When I looked around my living room last week at paintings I had stacked on every flat surface available, I realized it was time for a change. I hate clutter and my paintings collection had creeped up on me over the winter.
I hung some of the paintings on the wall. The rest I gathered up to move into storage. The improvement was immediate and noticeable. Not only was I able to appreciate the new artwork in my bathroom, living room and kitchen, I had returned my home to the clean, minimalist aesthetic I cherish.
So of course, that got me thinking I should probably go through the rest of my home to debride any other areas where crap had crept up on me.
Here’s what I found:
- Clothes were good. I had gone through them a few months ago. Nothing needed to be eliminated.
- My cables and adapters were out of control. It was a f***ing mess. I sorted through this, got rid of old cables for devices I no longer own, bundled, tied and organized the rest.
- I had an entire kitchen drawer full of receipts, coupons and other papers I had saved “just in case” that were expired, irrelevant and unnecessary. Gone.
- Two instruction books I purchased three years ago but never use were donated to the thrift shop.
- My “spray bottle shower” that I spent $40 on so I could shower when I was on the road went to the thrift store too. I am never going to use it. If I ever go on the road again, I’ll be using hotels with real showers. What was I thinking hanging onto this for 4 years?
- I needed to reorganize my art supply drawers. Stuff has piled up and needed to be sorted, packed up and stored away.
My home would look bare and spartan to most people. With the exception of 120+ paintings on the walls, I don’t own much stuff. I have just what I need and nothing more. I like having clean surfaces, open space, lots of light and empty space.
Yet, even I have to step back periodically to avoid stuff creep.