For the month of July I have been playing The Minimalists Game. According to this “game” for each day of the challenge, you get rid of whatever number of things based on the day of the challenge. Day 1 -1 thing, day 2-2 things..you get the idea. So in the end you eliminate 435 things!! Cool.
The biggest challenge for me has been doing it after work. Although I enjoy my job, by the end of the day I am given out, only, I’ve given myself, not any crap I don’t need anymore. Getting up the ambition to do more “work” is problematic.
My solution? I’ve been combining days. On day 10 I did days 8, 9 and 10. On day 12 I did days 11 & 12. It works for me.
I’ve seen other challenges where people have a big chart they color in as they give stuff away. The goal is something like 2015 in 2015. Seriously impressive and if I had kept track sooner I probably could have hit that goal but I’m not really a chart kind of person and in the end I really don’t care about number. I just needed a little boost of motivation to make some more space to live and breathe.
I love breathing room. I don’t want empty sterile spaces. I do want room to be. I want room in my basement for the kids to ride their bikes and trikes all winter. I want space in my office to be able to comfortably sit down to pay the bills. I want space on my dining room table for food and drink and conversation. I want space in my bedroom for peace and quiet, both physical and mental. I want to be able to walk to my children’s closets…
The goal is not to just live with less. The goal is to live with just enough. Enough to enjoy getting out of bed. Enough to enjoy having friends come visit. Enough to take vacations. Enough to explore who you are. Enough to be able to give. And just enough that you don’t trip over the Legos. Each persons definition will be different of what “enough” is. You can’t define it by a number. You can’t set it by a certain esthetic. You can’t set it by a particular number or type of pet.
Enough for me is what is essential to live and play without being a slave to stuff I really don’t need. Too much would be a big luxury car with a monster car payment that keeps me at work full time when I’d rather be taking a walk with my dog. Too much would be a bigger house with a bigger mortgage that I have to go to work to pay for but can’t enjoy because I ‘m at work paying for it. Too much would be having things that I worry would be stolen. Too much would be stuff I have to hire a caravan of semi’s to move to wherever we find ourselves in a few years. Enough would probably fit in a U-Haul we rent and drive ourselves.
So for this month, I’m going to finish the game and maybe I’ll have that roller derby going on in my basement by the time I get done! Hey, you never know 😉
Check out the game HERE if you’d like to join me. It’s free and it’s fun!
Happy July 🙂
Liz
I’m not much for the minimalism games but they work for many. I started six years ago and somehow it became a lifestyle so now I enjoy the space. Have fun!