For the past 2 years I have been on a quest to simplify my life. Because there is so much information, stuff, gadgets, technological advances, it really requires thoughtfulness to create a more simple, less stressed and balanced life. It seems to be the theme all around, books and magazines are focused around simplicity. Even this months edition of Oprah magazine, it is all about purging, simplifying and letting go.
Here is my journey… this will probably be written in several posts.
The first place that I started was my home. Systematically I have been going through each room at different phases letting go of what didn’t serve me. To make things easier on my I decided that my criteria for keeping stuff was that each item needed to fall into one of two categories.
1) It had to be functional and useful, on top of that I needed to have used or worn it in the past year.
2) If it is not functional, then it needed to make me feel good and provide some aesthetic value. If it sat in the closet and was a memento from a trip (ex: the Tibetan dress that I thought was beautiful when I purchased it, but haven’t worn it once since being back. I put it on, took a picture of myself in it and have it stored in my photo memories. Taking pictures of things are a great way to remember memories without having to physically hang on to things that are taking up space (physically and energetically).
With those two criteria my journey towards simplification began.
I first started with the bookshelf in my office.
I can’t believe how tied I am to books! I mean the one motivation book that I read 6 years ago, I can’t let go because I might read it again!?! Or I may need it as a reference in the future? After awhile this got to be absurd. We live in the age of the internet. Where #1 if you need a reference it is at your finger tips, #2 if I ever want to re-read a book there are over 5 libraries within a 5 mile radius of my home, not to mention there is a Barnes and Nobles, Amazon.com and Craigslist. If I do need to track down a book. You get my drift.
If you find yourself hanging on to books, really ask yourself why am I hanging onto this?
The other thing that helped me was a set a date for a book exchange at my house. All my friends would bring their old books and we would swap, and whatever was left I donated.
After about a month of purging books, I moved to my office desk where I went through each drawer and tossed what I didn’t need. I also took off the none essentials on top of my desk, so each time I would walk into my office, I would generally have a nice desk clutter free desk. Or course new piles would form but now I just have to go through the piles once a week or so. I still have my filing cabinets to go, but that will have to wait.
Another tip, simplifying and purging takes much longer than you would every expect. As you go through things you reminisce and look through things. It can be a fun trip down memory lane. Set aside a few quiet hours each week, do to your sorting. For me Sundays were a good day.
The the next room was my bedroom… which will be in my next posting…
To your life!
Sharon
“As long as you derive inner help and comfort from anything, you should keep it.” Mahatma Ghandhi
