First, let me say that I don’t like labels, on people anyway. I can’t comprehend the idea of putting people’s personality traits, personal tastes, and ideas into packages. It just feels so limiting and definite. I tend to think that we all lie somewhere on a spectrum of human experiences and expressions. The so-called needle where we might register one day could move up or down frequently and be influenced by many different factors from one day to the next. In my organizing career, I’ve been exposed to an extremely wide variety of homes and lifestyles. My clients are people from vastly different backgrounds, ages, places, and experiences and they come from complete opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to monetary worth. I’ve worked with people who are worth multi-millions, and with clients losing their room in transitional housing although most clients are somewhere in between. No two clients are alike and no two jobs are the same.
When I started my organizing business ‘minimalism’ was a term I heard thrown around quite a bit. Many clients would call asking for organizing help, proclaiming themselves as ‘minimalist’, and wanting me to help transform their home to match this self-adopted label. Interestingly enough though, many of these ‘minimalists’ had a difficult time parting with items that may be considered ‘useful one day’, or items that held significant value in sentimental attachment. The movement towards minimalism as a lifestyle concept is likely propelled by soaring housing prices and first-time buyers looking to condo or townhome living in contrast to their parent’s generation having purchased much larger family-size homes in the suburbs. This, combined with those same parents now downsizing into retirement living or beyond is in many cases, leaving the younger generation with the task of dealing with all the ‘stuff’ from that larger family home and sometimes offended with the fact that nobody wants their prized possessions.
These clients are attaching a label to themselves in an attempt to gain control of what they are able to. They are intent on ‘getting it right’ for their future self and future generations. The real issue, however, is too large to try and make fit into a box. It’s akin to shoving a winter coat, along with boots, hat, and scarf into a shoe box and labeling it ‘jacket’.
It’s my humble opinion, not to attach the label ‘minimalist’ to these clients, but I do understand what they are trying to achieve. In the end, it really doesn’t matter what we call them, but they should be commended. These people are forward-thinking and smart. They are achieving awareness of how many items are in their home and showing practicality regarding decision-making and pro-activeness before their situation becomes too overwhelming to deal with. The intention is to be responsible for their relationship to items they own and show respect for their future generations to not have to pick up the pieces and clean up after them. Literally.
True minimalism is only owning exactly what you need and use regularly and nothing else. If you are holding on to an item because it may be useful one day, that may seem practical, but it is not minimalism. If you can’t part with an item because of a high level of emotional attachment, that also is not minimalism. Minimalism is freeing yourself of these attachments to ‘things’., keeping only what feeds, clothes, houses, and occupies you on a regular basis.
Most clients simply want to live with less clutter in their homes however, they find making decisions on what stays and what goes challenging. They know things need to leave but don’t know what to do with them or where to take them. Some are extremely busy and have more important things to spend their time on and think about. They are organized enough in their daily life to know when to ask for help….. organizing.
Being organized and living with less is about doing what is right, being friendly to the environment, and self care. You don’t need to be a true minimalist to embrace living clutter-free. You can be like me, and lean towards minimalism by pushing the needle a little lower on the tolerance for clutter spectrum. It’s perfectly ok to allow yourself some wiggle room and let that needle rise and fall.
Things I have learned from clients and their journey with ‘stuff’:
- As valuable and meaningful as your belongings are to you, you don’t take them with you when you go. Every single item in your home, one day will need to be removed and put somewhere else. Perhaps an item or two will go to a loving family member but approximately 99% of it will be designated into 3 categories, sell, donate or trash.
- When items need to be removed from your home, it usually needs to happen quickly. Any item deemed ‘sellable’ will require the right buyer to magically appear the exact moment your loving family member needs to unload it AND that item will most likely be sold for a significantly lower price than it is worth. Only a small amount of items initially deemed ‘sellable’ actually do, and more often or not they quickly get downgraded to ‘donatable’.
- Your items don’t mean anything to other people. People who love you, love you. Things that you own and pass down will never replace you. Although it might be nice to receive grandma’s necklace, that large painting or piece of furniture is usually a burden to the receiver.
- Once an item is not in your realm of existence, you have no control over what happens to it. At all! It’s true, many items you own are very useful, still have life left in them and they could add significant value to someone’s life. This is why we choose to donate items before tossing them into the garbage. However, once it is in the hands of a charity shop, we have no control over who buys it and what they do with it. Not everything that is donated gets sold or even makes it to the store shelves. Organizations that accept donations can’t sell everything and have a good handle on what they can. They usually have a large dumpster somewhere on the premises and many of your items will be downgraded to garbage minutes after they have been dropped off.
- Family members feel an enormous amount of stress when clearing out homes of loved ones. Believe it or not, you have value. There are people on this planet who love you and will grieve when you are gone. For so many of my clients, this grief also comes with resentment when that grieving process needs to be delayed due to the enormous task of clearing out your home.
- You don’t have to live in a state of embarrassment. Your home should be a reflection of who you are and what you value. It should work for your lifestyle right now, not the past or future. If you find it overwhelming, ask a friend or family member to help or call a professional organizer. It’s what we do! A good professional organizer will never tell you to get rid of things that you want to keep. They will help you find solutions so you can easily find what you need and keep track of what you own.
10 tips and rules to living with less clutter and lean even more towards minimalism:
- The 20/20 rule. If it costs less than $20 to replace, and you can replace it in 20 minutes or less, let it go.
- One in one out rule. For every item that enters your home, another has to leave.
- The poop method. If it had poop on it would you clean it off or toss it? I think you know the answer.
- The 90-day rule. If you haven’t used it in 90 days is it worth using up precious real estate in your home?
- If everything is special then nothing is. For example. If you love your China set but never use it. It’s ok to keep the gravy boat and let the rest go.
- Yes it’s ok to break up a set. You have permission!
- If you don’t love it and don’t use it. Don’t keep it!
- Gifts can totally be regifted!
- For birthdays and holiday’s start an ‘only gifting experiences’ tradition, and tell everyone!
- Justin Case is not your best friend. Or a good buddy for that matter. Never hang on to something just in case it may come in handy someday.
