This is Part I in a short series of what I’m leaving behind in the past decade.
Not sure about you, but last year was a packed year for me. I recently heard someone say that 2019 felt like it lasted 10 years, and that could not be more true for me. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t necessarily a bad year, it just felt long… know what I mean?
I wanted to start off 2020 with a list of things I’m leaving behind in the last decade. These are more lifestyle changes than anything else. This feels so much easier than making resolutions or goals. To me, resolutions can easily be broken, whereas deciding to leave something behind feels more permanent. As I write this, I’m picturing shaking the dust off of my shoulder and marching forward. Last week I posted about my struggle with anxiety almost as a preface to this series. You can read that post here.
Clothing
About a month ago I watched a documentary on Netflix called Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things. Obviously we have all heard about minimalism. I think most of us can agree we can live without more stuff. What I liked about this movie was that it wasn’t preachy at all. The main story shared the life of these two dudes who, through minimizing & simplifying their lives, experienced less anxiety/depression and more happiness. They also had more time to spend on the things/people they love because they were less tied up with “stuff”.
That point really hit home for me. Time.
Immediately I thought about the giant pile of unfolded laundry upstairs. Even worse was I had more piles of clothing in my hamper, on my floor, and random piles in my closet. The amount of time I wasted every week searching for that shirt or pair pants buried somewhere because I hadn’t washed or folded laundry yet. That pile haunted me every weekend.
I had too much clothing. Some of my pants/shirts I hadn’t worn in well over a year. Yet, I continued to allow them to take up space in my closet. Mind you, I have a tiny closet so I changeover my seasonally warm/cold clothing every spring/fall. I literally have brought clothing from the garage, to my closet and back to the garage without even wearing some articles. My justification was: “I should save this just in case…” when in reality I’m never going to wear it.
Before I could talk myself out of the great clothing purge of 2019, I started to pull shirts off hangers in my closet and create piles. The piles I made were: clothes to donate to thrift store, to my girlfriends, and simply throw out. Next I went through my drawers of pants, workout gear, shoes, jewelry, and purses.
E v e r y t h i n g that was in my closet was considered and sorted. When all was said and done, Brandon and I filled my car with bags and bins that were dropped off the next day.
The Result:
Not only do I physically feel lighter, but mentally too. With all that clutter gone I now spend less time washing and folding laundry. Not to mention I’m wearing all my favorite clothing that fits me well that I was reaching for anyway.
Here’s a peek into my newly organized closet. (And no, it’s no longer my office!!) Most of my day to day clothing is hung on hangers, while my jeans, PJs and workout gear is stored in my drawers under our bed.
What is one thing that you need to leave behind in 2019?
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