A Bit More Subtraction

Over a year ago, I made a start on a process of subtraction, that removal of unnecessary "clutter" of all kinds from one's life in order to create more. More in terms of time, space, lightness and simplicity. You might remember that I began with the enthusiastic and wholehearted declutter of this single kitchen drawer. Funnily, but sooo NOT surprisingly for me, I never got back to the other three kitchen drawers. But, I have sorted our clothes, my son's books, my magazines, my email Inbox, our pantry and now my craft shelves. 

Newly sorted craft materials are much more inviting.

Yesterday, after reading this post, over at A Simply Good Life, about Cheryl's plans for the remaining 29 Mondays of this year, I got to thinking about what I've been doing with my "free" time of late. With lots of full-time relief work since we got back from holidays, I've been sinking, exhausted, into the lounge chair and staring at the television after dinner each night. For someone who normally watches very little television, I've certainly found myself there too often and then lamented the fact I've not done any making for ages. My sewing machine has been idle. My first-ever shawl has not grown that much longer. My cluttered and disorganised shelves were not helping this situation. It was time to restore order!

Cottons and elastics sorted by colour in an old plastic biscuit tray.

My small collection of patterns filed in clear clip lock folders.

So,  I got stuck in and sorted out my little crafting space in our spare bedroom. There were tangles of wool, scraps of material, pattern pieces and half-finished projects galore all cluttering my little set of shelves. I couldn't even see my sewing machine for I'd covered that too in a half-traced pattern! Now, after a very thorough clean out, my shelves now hold baskets of what I decided to keep. My sewing cottons have been gathered up and are sorted roughly by colour in an old plastic biscuit tray that fits neatly into a drawer of my sewing cupboard. Patterns and their pieces have been filed in clip-lock folders so I can find them again easily. This calmer and more organised space is much more conducive to making than the mess it was in before! 

The same can be said for our small pantry. I'm sure a neatly organised pantry, where one can actually see and reach what's in there, is much more conducive to cooking efficiently. A while ago, I pulled everything out, wiped down the shelves, tossed anything out of date and poured things into jars from half-opened packets. Then I put a lot less back in again! 

 Two clean and organised pantry shelves.

 So much easier to find everything now!

The books and magazines in our home got the same thorough treatment. The novels in my son's current collection are now organised on a sturdy little bookshelf right next to our lounge chair. Like me, my book-inhaling boy can spend whole days absorbed by reading (a wonderful indulgence that I encourage whenever possible). Now his books are right where he likes to read, flopped like a slow-moving sloth on the sofa. 📖

 A bookshelf and a basket for books and magazines.)

I sorted through my not insubstantial collection of magazines and made two piles. Keep and give away. The ones I've kept, because they are full of gardening, simple living or wellness tips or projects I hope to do one day, have been sorted by title and are now stored in an easily accessible set of wire drawers I pinched commandeered from another area of the house.

 Sorted and stored magazines.

The wire drawers  now storing my magazines used to hold clothes. After sorting and folding, many items of clothing were boxed up and taken to the op-shop. Those not suitable (ripped, stained, holey) for passing on have been cut up into rag squares or ripped into strips for staking plants. My hubby's old football socks, stretched and strong, make great shrub ties and he's not missing them ... yet! This created a lot more space in our wardbrobes and drawers.

An old sock holds back branches in the garden.

I've tried very hard to avoid sending any of this stuff deemed superfluous to landfill. Thankfully, there wasn't a lot out of date in the pantry. Most of that went to feed the compost bins. Little bundles of books and magazines have been tied with ribbons and sent on to others who will love and enjoy them. It brings me joy to know that those much-loved books I read over and over to my son when he was small will be adored all over again rather than sitting on shelves here because our boy is too old for them now. I recently heard about street libraries and this would be another really great way to share books with others in a community rather than have them gathering dust on shelves. The excess materials I subtracted from my craft shelves have been boxed up so I can donate them to the little haberdashery shop at this nearby community centre the next time I visit.  I'm sure they'll become someone else's crafting treasure.

Still somewhat organised!

There are still many large and small spaces in our home that would benefit from a little or a lot of subtraction. (I won't even mention the study where I'm typing now!) And, while I may not have returned to sort out those remaining kitchen drawers just yet, my bottom kitchen drawer remains somewhat organised. 😉That's a challenge in itself, isn't it?

Meg

Making a Start on Subtraction

Like many people, I've accumulated a lot of material "stuff" over the course of my forty-something years.  In that way, I don't think I'm much different to a lot of other people my age who live in relative wealth in a prosperous, first-world country. I don't think I'm alone either in feeling the burdens of some of this superfluous stuff. 

The oppostite process to the accumulation of stuff is the subtraction of it. I'm not sure where I first read about the idea of subtraction. Not the mathematical operation that leads to a lesser total, but the minimalist concept that leads you to more. To me, the mindset of "less is more" could lead to some very worthwhile equations like these: 

* less to clean/less shopping for even more stuff  =  more time

*less stuff taking up room in your house/life  = more space

*less money spent buying 'unnecessary' stuff  =  more money

*less stuff to keep clean and to worry about = more energy (physical and mental)

*less confusion about what is really important = more clarity

*less need to accumulate/consume even more = more contentment with what one has

+++++++++

So, like fellow bloggers before me (Cheryl over at A Simply Good Life, Chris at Gully Grove and Fiona at Stay Home Instead), I have begun that process of subtracting unnecessary stuff from our home and my life. Rather than beginning with whole rooms , I began with a single drawer in my kitchen:

Before

(What a mess!)

Sorted 

(The things I decided to keep.)

After.

(Much better!)

I thought carefully about every item in that drawer. Was it broken? When was the last time I used it? Did I use it often/at all?  Did I have another one lurking somewhere? Could I re-purpose it somehow so that it would become useful? Anything that didn't "pass muster" (extra cookie cutters, melon baller, coasters and the like) went into a box for the op-shop  destined, hopefully, to become useful to somebody else. 

The challenge now is to continue this subtraction and not to accumulate any more. There are many more drawers, cupboards, bookshelves and closets to do. Given that I can be prone to procrastination with most bigger projects, I find the most important thing is to make a start ... and then just keep going!

Are you undertaking some subtraction yourself?

Meg