I’ve embraced the “de-cluttering” craze the past bunch of months, purging my life of things I don’t use often or don’t completely love. The difference is remarkable. Like a work of art, website, print design, etc. – white space makes a big difference in our experience.
In the spirit of minimalism, I recommend one resource: Be More With Less – lots of practical ideas and inspiration/motivation there (or, subscribe to get posts by email).
Well ok, Unclutter.com has a funny feature called “Unitasker Wednesday“: ridiculous items that only do one (usually dumb) thing, and take up space. Helps alert us to the goofy crap we keep around.
In addition to enjoying the ease of navigating simpler closets, drawers, etc, I have also noticed:
- it’s iterative: I purge, let it settle awhile, purge again, get used to that, lather, rinse, repeat.
- it’s expansive: I end up thinking about what else I can simplify: morning routines, meal preparation, digital clutter (how many files, pics, apps, follows, and subscriptions can I let go of?), and with the holidays approaching, gift-giving and the rest of that whole glittery ball of wax…
I have been talking with friends and family about not giving gifts this year (which is sort of a misnomer: we automatically give each other a bit of time, money and freedom by simply making this agreement…). No one seems scandalized by this (usually the opposite…). Focus on the kids, enjoy a nice meal and time together…hard to argue with that.
In recent years, many seem to be moving more in this direction anyway (maybe saying it, but not always following through…guilty!) and this year I’m going to (not) do it more than ever. What I want, is to enjoy the time and festive feel of the season. What I don’t want is all the lists and busywork of shopping (even online), and hundreds of dollars spent on stuff.
It’s possible no-presents will be a bummer. If so, there’s always next year.