Prototyping A New Lifestyle

Start Decluttering Now So You Can Experience the Joy of Owning Less

By Rita Wilkins
The Downsizing Designer

Right now, are you living the life of your dreams?

The house you want?
The job you want?
The freedom to do what you want and when you want?

If not, have you ever asked yourself… why not?

Why can’t you design the life you really want?

… at least the parts of it that are not working, that are static, or those areas that you’re not excited about.

Sometimes we get stuck…

In jobs we don’t like, but we stay with them anyway.
In homes that are too big but that no longer serve our current lifestyle.
In day-to-day living, but we stay in that rut, with no excitement or enthusiasm about what we do each day.

When you think about it, businesses prototype and test products all of the time.

They put new products out into the market, test it quickly, expending the fewest possible dollars and resources.
They observe what works and what doesn’t work, and determine how they can make it better so people will buy it, use it, and love it!

Why Not Apply the Same Prototype Testing Model to Your Life?

If you are not living the life you really want to be living, try prototyping new ideas and new experiences.

Test them out!
Determine what’s working and not working?
Discern what experiences you enjoy and don’t enjoy?
Get clarity about what you can do to add more fun and meaning so you can start loving the life you are living every day?

Two Types of Prototyping Your Lifestyle

#1 You want to simply upgrade your current lifestyle

Find new ways to spice up your life.
Create new experiences that add value, meaning, and purpose to your life.
Connect with new friends that light you up and add fun to your life.

#2 You want to try a completely new direction and reinvent your life

Downsize to a new home that is a better fit to your new lifestyle.
Start the new business you’ve been dreaming about.
Move to a different country so you can experience different cultures.

Free Download: 31 Lifestyle Upgrades

Prototype your new lifestyle: some examples to inspire you

#1 You just want to spice up your life

Try a new hobby.

You’ve always wanted to be a good dancer…

So, you try ballroom dancing… No!

Tap dancing… definitely not!

Salsa… a great fit!

You have a new activity that you are excited about, you look forward to your dance classes and meeting up with your new friends.

#2 You really want to mix it up and reinvent your life

Move to a new country.

Work remotely from the beach anywhere in the world, learn a new language or be nomadic for a while.

These are just two ways you can prototype or experiment with a new lifestyle.

The opportunities are endless.

If you want to try prototyping a new lifestyle, what are some small steps you can take today to start designing a life you love that can make you feel fully alive?

Toe-in A Water Approach

This is my favorite way to prototype lifestyles.

Put your toe in the water, test it first without going all in.

Ask yourself:

What’s missing in your life?
What would make your life more fun, fulfilling, and purposeful?

Small steps you can take right now…

Be curious!
Be open to new ideas, even those that scare you.
Be courageous.
Step out of your comfort zone.
Be okay with not knowing if you will like it or not. Try it anyway!

What better time than now… a year after a worldwide pandemic to realize how precious life is and how short it can be.

What will you do today to get out there, prototype a new lifestyle and start living the life you love… by design?

Want to learn more?

If you want more inspiration for living the life you love, check out my best-selling book “Downsize Your Life, Upgrade Your Lifestyle: Secrets to More Time, Money, and Freedom” on Amazon, click here.

The way I started living the life of my dreams was to downsize and declutter, learning to letting go of my possessions so I had more time, money, freedom, and energy for a simpler life with less.