crazyhippiemom

It is with great trepidation that I approach this topic, recognizing most people’s incessant need for acquiring and doing, things. As I walk around my apartment (and you can try this at home as well), I see a number of items I can most certainly do without; many items I should have thrown away years ago and plenty of items, in plain view, that have not yet been so much as taken out of its packaging, 2 weeks later! What does this say about me? I have an overabundance of things, cluttering my home, validated by just the mere fact of my ownership. Now, I’m not saying that owning ‘things’ is bad. Au contrare, things are good, when they are needed and in their right place and not cluttering the very floor you spent all day waxing!

In modern society, and, I guess in not-so-modern society, the things you own absolutely define you and perches you atop certain status markers. For instance, when we look at the type of cars people own, if you drive a minivan - well, you have a family, perhaps a mortgage and 2+ kids in tow; a Corvette - usually middle-aged with a few dead presidents in the bank and perhaps a pre-pubescent in the passenger seat (such profiling); a bus-pass - you have no wheels, or perhaps you’re one of those “save the environment by ride-sharing or taking public transportation groupies”. See what I mean? We make assessments about people’s status and lifestyle based on the things they own. But what about people who PURPOSEFULLY don’t own many things? What about the minimalist?

Minimalism is a way of life in which you don’t overindulge or waste anything, including energy. In short, it simplifies your life! It could also minimize your appeal among the “status-seekers” as well. Minimalism reduces the stress of ownership of things. It underscores the inner being and not the outer ‘having’ as most important. Look around your home again and try as best you can to identify specific items that you absolutely need. It’s a very short list, isn’t it? Then identify the things that you ‘need’ some of the time; then, the things you don’t need very often (interestingly enough, that’s usually the biggest list of all). Imagine if you cleared out all of the items on the last two lists, what your home would look like… would it be empty, close to empty? One thing is for sure, you’d have much less to clean!

A minimalist rids their environment of everything they don’t use leaving an uncluttered, clean space such that the home has very few accessories: no throw pillows or blankets, tablecloths, rugs, nothing lying around.   Clutter is nonexistent. 

Why the minimalist lifestyle?

•  Less Clutter - Try to revisit that mental picture of your home free of the non-essentials.  It’s a lot more airy and bright isn’t it?  It gives you an opportunity to walk around without watching your step or stepping on things.  Less clutter means less cleaning and less putting away.
• Less Waste - If you only purchase or utilize essentials, you’ll have less instances of waste.  There won’t be anything you don’t need because you’ve purchased only what you did need in the first place.  
• Less Bills - Now you can’t beat this one with a stick!  In this economy, less bills is, strangely enough, a commodity and who wouldn’t want less bills?  The fewer ‘things’ you have to purchase, the fewer costs you incur, it’s just that simple.

Develop the minimalist lifestyle

•  Eliminate unnecessary items - Do you really need 5 blankets for your one bedroom house/apartment? Consider perhaps only 2 and donate the remaining blankets to charity.
• Everything in its place - For the items that remain after your “seek-and-destroy” mission, find a place for them and put those items right in their place.  Nothing should be left out, and if it is left out and there is no place for it, throw it away or donate it.  There should be nothing on top of your tables, bookshelves or window-sills unless they have sentimental value (2 items MAX please).

Creating the minimalist home

•  Take it one room at a time - Rome wasn’t built in a day!  You must approach this project with a plan.  If you have a lot of stuff, you’re going to have to determine what’s going to happen to that stuff if it’s not selected as a keeper.  You must also decide what goes where and how it will be placed in its place.  You can easily spend a week on just one room depending on the level of clutter you’ve got going on.
• Start with the biggest objects first - Furniture, appliances, etc. are the easiest to figure out.  Start there and progressively move to the smaller items.  You may want to rid yourself of gaudy or intrusive items and replace them with plain wood or board objects.
• Maintain the ‘essentials’ standard - It may be cute as can be, but there is no need (except sentimental) for you to hold on to that sombrero you got in Tijuana, especially if you’re trying to decorate the top of the television set with it.  Essentials only.
• Clear Floors - The only things resting on your floors should be the furniture and appliances.  
• Clear Surfaces - Kitchen tops, face-bowl tops, all the ‘tops’ should be clear.  Toiletries and kitchen aids should be in their places in a drawer or cupboard somewhere within arms reach, but not ON the counter tops.
• Clear Walls - Bare walls.  This reduces visual clutter as well not to mention having to clean/dust portraits and certificates, etc.  Once again, if you must, hang no more than 2 items on your walls.
• Subdued colors - No need to go Stepford Wife on this one, but rolling out the neon green paint shade is not the ‘minimalist’ way.  You want to affect your thought processes and mood in a tranquil way.

Above all else, minimalism embodies contentment with what one owns.  I affords you the opportunity to appreciate what you have.  It’s not about the quantity but the quality and taking the time to ’smell the roses’ so to speak.  Minimalism reduces the overabundance of having and focuses on being/existing.  Minimalism means really loving what you have.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS