life, like phones, technology, or books impact your recreation. Can you tell us a little about how people, places, and things in your own life impact your experience of “experiencing enough?”
My family is very important to me and being there for them gives my life a lot of meaning. So, I prioritize the time that I spend with them in person or on the phone with them. If one of my kids needs my help with something, I am happy to take the time out of my day to do them a favor. Some days are all about family and I don’t accomplish too many other things on my list, but for me — that is a good day. The key really is to first prioritize what is important to you. And second, to not let distractions get in the way of your priorities. At the end of the day, you want to sit back and feel fulfilled, not frustrated.
What advice would you give to younger people about “experiencing enough?”
My advice to younger people would be to define your priorities. No one ever explained that concept to me when I was younger, so I wanted to do everything. I ended up wasting a lot of time pursuing different paths and changing directions. But some of my peers were very focused on their priorities and they seemed to accomplish a whole lot. This led to the feelings of inadequacy that I mentioned earlier — but what I was seeing was their end results and not the consistent work that they put in along the way. If you manage your time well and work efficiently towards your goals, you will make progress.
This is the main question of our interview. Based on your experience and research, can you share your “five ways we can simplify and declutter our lives to make us happier?”
Of course! In my experience the five ways we can simplify and declutter our lives to make us happier are:
- Get rid of excess stuff. Not only does managing our stuff take time, but the clutter also comes with a lot of emotional baggage. We become attached to things we don’t want or need, often out of a sense of guilt. Maybe someone gave it to us, or we spent a lot of money on it — whatever the reason, coming to terms with those feelings and letting go is very freeing.
- Think twice before you buy new things. Replacing the stuff that you just got rid of with new clutter is not a good idea. Avoid impulse buys and plan ahead when shopping. Always make a list of what you need before you head to the store.
- Prioritize your activities. Spend your time doing the things you want to do and stop wasting time on things that don’t move you closer towards your goals. Remember that clutter is not just about “stuff”, it’s really all about taking back your time.
- Make appointments with your important people. We all say that we want to spend more quality time with those that we love. Yet we often make the most important people in our lives our last priority — this even includes ourselves. We have lofty, and usually unachievable, goals of finishing everything on our to-do lists before we sit down at the end of the day with our families and friends. A better option is to put an appointment on your calendar to spend time with your significant people or allow time for self-care — and don’t miss that appointment!
- Time Block your day. The reality is that there are things that you need to do daily that may not make you happy. It could be chores, errands, work, school, decluttering your home, and other commitments. To make these manageable, block out enough time in your schedule to get them done and work efficiently on the task at hand during that time. You will feel a sense of accomplishment when you finish a task (that you may have been procrastinating on) and you will feel happier.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
If I could inspire a movement, it would be a “No Comparison” Day — and hopefully it would turn into a way of thinking. Comparing yourself to someone else causes much dissatisfaction and unhappiness. On No Comparison Day — you would not be allowed to compare yourself to anyone. Instead, you would use the time to reflect on your own journey and examine what is working and not working for you. Use the information you learn to fine tune your priorities and carve out a new path towards your goals.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
You can find me online on my website AlmostPractical.com or on most social networks using the handle AlmostPractical.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent on this. We wish you only continued success.
About The Interviewer: For 30 years, Drew Gerber has been inspiring those who want to change the world. Drew is the CEO of Wasabi Publicity, Inc., a full-service PR agency lauded by PR Week and Good Morning America. Wasabi Publicity, Inc. is a global marketing company that supports industry leaders, change agents, unconventional thinkers, companies and organizations that strive to make a difference. Whether it’s branding, traditional PR or social media marketing, every campaign is instilled with passion, creativity and brilliance to powerfully tell their clients’ story and amplify their intentions in the world.
Neena Nandagopal Of Almost Practical On How Simplifying & Decluttering Your Life Can Make You… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.