My Quest to Minimize

For the last year or perhaps longer, I have been entranced, enthralled, and fascinated by a philosophy and movement known simply as minimalism. The basic idea is that owning a lot of things (material possessions) takes up our precious time and takes us away from the people and pursuits that we love. Our stuff clutters our lives; it takes time to manage it, to keep it tidy, to clean it, to keep it organized. Minimalism encourages people to reduce their possessions to those that are used and needed. This simplifies life and allows for MORE in so many ways: more time with loved ones, more rest and rejuvenation, more opportunities to spend time doing things we want to do instead of the drudgery of taking care of our stuff.

This approach and philosophy appeals to me, so I'm working this summer to attempt to declutter our lives a little bit. I've always been a person who likes to have things clean and organized, but since I've been introduced to minimalism I've realized that having a cluttered home makes me feel cluttered inside. It keeps me from being able to relax or focus on things that matter.

So we'll be having a yard sale later this summer. In the last week and a half I have gone through the bedrooms, bathrooms, and hall closets to rid us of unused and unneeded stuff. I fly to Napa, CA next week for a conference and soon after that will be our trip to Florida, but by the end of July I hope to have finished the rest of the house, garage, and outbuildings. Quite a task, but it will feel so good to have it done! Here are a few photos of the progress so far:

The "before" photo of the playroom -- what a mess!

We cleared EVERYTHING out.

Here's all the stuff we moved: in the library ...

... and the front foyer ...

... and the hallway.

I had two really great helpers!

They worked hard all morning on Saturday.

After sorting things, we moved them back into the playroom.

The "after" photo -- we added a dresser for their dolls and accessories

The hallway lined with bags and boxes for the yard sale!

For more on minimalism, I recommend the following blogs:

Be More With Less - Be more with less is about simplifying your life and really living. Here, you can learn how to create a life with more savings and less/no debt, more health and less stress, more time and less stuff, and more joy with less obligation.
Becoming Minimalist - Joshua Becker speaks from the heart sharing his experience with honesty and passion. If you ever wanted to know how minimalism can bring more value into your life, Joshua is the person to learn from as his message is not just inspiring but applicable.
The Minimalists - Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus write about living a meaningful life with less stuff for 2 million readers.