When sharing our tiny home experiences with others, most people share that they “secretly dream about it but could never do it.” It’s a response that equally frustrates me and breaks my heart. Everyone can and should pursue their dreams with courage and some planning. There are so many resources out there, so much community in this space, and plenty of room for more people to join in on the fun. If you’ve been fantasizing about joining the tiny home space, 2022 is your year, and this guide will help you turn that far-off dream into a beautiful reality.
Step 1: What’s Your Why?
If you’ve ever read a book on entrepreneurship or self-development, you’ve likely heard this question before. Its popularity is well-deserved; without understanding why you want to be a part of the tiny home movement, you’ll probably get stuck or, worse, never accomplish those dreams.
The key to this step is going as deep as possible so that on days where the transition towards this lifestyle feels hard, and those days will come, you can refer back to this very fundamental question and find your motivation again.
You may be starting with wanting to live a simpler life, with more time to enjoy yourself instead of cleaning a 2,400 square foot house. Or maybe you want to decrease your footprint, literally and figuratively, on our planet. However, it’s beneficial to go deeper than that when considering your why. Why do you want a simpler life? Why does decreasing your carbon footprint matter to you? Keep asking why until you can’t anymore. Then, when you’ve reached that point, you’ve found your true “why.”
Step 2: What Do You Want to Accomplish?
Now that you’ve established your “why,” it’s time to get down to the logistics of it all. What exactly do you want to accomplish? Do you want to sell your current home? Do you want to purchase land or make your tiny home in a traveling trailer?
It’s often most productive to conquer this step in the manner of a brain dump. Set a timer for five minutes and write down a list of all the things you want to achieve without thinking much about the order in which they should happen or how they’ll happen. Just write. When the list is complete, review it for redundancies, rewrite it for clarity, or just tape it to your bathroom mirror as a reminder of what needs to get done so you can pursue your tiny home dreams.
Step 3: How Do You Want to Feel?
There’s a relatively good chance that Step Two felt overwhelming. As an adult, your to-do list will likely never be completely crossed off, especially when it comes to establishing plans to become the proud owner of a tiny home. However, overwhelm does not belong on the list of feelings you have when intention setting around your big dreams.
To shift these dreams to reality, it’s always good to come back to the question, “How do you want to feel?”
When planning and transitioning to this lifestyle, do you want to feel frazzled and stressed? Or do you want to feel like you are in the flow of making small but significant shifts to get you to where you want to be? When you have finally landed in your tiny home, do you want to feel a weight lifted off your shoulders? Do you want to chase the feeling of adventure and adrenaline?
At the top of your to-do list of future accomplishments, write the four feelings you want to keep top of mind on this journey. Remind yourself not to let the list overwhelm
you but rather motivate you to conquer the challenges ahead with grit and faith that the future holds is nothing short of epic.
Step 4: What Do You Want it to Look Like?
There are so many variations and definitions for tiny homes and their owners. That’s the beauty of this space—it’s infinite and defined only by you and your vision for it. So, what does your future tiny home life look like? It’s not just about the type of bed you sleep in or curtains you choose to adorn your windows; it’s about what your future life looks like.
This step is what brings it all together. Set aside some time, preferably at least 30 minutes, find a quiet space, and close your eyes. Get comfy because you’re about to envision a future day in the life of future You. Let the following questions guide you:
- You wake up in the morning. What’s the first thing you see? What does your bedroom look like? What’s sitting on your side table? How are you feeling?
- You get ready for the day. What are you wearing? What’s in your mug? What do you see outside your window? What’s on the agenda for today?
- The day moves forward. How does the day make you feel? What are you excited to accomplish? What challenges do you overcome? What can you remember fondly but with gratitude that it’s in your past?
- It’s the end of the day. What’s for dinner? What does your kitchen look like? Who is sitting at your dinner table? What do you talk about?
- You’re back in your bed. What are you grateful for? What type of future are you looking forward to?
Get as detailed as possible here, and then journal about it afterward. Then, keep it in your wallet or a little box on your dresser— somewhere where it can hang out and collect positive energy and remind you of your vision.
Step 5: Where Do You See Yourself in December?
A lot can change in a year, but life is infinitely better when you aren’t in a hurry. Maybe you’ve been preparing for a while and expect to have made the jump by December. On the other hand, perhaps you just want to minimize your belongings and prepare to become a tiny homeowner in 2023. Either way, take a moment to consider where you really want to be by the end of this year. Then, write it down in a single sentence: “By December 31, 2022, I will be….”
Let this sentence be the “mission statement” for your tiny home plan. Then, say it out loud to a trusted friend, partner, or family member to solidify its place in the universe. Being a tiny homeowner is an exciting endeavor, and those of us already living this dream can’t wait to welcome you with open arms.
You’ve got this.
Written By : Jordan Whinnem for Tiny House Magazine Issue 109
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