Let’s Get Minimal
It’s the first week of January, and like everyone else, I have decided that this is the week I am choosing to adopt a minimalist lifestyle. I dabble with minimalism all the time. And except for two areas, I have managed to merge my chaotic life into something serene and spacious. This month, I am determined to conquer my life’s messy areas (one closet and my personal email) into minimal submission.
There are many references already available, and you certainly don’t need my input to add to the already cluttered world of pseudo minimalism. I don’t even have a unique bent to the approach. I am not a fairie princess-like Marie Kondo, and I could care less if what you have sparks joy or not. After all, soap dishes shouldn’t make you smile. They exist to keep your counter un-slimy. And as for rainbows, I prefer to see them in the sky or on flags; I don’t need my cupboards and shelves to resemble elemental phenomenons. Colours don’t help me locate things. Spreadsheets do. So here is my take. It’s straightforward.
If there isn’t a space for it, it doesn’t belong.
Here is how it works in practice. I have a wardrobe closet. It holds about 40 items plus shoes. Nothing else fits in it. So I only bring in something new, when there is room to put it. This means when I want to go shopping, something or some things have to leave. Simple.
I keep this approach to everything in my living space – dishes, food, linens, books, media, work, and music. Well, maybe not books. I have a bit of a problem in that area. But everything else has a place. And is kept organized. But as I said, two areas need a bit of help.
The Hall Closet
Let me preface this by saying, I am not in the category of hidden hoarderism- yet. Though if I don’t do something about this soon, I will be. So I am taking steps to make sure I don’t lose any loved ones into this pit of hidden and possibly unwanted items. Last week, I mentioned that I would be doing the minimalism game challenge. In case you don’t know how to do this. The rules are simple. You gather your friends who want to do some decluttering together, and you challenge them to declutter for 30 days. On the first day, you are to remove (either by selling, donating, or tossing) one item. You remove two items on the second day. Abd on n the third day, you remove 3 items, and so on until you have removed items every day for the entire month. More than 500 items will be gone. Surely that is going to put a dent into anyone’s clutter pile. For me, this means I will have an organized closet before the first week is done. And after the closet is done, I will be moving on to the…..
Inbox
This is where the real trouble lies. Once upon a time, I would celebrate every time I achieved inbox zero. But it has been almost 3 years since I have seen nothing in my email account. It seems unlikely that I will ever get there again. It’s time to ramp up my system. Right now, I am in the process of coming up with a system that works. The current system I have works (sort of), but I have to really stay on top of it. It will get the designation of “works well” when my email can sort, write, and send itself -without me even having to look at it.
- I use Sanebox and Unroll.me to keep the unwanted correspondence away from my eyes.
- Unsubscribe unsubscribe unsubscribe unsubscribe. How did I get on so many mailing lists?
- Filters. I think I have assigned filters to every piece of incoming mail that comes in. I’m grateful that I have a one in/one-out policy for items coming into my home – otherwise, I would be in big trouble every time I click on the shopping folder.
- Remove email as your main source of communication. For day to day communication, casual conversations, or communication with friends, I will use an instant messaging service, text, or a phone call. But with almost everything else, I use email. And this is where I get into trouble. It’s too much. And I am struggling with change. But it has to happen, and so I will keep working on it. It’s just so easy to write an email – and yet, it comes with a lifetime of regret.*
- Stop reading emails when I am out. Rarely do I get anything urgent that needs immediate attention. There are appropriate times to multitask (like watching tv). I don’t need to be reading an email from someone when I should be paying attention to my life.
*LSW has completely changed how we communicate internally. All internal communications are to be managed through Microsoft Teams and not through email. We are still in the learning process, and it’s a bit of an adjustment, but our inboxes sure are less busy. Every day it gets a little easier, and we become less and less dependent on our email. While this transition has not been the easiest for me, I do love the idea behind it – so I may try to convince someone to help me set up a similar system for my own purposes.
Or maybe
Now that I mention it, all email reading and answering could occur during the evening when I watch Netflix. I bet I could get this thing organized in practically no time at all. At the very least, I won’t be bored.
Got ideas on embracing minimalism (digital or otherwise)? Leave a comment.
A late edition edit
*LSW has completely changed how we communicate internally. All internal communications are to be managed through Microsoft Teams and not through email. We are still in the learning process, and it’s a bit of an adjustment, but our inboxes sure are less congested. Every day it gets a little easier, and we become less and less dependent on our email. While this transition has not been the easiest for me, I do love the idea behind it – so I may try to convince someone to help me set up a similar system for my own purposes.