Minimalism
What is minimalism? As defined by Merriam-Webster, minimalism is “a style or technique (as in music, literature, or design) that is characterized by extreme spareness and simplicity”. As defined by Kayla, minimalism is learning what is important to you and getting rid of EVERYTHING ELSE. When most think of living a minimalist life they only think of living with less “things” inside ones home. To me, minimalism is so much more than that. I want to introduce you to this lifestyle and encourage you to do some serious self evaluation to determine what is truly important to you so that you can focus your time and energy towards those things. It has been a crazy year and we all need to give less energy to the things that drain us and bring us down, and if you’re like me cleaning around unnecessary objects is definitely draining!
I used to have every drawer, closet, and counterspace filled with my belongings and I was happy with that. I had décor on the walls and lots of furniture. I didn’t feel overwhelmed by the amount of stuff I had and I never planned to even give this lifestyle a chance. Over the summer of 2019 I had some changes in my life that ultimately changed a lot for me. If you’ve been here for a while you know I became serious about paying off my debt during this time and I started a new job that was 100% travel. During this summer I also packed up my first home and prepared to sell it. I had a new contract on another home and I was told it would be completed by November of the same year. I shoved a 4 bedroom home into one storage unit and kept only what could fit in my trunk with me during my travels. I did toss some things when I sold my house, mainly because I did not want to pay for two storage units, but majority of my downsizing and decluttering came when I moved into my current home. While traveling for work I had my jeep trunk FULL and often times felt stressed because I did not have all of my things with me. Those months in between homes was one of the largest learning experiences of my life so far. I learned how to be alone, how to live with less, and I started to learn what was truly important to me. I did not close on my new place in November as scheduled, and it wasn’t until the end of January that I finally had a place to call home again.
I share that entire backstory and this somewhat embarrassing picture with you to show you that I have not always been good at this minimalist lifestyle. When I did finally close on my home in January I promised myself that I would declutter even more and leave things in my garage until I decided its purpose and if I really needed it in my home and my life. Not very many decorative items made it inside, and there were many trips to goodwill from these actions. I was also able to sell many items on places like FB marketplace. I got settled over the next few months as I was still traveling weekly for work, so it was a slow process with only a few days home each month. The shut downs that happened in March of this year gave me my first and only whole week off at home (I was furloughed from my cosmetic nurse job) before I took a Covid crisis assignment in NY. Since then all decluttering has happened on my 5-6 day breaks back home. I have spent more time away from home this year than I have in my home, so I have only continued to be forced to see what I really need to live.
Because of my experiences, I was basically forced to determine what was important to me because I had to live without my things for quite a while. I didn’t wake up one day and decide to go through each room in my home until it was all nice and decluttered and organized. This seems like a much easier way than being thrown into it like I was. Although it was challenging, I will always be grateful for my experiences because now I LOVE this lifestyle. I am not sure that I would have found it as quickly as I did had the last year and a half of my life been smooth sailing without any challenges.
My now peaceful, bare wall, plant filled, empty living area.
I have indulged in minimalism in every possible way. All areas of your life can be assessed to see why you hold onto the things that you do and if a good clean out would make life easier. I have become more minimal in my finances, my entire home, and in the digital world (pictures, emails, texts, files, etc.) I have a declutter challenge that is posted to my Instagram account, so feel free to check it out and see if you can use it to declutter and organize your own space.
Kayla
