I love researching, taking action, and sharing my findings through this blog. I have completed 20+ 30-day challenges to live a healthy, sustainable, and productive life.
I must say it wasn’t easy to get rid of the stuff.
I am working on how I did in my first 30 days while implementing the minimalist approach to life. Here are the 5 areas I focused on.
What is clutter?
I’ll leave with the following quote.
Clutter is nothing more than postponed decisions. — Barbara Hempill
What is minimalist living?
You can easily google many definitions of minimalism, and you might observe that there are no hard and fast rules. The goal is summed up in the following quote.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. — Leonardo da Vinci
Here is my definition of minimalism. It’s the process of identifying what is necessary for your life and simply letting go of the rest.
The best part, you will need to find out what is essential for you. It’s your job to find out what’s necessary for your life.
Tip: If you haven’t used an item in over a year, you don’t need it, except for sentimental objects.
Lifestyle declutters — relationships.
Experts recommend ruthlessly decluttering your home and office by putting everything you own.
The point is to clear your space of old, broken, unused items that no longer serve a meaningful purpose in YOUR life.
Relationships can be messy and tricky. Here are the 3 ways to declutter or, in the other way, simplify your relationships.
Release them with gratitude, and enjoy the space that opens up in your life when they’re gone. — Canfield
- Limit negative relationships
- Let go of the old hurts
- Set crystal clear boundaries
Physical declutter
Do you have a treadmill in the corner of your bedroom that serves as a place to hang your clothes until you put them away?
Do you also have some hand weights that are collecting dust in a closet, and you keep thinking that next week you’re going to start working out at home? But you never do.
You may have thought collecting exercise equipment was going to make you more consistent with exercising. You have dreams of working out at home to lose weight, but it’s just not happening.
You may think that you have to save all that exercise equipment because you spent money on it, and getting rid of it would be a waste.
The real waste is the energy you are expelling, thinking about how you’re not exercising.
Friend, let me encourage you that if you’re not losing weight or getting healthy with the exercise equipment you’ve collected at home, it’s time to do something else, like joining a health club or gym.
Digital declutter
In a nutshell, decluttering your digital space entails clearing out all the apps and files that are no longer used on your Macbook/laptop, phone, or iPad/tablet.
Here are a couple of tips.
- Unsubscribe from the brands’ emails, promotions, and newsletters
- It’s hard not to buy the stuff when your favorite brand is selling things on sale.
- Get rid of email notifications.
- Don’t worry about the subscriber discount. You can subscribe easily when you genuinely want to buy something.
Time declutter
Time is a created thing. To say, ‘I don’t have time,’ is like saying, ‘I don’t want to. ― Lao Tzu
I used to work long hours, trying to establish a career with an employer that laid off a bunch of highly competent people in no time.
I was juggling a full-time job, working on my blog after the job, and not spending enough time with my wife.
My intention was good — to work my ass off for a better future. But I was gradually destroying the present in search of an unexpected future.
I knew I needed some help. Therefore, I hired a meditation coach to calm down my thoughts. It did not work initially, but I started seeing results in the first four weeks.
I also wrote about my meditation journey here.
Here are a couple of tips that helped me to understand the perspectives of time and how to declutter it to live my desired life.
Coach helped me to understand the fact that I cannot do everything. PERIOD
What are your top 3 things you want to do every day — rest is just a bonus
I also learned how to say no…
Find my motivation — walks, family, hiking, blogging, playing with pets, kids, and music.
Here are a couple of bonuses I came across while researching how to implement a minimalist lifestyle.
20–20 rule for decluttering
The 20–20 decluttering rule says that if you can replace something for less than $20 in under 20 minutes, it can safely be decluttered.
12–12–12 rule for decluttering
Take the 12–12–12declutering rule. The rules are simple: locate 12 items to throw away, 12 to donate, and 12 to be returned to their proper home. That’s it. Repeat if desired.
The bottom line
Minimalism is built around the idea that there’s nothing that you’re lacking. — Fumio Sasaki
Minimalism is a way of life that many people, including myself, follow to live a simple life.
A cluttered home and mind can cause stress and anxiety in anyone’s life, whereas a more minimalist space can boost relaxation.
By incorporating these 5 minimalist habits into your life, you will be taking steps to improve your life.
Some will come naturally, while others may require a little more effort, but in the end, it’s all about figuring out what works best for you.
Let me know if you are already implementing any of these minimalist habits into your life.
