I rearranged my apartment furniture this weekend. I moved my bed from the middle of the room into a corner, moved my digital piano into the bedroom along the wall where the bed was, then moved my desk from the corner over to the opposite wall where the piano was. And now I'm deciding whether to center the futon along the back wall or to permanently set up my card table in the corner where the desk used to be (I've been storing it in the closet until now). Yes, it's all very exciting. It's kind of like having the newness and anticipation of moving into a new place without actually having to pack and unpack. So it's better. Also, I like the sense of accomplishment that comes along with successfully moving large pieces of furniture all by myself. I'm so strong.
Anyway, it wasn't just the rearrangement of furniture that made it exciting. I also deep cleaned the bathroom, washed all the dishes, wiped off the counters, went through all the stacks of papers I've been meaning to get to, vacuumed all the carpet, did most of my laundry, and did some other general organizing. It felt SO good! I love it when everything is clean and put away where it belongs. And did I mention clean? Ah... Well, I still have some clothes hanging up and drying, but at least they are all clean (except for one more load which I will get to tomorrow). I don't know why this is such a thrill for me. It's not exactly something I look forward to...
"I just can't wait to clean my house this weekend!"
No, I never say that. But I do look forward to the cleanliness, despite the drudgery of making the time to do the cleaning. There are lots of things I'd rather be doing than cleaning, even those times when it only takes 10 minutes. But once I get started, I usually end up having a great time! Maybe it's because I can see the end result coming and know how good it's going to feel when everything is clean & there's no clutter. Yeah, that's probably it.
Another thing that contributes to the thrill - though I'm discussing separately because it's a thrill in itself - is the organizing. This is probably where the minimalist in me comes out the most. I get an extra burst of happiness each time I can discard something or give it away or use it up or consolidate a group of things into a smaller area.
I wasn't always like this. In fact, I used to be something of a pack rat. If I could envision possibly using it for anything, anywhere, anytime in the future, I kept it. I was all about preparation. Then I started moving a lot. And it got really hard to pack all that stuff around. And then a couple of years ago, I planned to do some traveling, moving to a new place every few months and taking only what would fit in my car. I looked forward to this trip very much. However, all of my things (even without the furniture) would NOT fit in my car. So I started downsizing, or, as I called it at the time, purging - getting rid of as much of what I didn't need as possible. Here is a picture of what I hauled to a garage sale one time (I left it big because it was a BIG accomplishment for me):
Anyway, it wasn't just the rearrangement of furniture that made it exciting. I also deep cleaned the bathroom, washed all the dishes, wiped off the counters, went through all the stacks of papers I've been meaning to get to, vacuumed all the carpet, did most of my laundry, and did some other general organizing. It felt SO good! I love it when everything is clean and put away where it belongs. And did I mention clean? Ah... Well, I still have some clothes hanging up and drying, but at least they are all clean (except for one more load which I will get to tomorrow). I don't know why this is such a thrill for me. It's not exactly something I look forward to...
"I just can't wait to clean my house this weekend!"
No, I never say that. But I do look forward to the cleanliness, despite the drudgery of making the time to do the cleaning. There are lots of things I'd rather be doing than cleaning, even those times when it only takes 10 minutes. But once I get started, I usually end up having a great time! Maybe it's because I can see the end result coming and know how good it's going to feel when everything is clean & there's no clutter. Yeah, that's probably it.
Another thing that contributes to the thrill - though I'm discussing separately because it's a thrill in itself - is the organizing. This is probably where the minimalist in me comes out the most. I get an extra burst of happiness each time I can discard something or give it away or use it up or consolidate a group of things into a smaller area.
I wasn't always like this. In fact, I used to be something of a pack rat. If I could envision possibly using it for anything, anywhere, anytime in the future, I kept it. I was all about preparation. Then I started moving a lot. And it got really hard to pack all that stuff around. And then a couple of years ago, I planned to do some traveling, moving to a new place every few months and taking only what would fit in my car. I looked forward to this trip very much. However, all of my things (even without the furniture) would NOT fit in my car. So I started downsizing, or, as I called it at the time, purging - getting rid of as much of what I didn't need as possible. Here is a picture of what I hauled to a garage sale one time (I left it big because it was a BIG accomplishment for me):
I didn't sell all of it. I took some stuff to other garage sales, threw away some things, gave some away, and I still have one box left that is a combination of this pile and some other things I've found since then that I've decided to part with. It has taken almost two years to get to this point. But even though my plans changed (I didn't end up taking that trip), I'm still continuing this lifestyle because I LOVE it! I'm obviously not a strict minimalist - I have a few movies, some books, some knick-knacks that I couldn't part with because they were gifts, etc. But my goal, for the most part, is to have as few things as possible and to use things up before I buy more.
Sometimes I ask myself why I still like it this way even though I no longer plan to live, in a sense, out of my car. There are a few reasons. One is that I still do move fairly often, and less stuff = less boxes & hauling = less work. Also, cleaning is much faster when there is less to keep track of and take care of. Yes, now I'm all about convenience. And, finally, it just looks cleaner. Some people see bareness. I see a fresh, clean slate. Oh, another reason is that I'm going to move in with a roommate in a couple months, and having less means better fitting into a shared space.
It's just the thrill of consolidation and organization and having less to worry about. I think that having a lot of stuff kind of was having an effect on me - weighing on me or something, like I was mentally carrying things around. Now that I have less, I don't carry as much, so my life is literally lighter. That's just one possibility.
Sometimes I ask myself why I still like it this way even though I no longer plan to live, in a sense, out of my car. There are a few reasons. One is that I still do move fairly often, and less stuff = less boxes & hauling = less work. Also, cleaning is much faster when there is less to keep track of and take care of. Yes, now I'm all about convenience. And, finally, it just looks cleaner. Some people see bareness. I see a fresh, clean slate. Oh, another reason is that I'm going to move in with a roommate in a couple months, and having less means better fitting into a shared space.
It's just the thrill of consolidation and organization and having less to worry about. I think that having a lot of stuff kind of was having an effect on me - weighing on me or something, like I was mentally carrying things around. Now that I have less, I don't carry as much, so my life is literally lighter. That's just one possibility.