I have too much stuff in my purse (it seriously weighs like 20 pounds).
I have too much stuff in my Google Reader (unnecessary links I can't bear to skip over).
I have too much stuff in my closet (still).
I have too much stuff on/in my desk (my entire drawer of assorted teas, for example).
I have too much stuff on my computer (pictures, music, icons, downloads... ALL OF IT).
So my reform started digitally, with Minimal Mac. I love Tumblr more than anything, but it really is often a lot of clutter. And it was a breath of fresh air to see crisp, clean text posts from Minimal Mac in my dashboard every once in awhile inspiring me to clean up and pare down. So I did, on both work and home computers. Here's a screenshot of my cleaned-up work desktop (click for full-size):
I feel like I can breathe again. I also took the first step in eliminating distracting and unnecessary subscriptions from my Google Reader, Twitter, and Tumblr accounts so that I have less to feel obligated to look at or read online each day. I vow to do several follow-up comb-throughs to really pare these down to the amount I would like to be at.
I also moved apartments for the first time since moving to New York City after graduation. The move was a huge change for me - I moved from a 24-hour doorman high rise building in midtown with brand new appliances, a full gym with pool/sauna/squash courts/machines, and a full laundry room to a third-floor walk-up on the Upper East Side with a little more character and, well, a lot less closet space. So to prep for the move, I decided to be really ruthless when it came to paring down my wardrobe, and my possessions in general. Five or six huge garbage bags of donated clothes later, and I thought I'd done a fantastic job.
But whereas I thought my new bedroom (huge by comparison to the old one) would be spacious and airy and open, once I had settled in with all my stuff and my new IKEA wardrobe, I found it unbelievably cramped and cluttered - still.
Now my personal style never was exactly minimalist - I decorated my room after being inspired by this Keira Knightley Vogue Editorial after all. I will post pictures of my new (still unminimalist) room for those that are interested in a little while. I do still love the style of the room, and I don't want to toss out my old furniture and buy a whole new set of sleek, thin, spare Apple-esque furniture in the name of minimalism. Sometimes the minimalist aesthetic can seem so cold and impersonal to me, and that is not what I strive for. I still want comfort, character, a personal touch. I don't aim for minimalism as just an aesthetic; more than anything I simply want to to consolidate and have less. That word - simple - I want to live by it.
And so I've decided to continue weeding out my wardrobe and collection of personal effects. My absolute new favorite blog (one of the few that remain in my Google Reader) is mnmlist, a blog on life with the bare essentials. It's inspiring and refreshing from layout to content. The author is challenging himself to list out all of his personal things and keep everything under 100 things total. I find this an absolutely crazy and probably impossible challenge for myself, but the idea itself is very inspiring and liberating. I really am hoping to be ruthlessly disciplined about tossing out anything and everything that is just serving as glut. Other posts more generally talk about how to declutter your wardrobe, let go of possessions, how minimalism eliminates the need for and time spent organizing.
In trying to understand why I've gotten so fed up with myself and why I can't shake this desire to streamline my life, I've realized that it stems from one main problem. My mom helped clarify this underlying problem when we were walking around town this weekend and passed a toy store that my siblings and I used to frequent when we were younger. She said she used to HATE that store because we would never leave until we found something, no matter how small.
Ok, put being spoiled/fortunate aside. This still applies to me now, though it happens more often in clothing stores than in toy stores these days. If I find myself in a store, I realize I don't feel comfortable or satisfied if I leave without a new purchase in hand. This applies to clothing, but also to food and knick-knacks, and even to the way I work on the computer - I always NEED to download that new application I read about on Twitter, or that new song I discover on Tumblr, or that cool new set of desktop icons that appear in a post in my Google Reader. Or rather, it's not that I NEED to get my hands on these things, but that I so badly WANT to and so easily give in to this WANT. I'm sick of WANTING things. The second I stop WANTING things, the better off I am on my way to a uncluttered life. I truly hope to discipline myself to allow myself almost only what I need, and only occasionally what I want. Wish me luck or send me a zen garden or something!
If you want to pare down any or all aspects of your life too, I highly recommend and will reiterate these two blogs:
mnmlist
Minimal Mac
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