Minimalism: week one review
I first saw the thumb nail for the Ted talk titled “A rich life with less stuff” on YouTube under my suggested video list and thought, I should check that out. Ah, the word should, a despicable word if there ever was one in the entire English vernacular. Combine the word should with the personal pronoun of I and is a potent, poisonous mantra that breads mediocrity and inhibits us from reaching goals and reaching our full potential.
I had learned a while ago that our surroundings influence our minds, a cluttered home or office leads to cluttered thinking. Upon reflection of this theory, I started to make a concerted effort to make my bed every morning. This wasn’t a hard task, as I often do already make my bed in the morning, however, it is far from a morning ritual.
So, I started off small and made my bed each morning. I noticed a difference immediately, I would enjoy being in my bedroom more, the feel of the room was a lot better.
I now had some proof to go with the theory that our invironment has influence on our thinking. I was now ready to learn more, so I clicked on the YouTube video I had overlooked beforehand.
I was absorbed for the entire 14 minutes, 58 seconds of the clip
This led me to come across a vlog of a young lady who had completed the minimalism game.
The premise of the game is simple, the game lasts for 30 days, on day 1 you throw out, donate or sell one item, on day two you do the same with two items, so on and so forth for the full 30 days.
I do like a good game, let’s give it a try!
To be absolutely honest, my first thought on this game was that I don’t really have “that much” stuff. I bet most people think the same thing.
In the last couple of weeks, I have turned on more of my analytical side of my brain, so it steps in and asks “where is the proof to back that claim up buddy!”
And of course my first thought was incorrect. I do have a lot of stuff I no longer use, love or appreciate and hence, must go. Minimising your life living space isn’t just a spring clean, I liken it to a full detox for your home! At least, that’s what it has been like for me.
One surprising outcome of this minimalism challenge, and this came to me in the first couple of days, is that it is helping with my proastination. I don’t have a lot of junk per-Se but I do have a lot of stuff that I “intend” to give away or, “intend” to throw out or “intend”to fix or “intend” to replace. No one ever has ever accomplished anything with intention alone!.
Like lots of little things, they get dumped into the big box in our minds labeled “when I get around to it”. There are just too many other important things at hand like video games, Facebook-Instagram-Twitter, and watching YouTube videos, then after all that, it’s time to relax with some mind numbing television that I mistake for entertainment. Boy, it’s hard work doing all these things just so I don’t have to do the things that I “intend” to do!
This minimalism game has made me look at items differently. With less clutter, I can easily see when something is out of place. When an item is out of place, this item needs to find a home, and needs to go back to its home quick smart. I am no longer content to put moving it off, it needs my attention now, and seriously, takes seconds to do.
Last year I made a concerted effort to organise my paper work, but far too often I place my paper work in a pile to sort out later, but I leave this pile to grow and grow until the pile can no longer supports its own mass and spills onto the floor. Now that everything has a place, a piece of correspondence has only one place to go, be it in a folder or be it in the bin, but never in the imaginary box of “when I get around to it” in my head.
This is only my first week, and I do have concerns of me not sticking to this long enough to make it a habit. One reason I am writing this blog is to keep myself accountable. However, I am greatly enjoying the process and the progress I have made thus far. I am really keen to see what other surprises are behind the corner, and what else I can learn, and if nothing else comes from this, I would still be immensely appreciative of the journey.