Adventures In Minimalism – Living With Less and Enjoying It More
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The Things You Own, Own You.
These past few months, my family and I have been in the process of buying a new home. Knowing that we would be moving on a moment’s notice whenever our current home found a buyer, we packed up all of our unnecessary belongings and lived on very little.
The fateful day came about 2 weeks ago that we were able to find a buyer for our home, and we packed everything and moved out. Unfortunately, we hadn’t yet been able to close on our new home, so we were technically without a place to live. A “homeless” family, though this sounds much more dramatic than it actually is.
My mom offered us the spare bedroom at her house, and the kids already have a room at Grandma’s so off we moved into my mom’s house, all of us living out of suitcases for the past two weeks.
Surprisingly, it has been a very liberating and freeing experience.
Many people who hear that we are living out of suitcases cringe and wrinkle their noses, saying things like, “Oh, that must be awful, I bet you can’t wait to get your stuff back.”
But to be completely honest, we, my fiancé and I, are actually enjoying the minimalistic nature of living without all the extra junk.
I personally am the type of person that has many clothes, but most are dress clothes set aside for a special occasion, otherwise, I wear only jeans and a black t shirt almost every other day. I do this because it is simple, stylish, and easy to pack.
My fiancé is similarly simple in her daily wardrobe. Aside from her professional wardrobe, which of course must be varied, simplicity is her style as well.
With that in mind, living out of a suitcase hasn’t been so hard, but last night, we wondered, should we take this further?
The answer–Of Course.
So, as we move into our new house, we will be donating or selling any unnecessary items that were packed and going minimalist.
The surprising thing about this experiment in minimalism is that I feel freer than I have felt in a long time. I have only a few pairs of clothes in a suitcase, my computer, an iPod, and a book I picked up 3 days ago to help battle my insomnia. I already feel more creative and less stressed than I have in the previous months, and have been making great progress on several of my big projects, including finishing up my first short film and entering it into a film festival.
The question is-Is minimalism for you?
Well, it’s been great for us personally, but can it benefit you? The answer is almost certainly, yes. There is almost always clutter in our lives that we could do without, but we allow it to creep up on us and eventually take over.
How Minimizing Your Life Can Benefit You.
1. Declutter: As you begin to minimize the things in your house, you will have much less clutter out in the open, as there are much fewer opportunities for letter to gather. Less clutter means you can spend more time living, and enjoying the areas of your home.
2. Save money: When you are focused on minimalistic living, and it is important to you to keep your house, and your life clear of clutter and unnecessary objects, you are less likely to buy unimportant, or useless items. Not only will you clear clutter in your home, you will naturally be less inclined to waste money on something you don’t absolutely need, or something that won’t improve your life and enjoyment significantly.
3. Make money: As you clear the clutter in your home, you will find with many things you can sell for extra cash. You may not become a millionaire like they sometimes show on TV, but chances are you have a few dollars worth of junk just wasting your space you are actively enjoying.
4. Less cleaning: When you have less things filling your house, whether they are in their place, or out on the countertop, it’ll be less cleaning to do. Further when you clear off the flat surfaces in your home and have only a few well placed items, there is much less upkeep which leads to even more enjoyment out of your home, and your life.
5. Give to charity: Not everything you find is going to go on the auction block. Many things that someone may not spend a lot of money on at a yard sale or EBay could go to a needier person, or a family that could use it much more than you. Instead of throwing these things in the garbage, put them in a bag, or box, and take them to your local Goodwill, Salvation Army.
Congratulations not only have you rid yourself of the clutter, you’ve also given to charity and made someone’s life a little better.
6. Less stress: Many studies have shown that minimalism not only in a home or space, but in life reduces stress. This makes sense because with less things to focus on, think about, and worry about, your mind is clearer and less bogged down.
7. Quality Over Quantity: When you focus on having less “things” you tend to choose what you do keep very specifically. Not only will the things you keep represent you, your personality, and where you are in life better, they will also be more enjoyable to you. You’re more likely to enjoy one watch, or pair of shoes you truly love than five cheap ones you just kind of like.
Remember, this isn’t just about minimizing the things in your home, it’s also about minimizing what you have in your life. If you have junk cluttering your life, even if it’s just the you hang out with on the weekends, take a look at it and if it’s not improving you, uplifting you, or bringing you joy, then you need to consider getting rid of it.
It is often very hard at it your life, but when you take a close look at it, you can see very clearly the ones that are good for you, or not so good for you. Sometimes, you just need to spend less time with those friends you are used to.
How to Minimize your Life
Since most of you reading this won’t be in the middle of a move, it would be best if you start one area, or room at a time.
Start with the furniture- Do you need that, or is it simply taking up space? If it actually accenting the room and making things better? An empty room is not a minimalist room, it’s just a boring room, so be sure to discern if something is helping or hurting, having just the essentials in a given area, can make your room feel very open and inviting.
After that, it’s best to start looking knickknacks decorations and pretty much anything that’s out. Then you can attack those dreaded junk drawers. I personally had three, that’s way too many.
One thing that can have a huge impact immediately is clearing flat surfaces. Everything should have its place. If knickknacks, or picture belongs there we are however an entire collection of things displayed a flat surface can feel cluttered. This includes the kitchen. Its best to keep small appliances stored where you can access them easily, and keep the counter clear, rather than having them out in the open creating and eyesore
Get rid of anything you haven’t been using recently, or find a storage area for it. If you know you use it very, very rarely, once a year or less, then go ahead and ask yourself, “Can I get rid of this?” You’ll find when you’re in the right mindset, that getting rid of that old junk and those attachments past will be much easier.
Once you’ve done this with a specific room, and you have it completely cleared of clutter and excess junk, congratulate yourself and relax. Doing this will free up your mind, and surprisingly reduce your stress considerably. It may not seem to make much sense that having less junk in less stress, especially when one point in time, those things brought some sort of joy. However, once you’ve done this, you will find that you’re more relaxed, and mentally clear.
Do a Trial
Not so sure minimalism is for you? Do a trial. Start in one room, preferably the room you spend most of your time in, or maybe the room you keep most of your junk, and bring it down to the bare minimum. Get rid of anything you don’t necessarily need. I’m not suggesting that during this trial you should get rid of everything, and send it to the Goodwill. Some people just aren’t ready for that. Instead, get it out of the realm and pack it into a box, or a storage bin for a few weeks so that you can try on minimizing your life. Once the space is minimized, and clear of clutter or excess knickknacks, I’m sure you’ll find that you’re more relaxed, less stressed, and feel much freer. After a couple of weeks, you should be able to go through those storage bins and get rid of the stuff you thought you needed.
Once you’re ready for that, it’s time to tackle the rest of the house, and start looking at other areas of your life. Look to friends, your coworkers that you chat with during the day, and pretty much anybody and everything it is a part of your life. Start to question things Do you need this? Is it actually bringing joy into your life? If it’s not, or if it’s not worth the trouble it gives you, get rid of it and start to enjoy the freedom of minimalistic living.
Once you’ve finished, you could always do more.
After you finish clearing an area of clutter, and getting rid of things, there is a very good chance you could get rid of more, or reduce more. This doesn’t just mean one area of your house, but one area of your life. However it for to keep it simple, especially on the first try, give yourself week before you week reanalyze any part of your life. Chances are, after you enjoyed minimized living, you will find that there is more you could get rid of. However, the best way to know this for sure is to spend a little time enjoying it, and then get area of your life again.
You’ll find your own personal style after you’ve tested this out. Some people live very minimally, while others simplify, but still enjoy having things around the house. This isn’t a suggestion to get rid of all your things, but rather a nudging toward a more simple existence that will allow you to feel freer, and enjoy what you do have much more.
You can always start small, the important thing is that you get started. Don’t just read this and walk away to think about it, take action. Even if you just clear up one counter, you’ll find that you feel much better, and that you can breathe a little easier. If you don’t have time right now, schedule some time later on today. Make a plan to have it done, by 7 PM, or whatever time works for you. The important thing is that you quantify it, and make a plan.
Have you cut things out of your life? Have you gotten rid of clutter recently? Have you cut out friends that may not be contributing?
Leave a comment and tell me about your experiences with minimalism in your life.
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