Hawthorne’s Mediterranean climate begs the question, “What other improvements could a Mediterranean lifestyle offer me?” In addition to balancing your life between work, play, family, and food, the Mediterranean lifestyle is less about surrounding yourself with stuff and more about enjoying the moment and the people in it. This usually means simplifying your life and decluttering your surroundings. A task, we might add, that our Hawthorne storage units can help you easily fulfill. May we suggest, as you embark on this lifestyle experience, that you don’t do anything drastic. Start slowly. Ease into it. Stressful changes are counterintuitive to the Mediterranean lifestyle anyway. Start with a Hawthorne Self Storage unit As you begin your descent into minimalism, you should find a place to put everything that will be moving out of your home. Ideally, you would be single or living with a like-minded individual when you attempt this process. Not all family members may agree with your choices. In fact, the more people involved, the more important it is that you don’t toss any of your belongings or drop them off at Good Will. Besides a simplified life doesn’t mean you have to divest yourself of everything you have accumulated. You may decide you just don’t want it around. Pick and choose Not everything you keep in your home needs to be there, soaking up the energy of your living space. Start slowly. First pick out the items that make each room look cluttered. Box them up a few at a time and take them to your storage unit. After a few days, if you feel you have put a part of you in storage, something will need to come back. It is a process. Make small changes as you feel the need. Items you don’t use very often should be taken to storage. You should keep items like family heirlooms or gifts, however they can still go into storage if it makes your home feel more open. As you box up items, you may want to use a labeling system that lets you know the contents of each box and your disposition towards those items. Now what? You will know you are doing it right if in the process of removing items from your home, you begin spending more time with people you love and care about. When you find yourself enjoying simple delicious food and absorbing Hawthorne’s beautiful weather with these people you will start feeling good about having your excess in storage. When you find the balance in your life is about right, it is time to start examining the items you took to your storage unit to determine which items you want to include in your new lifestyle. How did that little Renoir end up in storage? You know the perfect wall in your home for it now. Eventually you will find that you don’t need to throw very much away. Most of it will find a home someday—just like you did.