10 Insights From 10 Years of Enjoying Minimalism

#3. Decluttering still feels magical.

Ten years ago, my then-partner introduced me to minimalism as I struggled to fit all my clothes in a college dorm room. The “less is more” lifestyle mindset stuck and seriously elevated my quality of life ever since. From moving to San Francisco with two suitcases to quitting tech work for an extended sabbatical, simplicity made adventures possible.

The fall season motivated me to do more decluttering as I prepare for shorter days, more time at home, and some deep cleaning projects. As world-famous organizing consultant Marie Kondo shares, tidying makes your cleaning possible.

“If a room becomes cluttered ‘before you know it,’ it is entirely your own doing. Tidying up means confronting yourself. In contrast, dirt does accumulate of its own accord. Cleaning means confronting nature. If you want to succeed at your year-end cleaning, the secret is to finish your tidying marathon beforehand,” wrote Kondo.

I describe minimalism as the ongoing process of removing the unnecessary to create space for what matters most. As my life continues to shift, so do my priorities. Reconsidering physical items helps me create a nurturing environment for rest, growth, and big changes.

If you’re new to simple living practices, I recommend exploring my popular articles on “Creating a Meaningful Life” and “Finding Inner Peace,” for inspiration and practical ways to get started.

***

1. I’ll always need to make tough decisions.

During quarantine, I got into pole dancing and fell in love with the sensual style. I took workshops and classes over a year and designed a home dance space – I even purchased a pair of 6-inch dancer heels. That deeply feminine dance journey led to many self-discoveries, some injuries, and eventually more free-form, conscious movement.

Deciding to sell the dance pole challenged me. I considered all the meaning I’d made from it, including clearing out buried “religious sex shame.” I’d shaped regular ecstatic dance rituals and felt more drawn to that style.

Ultimately, I wasn’t using the pole anymore. I decided the weight and space it took up felt heavier than the joy in the possibility of getting back into it.

2. Hobby items take up serious emotional space.

Similarly, I purchased a weighted keyboard in 2020. I have a background in classical piano and spent ten years studying. I wanted to get back into it.

Though I wrote a few songs with the keyboard, I’d found myself playing and enjoying the guitar more. My piano training came with so much earlier conditioning, like what “good” means, for example. Gradually, I noticed myself feeling guilty every time I looked at it. I felt like I should be practicing more often.

Two approaches helped me with this choice:

The 90-Day Rule: Have you used it in the last 90 days or have specific plans to use it in the next 90 days? If not, why are you really keeping it?
The Pending Box: I’ve used several versions of this option; one includes putting a reminder in my calendar to check if the item still sparks joy or if it’s time to sell or donate.

3. Decluttering still feels magical.

In every area I create a bit more space, the opening soon welcomes new, beautiful things.

I cleared some stuff from a shelf in my closet, and the next day, I’d made that shelf more decorative, filling it with art rather than unsorted items. I found a sweet poem someone had written for me and put it on display. I added the gems from a broken bracelet to the art design.

My recent decluttering included digital clearing, like my Google Drive and Notes app. Soon after I felt inspired to start some new projects. I drafted that career-centered article I’d been meaning to write and opened space in my calendar for a playful musical collaboration.

4. The words in your home are powerful.

Book titles can seriously impact your unconscious mind. I read that somewhere, and it’s been my experience. So why not use that knowledge to your advantage and choose words and books intentionally?

I’ve been an avid reader since I began reading – I remember being in the “advanced reader” group at 7 years old. I used to collect books, and decluttering felt tough. I discovered two guidelines that helped me make bookshelf choices:

The 30-Day Rule: Am I planning to read this book in the next 30 days? If not, maybe it’s not the right time for me to experience this literature.
Does this book support my current priorities? Our priorities will always be shifting. Letting go of the past and future allows space for the present.

When I took a long break from dating during quarantine, I eventually made the choice to donate some sex books I’d purchased. Instead, I focused more on Jungian psychology and dream work text. That choice created more mental space to focus on my inner work.

“If a book doesn’t spark joy now, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll never read it again some other day. When you’re left with only those books that you love, you’ll discover that the quality of information you receive changes noticeably. You’ll soon see that the information you need comes just when you need it,” wrote Kondo.

5. I still love my walkable lifestyle.

Getting rid of my car to start biking started as an experiment. I lived six miles from my workplace in downtown Nashville and hadn’t ridden a bike in years. My car battery slowly died, and I’d been wanting to explore this wild idea. So I did.

I struggled a lot in the beginning, making frequent stops along the way. Gradually I began to love the adventure. I got into great shape and began memorizing quotes and singing to myself along the 45-minute biking commute. I took beautiful photos of the Nashville skyline from the bridges and built endurance for the hills.

Nearly seven years later, somehow I’ve managed to keep this car-free lifestyle going, and I love it. I get to be spontaneous, creative, and resourceful most days and enjoy the beauty in the details of my neighborhood. I wrote more about why I sold my car, how biking improved my life, and the environmental benefits last year.

6. Quitting social media still feels like self-care.

Getting off social platforms also began as a wild idea. Early last year I decided to go for it and write about my thought process for quitting. I don’t miss it.

I mostly tell people I’m sensitive, and we exchange phone numbers instead. Also, most people respond with something like: “Good for you. Instagram is so bad for you.” or “I’ve been trying to quit for a while.”

I feel so grateful for the mental and emotional space this decision created for me. Also, the expected benefits I wrote about have been paying off. I do feel improvement in the quality of my connections, increased self-esteem, spaciousness for creative projects, more presence during escapades, and more grounded energy most days.

7. Trust the pendulum swing.

I worked diligently with a Jungian depth therapist for a year and a half, and she taught me about embracing my rhythms to cultivate balance. Sometimes we need to explore extremes before landing in our happy place.

I used to count and carefully assess every item I owned, listing items in a spreadsheet by categories. I whittled down to 118 items at one point in 2020: five books, two towels, one mattress, one yoga mat, one pair of earrings, etc. The chart helped me reflect on the joy and value of each item and discover new insights.

After creating so much space, I rediscovered my relationship with joy, art, and creativity. I had imagined taking long trips and living a more gypsy lifestyle. Instead, I sunk deep into inner adventures with things like shadow work, dream tending, and feminine psyche studies – which feels a bit like a new level of minimalism.

As I began to feel grounded in my physical home, I slowly designed a cozy, beautiful, nurturing living space. I bought plants, created more photo collages on the walls, hung meaningful art, crafted an artist altar, and finally splurged on super fuzzy pillows.

Beneath the beauty, I started with an intentionally designed layout with space for my creative practices like yoga, dance, and songwriting. My home reflects and supports my ideal lifestyle. I feel relaxed enough to enjoy my present environment with enough flexibility to make exciting changes when they come up.

“When we surround ourselves with only things that spark joy and shower them with love, we can transform our home into a space filled with precious artifacts, our very own art museum,” wrote Kondo in her “Spark Joy” book.

8. Designing my wardrobe is an art form.

Self-expression excites me. I can inform how I want to feel on the inside by how I dress on the outside. It really works.

I’ve written so much valuable content on shaping capsule wardrobes and clearing my closet. Like my home, I started with an intentional, strategic approach to finding versatile clothes that work for my lifestyle. I decided who I wanted to be. I also shared insights from Tan France’s Masterclass, “Style for Everyone,” which continues to inspire my wardrobe design.

Now, I’ve embraced my personal style as a real creative medium. Again, I find myself exploring the extremes. How much is too much? According to whom? Where is there space to play?

9. Make minimalism work for you.

Letting go of perfectionism is quite a process, and it applies to simple lifestyles. Sometimes I aspire to reach certain milestones, like fitting everything into two suitcases, for example. Ultimately, I’ve cultivated trust in my intuition to find the applications that align, and I let others’ journeys inspire new ideas.

These two practical articles include some questions and ideas to play with:

I recently shared the “12 questions” article with my partner, and I’m looking forward to supporting kitchen and pantry decluttering in his house. Watching his journey with these ideas fascinates me. Also, the questions and concepts I’ve written about seem like evergreen wisdom.

10. Great technology elevates humans.

Given my work in technology, this one feels very personal. Our tools are great at taking direction and terrible at creating direction.

I’ve written a few articles about digital minimalism and removing technology distractions. Many things like turning off notifications, reducing digital clutter, and getting intentional about how I want to use my tech tools have been so helpful.

I want my tools to facilitate creative expression and sharing. I also want to connect with other humans I love, mostly to set up in-person quality time. With that information, I determine uplifting ways to use screens while eliminating distractions. Also, I wrote and shared a song about technology for humans called “Human-Centered” that’s worth watching.

***

When I practice clearing physical items, I get better at making decisions about relationships, projects, and personal beliefs. Minimalism means being intentional about what matters and what doesn’t, then taking that knowledge to design your environments and manage your energy.

Influencers like Courtney Carver, founder of “Be More with Less” and Joshua Becker, “Becoming Minimalist” creator, continue to inspire my simplicity journey. I’ve been following them for ten years and really appreciate their work, perspectives, and advice.

Have you started exploring your version of minimalism? What does it mean to you? What did you discover? I’d love to know.

Photo Credit: Anas Qtiesh – my beautiful partner captured sweetness in my creative process.

***

I publish inspiring, empowering content on self-actualization topics once a week (Tuesdays). I include insights from personal experience, research, expert advice, and others’ stories. I use my professional journalism and research background to keep posts concise, empathic, and trustworthy.

Join the Weekly Love News here: