Winning at the Minimalism Game is easy. You just have to play.
This is me.
This is me creepily excited!
This is me creepily excited about playing the Minimalism Game!
I’ve been routinely getting rid of stuff for quite awhile, but now it’s getting serious. I’ve thought about playing the Minimalism Game, but every time it pops into my head it’s the middle of the month. I could start there, but I like a fresh slate.
The game is a way of getting rid of the excess, the stuff that no longer adds value to one’s life. Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, The Minimalists, created the game for this purpose. On the first day of the month, you get rid of one thing. On the second day of the month, you get rid of two things. You get the picture. By the end of the month, you will have gotten rid of 476 items (in a 31 day month).
What I think is cool is that Joshua, his partner, and her three-year-old daughter are doing it this month as a family, and they are already minimalists. If they can still find excess, then I should be able to do it quite easily as I know I still have so much that just takes up space.
The thing about me though is that for now it will be in a holding place. I plan to have a garage sale this summer and then whatever doesn’t get sold will be donated. We have a village-wide garage sale in June, and so I’m thankful we have a room in our basement to stash what we no longer need. We don’t even use the room and so it is definitely out of sight out of mind. I’m not tempted to go in to grab something back out.
I also keep reminding myself of the bigger picture when I think about playing the Minimalism Game. When my husband and I decide to downsize (in potentially a year or so), it will make our move so much easier. In fact, we were even talking this morning about selling most of our furniture in our house instead of taking it with us. Then we can furnish our new place with what we absolutely need.
Again, it all comes down to the reason for doing something, the why. For me the why is simple, I want to have more experiences rather than being tied down to stuff. That’s a big enough reason to periodically go through what I have and really focus on whether or not I’ve used it. If I haven’t used it in 30 days, I’m probably not going to and I will get rid of it.
I will take pause when it comes to seasonal items. However, once that season is completed, I need to make sure I do a “cleanse” on those items. If I didn’t use them, then they go. Once we get into spring, I will go through my winter clothing items and see what I wore and didn’t wear. If I didn’t wear it, then it will go. I’ve already marked my calendar for the first day of spring, March 20, because that’s when I will do it.
We need to give ourselves deadlines. If we don’t, then we are more than likely going to continue to put things off. So, stop putting things off. Join me in the Minimalist Game beginning March 1. Email me at gettoit11@gmail.com to let me know how you’re doing. And while you’re at it, subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter. Just say, “Sign me up!”, and I will add you to the list.
