It was amazing how quickly I became comfortable living in a minimal lifestyle. I really thought it would be more difficult to live without all my stuff. Downsizing to Van size was an extreme unclutter.
Was it hard? Oh ya! Did I cry at times? Yes, I did. The thought of living without my mementos, my Archie book collection, and my books was terrifying.
The fear is always bigger than the fear itself. This was something my father would say to me when I would begin something new or answer a challenge. The fear of the unknown is really what you fear he would tell me. The unknown of what lies on the other side. Will you be successful? Will it be what you thought it would be? Will the sacrifice be worth the prize? Face the fear, take a step, and you will find that fear was not as big as you thought it would be.
For all the juicy details of my ultimate Unclutter journey, check out my book From Housewife to Vanlife on Amazon. It was an amazing, challenging transformation.
The Challenge of Clutter
Just because I live in a van-size RV does not mean that I do not deal with clutter. It is so easy to collect things. While you are travelling, you pick up a tee-shirt here, a cute souvenir there, and before you know it, you are moving things to sit down. Tee shirts are a big problem for me. I have to have shirts for all four seasons as well. I have one cupboard, and a few times, it has gotten to the point that every time I open it, a shirt falls out. It is so annoying.
Winter, for me, is a clutter nightmare. With heavy blankets, coats, boots, hats, and a space heater, there is so much extra stuff in the van. I am stepping over things in the hallway. My closet is stuffed to overflowing, and there are so many blankets I can not use my couch.
Gift buying holidays are a nightmare of stuff in the van. I do not even want to talk about the month of December. Lol.
Living in my RV, everything needs its space. Secure and stable, the item needs to stay put while I am driving. No dropping my change on the table or leaving the water pot on the stove. Leave a cupboard open and turn a corner, and I have a mess to clean up.
The top cupboard above the kitchen, I must have left open a hundred times. In my defence, it is above my line of sight. I learned quickly not to put anything breakable or hundreds of pieces (like sugar) in there. After 8 years, I still, once in a blue moon, leave it open. Then I hear it. The first item, then the second, hit the floor with every bump. Then I try not to turn left too quickly until I find a place to pull over and close it. Lol
Clutter is Clutter
Whether you live in an RV or a 5000-square-foot home, it is easy to accumulate clutter. A knick-knack here, a collection there, add a little disorganization, and you can not find anything when you are looking for it. I think that is what annoys me the most in a disorganized space. When I am trying to do something, that should take 5 minutes and now takes me 10 minutes because it took me 5 minutes to find the tool I need to do it with.
When I talk about uncluttering, it does not just mean removing items. Sometimes, the items just need a little organization. A closet, for example, may not need to have anything removed to make it an efficient space. Rearranging, maybe adding a shelf or taking away a shelf and changing the dynamics of the space will give you the room to make it organized.
I still do spring cleaning. I take everything out of the cupboards and clean everything, and I always end up with at least one donation bag. It happens just that easy.
Sometimes it is an old fashion, just put it away. The drop and walk I call it. You get home after a long day, and as you walk, you drop. Your briefcase, your purse or backpack, your travel mug and keys, it all gets dropped along the way. What if you walked in and put your briefcase and purse or backpack on a designated table or space? Walked to the kitchen and rinsed and set your coffee mug on the counter. Then it’s done, and you are on with your evening.
It also really helps when you are looking for your keys in the morning. I lost my keys in the van for two days. They turned up under my bed. How they got there. I have no idea. I was very happy to see them. I was in a campground way up in northern Ontario, and it was Sunday. I had to leave. I now have a designated spot they go to every time I am in the van.
Creating the Habits
Creating a habit requires patience, repetitive motion, and sometimes sticky notes. Lol
Changing a habit is not an easy task. When I first moved into my van, there were many times I ended up pulling over after the first rounded corner to close something, take my coffee cup off the counter or turn off the propane on the fridge. I did it so many times I ended up putting sticky notes to remind me. I had to develop a routine before driving away.
When I cleared the clutter from the house, I realized I had a problem with purses. I must have had 50 of them. Lol. Although, even after 8 years, it is still hard not to buy another purse, I do not do it. See rule number 1 below.
I also had to develop some rules for myself.
1. If any new item comes in, an old item has to leave. If I bought a tee shirt, an old one had to leave. No exceptions. Even for purses.
2. Only bring into the van what I need. When I moved into the van, I had 4 forks, four knives, and a full set of spoons. I am only one person, and never will I be cooking for three more people. I now have one of each item.
3. Find multi-use items. Do I need a kettle and a pot to boil water for coffee? No. I can use the pot for soup or water and save the space of a kettle.
4. No accepting gifts of trinkets. When I first moved into the van, my beautiful friends would buy me trinkets and camping accessories to celebrate my lifestyle. I will now only accept hugs. I really do not have the space for those kinds of things. I always have space for hugs.
Keeping Your Area Clutter Free
Clearing the clutter is one thing. Keeping it that way is a totally different animal altogether.
The only way to keep yourself from returning to old habits of collecting, of dropping and walking, or buying that one purse is to be patiently persistent with yourself. Discovering what you need to do to keep your space clear and breathable is the first step. Applying the new habits consistently will get you there.
These same habits can be applied to any goal. You may want to strive for a new position at work, strike out on your own, and build your own business or achieve an emotional status you can be happy with. Whatever it is, be patiently persistent with yourself. You will get there.
Not sure how to do that? That is where having a Life Coach can help. I can help set the goals and give you the accountability to achieve them. Having someone come in, help you get organized, and give you the tools for you to keep it that way can make all the difference.
Please check out my UnClutter Your Life and Life Coaching Services pages and let me know how I can help.
Thanks for coming along on my Chipmunk Adventure! See you next time.
Chipmunk
Love this blog! My tip jar is a coffee cup; as you know, I can always use a coffee.
Chipmunk's RV Life 