Lifestyle

Minimalist Lifestyle Tips – Simple Ways to Stay Clutter Free

If you are looking for ways to declutter and live a better life then these minimalist lifestyle tips will hopefully help.

If you find yourself surrounded with useless items, doubles of everything, papers from way back or a closet full of unworn clothes, you may want to ask yourself the following questions:

If it’s hidden under something and you don’t know that you even have it then why do you have it?

If you don’t even like it then why do you have it?

If you are not using it then why do you have it?

Granted, there are a few items that you may still want to hold onto even though you do not use it- don’t feel bad if you want to hold onto it for a bit longer, sometimes new lifestyles take time…

I am not a minimalist extremist- although I have created my space to reflect nothing but everything that I love with simplistic elegance and of course sporadic touches of eclecticism to match my personality (Obviously).

No drawer goes unsorted.

Mind you, not much to sort because I have mastered keeping around only what I truly need and love.

You see, I have been a master of the minimalist lifestyle of many years, long before the minimalism trend kicked into full gear.

For me, I reached a sense of peace of dealing with less after moving from place to place throughout the years… to simplify for me meant to have an easier life…

Here are some of my minimalist lifestyle tips that I invite you to try if you feel that you want to….based on my own personal realizations when I shifted towards minimalism in my own life.

Realization #1.

It is okay to let things go in stages.

So this is what you are going to do. Get out three boxes. Just do it now.

1 box will be given away, the other thrown away… the last box will be a put away.

Now here is what you do next:

Pick 1 room.

Start.

Go through your items and start filling those boxes. Obviously, what you want to keep you can leave it for now… this is a great way to just get started and you have that put away box… that box that is for your moment of… “um well….. I don’t really use it but I still think I might want it but I don’t really know right now”.

We’ve all been there.

Realization #2.

Just keep at it- consistency is key. Once you start letting things go, letting other things go becomes easier

Start taking a stroll through your home. Pick a few things here, a few things there…..give them away to people who need them or will actually enjoy them if you aren’t!

Heck, sell them on eBay and make some cash- just get comfortable with the process of letting go….

Realization #3

Just because you let things go does not mean that you need to go back out to buy more things to fill your place right back up.

Got it?

The whole point of the minimalist lifestyle is to be happy with less because things do not define happiness. Experiences and having less stuff, but stuff you actually LOVE, holds much more meaning and will bring you more joy and relief than you probably even know.

Having empty space is a good thing. It creates space for new opportunities to come your way!!

How did these tips work for you?

 

11 thoughts on “Minimalist Lifestyle Tips – Simple Ways to Stay Clutter Free”

  1. I feel you on this. I hate a cluttered life especially in where I must live every day. It just makes me feel confused in the mind and a congested feeling overall. I like everything around me to have space. I have been in places where it was cluttered with a lot of furniture and it felt like I was in a maze. Some people hold on to everything they get their hands on which causes another cluttered presence to me. I go through my mail and discard it instead of letting it pile up to only confuse me later. I like your idea.

  2. Hi there Great article and tips, it is hard some times to let go of things, someone once told me if you don’t let things go out of your life nothing new can come into your life. Once you start de-cluttering your environment your life de-clutters as well. You are very correct in it is the first step that is the hardest but being minimalistic is good for us and the world, I have started my journey and enjoy reading your posts, they are inspiring and helpful.
    Also you can give things to charity, I know I didn’t want to get rid of things in case I ever needed them, but I thought somebody else might need it right now so better if they have it

    1. Hi Paul- happy to hear that you are enjoying my posts 🙂 Looking forward to hearing more about your journey that you have just started… totally agree with you about giving things to charity. There are plenty of people that could put those things to good use!

  3. I have a tendency to hold onto things for too long and can’t bare to throw things away just in case they come in handy one day. Maybe I should take your advice and just start putting things in boxes

  4. This is a very eastern philosophy, no? Tidying up and simplifying is a practice you see a lot in Asian cultures and when you see the tranquility it seems to bring it is really fascinating. I was in Tokyo (one of my absolute favorite places in this world) last September and I saw a lot of it, which is kind of crazy when you think about all the flash and lights and spectacle you also see there.

    If only I could get myself to tidy up and go minimal with all my stuff!
    lol nice article 🙂

  5. I think you’re hitting the nail right on the head in regards to your two key points above. If you don’t like it and if you don’t use it then why do you have it? This reminds me of that book that came out a few years ago that basically said if when you hold an object…If it doesn’t give you enjoyment then you should get rid of it. It is crazy to think how many things are just floating around my house that I haven’t touched in eons…I think I’m gonna go get my three boxes now.

  6. Hi Andrea,
    Very nice post. I agree, too much clutter is not good. I try to keep my space clean and clutter free. Its a good way to approach things. How your space looks says a lot about a person’s mental state. Too much clutter is confusing and messy. I like it when things are organized. Good post.

  7. Great ideas! I have been working on my clutter-free philosophy for about a year and half now, after many years of keeping things “just because”, and now I walk into a room and wonder to myself what I should work on next. I live in a small home that is filled with stuff I moved from a much larger home, and it was overwhelming at first. I cannot thank you enough for just offering this advice for people like me!

  8. Hi Andrea.

    I like the box idea. May I keep mine small boxes to begin with! Seriously though, I found it very liberating to declutter – as if decluttering actual things parallels a decluttering of the mind. Thanks for your post.
    Peter.

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