Helpful Organizer Newsletter January 2019
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Tag Archive for: de-clutter
Getting married?
When getting married and combining households it’s important to eliminate duplicates. Getting rid of unnecessary duplicate items helps improve organization, function, and efficiency. A few recommendations to help eliminate duplicate items are:
Keep 2 sets of potholders
Keep 10 kitchen dish towels
Keep 3 sets of sheets per bed
Keep 4 coffee mugs per coffee drinker
Keep 2 water bottles per person
Keep 3 sets of bath towels per person
Keep 1 waste basket per room
Keep 1 identical appliances (coffee maker, food processor, vacuum)
Keep 1 basket of pet toys
Declutter First, Organize Second
To declutter is to remove mess, piles, and clutter. To organize is to mindfully place things in a specific spot in order to find them when they are needed. If we attempt to organize before we declutter we waste time organizing things we no longer use or want. It is always more efficient to declutter first, and organize second.
Reduce
Reduce the stuff we use to maintain other stuff. For example, reduce the number of cleaning supplies we have. If we took inventory of all that we have on hand, what would be our total? How many other products in our homes serve only to maintain something else we own? Can we reduce the amount we have of laundry items, auto care products, tools, and home improvement supplies? Remember the less we have the less we have to organize.
Define Minimalism
How would you define minimalism? I asked this question at the beginning of a presentation I gave recently at Brown University in Providence, RI. The answers I received were varied, but most of them included the concepts of intentionally having less stuff, and living a meaningful life with less material possessions. This was consistent with what I found while doing research for this presentation, and reading how established minimalists defined minimalism. I found three definitions that I could easily relate to, one by Joshua Becker, one by Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus, and one by Miss Minimalist, Francine Jay.
After reading these definitions I was inspired to come up with my own personal definition of minimalism. This is what I came up with:
Minimalism is a lifestyle choice in which we focus on:
…minimizing consumption by shopping less, buying less, using less.
…embracing limits through reducing, reusing, recycling.
…protecting our environment and natural resources with voluntary simplicity.
…finding greater pursuits in life than material possessions.
This definition became the outline for my presentation on embracing minimalism. It also inspired me to adopt a more of a minimalist lifestyle. I’ll be sharing my ideas, tips, and experiences on aspiring to be a minimalist in future blog articles. I hope you stay tuned and get inspired as well. If you’re interested in having me share my presentation on embracing minimalism, please contact me.
Below are some resources on minimalism that I’d like to share. I hope they encourage you to make changes in your life, like they have encouraged me.
- Joshua Becker’s website, books, and blog
- Joshua Fields Millburn’s & Ryan Nicodemus’ website, books, and blog
- Francine Jay’s website, books, and blog
- Courtney Carver’s website, books, and blog
- Patrick Rhone’s website, books, and blog
- The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
- Becoming a Minimalist: Your Guide to Living a Great Life With Less Through Minimalism by Kimberly Wilson
- Minimalism: How Living on Less Means Living More Life by Addison Fenn
- The Simple Guide to a Minimalist Life by Leo Bubauta
- You Can Buy Happiness (and It’s Cheap): How One Woman Radically Simplified Her Life and How You Can Too by Tammy Strobel
©October 2018 Janine Cavanaugh, Certified Professional Organizer All Rights Reserved
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