French composer Claude Debussy said, “Music is the space between the notes.” As a minimalist, I love this quote: it reminds us that beauty needs a certain amount of emptiness to be appreciated.
The space between notes allows them to resonate, reverberate, and reach their full measure of expression. Without this space, noise and cacophony would result.
The same can be said of our lives: too much clutter can stifle our creativity, and make our lives chaotic and discordant. Conversely, the more space we have, the more beautifully and harmoniously we can live.
Create Your Symphony
Think of every possession, every activity, every moment of your life as a note in your symphony. When a musician composes a song, he doesn’t fill it with as many notes as possible – instead, he carefully chooses just enough to make a pleasing melody.
We can do the same in our homes, and our lives: instead of accumulating as many possessions as we can, or taking on as many tasks as our schedules allow, we can exercise some creative restraint. We are curators of our lives, and what we leave out of them is as significant as what we include.
When we cut out the background noise, we put what’s truly special to us in the spotlight. If we owned a beautiful painting, we wouldn’t crowd it with other décor—we’d hang it on its own, with enough space around it to show it off. If we had an exquisite vase, we wouldn’t bury it in a pile of junk—we’d put it on its own pedestal.
We need to treat what’s important to us with similar respect; which, in effect, means removing all the other stuff that’s not so important.
Make Space Between Your Notes
For every new item we bring into our homes, or every new task we jam into our schedules, we sacrifice a little bit of space. In some cases, our space may have disappeared entirely—causing great discord in our lives. Our mission, therefore, is to reclaim as much as we can, and restore the harmony.
Many people look upon removing the excess — cleaning out their closets, basements, or to-do lists — as a chore. However, it doesn’t have to be a tedious or onerous task. Quite the contrary: decluttering can be a wonderful form of creative expression – a chance to compose your own symphony, full of exuberance, freedom, and joy!
Here’s a few tips on how to put some space between your notes:
1. Start with a clean slate. It’s often easier to compose from scratch than fix something that’s flawed. So when you’re decluttering your closet, your living room, or your schedule, empty everything out of it first. Then, put back only those possessions (or activities) that you cherish the most.
2. Lose the “filler.” Every item in your home, and task in your day, should contribute something of value to your life. If something does nothing more than take up space, give it the heave-ho. Filling your living room with extra tchotchkes is like putting extra notes into Clair de Lune.
3. Put everything in its place. A melody depends on every note being in the right place. Similarly, having designated spots for all your things makes your daily life much more harmonious.
4. Keep your surfaces clear. Your desk, your countertops, your tables, and your floor are the instruments on which you play; they’re where the magic happens! If they’re covered in clutter, you don’t have the room to fully express yourself.
5. Impose limits. A good composition only has so many notes; likewise, a serene home only has so many things, and a serene life so many obligations. Limit the number of things you own (books, clothes, furniture) and things you do (hobbies, committees, meetings) to what’s just enough.
6. Edit. A musician, artist, or writer constantly edits her work, removing the extraneous to reveal the extraordinary. In your own life, always be on the lookout for ways you can simplify. Take inspiration from Diogenes, who said, “I threw my cup away when I saw a child drinking from his hands at the trough.”
7. Be mindful. When an artist creates, he’s completely focused on his work. Whether you’re writing an email, cooking dinner, or taking a walk, keep your mind on the task at hand. When you savor the moment, the excess falls away; everything you do is a creative endeavor, a celebration of life.
Get Up and Dance
So why create all this space? Because, to put a twist on Debussy’s quote, “life is the space between our things.” Recent studies have shown that experiences bring us more lasting happiness than possessions. It’s the stuff we do, not the stuff we have, that makes life worth living. And doing things requires a certain amount of space.
If we want to draw a picture, we need space on our desks to sketch it. If we want to cook a fabulous meal, we need space on our countertops to prepare it. If we want to do the tango, we need space in our rooms to dance it.
Therefore, we need to create our symphonies with enough space to stretch out, to run around, to laugh and play with our loved ones. For when we’re old and gray, we won’t wax poetic on the things we had—but rather on what we did in the spaces between them.
{If you’d like to read more about minimalist living, please consider buying my book, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide, or subscribing to my RSS feed.}
“It’s the stuff we do, not the stuff we have, that makes life worth living”
So true.
Francine, this was a very well written post/analogy. My teacher always called pauses or breaks in the music “active resting”, using that time to either conclude or prepare for the next phrase, note, section, etc.
The part that resonates with me the most is taking everything out first and then deciding what to put back in. I think this is a much more successful method but essentially the same thing thought out in the opposite way. Very smart.
Brava, Francine.
I love this article, the analogy is great!. My music teacher said that music is about silence.. and I think that life is the same :).
Thanks for this post Francine! It is such a wonderful way of describing our minimalist endeavors.
One of my favorite quote is Morris’s: “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” This hangs above my desk, and is the focus of my energy right now (http://pearlinparis-pearl.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-frugality-and-becoming-clutter-free.html).
But I like the Debussy quote as well!
Very interesting analogy. I hate to be nit-picky, but too much of anything is not always a good thing.
In music, dissonance has its place (unless we’re talking minimalist music, which strives for less or no dissonance) for progressing a piece to its end.
Though Debussy and the other Expressionists used infrequent chord changes to create a mood rather than to necessarily tell a story; hence, dissonance was used less. And when it was, the dissonance made a bigger impact.
Music needs rest and resolution; but it needs dissonance to get to a resolution.
So do our lives; some people prefer as little dissonance as possible; others like a little more.
I think though, identifying what it is one wants to achieve, even if it’s vague, is important.
When I sit down to learn a piece or write one, I try to focus on the mood or story behind it. The same is true for how I decorate my home, or even dress.
I think that is incredibly helpful in decluttering, too. If you think about what it is you want to express, you can decide if what you are keeping is doing that. I’ve gotten rid of a lot of stuff that way.
Our lives are the same way.
This post is all of it, life’s secrets in a nutshell. Thank you.
“In some cases, our space may have disappeared entirely—causing great discord in our lives.” – I recently experienced this by working more this past month. I experienced what you’ve written here. I quickly scaled back to my normal routine because I too love the space between the notes. Just like music, you know when your space and your schedule feels just right.
Fantastic post, Francine. You’ve said it all. Thank you.
Thanks so much — I’m glad you all liked the post, as I really enjoyed writing it!
I really enjoyed this post too. (Clair de lune is my favourite classical music.)
It made look around and enjoy the cleared dining room table and want to remove some other stuff that does not contribute to the melody. Thank you…
Well said, Francine. This article is such an encouragement. Thank you for a different perspective.
When you quoted Debussy, I thought of daiko drumming…where the silence between the beats tells the story.
Also, what a beautiful philosophy! I agree and am glad there’s a person out there who will say it plain and true without drenching it with religion or something else to make it “right”.
I have a house full of stuff. not collectors items, stuff. If my house were bigger, would I have more stuff, or is this as much as I need? My stuff is the notes of my composition, but it is crowded on the page, I need a bigger sheet of paper for all the notes I have. Each object in my stack of stuff is a memory container, even scraps of things. When I pass away my stuff will be discarded. The world is full of stuff, made from raw materials and swept into our homes. If the stuff sits here or there it is still in the world closet, just because my corner has a little too much does not lessen the total, it just places it in my care.
What actions I take in a day, feelings or emotions, all are affected by this pile of memories. Stuff doesn’t matter, but You are right I need more space in my life, another way to get it is to have more space, and not add stuff.
Nice posting you did, and very nice responses you received. I like your site, good job.
Experiences do give us so much more than possessions. Our research lab are the client homes, where a typical 70 year old couple leaves the larger home for the last time, downsizing on purpose to enjoy their years ahead. The greatest reward we hear them share?-the fact that the basement and house full of good, reusable possessions (that hasn’t been touched in 20 years) can be used by someone new. And we can often share the new stories of where their belongings went,. Someone else can repurpose and use what we don’t need. Simplify. De-clutter. Downsize on purpose. It’s more than a trend, it’s everywhere. Thanks for this well done piece. We suspect it’ll stay relevant for many years to come.
I once cut my possessions in half. I had to. I moved into a teeny studio in Boston. Soon after, I kept only what I wanted and needed. Of course, on both counts, I donated and gave away. My only regret is throwing away priceless family photos and cards when I had a fit of drunken rage after a major family event. Be very careful what you throw away. I’ve had a fast hand with non-sentimental stuff, too. I recently moved from a sprawling apartment to a more modestly sized flat. I cut my kitchen stuff in half. Now, my mate and I are wishing I hadn’t.
Wise thinking, well said. (Not to use too many words)
I’ve never been a hoarder or had a lot of stuff. Now that I’ve been retired for over 10 years I have much less. I know what will go in next week’s give away bag. I have some candle holders I haven’t used in years. I have more books I don’t need. And there are more necklaces to give away. I also found some party decorations I never used.
This was so beautiful!