Minimalism and Motherhood
Minimalism is a tool to rid yourself of life’s excess in favor of focusing on what’s important—so you can find happiness, fulfillment, and freedom.
Intriguing? Isn’t it.
It was smack in the middle of a long day when I put on the movie Kung Fu Panda for my kid to watch so I could get some work done. I had spent most of the day so far cleaning and making food for my family. I. Was. Over it. Tired repeatedly picking up the same toys, socks, and junk mail while my work and playtime with my baby was taking a back seat. There was one scene that caught my attention. It was in the bedroom of a kung fu master that caused me to pause and have the passing thought “ah, that looks refreshing. Nothing to clean.” The bedroom literally had a lamp and a mattress on the floor. The thought made me laugh and realize that if I was feeling jealous of a cartoon character in an empty bedroom I need to make some changes.
Minimalism is all about getting rid of things you do not use or need. According to minimalist.com it is
“leaving an uncluttered, simple environment and an uncluttered, simple life. It’s living without an obsession with material things or an obsession with doing everything and doing too much. It’s using simple tools, having a simple wardrobe, carrying little and living lightly.”
Ah, lightly. What a beautiful word.
There are many benefits to minimalism including lower stress, less expensive, less debt, less cleaning and less maintaining. A lot less is sounding pretty good to me right now! But there’s also lots of ‘more.’ It’s more enjoyable, more room for creating, more time and energy for loved ones, more peace, and more time for doing the things that give you joy. There’s more time for getting healthy. It’s more sustainable. It’s easier to organize. These are only the start.” The goal is to live frugally, debt-free, sustainably, naturally.
There are six questions listed that minimalist are encouraged to ask themselves before making a purchase of any kind.
- Who am I buying this for?
- Will this add value to my life?
- Can I afford it?
- Is this the best use of this money?
- What’s the actual cost?
- Would the best version of me buy this?
I am currently listening to a very popular podcaster named Allie Casazza. She is all about offering a version of minimalism specifically for mothers and even offers a free course to get started if you want to give it a listen to and take action! Here are 3 things you can do to start reaping some of the rewards that comes from minimalism.
1. Pick One Thing. Go through one thing and throw 60% of it away. This could be your makeup bag, your junk drawer or toys! Pick one thing to simplify and see how you feel! It may just give you the boost and enthusiasm you need to tackle some of the harder stuff!
2. Put away some dishes. Endless amounts of dishes got ya down? Allie Casazza says this: “How many people in your house? 6? Well then guess how many plates you need? 6.” She isn’t against have spare sets for when guests are over, but get them out of your everyday cupboard and start rinsing dishes as soon as they’re used. Less dishes means, well, less dishes!
3. Cut back on your wardrobe. Same concept here with laundry as with dishes. Get rid of clothes! You don’t need all those shirts from high school that you never wear, or 5 different pairs of pajama pants that you’ve been collecting each Christmas Eve. Less clothes means less laundry. Once you’ve got the laundry piles down, make it part of your morning routine to start one load of laundry each morning and see it through all the way to the end before the end of the day.
Motherhood should be enjoyed not just endured! Quality over quantity over here at Mac and Mabel, and our goal is to always provide the best quality for our customers. Thanks for reading and now enjoy your therapeutic purging session!