Out of Chaos an organizing newsletter
The Organizer Is Not A Minimalist
I’ve written a lot about minimalism lately, and there is much to be learned from “Less But Better.” But minimalism has its limits. Every so often, I find myself with a client and I seem to be holding them back; suddenly it’s a role reversal: They are trying to pitch everything, while I am saying, “Are you sure?”
There are usually a few things happening in this situation. First, I am afraid they are having a kind of purging euphoria and they will have regrets after they “come down.” Unlike Marie Kondo, I believe that gradually building up the muscle of letting go will lead to more lasting change than throwing everything away in a frenzy. Secondly, sometimes I worry about what I call “stuff-orexia,” when a client is into depravation for depravation’s sake. I don’t want to support that any more than I want to support hoarding. Lastly, as an eco-conscious organizer, I can’t help but wonder if they are just going to go rebuy much of what they’ve purged.
No, the Perfect Daughter is not a minimalist. I admire minimalism. I try hard to live lightly. But I’m not a minimalist. I’m sentimental and aesthetically I lean more towards vintage, weathered and unique rather than spare, neutral or modern. People are often surprised, some pleasantly, some not so much, when they come to my apartment and there is color, china and 19 feet of bookcases.
I want all that life has to offer, I want to travel, to entertain, to see art and theatre and hear music and eat food. I don’t aspire to be organized to make my life so small that I can control every inch of it. I aspire to be organized so that my life can be big without running off the rails.
So sure, I have my mother’s Revere Ware and her records, but I use it all and I also have simple systems to keep order. Having so much inherited stuff means that I don’t have room to acquire very much that is new, but that’s okay, because it leaves me more money for throwing parties and going to the theatre—and that is a life of abundance.