“My name is Jo, and I’m a Radical Minimalist. There’s a sentence I never thought I’d write. I come from a long and distinguished line of hoarders. “Clutter” was my middle name. And yet, at the age of 40, my inventory of worldly possessions is startlingly short: a wildly streamlined wardrobe; one hairdryer and an electric toothbrush; the practical things required for daily living. But beyond that, fewer assets than I can count on two hands – a few books, three bits of art, the laptop I’m writing this on. I don’t own a house, a car, a dinner service, a NutriBullet – or anything else you’d expect from a reasonably successful professional my age.
On paper, I have very little but I’m actually more grounded because I’ve learnt what makes me happy. A chronic worrier all my life, I get much less stressed and wound up about things. “When we have a physical clear out we also have an emotional one,” says health and confidence expert Rhona Clews.“Things that used to irritate or affect you just don’t matter any more.”
Rhona comments in Jo Carnegie’s article on radical minimalism and its power to transform: read the full article here in The Telegraph
Top image by Rhona Clews
Jo Carnegie and her one remaining sentimental possession, an old china jug
