Rachelle Crawford - Messy Minimalism: Realistic Strategies for the Rest of Us

Praise for Messy Minimalism

Messy Minimalism gives us permission to do minimalism our waythe way that best supports our families. This book shows us the imperfect way, the messy way, and, most importantly, the real way. Rachelle Crawfords gentle approach makes minimalism and living a more joyful life approachable for everyone.

Courtney Carver, author of Project 333 and Soulful Simplicity, and founder of Be More with Less

Rachelle Crawford will make you breathe a sigh of relief at your normalcy (you know, the mess we all have), and shell hold your hand toward a doable life of less, honoring your humanness along the way. Best of all, shell feel like an old friend, the one you can call for advice. Ive got her on speed dialon my bookshelf.

Melissa Coleman, author of The Minimalist Kitchen and founder of The Faux Martha

With grace, authenticity, and humor, Rachelle Crawford shows readers that living clutter-free isnt solely reserved for the perfectly organized. This is a witty and wise must-read for anyone looking to exchange a life distracted by stuff for more joy, presence, and calm.

Joshua Becker, author of The Minimalist Home and other books, and founder of Becoming Minimalist

By providing an honest, practical approach to decluttering, Rachelle Crawford redefines minimalism as a lifestyle that is attainable and achievable for anyone wishing to pursue it.

Christine Platt, author of The Afrominimalists Guide to Living with Less

In Messy Minimalism, Rachelle Crawford shares a fun, fresh perspective on decluttering your home and heart. This important read will leave you convinced that everyone can benefit from a clutter-free lifestyleespecially people who have always thought of themselves as messy.

Erica Layne, author of The Minimalist Way

Messy Minimalism is a delightful read. In it, Rachelle Crawford shares both practical tips and important mindset shifts, showing just how simple, valuable, and doable minimalism can be.

Zo Kim, author of Minimalism for Families

Crawford encourages her readers to release perfectionism and rigidity, explore conscious consumerism, experiment with self-imposed boundaries to free up mental and emotional energy, and lean into the beauty of our ordinary, messy everyday life. She helps us rewrite our internal story so we can enjoy a life of purpose and exuberant abundance that has nothing to do with stuff.

Krista OReilly-Davi-Digui, founder of A Life in Progress

Rachelle Crawford

Broadleaf Books

Minneapolis

MESSY MINIMALISM

Realistic Strategies for the Rest of Us

Copyright 2021 Rachelle Crawford. Printed by Broadleaf Books, an imprint of 1517 Media. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical articles or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Email or write to Permissions, Broadleaf Books, PO Box 1209, Minneapolis, MN 55440-1209.

Scripture is taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Cover image: Adobe Stock

Cover design: Cindy Laun

Print ISBN: 978-1-5064-6686-6

eBook ISBN: 978-1-5064-6687-3

Portions of chapter 17 appeared in a guest blog post Getting Decluttered with Your Significant Other, Becoming Minimalist (blog), September 21, 2020, https://www.becomingminimalist.com/getting-decluttered-with-your-significant-other/.

While the author and 1517 Media have confirmed that all references to website addresses (URLs) were accurate at the time of writing, URLs may have expired or changed since the manuscript was prepared.

For my children, Jameson, Raegan, and Amelia.

You remind me every day that our best moments are typically the messiest ones.

Messiness had been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. For my first thirty years, I was drowning in stuff. I have a fast-moving brain that leads me from one thing to the next, and so I left a trail of evidence behind me along the way.

Seven years ago, then, as a newly married young mother, I felt like I was accumulating people just as fast as I was collecting stuff. My chaotic schedule frustrated the people I loved the most, but I was unsure how I could make a change to show my growing family a different way.

If you are a messy person reading this, you know the struggle to put things away and throw things out or give them away. Or if you are messy with regard to schedule and commitments, you know how hard it is to tidy your calendar and learn to say no. Indeed, if youre like me, youve never dreamed that minimalism was something that would work for you.

Yet minimalism has changed my messy life.

On this journey toward a simpler life, I met Rachelle Crawford, author of the book you hold in your hands. I quickly learned that Rachelle and I are kindred spirits. Im thankful to Rachelle for writing this book. She and I are living proof that messy people can be minimalists too. In fact, I would argue that minimalism is especially for us messy folkbecause no organizational system will do the trick. We dont need a better way to organize and store all the stuff; we just need less of the stuff.

But before you dive in, I want to give you a warning. Rachelles wisdom wont end when you finish cleaning out your closet. Instead, you are going to find that minimalism has a trickle-down effect. You may be starting in your kitchen, but before you know it youll be simplifying your calendar, decluttering your mental load, and living your whole life with more intention. I suspect you will come to find a sense of lightness that you never thought possible. Minimalism is infectious in the best sort of way.

Cheers to an imperfect yet simpler life! This book is a gift that will bring you guidance, inspiration, and self-acceptance.

Denaye Barahona, PhD, Simple Families and author of Simple Happy Parenting

Maybe the life youve always wanted is buried under everything you own.

Joshua Becker

I dont like the word minimalism. As a self-declared minimalist, Im probably not supposed to say that, but there you have it. While I love everything minimalism truly stands for, the word itself? Eh, not so much.

Minimalism has that all-or-nothing ring to it, as if embracing it requires an unwavering, cultlike devotion. As if you must choose between a colorful wardrobe or a bland one, between having a family or living solo out of a VW van. The first thing a friend said to me when I told him I was going minimalist was, What? Are you going to get rid of your couches now? As if minimalists must take a monk-like vow to never sit for the remainder of their uncomfortable, miserable lives.

I get it. From a distance, minimalism can appear extreme, uninviting, and even coldhearted. If you google How to become a minimalist, youll quickly come to learn its a whole thing: a movement of people from all walks of life who want out of the overconsumption game. There are zero-waste minimalists, cozy minimalists, essentialists, extreme minimalists, and those who are simply living minimal-ish. You can read about entire families living out of RVs, singles living out of backpacks, and retirees downsizing to only the bare essentials.