YVALIKS

Have you ever lived or being around an hoarder?

When my mother decided to moved back to London three years ago, I had to sort an impossible amount of things. It was an incredible headaches. My mother just love buying things for all sorts of reason and to be honest we can all identify with that. We are all living in this consumer society where adverts constantly battle for our attention, endlessly trying to convince us that we need this or that. As a fashion lover, I am bit of a sucker for clothes, accessories and all around pretty things.

I moved out of my mothers’ house five years ago in a very empty flat. At the time all I had was some books, clothes, my laptop and a desk. Fast forward to now and I have found myself in the reality that I have accumulated stuff. I have not as much as my mother but I am constantly rethinking that I do not want my space to be cluttered with things. I do not want to hoard.

Over the past years, I have become more and more attracted by the concept of minimalism on so many level. This means a lot for me the girl who loves fashion and enjoy buying clothes and accessories.

The beginning

It all really started with the digitalisation of music for me. Now I used to have CDs and when I was way younger I also owned vinyls (I am an older millennial so yeah I had those). I loved my CDs. But then the mp3 portable music came only, i stopped buying CDs and everything went digital.

I felt like it was easier and simple this way. I then started to look at other ways I could simplify thing by using technology. So at the moment, I am paperless for most of my bills including my bank statements. I scanned most important documents.

A new trend

You can argue that Minimalism feels like a trend this day like veganism is for some. But when ou look at it, the concept makes sense and is relevant. We live in a society that is constantly pushing us to consume more and excess is glorified.

Minimalism is broad in the way you want to use. Some people take it to an extreme and some are more moderate. I tend to be more on the moderate side and to be honest I will recommend people to take it step by step. I first try to come up with what i consider the reasons as to why i decided to make my lifestyle more minimalistic.

Being more organised

although my living space is not huge, I do have to clean it like any responsible adult. From time to time, I enjoy cleaning and organising, it is quite therapeutic at times. But when you are busy, it can get in the way. So it is obvious that with a more demanding busy life, getting things done in a more efficient way is a must. I want to be more productive, planning better and work smarter.

Prioritising

There is a need to eliminate the excess and keep the essential. I am really trying to keep what really means something. so now even when i am shopping i really have to think about my purchases – do i really need these things or do i just want them

Not feeling drained down

clutter whether it is physical and mental is exhausting on so many level. I genuinely find it harder to concentrate in a cluttered space. When space are clean and tidy it is easier for me to work and relax. I realised that I like having open spaces and simplicity. So I am currently considering the decor of my flat and how I want it to look like.

Owning less

Now although I love my fashion i am perfectly aware that all my pretty things do not bring me authentic joy. They make me smile and I do enjoy them but to be honest we have all done it;we geeked over something and then after some time, the novelty wears off.

We all have to admit that we are somehow influenced by the media and society to buy this or that. We are told that it will make us happy.

Now even when I a make fashion recommendations in my post, they are just recommendations not obligations. I try to be more sensible about my purchases. I do not always need the latest and this is what I am learning. I actually want to get more classic pieces that can be wears in every seasons and be more mindful of trends that will only last a moment.

In conclusion, It is all a learning curve and I am on this journey to embrace a bit more of simplicity just to make things a bit more orderly.

I just want more space to breathe to really focus on.