Who knew that living the simple life would be so difficult?! I did not get into professional organizing because I was a minimalist. I don’t think it really ever crossed my mind. I like pretty things and I like to change things up so I have stuff. But I spend my days researching the best ways to store things and how to tame the clutter so guess what the Google feeds me? You’re right… all the steps to becoming a minimalist. I could only fight it for so long. I jumped down the rabbit hole and you get to come with me.
Did you know that some Minimalist don’t buy candles? I almost gave up right there. I have my go-to scents for the seasons and really… is a house clean if you haven’t lit a candle? Some extreme Minimalists only allow themselves 15 items. I am way beyond 15 bottles of nail polish alone. Typically, I am an all-in or all-out kinda gal, but I have been trying to allow myself to sit with the idea and see where it takes me.
“Minimalism is not about having less. It’s about making room for what matters.” – Anonymous
As I sat and pondered this minimalist lifestyle the benefits started to look pretty good. Just think of the money I could save. Since I am on the side of having plenty thinking like a Minimalist would mean getting rid of things not buying things. This alone, should make me want to sign up immediately. The side benefit to not buying as much means shopping less which for me equals less stress. I am a bit of an impulse buyer and I am always afraid if I don’t buy it right now I will never…see I don’t even know why I have such an urgency. As I have been practicing mindfulness I can stop and ask myself, “Do you need this right now or ever?”, “Where will it live in your space?” I am sure there are other questions I could ask myself, but those two usually cover it for me.
So far saving money and being less stressed sounds pretty good, but what else? If I am shopping less, I would save that TIME too!! What about all of the time spent scrolling for the next item I absolutely have to have now that I saw it on my phone and my favorite Instagram friend said I had to have it. You could justify the time saved by not driving, but when your time is spent on your phone instead of with your people or the things that TRULY bring you satisfaction…is it really saved? Just giving up scrolling time would be a huge time save. Ok, I am even more intrigued.
“Minimalism is a tool we use to live a meaningful life. There are no rules. Rather, minimalism is simply about stripping away the unnecessary things in your life so you can focus on what’s important” – Joshua Fields Millburn, Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life
The perks are starting to sound pretty convincing, but is this just something I am drawn to because it is the new trendy thing to do? I have been reading that we are now trending toward maximalism. Sounds like I am already out of trend. So what is my motivation? I know that I am not alone – clutter creates stress and makes it hard for me to concentrate (unless I am organizing and then I am super focused). Research shows that clearing clutter from the home and work environment resulted in a better ability to focus and process information, as well as increased productivity. Based on this information having less things will also help me get more done.
I may not be ready to call myself a Minimalist (far from it. Those guys are rock stars!), but I like the idea of refining what I allow in my life. You may not be ready to whittle your earthly belongings down to 33 things, but are you ready to save money, have less stress and be more focused and productive? Simply put, there really two steps to move closer to a minimalist lifestyle. Step one is decide what you value the most. What are your top priorities in life? How do you want to spend your time and money? What do you want to fill your space with? Step two is getting rid of everything that doesn’t move you in that direction.
It really is just that simple…well actually this is where you have to dig in and do the work. Change is hard and doesn’t just happen in two easy steps. So, figure out why you are making this change. What is your motivation? How do you want this to add to your life? Write it down. This is so helpful for those times that you lose sight of the goal. Put it somewhere you can see every day to remind yourself what you are doing and keep moving forward.
I want to be clear that as a Professional Organizer I am not going to make you get rid of everything. Admittedly, decluttering is essential to getting organized. But the overall goal is to make the most of your space and create lasting systems to add quality to your life. If you are ready to make that happen go to my contact page on my website send it my way.