In 7th grade, who you are is what other 7th graders say you are. The funny thing is it’s hard to remember the names of the kids you spent so much time trying to impress. – The Wonder Years

There is a secret about minimalism that we don’t often hear about. When we get rid of all of the excess clutter in our lives, whether it’s the physical, emotional, our to do lists, our relationships, we give ourselves space. And what do we do with this new found space? Go a little crazy perhaps? Just kidding.

Think back to when you were still a student, or before you officially called yourself an ‘adult.’

We were happy and carefree. And we probably didn’t have very much money but we were full of joy anyway. We also had all this extra time on our hands because we didn’t have so many responsibilities. But what made life so good was not because we had the latest piece of technology or hottest fashion trend, it was because we spent it with our friends, doing what we enjoyed, living in the moment, laughing, being silly and full of life.

That’s how we can slow down time and the space we can get back if we choose to stop being slaves to consumerism or keeping up with the Joneses and focus our energies on things that bring us true joy. Not having to deal with the:

“I need to buy new curtains for my living room.”

“I need a new lamp for the bedroom.”

“My plates don’t match, I need a new set.”

“Sorry, I can’t go to the park with you today, I have to clean my house.”

“My boat needs some fixing and maintenance.”

We’re either maintaining, cleaning, or buying.

That is WAY too much energy to be spending on these things. With less clutter, we get rid of this annoyance and time suck. All these so-called ADULT responsibilities – they’re all just a story they want us to believe. They don’t make us more grown up, they make us slaves to our very precious time here on this earth.

I do want to emphasize again, that minimalism is not about deprivation, or living so simply that all you own is a chair and a bed, and have bare white walls with no art. It’s about figuring out what is the most important to you, and cutting out the rest. Every object, task or person has purpose or meaning.

Anyway, I just finished reading The Joy of Less by Francine Jay, because I am a self professed self-help junkie and can’t seem to stop reading these books. Then I have the need to share it with the world. In this book she talks about gaining that youthful sense of time back which is where I got the inspiration to write this post. As well as super practical tips on decluttering your home. So go check it out, it’s probably one of the better books I’ve read on this topic.