By Célie Dugand
Isabelle Lajoie, a mother of three, was constantly tidying and organizing her home, which stressed her out a great deal. Thinking she had problems organizing things, she took courses from professional organizers. But each attempt to organize her own home adequately ended in failure. So she turned to minimalism, which revolutionized her daily existence.
It was by reading books that Isabelle, a nurse, discovered this way of life. Often seen as a marginal and austere concept, minimalism consists of keeping to the bare minimum in every domain of our life. Notably, it means limiting your material possessions. She soon understood that she would never be able to completely organize all her affairs because she had too much stuff. She felt obliged to act, which affected her a lot.
“The house was taking up so much of my time that I had less time to spend with my children,” she explains. “I had a high level of stress. As well, I’m afflicted with attention deficit disorder (ADD). I have a real tendency to accumulate stuff ‘just in case.’ Afterwards, I panic and implode when I can’t find something.”
That’s why Isabelle decided to follow a program online, Marie-SO La Minimaliste, produced by Marie-Sophie Berruex. It took Isabelle six months to learn the basics of this concept and apply them to her daily life.
The Process
According to this minimalist lifestyle guide, if we want to feel good in our own home we need space. As Matrie-Sophie puts it: “Sometimes we think that buying containers will help. But that just complicates things, as we have to organize them in a certain way so that everything fits.” You also have to remember in what container you put the item that you’re searching for.
The first step to becoming minimalist is to clear your living space. You do this by throwing unnecessary things out. The rule of thumb is to keep only the things that fulfil a present need. Everything that belongs to the past (ball gowns, souvenirs of grandparents, etc.) or to the future (thing we keep around just in case something arises, but that we don’t use) has to go away.
When only essential objects remain, a place for each has to be attributed. As well as being a daily time saver, this technique allows Isabelle to more easily find the things she wants. Since nothing out of place is left to float around, she spends less time tidying up, and her mental stress levels diminish.
According to several studies, an accumulation of objects satisfies certain emotional needs. And yet, the clearance of her stuff gave Isabelle an intense feeling of well-being, Marie-Sophie’s approach relieved her of a burden that was as oppressive as her chronic pain. “Our environment is an extension of who we are,” says Marie-Sophie. “Cleaning up our home is also cleaning up inside our head.”
New Lifestyle
Minimalism goes beyond just getting rid of stuff. It also entails rethinking your whole lifestyle. For example, some choose to live in mini-houses. These are simple, eco-friendly residences that are all the rage. But they’re not allowed in all municipalities. Marie-Sophie lives in a renovated school bus she calls Luna. There are problems involved with this approach, as few campgrounds are open throughout the winter in Quebec.
Isabelle came to the conclusion that she was letting her work overflow into her personal time. By simplifying her schedule she put her own priorities first and reorganized her daily life. Since then, she has had more spare time. She had lost interest in cooking, but with all her free time she headed back to the kitchen. She even taught her kids how to cook.
“Before,” she explains, “I was so overwhelmed by life that it was easier to buy pre-made meals. I didn’t want my kids in the kitchen because whenever I opened the cupboards everything would fall down on my head, so I put everything behind screens. Now that I have fewer things to take out of the cupboards, I have less stress and apprehension. Cooking with my kids is a precious moment for me.”
It’s made a big difference in the daily lives of her children, who seem to appreciate this new way of living. Isabelle has noted that they are happy to help out around the house. They offer to set the table or peel vegetables instead of playing, for example.
Living with fewer objects also means finding unsuspected alternatives. For example, Isabelle’s daughter no longer has a crib for her doll to sleep in, so she puts it to sleep in the container where the kids keep their toys. Her mother thinks that helps her develop her creativity.
Thanks to this new way of life, Isabelle’s daily existence has become far less cluttered. She has reconnected with her values. “Even if this process takes time and energy, the well-being that I feel, thanks to its fluidity, drives me to continue on,” she says emphatically.
Consume Intelligently
Minimalist people tend to revisit their consumption habits. This, even though we live in a society of overconsumption in which we’re encouraged to buy more and more, and where our own self-worth is often connected to our purchasing power.
“Marketing makes us believe that we’d be happier if we bought the latest trendy utensil,” argues Marie-Sophie. “When we buy something, our brain secretes dopamine. It’s a brief, instantaneous pleasure. Afterward, we want to buy something new again. It becomes a vicious circle, like when we develop an addiction.”
Isabelle recognizes that she is very influenced by advertising. But she has become much more critical of it. When she buys an object there is now a long reflection process involved. She invests in quality items, so that she doesn’t have to replace something in the near future. She leaves her virtual shopping basket on hold for a month or two as she decides if she really needs a certain item.
“With minimalism,” she says, “you consume less, and in a more intelligent fashion. That has a real impact on your budget, and your grocery bills are smaller.”
With the money saved, Isabelle enjoys organizing special family activities in place of having a lot of possessions: “Bringing your child to the zoo is one of the best moments you can have. That allows you to spend time together, and that’s what’s most important. That’s what we remember.”
She also encourages her immediate circle to offer their families experiences rather than things. “We limit the grandparents to one gift,” Isabelle says. “We pay attention to what comes into the house. Beforehand, when people gave us stuff, I took it all. I’ve learned to say no.”
Environmental Impact
Since minimalists buy fewer things, their environmental footprint is smaller. That’s a product of zero waste, which is a consequence of this lifestyle. “Because I’m cooking all my children’s meals, there is less wrapping and packaging to throw away,” Isabelle observes.
She is happy that her ecological impact has been reduced. “The environment is important to me. Climate change is going to affect my children.” She is aware that the planet is in danger, as the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change indicates, and that it’s important to act.
Minimalism is a continuous process. For it to be effective, Isabelle knows that she has to remain vigilant, and that there are things she can improve on. She has an idea of what she’ll work on next: “I’m going to reduce the number of pants my daughter has, and my clothes too. Since I put on my nurse’s uniform five days a week, I already have too many clothes.” Then she’s going to go through all her digital photos. Even if they have sentimental value, she knows that all she needs is the nicest, best photo of each precious moment.
Minimalism also exists in art. It consists of creating simple works, usually composed of basic shapes in two or three colors. So if you don’t want to try minimalism in your own life, you can always give it a go on canvas with paint.
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