Don't Wait to Move to Downsize: The Benefits of Minimalism
To our readers: In the second part of MYMOVE's look at minimalism, we consider how minimalism has benefits beyond having less stuff to move. In part one, we detailed why many have opted for small apartments, tiny houses and compact living in general.
You find it in every list of moving tips. Don't move stuff you don't use. But that begs a larger question: Why keep stuff you don't use until you move? For that matter, why accumulate stuff you won't use in the first place?
College kids, parents in middle age and seniors can successfully downsize. For example, seniors may want to travel for their retirement or move a smaller home that's easier to maintain. To do so, they will need to sell some items, and it will be hard to let go of certain ones due to the memories.
Just look around you and use your five senses: What do you see, smell, hear, taste and touch? Some complications are beautiful - the use of various spices in an entrée or the structure of DNA, for instance. Many other complications - not so much. They mostly serve to make people unhappier than television ads say they should be.
Consumerism abounds, and that's how you wind up with tons of stuff you don't want to move that you haven't used in months or even years. What if it were as simple as letting go - of even just one thing at a time? This is minimalism, and it can be done at any age. Yeah, it's great to downsize when you move, but there's more to it. It's about giving yourself a lifestyle to release what's not necessary to refocus your attention on what is.
