A minimalist lifestyle can help you see reality with a sense of clarity you cannot get when you’ve got too much surplus in your life. I remember going to my paternal grandmother’s house for Christmas the year I turned 7. I don’t remember a lot about her house, but I do recall the stacks of cardboard boxes piled to the ceiling and a cracked aquarium in the bathtub. The trip to Victoria taught me two things: first, I love being home; second, never keep things you don’t need.

It wasn’t until reality TV starting started having its heyday with hoarders that I understood that this was her problem.

I said farewell to 2016 with a smile on my face. You see, I know that whatever appears on my doorstep in 2017 will be a result of 2016’s year of intense self-discovery that kick-started my writing career. I am so looking forward to the universe delivering the fruit of my efforts. I say,” Bring it on, Universe, ’cause I’m ready and willing to let the adventure continue!”

The Art of Minimalism

About a month ago, I watched a documentary called “Minimalism” on Netflix that I urge everyone to watch. I’ve been calling myself a minimalist for years, but I’ve never really delved into what that actually means and how it could transform my life even more than it already has if I actively embrace minimalism. Does this mean that I’m going to give everything away, sell my house, quit my job and move into a 100-sqare-foot tiny house and live off of this blog? (Sounds tempting, but unrealistic—for this year, at least.) Instead, I will focus on three aspects of my clutter—mind, body and physical surroundings—using an educational approach.

De-Cluttering the Mind

I have an overactive mind, which can be a great gift, or it can be a burden, depending on how I deal with it. I’ve known for at least a decade that the more I write, the more mentally healthy I become, but until last year other things seemed more important than writing (making money, love life, cleaning my house). Starting in about February 2016, I began writing almost every day because I started taking writing creative writing courses through the University of Calgary’s Extensions Division. The more involved I became with reading and writing, the more I found a release for the ideas and characters who were taking up space in my mind. I have found fiction writing to be an excellent way to let the bizarre characters breathe, and I have found memoir to be intense, but cathartic. In the coming year, I will focus on memoir and personal essays as a way of getting rid of the painful “stuff” that haunts me. De-cluttering my mental space will be difficult, but I know it will be worth it in the end.

De-Cluttering The Body

I need to face it: putting off my healthy eating until Monday or finding time to stretch after I’m done marking, planning and writing my novel means I won’t be doing it at all. I’ve never been excellent at taking care of myself, but I’ve always been great at taking care of others. There are years worth of abuse piled up in this body, and I know that by adding moderate amounts of daily exercise and stretching and tweaking my already healthy-ish diet, I will start to get rid of the toxins and stress my body has accumulated over the years. I can imagine how much better I will feel when I stop abusing my body. I’ve done some reading on this subject and believe that simple changes can be regenerative—so let me know if you start to see signs of reverse-aging.

De-Cluttering Physical Surroundings

I can’t say that I am attached to most of the things in my physical surroundings. For years, I’ve been cleaning out my closet once or twice a year, and I don’t have a lot of “extras” lying around unless they have sentimental value or were given to me. Of course, I will go through everything with more purposeful intentions. I went through my dresser a week ago, and I feel lighter already.

But I do tend to start projects and not finish them because I get too busy or I lose steam, and that creates its own kind of clutter. I want to have the kind of home I don’t feel I need to apologize about—you know, a home where I wouldn’t die of shame if my mom showed up unexpectedly. This year, I plan to finish up renovations I’ve started over the years. I’ve already put a dent into my “to-finish” list. And, if all goes well, I should be ready to start renovating my living room. I’ve already taken down the painting the covers the horrible hump on the wall from where previous owners moved the staircase. That should spur me on.

A Work in Progress

Little by little, I hope to feel lighter. I will remember to breathe and remind myself that it doesn’t need to get done today. I will also remind myself that 10 minutes of working on a shelf in the closet will get me closer to my goal of minimizing.

What are you going to do to make your own life more manageable? I’d love to know–Leave me a comment.

For excellent resources on these topics, please see https://medium.com/personal-growth/13-things-you-need-to-give-up-if-you-want-to-be-successful-44b5b9b06a26#.44mw2rxh0

Also, consider following http://www.theminimalists.com for weekly tips.