#de cluttering

I’m not going to lie, things are pretty forking stressful at the moment. On top of my daily PhD project pressures, I am leaving for the US in three weeks, which means I have to get EVERYTHING sorted for that, both in terms of my work and personal life. Additionally, my housemate (and best friend) is moving out and my boyfriend is moving in within the next two months because we are all doing them adult things!! 🌟 This was a sudden decision and is going to be a huge transition for everyone involved, both in terms of material things and personal life changes. And although I am very excited about all of the above, I am also scared, stressed, and bloody overwhelmed!! 

I have previously mentioned that I am trying to be a lot more minimalist and sustainable in my life. I have been on the path towards this lifestyle for a few years now; it is definitely not an overnight process. However, to cope with all of the above, I have really kicked it up a notch lately. But before I go into that, I just wanted to share that, for me, minimalism is primarily about the following things:

Having more time (in so many contexts). ⌚

Having more clarity and being more focused. 🌱

Being a lot more sustainable and environmentally conscious. 🌍

Saving money. 💷

Making packing (especially for a 35 day trip) a lot easier! ✈

Being less stressed. 🌊

Personal freedom. 🌿

So, this weekend I had decided to brutally start re-tackling the items I own, primarily my closet, which although I have de-cluttered many times before has been/still is my biggest challenge. I started off with a total of 185 items, which may not seem like a lot to some people, but is a lot for someone who is striving towards more of a capsule wardrobe/project333 lifestyle. So, I took out all of those 185 items, cracked open a red bull, and ruthlessly started going through everything. It was tough, it always is, but I managed to get my stuff down to 139 items! That’s 46 items that I no longer needed, replaced by space and clarity; something I could really do with more of right now. ⭐ My next step will be to do the backwards hanger challenge over the course of the year, which will hopefully help pull out some of those last lingering items. Note: I have donated all of the unwanted items.

Photo: Me doing them minimalist things; took a total of 11 hours. 

Being minimalist not only MASSIVELY helps me in dealing with day to day challenges and stresses of the PhD and life in general, but it also helps me be a lot more sustainable. Here are some of the changes I have made:

Day to day:

I always carry a reusable bottle, bag, and coffee cup. ☕

I recycle as much as possible.

I use biodegradable items where possible. ♻

I have bought a mooncup (haven’t tried it yet, kinda freaking out). 

Travel:

I cycle or walk everywhere that is within a feasible distance (usually under 6 miles). 🚲

I am setting myself a challenge to stop collecting hotel toiletries just because they are free when I really don’t need them. 🚿

Food:

I am 4 days away from completing my 48 day challenge of going vegetarian for the Great Lent. It is true what was said in a recent mental resilience workshop I attended; if you repeat something consistently for 28 days it becomes a habit. Being vegetarian is definitely NOT a lifestyle I will continue pursuing, but I am going to be a lot more mindful about the quantity and source of the animal produce I eat. 🥗

I do my best to bring my own lunch to work. 

I am challenging myself to stop taking freebies of food or drink where it’s available, especially when I don’t actually want or need those items.

Consumerism:

I am making it a challenge for myself to stop accepting free samples of stuff.

Since de-cluttering my closet I am SO MUCH MORE aware of the temptation of sales, marketing, advertisements etc. and I am much more conscious of what I actually need. In fact, I am challenging myself to not buy any new clothing items until the end of the year, unless a particular item needs replacing. 👗

I am trying to purchase quality over quantity.

I no longer want to fall for “buy one get one...” schemes. 

I buy most of my clothes from charity/secondhand stores. 🛒

I watched a short video by Zanna van Dijk on sustainability recently, who mentioned that a piece of clothing/shoes needs to be worn at least 30 times for it to be a sustainable buy, and that really hit home for me. 

I know this post is very heavy on minimalism (oh the irony) and sustainability, but these two things are hugely important to me, both in how I cope with the weight of a PhD/adult life and also in terms of my values. If you’re interested on either of these topics, here are some good reads/podcasts/people I follow/listen to for knowledge and inspiration: 

Podcasts: Millenial Minimalists  and The Minimalists (both also on Spotify). Both cover minimalism in terms of physical items, social media, relationships, money, food, and emotional well-being. On the note of social media, I have been off of Facebook for almost a year now! I haven’t looked back once. 🎉

Person: Zanna van Dijk - I follow her content on her website, Youtube, and Instagram. 

Reads: Mark Manson - to be honest, all of his articles, but especially this one, and also this book. 📙

Have a wonderfully productive rest of the week!

Photo: A super relevant meme. Source: Tumblr.

I worked most of the day. Otherwise, I did one load of laundry, cleaned the kitchen, and ran some errands with my son. I had Korean takeout with my son for lunch, and that was very nice.

I've done zero de-cluttering this past week, I really need to start doing that again.

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