How I Became A Minimalist

“Love people. Use things. The opposite never works.”

-Joshua Fields Milburn

When I began my career as a professional organizer, I couldn’t believe a job existed that would allow me to organize all day! It was a dream come true. I absolutely loved tidying up, as Marie Kondo would say. My apartment was sorted, categorized, and containerized on a regular basis. And although I already lived a reasonably uncluttered lifestyle, I began to find that the more I worked with clients' decluttering their spaces, the stronger the urge became to continue the purge when I got home. It became a ritual of sorts. More and more went out the door, and my love for creating space was born.

Somewhere around that time I discovered The Minimalists blog and began to devour everything they had ever written. Joshua and Ryan fanned the flames of living with less and turned them into a full-blown dumpster fire. Don’t worry; nothing was actually torched. I donated or sold everything. I had begun to look at my possessions through a whole new lens. What did I truly need, and why? What held meaning for me and contributed to my life, and what was just excess? What was keeping me tied to an image of myself and who I thought my things would help me become?

I ultimately discovered that I didn’t need most of it and was able to pare things down to a cozy place that felt right for me.My home now brings an added sense of calm and comfort to my life—a space to relax when the day is done. And my, oh my, is it ever faster to clean!

When starting to declutter and lean into less, remember that the point isn’t to just toss out all your stuff; it’s to look at your home with intentionality, to ask yourself the tough questions, and to discover what adds value to your life and fuels your passions. And let me tell you, it becomes a whole lot easier to let go of the excess and "just in case" items that are stealing the spotlight when we realize that the space we create and the ease of living it provides can be worth so much more.

Creating Space Organizing provides home organizing and move management services throughout the Lower Mainland and Greater Vancouver area.