About The Simple Living Guide (recommended by Gill)
The Simple Living Guide was written by Janet Luhrs and first published in 1997. It was my first encounter with living more simply, in the late nineties, and it quite literally changed my life. So much so that I set up my own decluttering and organising company, PerfectlyOrganised, in 2004.
My husband and I started decluttering our home, removing items that we no longer loved and those we weren’t using. Additionally, we began living more intentionally, which is what the book is really all about. And I’ve been on my own personal minimalism journey ever since.
Approaching Minimalism
Many people believe minimalism means getting rid of everything you own and living with bare rooms and no belongings: austerity, if you like. This simply isn’t the case. It’s about surrounding yourself purely with things that you love, appreciate, and use (as this book will explain). If that means a wall full of photographs or your child’s artwork, that’s absolutely fine. Again, as long as you love and appreciate it, then it deserves its place.
Simple Living, With Intention
In essence, minimalism is about living with intention. Choosing quality over quantity. Shopping with a conscience, and not buying stuff just for the sake of it. When you buy less, you’re obviously going to spend less, and then you won’t need to buy all those extra storage boxes just to store the stuff you’re never going to use. Furthermore, you’ll free up the time you would have spent maintaining those items.
What do you think? Do you love everything in your home? Do you consider you shop intentionally? Let us know in the comments, or reach out to us on social media.
As the famous textile designer William Morris (who definitely couldn’t be considered a minimalist) said: “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” Amen to that.
Gill
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