Organizing Tip: :: 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:
What to Get Rid of Now?
Start a
Time Management Program
Could You Become A Minimalist?
What Can
You Get Rid of Today?
Organizing your Kids’ Paperwork
Organize Your
Photos
A Step by Step Guide to Paper Management
Clearing Clutter
Enjoy the Warm Weather & Get Organized Too!
Get Organized in a Bad Economy
January is Get Organized Month
Organize Your Closet
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