One helpful feature of the minimalist mindset is that it spreads across the areas of your life in a natural, almost automatic way. Remember that you are working toward the overall simplification of your life, which will benefit both you and your loved ones, and great things take time to accomplish. Whatever you do, resist the urge to get down on yourself or to give in to discouragement. If you have young children who need attention, maybe you can only tackle one room every two weeks. That’s okay! You’ll find minimalist tips for decluttering that break down a large project into small, manageable steps.įor example, try focusing on one room at a time rather than tearing apart the whole house all at once.Ĭreate a timeline that is reasonable given your other duties and obligations. Maybe you are feeling overwhelmed because you have a large house that is filled with unneeded items, and just the thought of going through all of it gives you anxiety. Who else will participate in this process with you? When would you like to start simplifying your life, and how long will it take to reach your finished state?

What does your ideal finished product look like? What areas of your life currently feel cluttered or stressful? What benefits could minimalism bring to your life? Whatever your current situation is, take a few moments to reflect on these questions: Your ideal finished product might look like a few tasteful decor items that have sentimental value. No longer feeling like home, your house is now a source of anxiety. Or maybe you’ve just accumulated a ton of knick-knacks over the years and the surfaces in your home have become so cluttered that it is causing you stress. Maybe start a project you can do together, such as gardening?

You could also take their attention away from toys and get their creative juices flowing. The finished product you imagine might involve fewer toys and better storage solutions for the ones that remain. Perhaps you have kids and feel like you are constantly drowning in toys. In fact, many of us don’t realize the sheer quantity of random items in our possession until we are packing up to move – and we find ourselves faced with some difficult and oftentimes sentimental decisions.Ī great first step toward adopting a minimalist lifestyle would be to envision your ideal finished product. Most of us would be shocked at how much stuff we accumulate simply by living somewhere for a few years or more.

One of the primary steps people take as they begin gravitating toward minimalism is to get rid of unnecessary items in their homes. Minimalism is an increasingly popular lifestyle geared toward the simplification of our everyday lives, and its implications can be as broad or as specific as you prefer.Īt its core, minimalism is about getting rid of the things that don’t contribute value to your life, and that can mean anything from reducing your shoe collection from 100 pairs down to 20, to canceling digital subscriptions with the goal of decluttering your inbox. Whether it’s clothes, books, knick-knacks, baseball cards, toys for your kids, or whatever your assortment of choice may consist of, many people tend to live highly cluttered lives, often without even realizing it. We live in a world where it’s easier than ever to accumulate stuff, and most of us have done a great job at collecting a lot of it.

Tips for becoming a minimalist