19 Minimalist Hacks To Maximize Your Life

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.

1. 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.
2. 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!
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Use it or lose it. 
   Give your wardrobe a minimal overhaul and discover less stress getting dressed and lots of time saved on laundry.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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).
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. Can’t stop, won’t stop. 
    Minimalism, like life, is a process. Stay vigilant as new clutter finds you.
17. Replace rather than increase. 
    Buying something new? Swap out something old.
18. 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.
19. Don’t let consumption consume you. 
    “One can furnish a home very luxuriously by taking out furniture rather than putting it in.” —Francis Jourdain