Today’s musing comes courtesy of Marie Kondo, author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.
Tag: Minimalism
A Space to Simplify
So… welcome to my new website. I’m excited that you’ve found this space. To kick off my journal, I figured I’d write about what this journal is all about.
These days, I have many topics entering and leaving my mind. It’s like a jumbled mess in there, which could be the reason why I’ve had far too many headaches at night while I’m trying to sleep. I’ve heard many times that it helps to write down your thoughts.
Ideas become more clear.
New ideas form.
The complex becomes a bit simpler.
So this is a space for my musings. A space to ponder. A space where hopefully, once my fingers begin to type, the jumble becomes a bit more teased out.
I Believe in Minimalism
“I believe in minimalism…”.
That’s what I texted my brother after attending The Minimalists’ “Everything That Remains” Tour at Shelf Life Books in Calgary. Belief is a strong word and almost gives ‘minimalism’ its own dogma. In some ways, I think it’s a truth that results in a happier and more peaceful state of being.
Minimalism is all about getting rid of the physical stuff that does not add value to one’s life.
It’s a lifestyle that clears the clutter, leaving room for health, relationships, and passions.
It leads to a more simple life. Continue reading “I Believe in Minimalism”
The Decluttering Divas
I would consider myself a bit of a minimalist. There have been many days where I’m sitting in my place and I look over at something. The side table. The TV. A decorative item. An article of clothing. And I think, “Do I even need you?”. My tendency is to want to get rid of most things I own. Unless, of course, it’s outdoor gear. I may be prone to ordering and keeping lots of outdoor gear.
Last week, unbeknownst to me, some of my friends were in the infancy of creating a group devoted to decluttering. The idea was that by decluttering from now until the new year, we could start the new year fresh instead of making this task a ‘resolution’. I listened to the idea and thought it was brilliant! So I became part of the group and soon The Decluttering Divas were formed. I may or may not have had something to do with the name.
In our possession is a list of 28 decluttering tasks. I’m not sure where this list came from or I would source it, but the first two items are as follows:
1. Declutter Clothes: If you haven’t worn it in a year, toss it. If you don’t love it, toss it. Do you really need that many t-shirts?
2. Declutter Papers: Grab your files and get to work. Sort out anything you don’t need anymore. If you are keeping it for memory’s sake, maybe a quick digital picture is enough to preserve it? Great targets: old magazines, instruction manuals for devices (most can be found on the internet), pamphlets you will never read, etc.
Even though I own so little clothing, I have been able to identify many items to give away. And in terms of decluttering papers, I’ve been quite good at keeping those to a minimum, though I did find something that really had me scratching my head. My 2010 Beyoncé calendar. Gasp, what to do! I immediately texted two of the other Decluttering Divas. One suggested I keep it in my office for posterity. Or use it for wrapping paper. The other suggested, rightfully so, that I should toss it. Sigh. I did take a digital picture for memory’s sake.
By getting rid of this Beyoncé calendar, I have truly lived up to the Decluttering Divas name. Nevertheless, it’s a sad day.
Goodbye Dell :(
Today was a big day. Well, not really, but I got rid of two significant pieces of electronics. The first was my Dell Inspiron laptop that died around the same time as my Mac. Now fair enough, I had bought the Dell in August 2006 before starting my Master’s degree at UBC, so it’s been 6.5 years or so. But there’s nostalgia with it: All those late nights coding in R sigh. Alas, it died, and now it’s in laptop heaven (aka, a random area in Staples). The second item was my Canon Rebel. I took my first (and only!) photography class with it, as well as many photos over the years until it died a sudden death when it was drenched by a Hawaiian wave. Sad sad camera. But on a positive note, these things have been taking up unnecessary space in my place for quite some time. I’m all about cleansing unused items… out with the old!
HIKES & HAMSTRINGS 