Tip of the Month :: Could You Become a Minimalist?

A few weeks ago I caught up with a friend I haven‘t seen in awhile. Sheri had recently come back from a year spent out of state. She had gone there to help her Grandmother who is a hoarder. During the time she spent helping her Grandmother, she had an epiphany about the things we own and what they mean to us.

While going through her grandmother’s possessions, Sheri saw how much emotion is wrapped up in what we have. Memories, fear, regrets about the past, and our feelings about the future, are all there, in our stuff.

It was just at that time she discovered “The Minimalist Lifestyle”. The Minimalist Lifestyle is a way to live a fuller life by owning less. It rejects the idea that accumulating more and more things will make us happy. Some Minimalists believe that owning 100 items is all we need. Look around your house. Most of us have more than 100 things in our closets!

Sheri knew this was the way she wanted to live her life.

She talked to me about the evolution of her process for shedding the things she owned. She needed to part with things that were not going to fit in with her simplified lifestyle. There were great stories of how the right person showed up just at the time she made the decision to part with something.

I really admired what she had accomplished. Her apartment is clear and uncluttered. Her few pieces of furniture are used every day. There is no place for anything that is just taking up space and collecting dust.

I took my friend’s example and looked at my own life and what I had in it. Being a Professional Organizer I naturally tend to keep fewer things than some people I know. But there is still room for improvement. It was my goal to spend a week and see what I could shed from my own life. I made some headway, but discovered that true minimalism is not for me. While I will continue to have more than 100 things, I decided I will keep the minimalist principals in mind as I go through life.

I am pleased to say that this year I went shopping on Black Friday with a group of friends and bought NOTHING! Why? Because I asked myself, “Do I really need this?” The answer was no.

What I needed was to spend the day with my good friends and that was more than enough. I came home feeling light and energized. No headache from making decisions about what to buy. I wasn’t tired from carrying bags around all day. I didn’t have to decide where to put the things I brought home.
What do you think? Does this lifestyle make sense to you? Would it feel good to shed things we don’t use or don’t need?

As we travel through this season that encourages us to accumulate, think about what would really make you happy. Seek your internal Minimalist and lighten your load.

Past Tips:

Winter 2010/2011 - Organizing your Kids’ Paperwork

Sumer 2010 - Organize Your Photos

Spring 2010 - A Step by Step Guide to Paper Management

Fall 2009 - Clearing Clutter

Summer 2009 - Enjoy the Warm Weather & Get Organized Too!

February 2009 - Get Organized in a Bad Economy

January 2009 - January is Get Organized Month

December 2008 - Organize Your Closet