Maximum Gratitude, Minimal Stuff

Maybe you've heard the saying popularized by architect Mies van der Rohe in 1947:  "Less is more." It's an oxymoron – a phrase that seems to contradict itself.  Others include "old news," "open secret," "unbiased opinion," and "awfully good."  Or the lament, "Parting is such sweet sorrow." What does "less is more" mean?  It's wonderfully open-ended.  Answers to that are as varied as the people who reply.  Consider: Less anxiety, more peace. Less debt, more savings. Less busywork, more substance. Less clutter, more space. Less comparison, more contentment. Less sugar, more vegetables. Voluntary simplicity Back in the 1990s, a fair number of Americans realized that the continual quest for more and better was stressing them out and keeping them from creating lives of purpose.  After the consumerist binge of the yuppie-era 80s, some started wondering if the big house, flashy car, exotic vacation, and Rolex we

Many of us get interested in minimalism because we feel overwhelmed by everything we own, everything we need to do, and everything we need to care for.  That's why decluttering brings such peace and relief for most of us.  With less to wrangle, we gain confidence that we can succeed at our responsibilities.  Too much is simply too much. But even when we own less, we might still find things getting out of control.  Organization isn't a natural skill for everyone, and without it, the laws of nature take over.  Like it or not, order is always temporary .  Once-tidy rooms attract dust.  Tasks and trash multiply.  Things wear out, skin wrinkles, and hair turns gray or stops growing back.  Unfortunately, we can't expect anything to stay the way we leave it. The good news is that a few minor shifts in how you think and what you do on a daily basis can yield major positive results.  Anyone can master these skills – even you! 9 low-effort, big-impact organizing habits 1.  Avoid big

"Time flies."  "Where did the time go?"  "Time is a thief."  Life today is consumed by planning, doing, doing more, and looking ahead to what's next.  No wonder time seems to speed by.  We rarely observe and experience what's right in front of us. I'm in my 60s.  And if I let it, the rest of my life could fly by.  Before I know it, my grandkids will be grown and I'll be really old (not just in late middle age). Even if you're in your 30s or 40s, do you want to miss the best, most productive years of your life?  You don't want time to drag, you don't want to be bored, but you also don't want to wake up one morning and realize that days, months, years, even decades have flown by. Time moves as fast as you let it.  You can follow our society's model and let it move at warp speed, or you can intentionally slow down. Like a child When we're young, time ambles, with endless car journeys, luxuriously long summer holidays,

It's morning.  You wish you could roll over and sleep a bit longer, but the day is calling.  You pad in bare feet out to the kitchen, flip on the light, and are greeted by a sink full of dirty dishes and a countertop still covered with crumbs.  Ignoring the mess for now, you make coffee and wander into the living room, stepping painfully on your son's scattered Lego bricks and wondering where the TV remote is hiding this time. Throw pillows are scattered on the floor, a pile of mail and your daughter's crayons cover the coffee table, and a half-drunk glass of milk adds a sour smell to the room. As you sip your coffee, you don't know where to start with the mess, so you browse social media instead. What a great way to start the morning – defeated before you even get dressed. And now for something completely different. Imagine walking into your neat and clean kitchen.  No pile of dishes, no sticky countertops – everything is ready for use. As you enter the living room wi

Is your closet bulging with clothes, yet you feel like you have nothing to wear?  Do you shop often for new pieces, yet still feel unsatisfied with what you own?  I've been where you are.  Maybe, like me, what you really need is a minimalist wardrobe. A minimalist wardrobe is a small, carefully chosen collection of versatile pieces that can be mixed and matched to create dozens of outfits.  When you streamline and craft your wardrobe in this way, you can break free of the never-ending cycle of buying, purging, and buying even more clothes. I realize that a minimalist wardrobe can sound scary.  When you're used to an overstuffed closet, the idea of paring down in order to gain more usable choices seems impossible, impractical, and like something you're going to regret. I had similar feelings when I first tried a minimalist wardrobe years ago.  That's why I've created this list of ways to test the idea before you make a full commitment.  It's an approachable way t

Don't get me wrong – I love books.  I've been an avid reader since I was six years old, and it's a habit I never want to lose. I enjoy beautiful physical books, but a large and growing library is physically cumbersome.  It's heavy, space-hogging, and expensive to boot. When you're ready to think about decluttering books, these suggestions will help. How to prune your home library successfully 1.  Count your books. Decide to give a certain percentage away (start with 10% if you're unsure). 2.  Give away a bookshelf. Choose your favorites to fit on the shelves that remain. 3.  Curate your ultimate classics. An ultimate classic is the iconic representation of its class – the best, most useful, most valued, just-right item.   your favorite pair of jeans the most comfortable, good-looking chair the perfect ceramic skillet * you reach for again and again. * This blog is reader-supported.  If you buy through my links, I may earn a small commission. You probably have fa

Minimalism isn't new.  People have been choosing what's valuable and removing what isn't for years. In 1995, the Merck Family Fund released survey results in which 28% of Americans polled said they had made voluntary changes in their lives that decreased their earnings (not including retirement) during the previous five years.  They brought more balance into their lives by reducing work hours, switching to lower-paying jobs, or quitting jobs to stay at home.  They wanted to reduce stress, reclaim free time, or spend less time at work and more time with their children. 28% of Americans were choosing to make do with less so they could have more of what they valued in their lives.  This grassroots movement came to be called voluntary simplicity , and it was a significant subculture that embraced slower living, lower consumption, and environmental ideals. I was one of those people.   I wanted to homeschool my two kids, and my husband and I wanted to live on one salary so I cou