Peace of Mind Organizing

Less really is more

23 January 2013

I just spent some time as a houseguest of my friend, Shannon Wilkinson, who moved into her lovely home in Portland just six months ago.

Her two-bedroom townhouse is not as big as my house—in fact it’s less than half the size. Yet as I relaxed and worked in her house I kept thinking about how much more spacious it felt than mine.

And then I realized why: She has less stuff. She moved here from a substantially smaller house that she shared. She unpacked the essentials, put up some lovely decorative items and swiftly made it home. Then she stopped adding stuff. She doesn’t see an empty space and want to fill it. She enjoys clean surfaces. Her home is peaceful and lovely. And because there’s so little stuff, it’s easy for her to keep clean.

I'm inspired by Shannon's desk.

Now I’m heading home to the larger, 100-year-old home that my husband and I have lived in for years. I’m itching to declutter. I could probably get rid of half the stuff in the house in very short order, if I didn’t have my husband’s feelings to take into account.

As I look around Shannon’s house, appreciating the airiness and the clear surfaces, I can think of several spots in my home that are begging for a little attention. Do I really need all the things I keep on my desk? Doubtless not. I think I’ll let her space inspire me to remove and store (or donate) some of the items in my home office and see what, if any, of the items I store within arms reach I really miss.

This visit has given me the motivation I need to embrace the “less is more” philosophy in my home. I’m going to start in the areas I control (where my husband has no voice) and see if it can spread to the whole house.

I’ll try to remember to take before-and-after photos and chronicle this journey here in the coming weeks and months. Thanks, Shannon!

Tagged with: clutter, clutter clearing, declutter, decluttering, order, shannon wilkinson

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