mighty minimalism

the greatness of presence; • minimalism • mindfulness • sustainability • creativity • productivity

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Book review:

goodbye, things

Fumio Sasaki

By @loveandsubarus

The book goodbye, things by Fumio Sasaki is easy to ready as well as relate to. Fumio seems like a super down to earth guy and shares his life and the struggles he faced before he found minimalism, how his life changed after, and the steps he took to create a life of happiness for himself all by minimizing his things.

Throughout the book he included positive and inspirational quotes by some very wise people and also talks about challenges that you may have thought about while getting rid of your things and how it all can potentially change your life.

The best part was the whole book focused on one very important thing. People. For the whole story I guess you’ll have to read it for yourself! I highly recommend it and believe it’s one of the best minimalism books out there!

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Purging the closet

Whenever I get the urge (and it’s seriously a compulsive urge) to buy more clothes, my first step is to look carefully at my closet. After all, it’s full of clothes! Some of them are clothes I’ve hardly ever worn. But it seemed like such a good idea at the time, I think to myself, wondering if I can really let it go already... and I think to myself, ‘but what if I want to wear it *insert hypothetical situation that will likely never arise*.’

The next step is to pull out all of those clothes, spread them out on my bed and figure out what went wrong. I’ve realized today that my main mistake is buying MULTIPLE, but in different colors or patterns. It seems logical at the time to buy more of something if I like it, however that is a critical mistake. Something has caught my eye and I must have it. Fair enough, I’m okay with buying That Thing I Must Have. But buying a Second Favorite of that First Favorite thing is where it all goes awry. I never wear the Second Favorite. I’ve never even noticed this pattern in my buying/purging until just today.

Other trend I notice: I don’t look very good in flannels or zip up sweatshirts. They make me feel frumpy, because I need a cinched waist to look my best. Also, I don’t like sleeveless shirts. Even if it’s boiling hot outside I’d rather wear a T-shirt, or a tank top (but not at work.)

Ahhh, now my closet looks nice and tidy. I once again love everything in it, and will have easier access to choosing to wear the pieces I like now that the formerly distracting clothes I don’t like are now out of the picture.

[mightyminimalism-blog]

Book review:

The More of Less

Joshua Becker

By @loveandsubarus

Joshua Becker’s book the more of less is an amazing starter (or refresher) book for becoming a minimalist. It shares how to, where to start, as well as many personal stories to keep you on track. At first I was a bit nervous about purchasing a book that was so over hyped on his own website but turned out it’s extremely great advice on every page. Being so much different from Marie Kondo’s methods I began to think that a little of both might just be the answer we were all looking for. Maybe not take EVERYTHING out at once but de-own one room, closet, or drawer at a time.

I would still recommend Marie Kondo’s book for the care and display of your best kept items. The fact that minimalism is stated to be way more than just less things by Joshua is a breath of fresh air. It’s a lifestyle change that’s needed to become a minimalist and will do just that, change your life. Joshua also stresses giving back, something not always taught along side of minimalism but he gives a very compelling argument for. I highly recommend the read and I don’t think that you will regret it for those just looking into minimalism as well as those seasoned to the idea!!

“Whatever is it you’ve dreamed about doing if you ever had the resources, do it now.” -Joshua Becker

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Interview with a minimalist

This week I had the privilege to go to hang out with my friend @lovelivejustbreathe and we talked about minimalism which is something I didn’t know we had in common! Here are some questions I had for her.

* How are you today?

Great! 

* How and when did you first hear about “minimalism”?

A few years ago. By reading the blog becoming minimalist by Joshua Becker. His writings are amazing as well as his email newsletters. He literally covered everything you need to know about minimalism in a practical way. He also has a quarterly magazine you can purchase that takes on a new aspect of minimalism each issue. 

* What was your best take away from Marie Kendo’s books? 

For Marie’s book my main takeaway was how you should respect your things and what they’ve done for you and that they have served you no matter what even if you never used them but you should treat them (fold them and store them) with dignity and thank each piece you plan on sending away. Also the importance of having a place for everything and that’s where they go all the time when not in use. 

* How has owning less stuff changed your daily life?

I always know where everything is. I can grab an outfit in minutes and it will be one I like. It takes me minutes to organize and clean my room every time it gets a little messy. And it feels so weightless and fresh just to breathe in my spaces. I could never go back to before I met minimalism.

* What kind of item do you own the most of and why? 

Button up shirts. I wear them to work everyday so I can usually justify keeping so many of them. I do have a few too many hoodies though without and real excuse. 

* I know you helped your mom minimize her room. Was she completely open to it from the start? How has she maintained it so far? 

She was open to the idea of it but once it came to pairing down things she wasn’t on board with letting things go for a while. So far she has maintained and even better hasn’t bought a lot of new things to replace what she let go so that’s a big step for her. Overall the minimalist mom went very well and has stated successful!! 

* Lastly, do you have any tips on getting organized or paring down on your belongings? 

I know Marie kondo says you have to do the entire house all in one fell swoop but I’ve seen it work by area or box or closet or drawer and become just as successful especially if you you’d rather tackle little things each day. For example we JUST removed all the jeans and went through them and then put them into the space that fit them best. Then dresses. Shirts. Hanging clothes. And clothes in drawers would all work just fine! It makes the task less daunting and still allows you to feel the sense of accomplishment and freedom. 

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Intro post

Hello and welcome to my new blog, Mighty Minimalism.

About three years ago I first heard about the “spark joy” decluttering method created by author Marie Kondo. I didn’t need to read the book to understand what the method entails or how to sustain it. I simply went through my belongings, one by one, and donated, sold or threw out anything that no longer “sparked joy.” Within three weeks, I had hauled off about twelve garbage bags and boxes of stuff to thrift stores, and my apartment was looking very bare. It felt... serene. My childhood toys? All donated. Clothing that no longer served me (sustainable fashion will be a topic I’ll cover later on), shoes I’d purchased but somehow never set foot in... all discarded. Books, movies, furniture, anything that wasn’t used regularly were out the door too. The list goes on! For the first two years I was staunchly minimalist. There wasn’t anything on the walls of my apartment; voices echoed inside because of it. The whole place felt very sterile (and honestly? cold) and was incredibly easy to keep clean. And for awhile, that’s what I liked. But then I realized my lack of everything wasn’t sparking joy anymore. So I carefully purchased wall art, decorative and multi-propose furniture and everything I own not only serves a purpose, but it’s also beautiful and makes me happy.

The reason I wanted to start this blog is because a) I love writing and want to get back into it and b) I want a new hobby that feels productive and challenging. I’ll be setting up some challenges for myself involving what I’m working on right now (mindfulness and patience and goal achieving), writing top 5 lists, coming up with some DIY projects, and taking photos for this blog.