8 Tips For Creating A Simple Life

HOW A MINIMALIST LIFESTYLE CAN IMPROVE YOUR HOME AND MIND

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Growing up, I had always been a bit of a cluttered soul.

I was the kindergartner whose teacher had to call her parents to come to clean out her desk because it had been so jammed full of scraps of paper and wrappers which tiny me refused to part with.

I loved things. 

My grandmother, who had been raised during the Great Depression, had instilled in me at a young age the importance of stocking up and NEVER throwing things out. 

As a child, the clutter wasn’t so bad. However, it drove my mother absolutely crazy. 

Once married, though, I realized I honestly didn’t enjoy a cluttered, overstuffed space, which became a real problem when we purchased our second home. 

Not only had we inherited a bunch of our parent’s things when they had both moved the year prior, but now we had taken on a home full of the previous owner’s belongings as well, leaving us with three homes worth of stuff. 

On the bright side, we have yet to purchase a single piece of furniture for our home. 

I’m going, to be honest, most of the clutter was banished to the unfinished basement room never to see the light of day again.

Out of sight, out of mind, right?

It wasn’t until I stumbled across Marie Kondos Book Spark Joy that I realized how many things I was holding on to that no longer served me. 

It wasn’t easy, but I slowly began to pick my way through the items inhabiting my home, to simplify what I choose to surround myself with. 

I don’t fancy myself a true minimalist, but I think there are many things we can all learn from the minimalist lifestyle. 

WHAT IS MINIMALISM AND HOW CAN IT BENEFIT YOU?

Simply put, minimalism is having more of what matters. 

This lifestyle is all about living with less, living your life in the moment, and simplifying your day-to-day so that you can experience more and worry less. 

So What are some of the benefits of living a more minimalistic life?

• A clutter-free home
• Increased time
• More financial freedom
• More energy to spend on the things that matter most

8 TIPS FOR INCORPORATING MINIMALISM INTO YOUR DAILY LIFE 

“My goal is no longer to get more done, but rather to have less to do.”

– Francine Jay, Miss Minimalist: Inspiration to Downsize, Declutter, and Simplify

1. Find Your “Why”

As with anything you do in this life, you need to know why you are doing it. What is driving you to make this a lasting change?

Once you have your “why” or your motivation, you can accomplish your new goal like a boss. 

For a more detailed breakdown on discovering your “why,” check out my article 12 Ways To Find Your Motivation. 

2. Obtaining A Minimalistic Mindset 

When making a new life change, it is crucial to develop the proper mindset. Minimalism is all about less is more.

These same simple principles can be applied to your thoughts and mind.

Too often, we allow ourselves to stress over fanciful “What if” scenarios or situations occurring many months from now. 

This sort of behavior isn’t healthy and is quite toxic to living a happy, low-stress life. 

It is essential to take control of what we can and stop stressing over the things which we can’t. 

One of the best ways to take control and cultivate a minimalist mindset is learning to problem-solve creatively. 

This is a skill that I learned a few years ago and has been absolutely life-changing! 

Basically, when presented with any sort of roadblock in life, figure a way around it.

There is usually ALWAYS something more you can do, a different angle to try, or a better plan out there to get you to your goals.

When my plans are dashed, or I am told something isn’t possible.

I simply don’t take that information at face value. I do my research, and I have yet not to find a workaround. 

So be sure to think outside of the box when it comes to problem-solving, but once you have done all you can to fix or help the scenario, then your job is done. 

This includes worrying about it! 

3. Declutter Your Life 

This is probably one of the most critical steps in trying to live a minimalist lifestyle. 

I recommend selecting one area at a time and gathering a few bins to help better organize the items as you go. 

You should have at least three piles of boxes, 

1. Discard
2. Donate Or Sell
3. And Keep

Let’s say you have selected your kitchen drawers, and you have an obscene amount of kitchen utensils. 

This would be a great time to remove most of those utensils, only keeping those you use regularly.

Or maybe you just really hate all of those mismatching utensils, and you are ready for a lovely new set. 

This is totally okay!

Get rid of it all, and make room for the new high-quality utensils. Because let’s be honest, who really needs eight soup ladles?

Take your time and slowly repeat this process throughout your home. 

And don’t forget the counters! 

Clear counters and tabletops are the epitomai of a clean, minimalistic home.

4. Stop Mindless Purchasing Unnecessary Items 

This step wasn’t a factor when it came to cluttering up my home. 

Most of our home’s clutter came from friends and family members, giving us items that didn’t fit our aesthetic and us feeling too badly to throw them out. 

However, I know many do struggle with shopping and needlessly purchasing things. 

Because who doesn’t love a good bargain?

A good rule of thumb is to wait a month, and if at the end of the month you still really feel you need the item, then go ahead and purchase it. 

5. Reuse And Re-purpose 

I haven’t purchased Tupperware in over four years.

And now you are wondering, “what on earth does this have to do with minimalism?” 

I’ll tell you. 

I haven’t purchased Tupperware since before my wedding, and this is because of the “Reuse And Repurpose” rule. 

Whenever we finish up items in our fridge which happen to be housed in glass jars, we always clean and store them. 

At this point, we have like 20 matching pickle jars (yes, we REALLY like pickles).

These jars have been great for canning, leftover storage, pantry organization, and of course, Halloween Potion Jars. 

You know, the important things. 

Point is; there are so many items that we throw out that can be repurposed and reused!

Some examples include,

• Dryer lint which can be used as a fire starter
• Food scraps which can be used as compost
• Cardboard boxes which can be used for storage or cool cat forts

The point is, there is a lot that you can do with the items you already have in your home. 

So get creative!

6. Art And Decorations Should Have Meaning 

I’ll be honest; I have always struggled with decorating my home. I have far too many battling aesthetics and have found that a simple approach is always best. 

Art is a great way to class up your home without over cluttering the space. 

After some searching, I came across the company Memorytes, a company that creates minimalist posters that you can imbed with memories.

Sounds pretty cool, right?

Each photo contains a scannable barcode that can pull up the link of your choice.

My husband and I chose an adorable poster that resembled us and embedded our wedding video.

Now each time we pass by, we can scan the image with our smartphones and relive our special day. 

This poster is seriously one of our favorite art pieces in our home and has such a classy design.

If you are looking for some simple yet meaningful artwork to fill your home, be sure to check them out! 

7. Take Action 

And of course, the most obvious step of all. Take action, get moving, just do it! 

I know this step is easier said than done, but once you get going, it gets easier, I promise! 

“Dreams don’t work unless you take action. The surest way to make your dreams come true is to live them.”

– Roy T. Bennett

It’s like Dory once said, “Just keep swimming; just keep swimming.”

8. Live In The Moment

This might just be the most essential step when it comes to creating a more minimalistic life.

Minimalism is all about less is more, and reducing stress so that you can enjoy each moment. 

Life is too short to always worry about the little things.

This step has always been a struggle of mine.

Fear of failure has always been a significant roadblock for me when it comes to living in the moment, and it is still something I have to be aware of creeping in each day. 

Focusing on living in the moment has helped immensely when it comes to living my best life. 

There are so many ways to practice living in the moment.

You might try things like,

• Limiting screen time and social media
• Spending more time outdoors
• Meditating
• Taking up an old hobby
• Make more time for family

The list can go on and on. 

CONCLUSION 

These eight simple steps are just a few ways you can begin to ease minimalism into your daily life. 

So let’s review the steps,

• Find your “why.”
• Change your mindset
• Declutter your life
• Stop mindlessly shopping
• Reuse and recycle
• Decorate with art that has a purpose
• Take action
• Live in the moment

I challenge you to get a piece of paper and explore your “why.” As well as draft a game plan on how you will simplify things in your home. 

Every great accomplishment starts with a plan. 

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”

– Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Want to learn more about working for yourself and achieving your best life? 

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How do you think living a more minimalist lifestyle would affect your life? Have you already tried minimalism? What did you think?

I’d love to know. Let me know in the comments below! 

Have a bright day!