Comfort in Being a Minimalist
The most emailed article in Sunday’s New York Times was about how to say goodbye to all that stuff. Apparently most Americans struggle with paring down drawers, closets and desks. They hang on to old shoes, free giveaway pens and even jars of jam they will never use. Anyone who works with me knows I suffer from the opposite. I'm a minimalist - the kind that prompts people to ask, "Are you moving in or out?" when they see my apartment.
Any extreme is bad, in my view, but I'd pick my way any day. And I'd go so far as to say that being minimalist and focused on what's worth keeping also translates into your work life. I have no problem, most days, separating the "nice” from the “necessary." My 100-day plans are tight!
So why did I write this blog post today? First, I'd encourage any of you hoarders to read the book mentioned in the Times article. The writer, Jane Brody, called it, "about the best self-help work I’ve read in my 46 years as a health and science writer." The book is called The Hoarder in You: How to Live a Happier, Healthier, Uncluttered Life, published Tuesday by Rodale Books. I am buying it today for my mother in law who suffers from this very issue.
Second, I wrote this post to make me feel good about the minimalist life I've chosen, and remind myself to stick with it. With a larger apartment now and a five year old, there are more closets to fill and I need to stay true to my personal brand, as I fear non-minimalist creep might be setting in. Finally I write this just to ask my colleagues (you know who you are) to clean up your desks. :) Ha! 