Sometimes I worry that I’m sending the wrong message, and that people find these ideas about minimalism and organizing lacking room for fun, creativity, and life just happening. Or, perhaps, that these ideas are too strict and, therefore, restraining. 

I think it’s the opposite.

This approach is all about freedom. As I wrote about in This Is Freedom, with less, you have less to maintain, less time spent shopping, less time working for more money to buy things, less time cleaning up, and less obligation.

This approach is also about space. Once each item is resting in its home, everything neatly organized, surfaces cleared, one might find themselves in the uncomfortable position of not wanting to disrupt this delicate balance. One might have fear that spreading out projects on the kitchen table would ruin this immaculate space created. Do you resist using this newfound space because you are concerned about spiraling back to the disorganized world you just escaped from? 

Life can be messy and that’s not a bad thing. I encourage you to enjoy it. Another benefit of adopting a more minimalist lifestyle is to give yourself unencumbered room to just live. Space is where we can create, experience peace, and use our imaginations. In this space, we have the perfect spot for letting life happen organically and without constrictions. Not a space that mingles with other messes or gets subsumed by them, and no longer a permanent one. Instead, a new one and a temporary one. This can be for a few hours, a fews day, or maybe a few weeks. The point of having this newfound space in your home is to actually enjoy your home and feel like you have room to breath.

You don’t need a bigger house for this type of space. You can create it by doing away with the stuff in your life that distracts, doesn’t bring you meaning, and that you can simply do without. Less stuff equals more space.