Minimalist or OCD

Between the realisation that around 100 christmas presents for 6 adults are definitively ridiculous and the experience of moving to another country (and then moving twice after being there, with a third moving event coming soon), I decided to start to intentionally reduce the amount of stuff I/we own and have in our house. Also, this resolution will probably help me to reduce my "almost OCD"  (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) crisis where I have to (very quickly and grumpy) organize, tidy and clean everything in my way (mostly hiding everything in drawers that we never open again).
I'll hope this blog will help me to keep track (and motivated) for the whole experience.

I am starting by getting rid of a few items per day as I notice them. Simultaneously, I am testing my wardrobe and tossing or giving away the items I feel uncomfortable with - underwear is the most representative group, but the t-shirts/old leggings converted into pyjamas are also an important group.

I will try not to buy any new clothes/shoes for at least one month, but I'll try to extend it afterwards. If I do buy a new item in the second month I decided I will have to get rid of two more items in my wardrobe. Also, the difficult part will be not to buy any books and/or toys in the next two months (or until I finish reading the unread book in my shelf).

Since the last weekend I have already gotten rid of a few items, tossing them away before returning to Norway from my Holiday break in Portugal (an old t-shirt that I used as pyjama and around 6 items of underwear). The big task was to clean up my email inboxes (both work and personal) which took a couple of hours. I manage to delete or archive emails that went back to 2006/2007, unsubscribed to all the sales, marketing, and useless newsletters that were cluttering my inbox.

The main goal for me with this decluttering spree is essentially to simplify and to be able to focus on the things I want to do. I need a sense of stability and organisation in the environment around me, maybe more than the average person, considering how stress and anxious I get when the things around me go beyond my threshold of neatness.