We live in a society where we strive for abundance. You can never be too rich, right? So, when a professional organizer comes along and tells you, “more is less”, it leaves many people scratching their heads. Perhaps a better slogan would be, “simpler is more enjoyable.” And that’s really what organizing your space is all about.
An episode of the Hidden Brain podcast reminded me that more is less extends beyond just possessions. It’s a philosophy that applies to physical and mental energy as well as the end products of those efforts. More is less is not just some catch phrase for something professional organizers use to motivate clients. If you fast forward to about 39 minutes into the podcast, you’ll find it’s been used by some of the great minds and talents in history.
The “prophets of subtraction” include:
- Picasso, who defined art as the elimination of the unnecessary.
- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, author of The Little Prince, who writes that “perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away”.
- Occam’s Razor, “it’s in vain to do with more what can be done with less”.
Perhaps my favorite one was Lao Tsu, ““To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, remove things every day.”
Lao Tsu’s philosophy is very similar to what we preach at the Mudroom. Over the course of your life, you will buy some items here and there. Your tastes will evolve and change. Technology improves. Styles come and go—and then come back again. What keeps these purchases from adding clutter and chaos to your closet, kitchen and other parts of your home is removing something when you do that.
When you really think about it, donating items after a purchase really is adding wisdom. It forces you to evaluate your space, which plays a major part in how you live your life. It doesn’t mean you need to live in a home with one piece of furniture to declare that more is less. What you have in your home just has to make sense for you and make it easier to live your best life.
To listen to the Hidden Brain podcast, click the button below. For help with achieving more with less in your home or workplace, call 508-246-6120 or drop a line.
