The rate of what comes in needs to be less than or equal to the rate of what goes out. It is easy to bring things into our lives and spaces, but it requires more effort to remove things. Therefore we need to consistently and continually work to remove things from our lives and space. By consciously working at it we increase our chances of being able to manage what we own and keep it organized.
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
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.
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.
©October 2018 Janine Cavanaugh, Certified Professional Organizer All Rights Reserved
Keep what’s important and let go of the rest. Keeping only what’s important will help us stay organized because we won’t be wasting our time with things that aren’t wanted, needed, or used.
Complete these 4 statements to focus on what’s important in life right now.
Once the 4 statements are complete, take action to remove, recycle, or re-purpose what you can.
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