Thoughts on... simplifying my life

I’ve always love the idea of simplifying my life. The operative word being love. I have never put it into action before. I subscribed to the Life Edited Newsletter (an online website), but never read a single newsletter in its entirety. Life Edited is a website that focuses on downsizing your life. Literally. They talk about living in small homes (and my, these small homes, though diminutive in size, scores high in style with cleverly designed interiors that maximizes what little space there is), reducing the amount of stuff you own, trimming down your wardrobe (invest in timeless pieces), and shows you how less is better (for your mental, your financial and mother earth’s health). They also tell you how to cope with less and to cultivate simple routines that allows you to live on less. It all sounds so amazing and the guy who started the website practices what he preaches (of course it helps that he has money in the bank as well to get those really fancy designer-ish small apartments and to invest in ‘green’ design-ish products). I admire it all and I really buy into the idea.

However, there is no incentive to put the idea into practice. Or rather, no motivation on my part. There are incentives: I get to save money since I hanker for less and in turn save the planet because demand decreases. So I’m getting richer while being more ‘green’. Also, with less clutter and junk I gain more space, which makes me feel comfortable, which in turn reduces stress. Alas, the incentives are not attractive enough to start giving/selling/throwing. Nevertheless, to show you how serious I am about simplifying my life; I also bought the book The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard, which was also made into a documentary. It is an exploration of how stuff came into being, the lifecycle of material goods. It is also a critique on excessive consumerism. Do not be fooled by what I wrote here. I did not get that from reading the book, because I have not read it. I had to do a little online research. The book is still languishing in my "To Read" pile at the bottom of my shelf.

I supposed that the underlying reason for me to want to embark on that simplifying journey is because I believe that it will make me happier, along the idea that “less is more”. It probably stemmed from my interest in minimalism as well. I have always had this image of my own abode being quite minimalistic, pristine and clutter-free, in which tabletops are bare except for a little embellishment of a single vase filled with a single stalk of rose/lily or a row of neatly arranged pencils and a notebook. This image definitely does not reflect the reality of my life now, which is as cluttered as can be.

 I’m truly vexed. And unhappy with how cluttered my room is.

So here, I’m creating a step-by-step guide in all hopes that it would get me started. I’m christening this Project Disassemble.

1)      Survey your life.

Take a look into the kind of life you lead. Your lifestyle: the activities you usually take part in, the food you eat and your shopping habits and haunts (both brick-and-mortar and online). The first two shows you the kind of person you are, which helps in deciding what to get rid of (things that are not you – time to let that pink pair of leggings go). The last one is to help you avoid and understand your need to shop. I must admit that before the advent of online shopping I have less, much less. However, online shopping came to be and continues to be a burgeoning money-and-soul sucking empire, and now I have much more things that I really need. There is this tinge of regret in my stomach now, for spending my first few years of salary away on buying useless junk. So now I am going to hit ‘unsubscribe’ to all those shopping newsletters that flood my inbox every day. Less time spent clearing emails means more time too! Win-win. And whenever I get the urge to shop online or through those darn apps (oh, which means I should delete those apps as well), I shall force my attention to writing or reading. Another win-win.

2)      Change your vocabulary.

Whenever you are shopping (online as well), call whatever that catches your fancy ‘junk/rubbish/trash’ (not groceries or bare necessities of course). Call that item ‘junk/rubbish/trash’ enough times and you should lose interest in it. I think. I have not actually conducted a study on the effectiveness of words in changing a person’s mind. However, who needs another ‘junk/rubbish/trash’? Save that money for a good meal with friends/family or to satiate that wanderlust.

3)      Stare down your desk/shelf/cupboards.

Yes. Stare down at those receptacles of stuff with your hands on your hips. Give them the evil eye. Scowl at them. Then look at all the junk/rubbish/trash they are holding. Swear a little under your breath. Then swear out loud. Finally, let out a string of expletives as you looked on in perplexity at the amount of useless junk/rubbish/trash you have accumulated over the years. Break down into tears at the money and space you wasted on all these, then gather your emotions, clear your throat and announce, “better late than never”.

This sounds like a pointless and unnecessary step but I assure you that it is not. It is motivational prep talk if you will, to gather your resolve and give you the push to embark on the next step.

4)      Spring-cleaning (do not be afraid of the phrase).

After that, get on with the spring-cleaning, giving/selling/throwing one or two items every day until you are left with the basics. If, in future, you find yourself in need of an item that you have given/sold/thrown away, think of alternatives or borrow. Don’t buy something that you only use once in a while. Work that brain and who knows? You just might be the brainchild of the next big innovative thingamajig and earn millions!

Of course, spring-cleaning is easier said than done. Still, one or two items a day isn’t too overwhelming is it? *nods convincingly to self*

5)      Take the time to rearrange things.

Yes, besides giving/selling/throwing things away, you also have to think up a clever system to store the stuff that you want to keep. A system that is very clear-cut, so clear-cut that at one glance you know you what you have instantly. A system so convenient that you can find whatever you need in a matter of seconds. A system so secure that it keeps your stuff in pristine condition for years to come (so you don’t have to buy new ones). A system so smart that it hands over the item to you before you even know you needed it.

Yup. Sounds like I need Jarvis (Tony Stark’s virtual assistant in Ironman, voiced by Paul Bettany). But Jarvis doesn’t exist, except in Hollywood, so I would just have to device a system myself. I guess those clear acrylic boxes from Muji might work. It allows you to see everything inside and it comes in various sizes and combinations. Yes, I agree that it is not cheap but simplifying does not mean going cheap. It means going value-for-money. Invest in good quality items that last. Anyway, I’m sure Daiso has these acrylic storage boxes too. Or we can always fall back on Ikea for storage solutions. Or… create storage systems with existing ones. Innovate!

6)      FUN.

Most importantly, have fun simplifying your life. Smile and laugh at the things you are giving/selling/throwing away. Don’t sit there holding onto a tattered tee and bawling your eyes out because it was given by an ex. Bin it. I promise you will not even think about it after a few weeks. Things you are giving way? You’re sharing and recycling! Items you are selling? Think of the money! Win, win, WIN!

End of guide.

Six steps are more than enough. Anymore and I probably will not start.

(Note: Honestly, there are only two steps that needed action. It should be easy peasy.)

Are you going to take on Project Disassemble?

P/s: OMG. As I was looking through the Life Edited website for an article to post here so that you get more information on simplifying your life, I came across a guide that they provided. I swear that I did not copy although the contents and my post are somewhat similar. Here is the article. It is a good read.

P/p/s: Here is another article from Huffington Post on why living in a smaller space is better (although the article is skewed towards the Americans) and the website to The Story of Stuff Project.

P/p/p/s: Goodness. I think the whole universe is conspiring to inspire me to simplify! This appeared in my inbox.