Project Minimalist 2017

My first post this month will be all about a personal project that I’ve been working on for a while. Actually, there are 2 projects but I’m gonna talk about the other one later this month.

Our recent move made me realise how much stuff we own and it was the result of buying things in less than 5 years of living abroad. And I’m not lying if I say that 40% of these is a mix of unnecessary & redundant things.

The Vicious Cycle of Decluttering

So you might think that my problem with all the excess stuff can be addressed by simply decluttering or donating to charities or maybe put in a box and send home (which by the way is not a very viable option for us because it’s just like transferring the clutter from Singapore to Manila. So NO.) but when I assessed the situation, I understood that it’s becoming a problem that we fail or avoid to recognise.

Surely, I’ll declutter once a month or once every quarter but soon as there’s free space, here we go again filling them with more things. So it’s like decluttering – buying – decluttering – buying & and it’s become a vicious cycle.

decluttering – buying – decluttering – buying

I mean, there’s nothing wrong if you purchase the things that you’ll actually use, but if you can be honest with me, how many clothes in our cabinets do we actually wear? How come despite having full & about-to-burst cabinets (that you struggle to keep in order on a regular basis) of clothes, we still have a hard time choosing an outfit for the day? What’s worse is that despite having a lot of available choices at home, we still shop for more because we think that we don’t have anything to wear, right?!

How many clothes in our cabinets do we actually wear?

These are just some of the things that I personally experienced and I decided to do something about it. I wanted to embrace the life of being a minimalist, or at least do my best to try it. I know that there’s a situation at hand that needs to be addressed and I can’t turn my back anymore and not do anything about it.

Being a minimalist won’t happen overnight. It’s a process; a journey and a lifestyle choice. This Project Minimalist is a new phase for me so everything is, sort of, a first time experience and I’m telling you that it’s not easy. It’s like undergoing a lifestyle detox and I know for sure that this decision takes full effort, commitment and a lot of self-discipline but I’m ready to embrace change!

So let me take you with me as I attempt to make this happen. I’ll share tips and a lot of personal thoughts as I embark on this journey.