Michelle Moore - All You Need Is Less: Declutter Your Home Without Sacrificing Comfort And Coziness - The Making of a Minimalist Life

All You Need Is Less

Declutter Your Home Without Sacrificing Comfort And Coziness

The Making of a Minimalist Life

Michelle Moore

Copyright 2018 by Michelle Moore. All rights reserved.

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Being a minimalist doesnt mean you have to throw out everything you love. Learn to apply minimalism to your life without sacrificing the coziness of your home.

Table Of Contents

Chapter 6: Keeping Your House Clean

Final Thoughts

It was horrible.

What a start, right?

This is what crossed my mind too. Id just arrived back at my New York apartment after almost six years of absence. Do you know that feeling when you return from somewhere, or you have your birthday and you arrive home and expect people to jump out from every part of the house, yelling surprise and jumping on you? There are balloons, trumpets, confetti

Sure. What about spiders, dust, and a collapsed shelf? Ta-da! Welcome home, Mitch.

Let me wrap up the prelude to my life in a few sentences. I used to be the New York dream girlfancy school, posh scholarship, strong-willed startup builder, wealthy parents (a mild, stay-at-home mom and a dad mean as a shark with a hangover, both in life and business. I always tried my best to impress him. I think I succeeded the most when I ran off chasing a web developer in Germany. I left everything behind in the name of eternal love, which ended much sooner than the relationship. Heartbrokenand totally brokeI ran away to backpack across the world, living as what some people today call a digital nomad. I traveled from the deepest seas of Indonesia to the highest mountains of Peru. I ate scorpions in Cambodia and took selfies with a Parisian street dancer in front of the Eiffel tower.

Six years later, somewhat wiser, there I was on the porch of my messy little flat no one had used for a while. I hadnt rented it out, either, mostly because of the aforementioned clutter. Although I could have used the money, since at that time I was my familys disgraced only child.

I threw my backpack onto the floor since there was no free surface elsewhere. I went to turn the heating and electricity on, checked if my taps were still functional, and gratefully stated that at least Id brought the trash out before eloping. Now what?

Based on this brief introduction, you may think, This woman is a total mess. Why should I even care about her book on decluttering and living a cozy life? Really?

Youre right. I was a mess. Id messed up everything humanly possiblemy promising jobs, my degree at Columbia, my relationship with my family and friends, my relationships with men, and last but not least, my apartment.

But time passed and I grew. Im actually very grateful for all the mistakes Ive made in the past. Without them, I wouldnt be the person I am today. I would be much more ignorant to the world (even with a degree in my hand).

Do you feel like youve made lots of mistakes too? Who cares? Own them, deconstruct them, and build them back up as something educational, inspirational, and funny.

My big homecoming didnt happen last week, but two years ago. Since then, Ive gotten a decent job, Im on good terms again with my loved ones (although my father needed a little persuasion), andmost importantly, from this books perspectiveI have a home that is totally Pinterest-worthy. For those readers who are not familiar with Pinterest, lets just say its the online version of Elle Dcor, Country Living, Architectural Digest, and Cosmopolitan.

My napkin-flat looks spacious now. It is cozy and organized. I dont have many things left, but the things I have are meaningful or purposeful. I dont find any particular meaning in my frying pan, but it is quite handy when I want to make blueberry pancakes.

Now you know everything about me and my journey, so its time to see what this book has in store for you.

What will you find here?

• First things first: Ill introduce you to the basics of minimalism. No nonsensejust minimalism.

• Ill take you through the significance of hygge, the Scandinavian method of being cozy, chilled, and happy.

• Then well discover the Swedish Death Cleaning MethodI promise the only corpses involved will be of old spiders you discard with your magazine collection from the 1980s.

• After the story time is over, its time for hands-on work. I will tell you how I decluttered and downsized each living spacesystematically and efficiently. I will guide you through each space in a flatbedroom, closets, bathroom, kitchen, living room, and garage. There will be no survivors.

• Once the house is nice and airy, its time to find a better place for everything that remains. I will help you to create the home you wish to have with simple organizing tips and folding methods.

• Magic time. When the clutter is removed and the rest is organized, it is time to add some magic to make your house a home. I will give you some de facto decoration tips, but also some advice that goes beyond pure material goods, like how to breathe life into your living spacefiguratively and literally. Sounds uncommonly spiritual from everything you may already think about me. No worries. My tips are not crazy spiritual, just mildly spiritual. Tips spiritual and non-spiritual people can both enjoy.

Without further ado, please enjoy my book made to help you live simply and cozily.

Minimalism is currently very trendy, and for good reason. Getting rid of items in your household that may no longer have meaning or purpose helps you to reduce that choking feeling of dealing with too much physically and mentally. Studies have shown that when people err on the side of minimalism, something amazing happensthey suddenly invite better enrichment into their lives.

Thankfully, you dont have to set up a huge garage sale and sell everything you own to be considered a minimalist. Clearing out some of your physical items is surely helpful, but it doesnt mean you have to live out in the woods with non-perishable food and a tent. Adopting minimalism can be fun, leaving your place completely cozy, if it is done well.