Space comes at a premium for most of us and sometimes organizing just isn’t enough.
With these minimalist hacks, you’ll be able to maximize your space and get everything in order! Sometimes less is more and that is definitely the case with these simple ideas.
- Purge, don’t organize.
Organizing now means reorganizing later, again and again, and again. If you haven’t touched it in six months, toss it or re-home it, but don’t store it. - Reclaim your time!
Americans spend 9.1 years of their lives watching TV, 1.1 years cleaning and 11 hours a day in front of digital media. In particular, women spend 8 years of their lives shopping, 1.5 years doing their hair and nearly 1 year deciding what to wear!Living a more minimalist lifestyle means we can reclaim some of this wasted time and spend it doing something we love – rather than standing in front of a jam-packed wardrobe despairing over which shoes work with which skirt! - Consider your reducables.
Sure, you’ll never toss all your towels, but do you need 15? What about your five mixing bowls and three butcher knives? Duplicate items will never be missed. - Set up a charity box.
Get the biggest box you can find (or, better yet, get several!) and fill it with all those items you no longer use, or those you value the least. Donate these items to a charity store – you’ll be helping the environment too as producing new items to meet demand wastes a lot of energy and water, and contributes to pollution. - Stop bargain hunting.
Buy what you need (and only what you need) when you need it. Just because it’s nice and on sale doesn’t mean it must be yours. - Simplify your morning routine.
Start the day as you mean to go on…and simplify! Streamline your personal care routine, in your newly de-cluttered bathroom, and then enjoy a simple breakfast in your minimalist kitchen. Take some time out to stretch, meditate, read, savor your coffee, or do whatever else makes you happy. Just keep it simple. - Use it or lose it.
Give your wardrobe a minimal overhaul and discover less stress getting dressed and lots of time saved on laundry. - Start small.
Looking at piles upon piles of stuff and wondering where to begin? Try anywhere. Grab a box, open a drawer and start evaluating. - Embrace new media.
Cancel your magazine subscription and stop buying the newspaper. Not only will Mother Nature be glad, but you will too. You don’t have to miss out, though, as everything you need can be consumed in digital format. While you’re at it, ‘opt out’ of junk mail and sign up for e-banking. - Look to the future.
When considering adding possessions, try to picture the item in your home six months from now. You’ll generally find that you can skip it. - Do it now.
Never leave for later what you could sort now. And if you stray from that philosophy, never pass an object in need of a home (especially if that home is the garbage). - Keep your counters clear.
If it doesn’t fit in a cabinet, ask yourself if you use it often enough to warrant looking at it every day. I’m looking at you, juicer. - Dream in color.
While neutrals and gray tones are a hallmark of the minimalist movement, there’s no rulebook. Go ahead, add a splash of color. - Forget about perfection.
Perfectionism is futile and unattainable. It’s also a hindrance in your bid to de-clutter your life – think of how many times your need to be perfect has led you to buy something, or take on something extra. Let go of the need to be perfect – even to be the ‘perfect’ minimalist – and just strive to learn and grow. - De-clutter your diet.
Bring the minimalist ethos into your pantry. Choose simple, locally grown and organic whole foods. Say goodbye to prepackaged junk taking up freezer space and generating a ton of environmentally unfriendly wrapping. You’ll look and feel better in no time. - Can’t stop, won’t stop.
Minimalism, like life, is a process. Stay vigilant as new clutter finds you. - Replace rather than increase.
Buying something new? Swap out something old. - Make a minimalist wish list.
Rather than spending your money on things, consider investing in experiences or services that will enrich your life without cluttering your home. - Don’t let consumption consume you.
“One can furnish a home very luxuriously by taking out furniture rather than putting it in.” —Francis Jourdain
Thank you for so many tips and advices. Joyful reading. ?
Thank you. Thank you. I just recently, completed #1, my motto, ” if it doesn’t have a purpose it goes out.” # 2, I got rid of the TV , now I have more time for reading, writing and cooking. #5, I’m a seasonal shopper, I don’t do sales anymore, I use what I have in my closet, and take good hand me downs from my girlfriends,when they clean out their closets. #6, working on getting back to the morning routine, and # 15, the struggle is real. I use to have good eating habits, but I am fighting everyday to get back on track. I don’t like the way I look or feel.
I love number one. I used to reorganize and reorganize. Each time I just moved the same crap to a new spot. Donating has become my new favorite thing!
Ha ha, I just sold my juicer for that very reason! I was happy where it went, too. Someone really needed it who was helping take care of their father, who has cancer. So I was a little richer, and so was he. Good trade, that. Great article!
Love it! All of it! Pinning this.
Nice post. I love the idea of the “minimalist wishlist”. 🙂
Simplicity is the key and loved to read your lovely post while finding new tips and inspiration. Thank you
Great tips!
Such a wonderful post! I am embracing the “minimalist wish list”. Thank you for all the tips, and also thank you for reading my post.
Love this! Getting started in my office at work…then home. Just what I needed! Thanks!
Love this! Getting started at work, then home. Just what I needed! Thanks!
Solid advice, Deniz. Thank your for using an economy of words to make such strong, positive points. I’m off to do a bit of purging!
All the best to you!
May you always be healthy, happy and prosperous!
Thanks for liking one of my posts. We seem to have a lot in common. My website is coming up soon, and I will be engaging more in the meantime keep in touch.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read. I am especially a big advocate of not leaving for tomorrow what can be done today. The most innovative ideas that have the potential to change the way things are done or even the change the course of ones life, go undone because people put it off until tomorrow, next month, next year and before you know it, nothing gets done at all. I love your content and hopefully we can connect and share ideas. I hope you don’t mind if I share a link from one of my most helpful and impactful blog posts. I believe it would a good fit for your readers as well as being an addition to this post. Peace and love to you and I hope to hear from you soon.
https://oaktownvibes.wordpress.com/2016/10/28/7-reasons-why-you-will-live-a-mediocre-life/
Having engaged in involuntary minimalism (try moving four or five states away and only being allowed to keep what you can fit in and on your four door sedan, including spouse and cats) I can say that it’s very freeing. Even now I try to curb my purchasing and not buy more than I need and will actually use. Just yesterday I gave away something else.