Minimalizing
Ever since I read Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, I've been doing my darndest to live a more streamlined lifestyle. It isn't easy and I slip up constantly, but there are these moments and stretches I have of achieving organization and during these moments, an indescribable weight is lifted off of my shoulders.
In January, I planned almost every single meal I ate. I planned what I would wear for the week and made my bed every morning. I was well-fed, prepared, and rested. I also went to bed every night at 9:00, which was good for the body, but not for the Getting Things Done side of the house.
Was I more productive? Maybe. But boy did I feel like a free person. Then life got crazy again and I fell out of my routine. "Get it together, Cardone!" is what I tell myself, but only on the hour.
This does have something to do with a house. As I start to piece together and design rooms in my head, I am trying very hard to keep this minimalist philosophy in mind. It's easy to fill a room with trinkets and clothes and furniture. The real challenge, and I believe the real reward, lies in keeping it simple.
I read an interview on Into the Gloss in which the interviewee suggests getting everything out of your bedroom.
““My bedroom is super minimalist. Only a bed, pillows and white sheets and one built in shelf with my favorite 30 books. The walls are white and empty and there’s one blue and white oversize african basket in the corner for laundry.”
That sounds like a relief. Going to bed every night free of clutter and waking up every morning to land your feet on a fresh floor.
Photo via Ollie & Seb's Haus
Photo via Cup of Jo
Regarding the white paint in the photo above to the right - the one with the adorable (and very clean?) kids playing on it - the interviewee suggested to Cup of Jo that committing to the color is critical:
“If you’re going to go for a white space, do the white-white! I’ve made the mistake of doing something slightly off-white, and once it was covered and filling up the space, it doesn’t give you the brightness you’re going for.”
Image via interiorsbystudiom.com
Benjamin Moore named Simply White the color of 2016. I've slapped on a samples of that and Moonlight White in a few rooms and yeah, it's getting the job done. As much as I'd love to keep painting my walls black, I'm ready to embrace this aesthetic/challenge.
So this was a rather lengthy way for me to say that I need to get my act together and to do so, I'll paint some things white. Thanks for stopping by!