Why Your Space May Be Better Empty | On Raising Simple

The other day my mad skills were called upon. Okay, so they weren’t so much “called upon” per say. It was more like I forced my way into my sister’s home and begged her to let me help her declutter. Now that my own home is pretty streamlined, I’ve got to find other outlets for my irresistible urge to purge.

Empty Space

With some kid free time on our hands, we were an unstoppable force, closet after closet until we landed in her bedroom.

I had no idea she had some many clothes! That closet was packed full. If I’m being perfectly honest though, her accumulation wasn’t entirely her fault. For pretty much her entire life, I’ve unloaded my excess on her, appeasing my buyer’s remorse and fear of letting go by handing things down to my little sister.

There, my stuff sat…for years. Today was the day we began undoing it all.

We kept at it, mocking some of the ridiculous items she kept for far too long and uncovering some of her most favorite things beneath the rubble.

Eventually, we found the floor of that closet, buried under a mound of shoes. It was clean, open, empty and glorious.

I gloated, “Look at all of that open space! Isn’t it beautiful?”

She immediately began contemplating what could go there in its place and I of course, insisted she leave it empty. Her response caught me off guard. She said,

“I just always thought you needed to fill all the spaces.”

When she said it like that, I realized for years I had too. We have been conditioned to fill the spaces, and it’s not just with our possessions.

While every closet of mine was filled to the brim and my walls always seemed to need a little something extra, my calendar was just as bad. I always had something to do and somewhere to go.

Empty space of any kind feels awkward and uncomfortable.

While there are many different reasons we opt to fill all the spaces, the consequence is consistent…

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Declutter Your Life

It’s time to stop managing our families and start leading them!

2 years ago I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I had no capacity to mom on purpose.

Living with less has gifted me time, space and some much needed perspective of what truly matters most. Below is the link to my FREE Beginner’s Declutter Like a Minimalist Guidebook. It takes a deeper look at the 7 Steps to getting started highlighted in my popular post, Declutter Like a Minimalist.

 

Declutter Like a Minimalist Guidebook

2 thoughts on “Why Your Space May Be Better Empty | On Raising Simple

  1. Great post! For me, empty space also decreases anxiety and stress. All the stuff and commitments make me feel restless and hurried. Whitespace (physical and in the agenda) is calming. Life feels less like an emergency and more like a gift with space to breathe and rest for the eyes…

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