Episode 3 - The 30-Day Minialism Challenge
01/02/21 • 8 min
Wow! We made it to January 1st, 2021!!! Congrats y'all this is truly amazing! What a fitting time to start this challenge! I spoke of the 30-day minimalism challenge in my last podcast and wanted to elaborate on it in this episode. My heroes, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, started the 30 day minimalism challenge as a way to motivate themselves to get rid of all their excess stuff. Try this out for yourself and see how you react to this exercise. I was extremely challenged the first time I did this in May of this year, but then I got kind of addicted to letting go and believe it or not, I did it two more times in July and again in November. As hard as the last one was I'm considering doing this a 4th time!!! That's how addictive and freeing this has become for me.
I will be sharing on my IG page the items that were decluttered. So feel free to check that out for ideas to help you during your challenge. Follow me on IG @rumaten8r1nk and on Twitter @mylifeinflow.
Here’s how it works.
On the first day of the month you eliminate one items Two things on the second day. Three things on the third day. Four things on the fourth day and so on and so on and so on. Find a friend, family member, or coworker who’s willing to minimize their stuff with you. If you can't find anyone, just do this on your own and really challenge yourself. Be your own accountability partner! There's nothing more empowering than keeping a promise to yourself. I know you can do this and you will feel so much better when you are done. I promise you that and as far as the items you are decluttering,
Anything goes!
Collectables.
Decorations.
Kitchenware.
Electronics.
Small appliances.
Furniture.
Bedding.
Clothes.
Towels.
Tools.
Knickknacks.
Whether you donate, sell, or trash your excess, every material possession must be out of your house—and out of your life—by midnight each day. In the vein of efficiency and small carbon footprint, I collected all of my items in a corner of the garage so I could disburse all at the end of the month. I pinned up signs above the piles that let me know if the pile was trash, donate or sell.
I jumped on some neighborhood apps here known as LetGo, Close5 and Nextdoor for the items I wanted to sell. I also sold clothing through ThredUp.com which is an awesome service. I also gave away a lot of items through my local "Buy Nothing" chapter which you can find on Facebook and then lastly I take the rest of the donations to GoodWill or Salvation Army. These two places have become last on my list because it's just better to try to recirculate your excess by resale or direct donations.
It’s an easy game at first and I try hard to get ahead of each day by finding many items at the beginning of the challenge. Soon enough, it grows considerably more challenging day to day as you get to week 3 and week 4. By day 20 I was struggling a little and realized that I have to start really getting rid of the "excess". Excess is all the extras you have of one type of item. Who really needs 20 pairs of jeans or 40 t-shirts or 28 pairs of sweatpants and leggings. Why would anyone have 8 frypans when you can only really use 4 at one time on a regular stove top ? It's things like this that add to the chaos in your kitchen for example. When you have less stuff to manage, it honestly saves you a lot of headache. It's time to downsize all of that.
You can check out my inspiration and my heroes here: https://www.theminimalists.com/game/
Consume less, live more!
Consume less, live more!
https://linktr.ee/rumatenbrink
Wow! We made it to January 1st, 2021!!! Congrats y'all this is truly amazing! What a fitting time to start this challenge! I spoke of the 30-day minimalism challenge in my last podcast and wanted to elaborate on it in this episode. My heroes, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, started the 30 day minimalism challenge as a way to motivate themselves to get rid of all their excess stuff. Try this out for yourself and see how you react to this exercise. I was extremely challenged the first time I did this in May of this year, but then I got kind of addicted to letting go and believe it or not, I did it two more times in July and again in November. As hard as the last one was I'm considering doing this a 4th time!!! That's how addictive and freeing this has become for me.
I will be sharing on my IG page the items that were decluttered. So feel free to check that out for ideas to help you during your challenge. Follow me on IG @rumaten8r1nk and on Twitter @mylifeinflow.
Here’s how it works.
On the first day of the month you eliminate one items Two things on the second day. Three things on the third day. Four things on the fourth day and so on and so on and so on. Find a friend, family member, or coworker who’s willing to minimize their stuff with you. If you can't find anyone, just do this on your own and really challenge yourself. Be your own accountability partner! There's nothing more empowering than keeping a promise to yourself. I know you can do this and you will feel so much better when you are done. I promise you that and as far as the items you are decluttering,
Anything goes!
Collectables.
Decorations.
Kitchenware.
Electronics.
Small appliances.
Furniture.
Bedding.
Clothes.
Towels.
Tools.
Knickknacks.
Whether you donate, sell, or trash your excess, every material possession must be out of your house—and out of your life—by midnight each day. In the vein of efficiency and small carbon footprint, I collected all of my items in a corner of the garage so I could disburse all at the end of the month. I pinned up signs above the piles that let me know if the pile was trash, donate or sell.
I jumped on some neighborhood apps here known as LetGo, Close5 and Nextdoor for the items I wanted to sell. I also sold clothing through ThredUp.com which is an awesome service. I also gave away a lot of items through my local "Buy Nothing" chapter which you can find on Facebook and then lastly I take the rest of the donations to GoodWill or Salvation Army. These two places have become last on my list because it's just better to try to recirculate your excess by resale or direct donations.
It’s an easy game at first and I try hard to get ahead of each day by finding many items at the beginning of the challenge. Soon enough, it grows considerably more challenging day to day as you get to week 3 and week 4. By day 20 I was struggling a little and realized that I have to start really getting rid of the "excess". Excess is all the extras you have of one type of item. Who really needs 20 pairs of jeans or 40 t-shirts or 28 pairs of sweatpants and leggings. Why would anyone have 8 frypans when you can only really use 4 at one time on a regular stove top ? It's things like this that add to the chaos in your kitchen for example. When you have less stuff to manage, it honestly saves you a lot of headache. It's time to downsize all of that.
You can check out my inspiration and my heroes here: https://www.theminimalists.com/game/
Consume less, live more!
Consume less, live more!
https://linktr.ee/rumatenbrink
Previous Episode
Episode 2 - Finding your Ikigai!
What does the world need from you right now?
What are you good at?
What do you love?
What can you get paid to do?
What is your bliss?
What is your Ikigai?
What is your reason for being?
These are great questions that we all should ask ourselves periodically. It's just to do a personal check in with yourself to make sure that you are on the right path to your own Bliss. Think back to the ages between 7 and 11 and try to recall vividly what you did during those years. What did you love to do? What brought you joy? What were you naturally good at?
During an organizing session, a dear client of mine just blurted out "what is my purpose - why am I here?" Hearing her say these words in quiet desperation just broke my heart. It forced me to go into a heartfelt speech about why she was so important in this world and to list all the amazing things I know to be true about her. To remind her what she is good at and what she loves. In my experience as a professional organizer, it seems that 80% of my clients had no idea why they existed, thoughts of suicide and living in perpetual depression and drowning in "stuff" was their existence. It had been their existence for anywhere from 10 - 30 years.
Covid has taught me that what I do to help people climb out of, literally their own man-made gravestone of stuff, is much bigger and has more impact than I ever imagined. I am their cheerleader. I am their motivator. I am their confidant. I help them get out of their own way. I am sometimes there only way out (words from that same client). I help them release the death-grip they have on "things" and open their hands up to growth, contribution, opportunity, life experiences and love. I explain very gently that the chaos and busy-work they have created is a barrier to do what they were born to do. It's a barrier that keeps them from bringing their personal best to the world. I say that removing all the "things" forces you to confront your shadows and everything that is holding you back, so that you can finally move past them, move forward and live the life you were meant to live. A life that you have a hand in creating. An exciting life where you are the star of your show!
I now know that my main purpose is not really the physicality of organizing and moving stuff around from left to right or into a box, my main purpose is truly to help people love themselves so fully that they always bring the best version of themselves to their own table. To help those who don't understand their own worth. This means they are capable enough and can take control of their own surroundings in such a way that they regain control of their lives.
I am here to also spread the word on minimalism and assist people in moving towards that so you can live life to the max. To share in a genuine way, that moving towards minimalism will touch upon and change every aspect of your life for the better. That is my purpose and my promise!!! It is so much bigger than the money I can make. In fact, it's so important to me that I slashed my pricing in half rather than charging extra like some organizers have been doing. When it's this big you can't put a price on it. I am providing a life-changing service that I want to make accessible to all people. Part of the reason I stay on the job until I can leave with good conscience is because I see what my clients cannot see. I don't see the 3ft high pile of mess. I see the space that is organized and pleasing with an incredible flow to it. That's all I see, which is why I work anywhere from 10-14 hours straight until my clients can see it too!!!! My purpose occ
Consume less, live more!
https://linktr.ee/rumatenbrink
Next Episode
Episode 4 - What is Hygge, Slow Living and Unloading Baggage?
I found that the year 2020 was the year of nesting for almost everyone I know. All of my friends, family, neighbors and literally half the world was nesting. Clearing and cleaning out their homes since we were all under quarantine. What is nesting? It’s a phenomenon that usually occurs if you are pregnant, a new mother or if you are trying desperately to create a comfortable safe haven in your home due to a worldwide pandemic.
Let’s look at some definition’s to see what we find. I want to explore the terms nesting, haven, hygge and slow.
Nesting definition: This urge to clean and organize is known as nesting. Nesting during pregnancy is the overwhelming desire to get your home ready for your new baby. The nesting instinct is strongest in the later weeks coming upon delivery. It is an old wives' tale that once nesting urges begin, labor is about to come on.
Haven definition: Definition of haven · 1 : harbor, port · 2 : a place of safety : refuge · 3 : a place offering favorable opportunities or conditions, like Carmel was a haven for artists.
Hygge (pronounced hue-guh not hoo-gah) is a Danish word used when acknowledging a feeling or moment, whether alone or with friends, at home or out, ordinary or extraordinary as cosy, charming or special. Hygge (or to be “hyggeligt”) doesn't require adopting it as a lifestyle or buying anything.
Slow is actually an acronym which stands for Sustainable, Local, Organic and Whole. So there is also an environmental aspect to the slow food movement and doing things slowly in general.
Again, I do recommend you try to clear out the excess first if at all possible. Please do listen to my episode 1 topic Pre New Year Refresh for help with some overall decluttering. Here are some physical ways in which you can create your own haven and an atmosphere that will encourage the priceless feelings and emotions that are true hygge.
- Lighting – soft lamp light, candles, salt lamps, Christmas lights, twinkle lights etc
- Aroma’s – candles, diffusers with essential oils
- Texture – ffuffy comforters, cozy pj’s, velvety blankets and sweater throws
- Favorite pieces around you – art, plants, furnitrue
- Loose comfortable clothing, really cute pjs, loungewear that’s one step above a ripped tee and sweats
- Clean home with good flow and no clutter
- Hot drinks and comfort foods soups, one pot dishes, lasagne type meals, curries, ramen
- Spend quality time with friends and family cooking, eating, playing games, watching a movie, having a hot drink together or just hanging out.
A special thank you to SmartSound FX HUMAN CROWD Applause Small Audience applauding and cheering!!!
Consume less, live more!
Consume less, live more!
https://linktr.ee/rumatenbrink
Organize Your Closet And Your Life Will Follow - Episode 3 - The 30-Day Minialism Challenge
Transcript
PODCAST 3 – The 31 day minimalism challenge
Wow! We made it to January 1st, 2021!!! Congrats y'all this is truly amazing! What a fitting time to start this challenge! I spoke of the 30-day minimalism challenge in my last podcast and wanted to elaborate on it in this episode. My heroes, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, started the 30 day minimalism challenge as a way to motivate themselves to get rid of all their excess stuff. Try this out for yourself and see
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