you know all those magazine articles that teach you how to organize?
i took three of them this weekend and did the steps.
i have been saving the articles for a long while.
i have also been collecting images on pinterest that i liked. finally used them instead of just being "inspired" by them. ie: thinking about it and not doing it.
the magazine articles are from the only magazine i subscribe to, whole living. (actually, i also subscribe to blind spot. love that one.)
within the past few years i've had the goal of discovering rhythms that ring true to my spirit.
so here's my version of spring cleaning:
1. replaced all my dried flowers with living plants. this was a piece of advice from the whole living article.
2. got rid of books. some books are one-time reads. i got rid of those ones. some books i just dont want to read but feel like i SHOULD read. got rid of those. some books were from college and i will never pick up on my own. got rid of those. i also used to buy old books just because they were old. got rid of those.
3. i have lots of crap. i got rid of all of it. vague, but not vague.
4, i've been cleansing my closet slowly, so i didnt have many clothes to give away, but i did find one thing to give to my sister. i love having a minimum amount of clothes and wearing things over and over.
5. made some new file folders and filed things away.
6. got a few things at ikea to help.
7. rearranged the living room 3 times until it felt right.
8. sold things on craigslist. sent an email to my friends telling them i was giving away books. dropped things off at goodwill.
after this was done, i made things functional and meaningful.
-- highlighted things that i really loved by making them stand out on a shelf or whatever .
-- hid and put away things that i dont really love but need.
-- organized according to how i use things.
this means >>>> put the books i read every morning near the chair where i read. put matches by the candles. taped up things that inspire me near my desk instead of hiding them in a folder. realized i had about 5 kinds of books and put them in their own sections. got rid of things that were there just for decoration to fill space.
so, now i feel really good.
i think the coolest part is actually having things surrounding me that are meaningful.
getting the filler-stuff out of there: the stuff i never use and am never going to touch.
i now have only what i care about.
it feels so refreshing.
* making color spectrums with books makes me feel bizarrely satisfied.
p.s., i need to tell you that this was really hard. it was emotional to let go of things that i once was really into. like my wooden box coffee table that looked like a coffin. i loved that thing. but it was time for something new. and yeah i might 'need' it 'one day', but if that day comes i'll find something new that fits me in that phase. so yeah. throwing away old crap isn't exactly fun, but it's freeing.
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Comments
I love a good life cleanse!
I need to follow in your footsteps and be way more intentional about it...
(04.25.11 @ 02:45 PM)CUE THE ANGELS SINGING IN A CHOIR!
(04.25.11 @ 02:59 PM)Congratulations. Big jobs are the most satisfying.
hmm...I feel refreshed! Really!
(04.25.11 @ 03:52 PM)come to my house! do you consult ?!
(04.25.11 @ 03:58 PM)Shan. The PH looks so fresh! I have really been thinking about it lately. The provided housing here in Oregon is not so homey, pretty, or fresh.
Miss you. Also, the post-it still warms my heart. LOVE.
(04.25.11 @ 03:59 PM)i am so inspired by simplicity and minimalism, so i loved this post.. thank you!! i moved away from LA last fall and have now been living with 30 or so boxes worth of stuff packed away.. love realizing that we don't need all that we surround ourselves with. will definitely look back at this post once we move into a house and our ultimate organization project begins! :)
(04.25.11 @ 04:09 PM)I JUST leaned my horrible mess of a desk before sitting down to read this. I'm in an organizing mood right now. Love all your succulents - I really want some but just haven't gotten any yet. Perhaps today is the day!
(04.25.11 @ 04:09 PM)Your home filled me with delight today—but it is your methodologies that filled me with joy and a sense of relief-by-proxy. Incidentally, I went on a similar rampage recently. I know how great it feels. Yay, you.
(04.25.11 @ 04:16 PM)yeah! you go! you know i love this...
(04.25.11 @ 05:38 PM)NICE!
(04.25.11 @ 06:11 PM)GOOD JOB SHANNON! All that in a weekend - I'm impressed & inspired.
(04.25.11 @ 07:09 PM)great post! i have to know... where is your grey couch from?
(04.26.11 @ 03:19 AM)this website is a breath of fresh air from the comparatively dull and un-artsy university life i'm living! your photos are wonderful :) i especially love the polaroids. cosmo is the cutest bird, and your apartment is lovely!
(04.26.11 @ 06:17 AM)i'm going through a similar phase right now - i'm calling it "operation purge 2011" ;)
(04.26.11 @ 08:01 AM)i am really inpsired by minimalist living (my home is basically the opposite right now)... but i'm also looking to 'throw away old crap' and really downsize so we can BREATHE in our home again.
an interesting woman/blog: http://www.missminimalist.com/
check it out! she's pretty hardcore...but insipring!
:)
i'm going through a similar phase right now - i'm calling it "operation purge 2011" ;)
(04.26.11 @ 08:03 AM)i am really inpsired by minimalist living (my home is basically the opposite right now)... but i'm also looking to 'throw away old crap' and really downsize so we can BREATHE in our home again.
an interesting woman/blog: http://www.missminimalist.com/
check it out! she's pretty hardcore...but insipring!
your place looks beautiful - love the 'light' and color!
Making color spectrums with books is genius.
(04.26.11 @ 09:59 AM)YOU HAVE FR. DE CAUSSADE ON YOUR BOOKSHELF. UNDER BROTHER LAWRENCE. You are one of my new favorite people, Shannon.
(04.26.11 @ 03:48 PM)1. Did I just read that you are on Pinterest? I am so addicted.
2. Just reading this post made me feel cleaner and fresher, like I do after I read a Real Simple magazine. In my other life I am a personal organizer. I would clean my friend's garages for free. Love it.
3. Is that The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence on your book shelf? One of my faves. I think of this book when I am doing the dishes.
4. about your p.s....this is what I tell myself when I get rid of things that I barely use but think I might want some day: if I actually wind up needing it, I can go buy it or borrow it. And yet, I have never had to do this in all my years of tossing.
So. Yeah for tossing! When you toss, you make room in your heart to usher in the new. :)
(04.26.11 @ 09:35 PM)I love your home, it's so happy and light.
(04.27.11 @ 10:22 AM)I love how spacious your home is. I am in LOVE with your kitchen. I also love how you planted succulents in random jars and placed them all over your home.
(04.28.11 @ 08:29 AM)i
(05.04.11 @ 11:23 AM)I commented when I was over how much I liked the little plant on the side table, but I like the picture even more! Your apartment is awesome
(05.05.11 @ 07:38 AM)