Lure4.2017

ORGANIZATION
A national expert in minimalism
offers tips for getting back to basics
Rightsizing for the Next Chapter
BY CINDY HADISH
The business
concept of
rightsizing a
company’s
footprint through
a proactive,
strategic plan can
apply to lifestyle
choices as well.
Baby boomers, born between 1946-1964, are heading into retirement at a rate of
about 10,000 per day, with an increasing number of them moving from spacious
homes in the suburbs to more compact homes in the city.
Retirement or not, anyone debating a move could benefit from rightsizing their
material footprint, by cutting through clutter and reorganizing their possessions.
During a recent Professional Women’s Network event at the Cedar Rapids
Marriott, Joshua Becker, founder of “Becoming Minimalist,” offered some strategies
for living more simply that apply to all stages of life.
Mr. Becker, author of “Clutterfree with Kids” and other best-sellers, is one of the
leading voices of following a minimalist lifestyle with fewer possessions.
“Simplicity brings balance, freedom and joy,” he writes on his blog. “When we
begin to live simply and experience these benefits, we begin to ask the next question,
‘Where else in my life can I remove distraction and simply focus on the essential?’”
Some tips from Mr. Becker’s talk that can help in the rightsizing process:
n Determine what you value and need in your life. Essential needs may
vary greatly depending on that determination. Someone who plans to travel
extensively, for example, would need different possessions compared to a
person who has several pets or wants to stay at home to garden. “Ask yourself,
‘what do I want my life to be about?’” Mr. Becker said. “It’s about value: what
things do you need in order to do that.”
n Start on the easiest, most lived-in areas. Mr. Becker began with his car;
removing everything and saving only those things that were important, such as
a pair of sunglasses and the vehicle manual.
n Move room to room. Begin with the place in your home that already is the
most organized, saving closets, the basement and garage, where clutter tends
to accumulate, for last.
n Focus on your own possessions. “It’s always easier to see someone else’s
junk,” Mr. Becker said. “But you can’t start throwing out your spouse’s stuff or
your kids’ stuff first.”
n Stay on top of paper clutter by digitizing documents and photos.
Unsubscribe to junk mail and handle the mail on a daily basis, immediately
recycling what can be tossed and saving other items into a folder to be
reviewed on a weekly basis.
n Match cups, bowls, plates and silverware for better uniformity in stacking
and storing. Donate those items that don’t match. If there is one souvenir cup
or mug that is so important you can’t live without it, that’s perfectly fine. Just
don’t keep five of them.
n Get rid of guilt by donating to places that can benefit by reselling
your items, including the Salvation Army and Goodwill, and look for other
organizations that could use the items, as well, such as giving pots and pans and
blankets to a refugee resettlement group and clothing to women’s shelters. |
36 LUREOF THE CITY