You are a SLAVE to your Stuff
How much time do you spend each week moving stuff around your house?
None of us have any extra time. WHY are we spending the time we do have moving all our random crap all over the house? Cleaning and picking up your space is just that, isn't it? We're moving stuff we don't need from one location to another, just to have someone get it out again, and put it somewhere else. When I discovered that it's not beneficial for my mental health to waste so much of my day moving things from one place to another, a whole new standard of my life was born... AND I discovered so many other benefits to living a minimalist-adjacent life.
I'm not a Minimalist.
Minimalist Adjacent is the term I will use for myself. I don't care to have only one cup, one plate, one pot, etc. I like my things and I want to keep them, BUT ONLY if I use them, and if I would buy them again if I was standing in front of them in a store. I still like to shop (online), but now, instead of keeping something that will rot in my closet, I either return it or donate it somewhere else. I've learned that my "ideal self" is the one that wears red lipstick and dresses up, but my real, authentic self never does... so there's no point to the lipstick.
I've found numerous benefits to my kids as well. My kids are spoiled. They had too much stuff and not enough boredom. They have every option in the world when they want to watch tv or play video games or play toys... they have it all or have had it all, so there is no excitement. I realize this is my own fault... but as we learn and grow, we discover these things along the way (don't try to tell me anything, I have to learn the hard way). Now, they're excited to go outside and play in the woods! They want to play board games with each other. They read books to each other. They're having a blast creating things with wood and art supplies and tape, and paint. They are a million times more physical and get a lot more exercise. Instead of spending money on lots of toys, we spend money on adventures. Now, don't get me wrong, they still have their tablets and video games, but removing the constant flood of pieces and superhero parts and car wheels and random blocks from the house has made us all more creative and closer together. Nothing is going to happen to that bucket of random plastic toys... may as well get rid of it.
The stuff we DO keep is organized in a meticulous manner. This took quite a bit of coaching and nagging, but now, the scissors are always in the same place. I don't have to search for a sharpie because all of the household sharpies are in one place. Bead stuff is all in a bead bin, tools and nails/screws all have their own container. There is nothing here that I cannot find. One of the best things about have less stuff, but keeping the stuff you love, is just that... nothing is ever missing and I don't have to spend precious time searching for anything.
I'm attaching my decluttering calendar that we used in my group during November of 2021. It lays out allllll the areas of your home that need to be tackled, in manageable chunks. Have at it and enjoy all your newfound free time!
Declutter 2021
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