STREAMLINE – Everyday Maintenance

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Posted on November 6, 2013

After you have worked through all of the other steps in the ‘STREAMLINE’ process, it is important not to lapse back into old ways. Just like changing eating (or any other) habits, if your version of minimalism is to be successful it needs to be an ongoing process. You will have to work at it constantly and be vigilant at every turn. Clutter in all its forms is insidious and will soon overwhelm you if you do not have strategies in place to stop it at the door, the mailbox and even your email inbox.

Well-meaning friends and relatives may feel sorry for you when they see your empty spaces and want to give you stuff to fill the gaps.

You did not set out to create a cluttered, over-burdened life – it just happened. So, it could easily happen again.

“No, thank you” is one of the most powerful things you can say in your quest to keep your stuff at the level which suits you best. Whether it is a freebie bag at a conference, a loyalty card from a store, a copy of recipe or your great aunt’s tea-set – if it does not fit your goals you can politely refuse the offer.

I have refused, decluttered and minimised for several years and still know that there is more to go. I keep a bag/box in the spare room and as I find things to go they are moved to the box which then goes to the op shop when it is full. Sometimes it takes ages to gather enough to send off and other times there is a flurry of activity and I take several bags in one weekend. Having a dedicated receptacle for things that are to be re-homed helps me to keep focused.

I hope you have enjoyed this series and would strongly recommend reading “The Joy of Less” by Francine Jay for more inspiration. Please share your thoughts on decluttering and minimalism in general and as well as your personal achievements.

STREAMLINE – Narrow it Down

STREAMLINE – If One Comes In, One Goes Out

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Posted on November 1, 2013

This is a fairly simple strategy – for every item that you welcome into your home another one needs to leave. Whilst this strategy will not turn you into a minimalist overnight, it will certainly maintain the status quo.

One of the most popular applications of the ‘one in, one out’ rule is clothes. Buy a new shirt and then choose one that you can move on. If you are having trouble letting one go, perhaps it is time to ask yourself why you bought the new shirt in the first place. Did you really need it? The last time I looked, we can only wear one shirt at a time so why do we need a wardrobe bulging with clothes?

Appliances are another area where we can tend to buy a new version yet retain the old one. It is usually consigned to the back of the cupboard or the garage ‘just in case’. Just in case the bright new shiny one breaks down? Do we really buy things expecting them to fail? If the previous one needed replacing it is time for it to go.

We recently purchased a new refrigerator. After a considerable time spent looking and debating the various options available this is the one we bought.

Of course, there was the question of what to do with the old one. The Duke briefly canvassed the option of keeping it downstairs as a ‘beer fridge’ but we realised that it was completely unnecessary and would use up space and electricity. I advertised it on Freecycle and am pleased to say that it has gone to a young couple who were trying to set up a home with very little in the way of resources.

Most of us live in relative affluence and virtually everything we buy is an upgrade/replacement/newer version of something we already own. Therefore, there will be something to move out of your home. If the previous item was broken it should be consigned to the rubbish/recycling. If it is still functional someone else may benefit from having it. No-one benefits from it being stashed away to deteriorate in your garage or basement.

As an aside, I find this principle of ‘one in, one out’ a fantastic disincentive to shop. “Why spend my hard-earned cash on something when I have a perfectly good one at home?” is the question I often ask myself.

How effective are you at ‘one in, one out’?

STREAMLINE – Starting Over

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Posted on October 16, 2013

As promised, here is the first in my decluttering series based on “The Joy of Less” by Francine Jay.

Whether it is a whole room or a single drawer, the principle of this step is to start from scratch. That is, you need to get the space back to how it was when you moved into the house.

If you leave things in place this activity becomes one of cleaning around items rather than seriously questioning the value of every single piece. As Francine says, “Nothing gets a free ride”.

Are you about to give up before you even get started? Does the prospect of removing everything fill you with terror? Or are you thinking that you have nowhere to put the stuff until the next step of “Trash, treasure or transfer”? You have made it this far so I expect that you have some very good reasons for wanting to declutter.

Perhaps you could start small and tackle one drawer. Empty the entire contents onto the kitchen bench. Don’t focus on what is on the bench. Give the drawer your entire attention. Clean it inside and out. Replace it and feast your eyes on the space. Space to hold the things you really need and love. Now, close the drawer and turn your attention to the pile on the bench. Would you simply toss all of this back in the clean drawer? Now it is time for “T” – “Trash, treasure or transfer” but more of that tomorrow.

There is no specific order in which to tackle the decluttering. You could try the most-used room, or the least. Perhaps the worst area or one that causes you the most personal angst. It could be you bedroom so that you have a calm and peaceful retreat from the chaos around you or the entry area so that you are thrilled to greet visitors. Whatever you decide, it is your choice.

I have chosen a small space – the cupboard above the refrigerator. This sees very little activity usually but it has been opened several times a day over the past week. You see, we have a new refrigerator which fits easily in the available space, however, the doors on the overhead cupboard were custom-made to suit the old refrigerator so they need to be opened every time we go to the refrigerator at the moment. The cabinetmaker is coming on Friday to remove and modify the doors. Having this cupboard opened regularly has reminded me of what I have stashed in there and how infrequently it is used so I have decided it is time to take everything out and have a serious look at why it is there.

What are you going to tackle first? I am looking forward to hearing of your choices, successes and challenges.

Tomorrow, we will get right into it.

STREAMLINE – A Master Plan

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Posted on October 15, 2013

The first and most important thing I need to do with this post is to acknowledge that it is not my own idea. This is the basis of the book, “The Joy of Less” by Francine Jay.

I have mentioned the book previously in a couple of posts here and here. “The Joy of Less” is a book that I keep going back to and it continues to inspire me. That is no small feat as it seems that everyone is writing a book on organisation, minimalism and/or decluttering. Many of them do not offer anything new but “The Joy of Less” really hit a chord with me. In particular, I liked the philosophy in the early chapters. This helps you to understand what clutter is, how it affects us and our relationships with it.

However, today I am going to focus more on the actual process of creating a minimalist home which works for you.

S – Start over

T – Trash, treasure or transfer

R -Reason for each item

E – Everything in its place

A – All surfaces clear

M – Modules

L- Limits

I – If one comes in, one goes out

N Narrow it down

E – Everyday maintenance

This is the step-by-step process that Francine uses and to do justice to the information, I plan to discuss each point in depth in separate blog posts. There will be one every day or so, depending on my workload so keep watching to get the full story. Some are reasonably clear but other concepts need more explanation.

The important thing to remember about minimalism and decluttering is that it can fit any situation and be as much or as little as you want it to be. However, if you are reading about decluttering, there is a very good chance that you are feeling the need to unburden yourself for some of your stuff. Don’t hijack your goals by thinking that you will declutter your house on the weekend. You can certainly make a start but don’t ever imagine that it is a one-off weekend job!

Tomorrow we will “Start Over”. I look forward to hearing about your goals and achievements with respect to decluttering and minimalism.

Creating Space

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Posted on June 20, 2013

We hosted our first Air BnB guest last weekend and we are also expecting a couple of lots of house guests over the next few months.

The guest room is always neat with the bed freshly made but what about storage space?

There is a full-sized wardrobe in this room and I knew that the space was not used as effectively as it could be. So I set about re-arranging it to create a permanently vacant space for guests to use. I only moved one thing – a spare pillow. There are no ‘before’ photos but the photo below shows some of the things I have stored. This was after I had re-arranged it and there is still some excess space if I needed it.

Now we have a clear space to offer to guests without a mad panic to move things.

Project 333 – One Year On

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Posted on April 9, 2013

Today I wanted to share with you how I choose what to wear each day. My inspiration is Courtney Carver and Project 333 although I do not precisely follow the principle of 33 items for 3 months. We live in a mild climate and many items can be worn almost year-round so I have chosen to have a simple selection of clothes which can be worn in a variety of ways and most importantly, that suit my lifestyle. I have never had a huge selection of clothes but since discovering the concept of Project 333 nearly 12 months ago I have streamlined my wardrobe and made the items I have really work for me.

Since going back to work last Tuesday I set myself a mini-challenge. I wanted to see how many outfits I could create that I had not previously worn before. It can be something as simple as a different cardigan/jacket or a skirt/top combination that I have not tried before.

Today is the 6th day and here is what I am wearing.

This dress is a relatively recent acquisition and I love the fact that it includes my 2 favourite colours – red and pink. I have worn it with a red jacket but today it is a different look with a fine cotton cardigan in pink.

I am wearing sandals as it is still quite warm here (about 25C) during the day but mornings and evenings are cooler and the cardigan is also useful in the air-conditioned office.

I have streamlined my wardrobe to the extent that I do not need to trawl through it to see what I have or what goes with what. I know exactly what I own and can plan my outfits a day or 2 in advance in my head and then simply grab the required items in the morning.

We live in a mild climate and it is officially autumn (fall). It is hard to believe but it will get cooler over the coming months. I need to buy some new trousers to wear to work as the one pair that I owned were discarded at the end of last winter as I had lost weight and I could have nearly ‘lost’ my trousers! I hope to buy 2 pairs – black and charcoal grey in the same style if possible, so wish me luck!

The Power of One

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Posted on January 22, 2013

This morning I opened a drawer in the sideboard – it was empty.

Surprised? I was about to put away the things that I store in it – the vinyl cloth for the outdoor table and the net food cover. The drawer was empty because I had been using these items and I only have one of each of them.

This started me thinking about other things of which I only have one. Do I need more than one of them? Are there things that could be reduced to a single item?

Here are some things that I own a single item whereas I know many people have multiples.

Dress
Washing basket
Pillow per spare bed
Television
Sheet set for for single bed and trundle bed
Camera
Mascara

I have also managed to just have 1 bottle each of conditioner and shampoo. We both use the same and have no need for an array of fancy specialist products.

I am working towards having 1 bottle of body lotion and 1 lipstick (have 2 at the moment) but that will take time as I prefer to use things up rather than just toss them for the sake of it.

We are not so good with other things, such as:

2 laptops as well as a desktop computer
2 sets of good tablemats
2 mops
3 hammers (all the same size)
I could go on but this just gives you an idea of some of how easily we can acquire (and keep) multiples of various items.

What is limited/streamlined at your place and what seems to multiply?

A Rare Review

Project 333

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Posted on March 25, 2012

I have signed up for Project 333, a challenge to have a wardrobe of just 33 items for 3 months. I will be starting on April 1st so now is the time to start tweaking my list. You can read all about the project here.

I have started my list and here are some of the items I have selected. I wonder if they will all make the final cut?

Black/white striped shirt
Pink cardigan

Black cord jacket
Pink and black striped top

Black striped top
Pink vest

Black/cream blouse
Pink suede jacket

Dusty pink top
Black jacket

Black top with squares

Grey trousers
Black 3/4 trousers

Black skirt

Floral skirt

That is 14 items so far which should just about cover work and going out wear. I still need some casual wear and shoes. I suspect the shoes could be my undoing!

I know that the 3 month period will include a couple of days at an outdoor music festival as well as a celebration dinner at a swish restaurant as well as all of my usual activities.

It is interesting to note that most of the items are between 3 and 8 years old so they have stood the test of time already. In fact the top with the square pattern on it is over 10 years old.

I will definitely add jeans and travel pants as well as a rugby top and polo-neck knit top. The definitive list will be posted in the next week or two. There will also be regular updates on my success (or otherwise).

Will you be joining in?