In the past year, I got rid of quite a lot of stuff (understatement of the year it was probably a third of everything I own). You would think that after my last monster cleanup, my room would be pretty empty. But it’s amazing how much a person can store in a tiny room. About a year ago, I moved within the same apartment from one room to another. I continued to throw objects away (or occasionally return them to their owners or give them a new loving home). When I came back from backpacking, I finished the job in high speed. Finally, I feel like my tidying process has come to an end.
If you’ve seen the post on my room tour yesterday, then you should also know what it took to create such a space. I threw out soooo many things!
When I started out, I mostly got rid of the ‘easy’ things. Gradually I have mastered the process of tidying, until now my space is the organized and happy place I want it to be.
Here is a list of some easy things to get rid of:
♥ Anything that is broken or has holes, and which you aren’t going to repair in the next month
♥ Any piece of clothing that doesn’t fit or isn’t your style (anymore)
♥ Anything you have double (like tools, cables, things you don’t use that often anyway)
♥ Any books you realistically know you’re never going to read
♥ Any information that you also can find digitally or online (like manuals, old school books, instructions)
I wouldn’t call myself a minimalist, even though I survived on a 11-kg-backpack for 3 months and don’t like to collect junk. I’m very practical, own almost no make-up, probably have less than a quarter of the shoe collection that I suspect my sister has and at this very moment own 1 pair of pants (I kind of need to buy a new pair though).
That being said, I also like useless, but pretty things. I love fresh flowers in my room. I dream of a unicorn head on my wall (not a real one, duh, I would never do that) and I have a large collection of colourful craft materials without designated purpose. I’m an artist, a designer and a creative spirit. I like to surround myself with inspiring things. But, I am very selective about what I surround myself with. Because just as pretty things can inspire you and bring a spark to what you do, messes, and ugly things can bring you down.
In the coming week, I will write more elaborately about how to achieve this apparent contrast of a somewhat minimalist mindset in combination with being a lover of pretty things. The list I shared today contains pretty obvious statements, but it get’s harder to tidy when objects have sentimental value, when you still plan to finish those books and that Spanish course one day, and when it comes to those still intact, functional objects that your house is stuffed with. So in my next post I will go deeper into my selection criteria of when to throw something away, and how to structurally go through your belongings and create a space you love.
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5 Comments
spudart
August 7, 2015 at 15:18
Your timing on this post is quite something. Just this morning I started reading “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing” by Marie Kondo. (Per a recommendation from a friend who recommended it to me for a second time yesterday, I finally caved in). She recommends doing purging all at once, so you get the impact of having a clean space.
It makes me happy and reassured to see a fellow artist do this. A couple weeks ago I got married (yay!); and in a couple weeks I’ll be purging at my apartment to move into her condo a few weeks after that. So I need to see that it’s possible to do! Thank you. :)
magicaldaydream
August 7, 2015 at 16:01
Oh that’s absolutely perfect. I didn’t want to give away too much yet, but Marie Kondo’s book is exactly the topic of my next post. Creative minds think alike :D I will go more into it Monday, but you might have noticed that today’s post consists of 2 images. Basically the first image (about half of the things I threw out) I did over the course of several months. When I came back from Asia, I read the book (perfect timing for a new start). So the other half of my tidying I did in about 2 weeks, before doing anything else. So yes, it’s definitely possible. Also, congratulations on getting married! It will be such an exciting new chapter of your life!
Tiffany
August 8, 2015 at 04:31
Thank you for writing this and I can’t wait to see your next post on de-cluttering! I’m a pretty tidy / organized person. My mom had hoarding tendencies when I was young, and I know I there was a time when I hated the idea of throwing stuff out. Now that I have my own place I’m a huge believer in throwing or donating stuff that no longer serves me, and I’ve become a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to organizing.
Tiffany @ http://writteninblue21.blogspot.com/
magicaldaydream
August 10, 2015 at 07:36
Yeah I was usually the ‘tidy one’ at home compared to my siblings. But I am getting better and better at letting go of objects I own.
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August 31, 2015 at 01:50
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