In the last month, i have undertaken the grand ménage of my house.
I went through every room.
I have looked in every drawer.
I have opened every closet
And i have looked under every bed.
I have decided to keep only the things that are useful in my life.
Everything else, i really mean everything else, i sold, i gave or if it was worthless, i threw away. Just to give you an idea, I gave away 6 garbage bags of clothes that i did not use. I went to St-Vincent Paul with a van full of stuff to give.
No more clutter.
No more keeping stuff for the “just in case” that never happen.
Over the years, i had accumulated so much stuff that my house was filled with junk.
I constantly felt the need to put my things in order.
Tonight, i have finished this grand ménage.
There is more space in my house.
There is a simplicity and a lightness in my home that is refreshing.
I don’t feel anymore the constant need reogranize, reorder, rearrange because there is just a lot less stuff.
It feels really great to have a house that is simply in order.
Le grand ménage… part 2
Consequences and side effects…
I have been having this discussion with friends in the comment section of my previous post. I think these are worth publishing because i understand that i am not alone.
We are all, to varying degrees, surviving in a sea of clutter… Most people’s houses are filled with stuff. I am not saying that we are all hoarders but most people keep in their house more stuff than they really need… much more stuff… for the just in case that never happen.
We are not hoarder. Our houses are impeccable. But you know, putting stuff away in large Rubbermaid containers or reorganizing space to “maximize” storage in closets does not solve anything. We tend to keep too much stuff.
I realize it now… this clutter is affecting our lives physically and mentally.
My life has been decluttered. I still have a lot of stuff but it’s all useful stuff. It all means something. It’s funny because I feel free because there is more free space in my home, more order. I know where things are and what things are for.
People say: “”a healthy mind in a healthy body” but i would add ” a healthy mind in a healthy body in a healthy environment”.
Doing the grand ménage with the help and advice of my girlfriend Edith Vaillancourt has transformed my home. I have the feeling of a renewed kitchen just because we re-thought where things should go and my work flow is more functional.
And you know what? When i threw stuff away, i found stuff i thought i had lost. I even found stuff i did not know i had. Last month, i bought a cake spatula… and i found out i already had two… The were just there, hidden in the clutter of my kitchen’s drawers.
A month ago, i had trouble putting things away in drawers in my kitchen. Now, i have free space and some empty drawers in my kitchen… How crazy is that?
I think the biggest challenge is to let go of stuff you really don’t need but that you hold on to “just in case”.
Reading this book will help you take the first step.
Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life, Second Edition de Joshua Fields Millburn, Ryan Nicodemus. https://www.audible.com/pd?asin=B01N3YYP7Y
It is a bit about what i did, and much more.
Enjoy.
My next challenge: work less, live more.
Martin Pham Dinh 