Simplicity: Declutter And Simplify Your Life 6p1h39

simplicity Laura Montini & Johanna Vogel

Table of Contents

Title Page

Simplicity

INTRODUCTION

THE PATHS

ABOUT CLUTTER & SIMPLICITY

THE METHODS

Other Challenges

Make Your Own Method

Mini Challenges

Things you can declutter right now!

DECLUTTERING TIPS & TRICKS

DECLUTTERING WITH AN ILLNESS

TRYING A SIMPLE LIFE

THE NUMBERS GAME

ROADBLOCKS & EXCUSES

YOUR JOURNEY & YOUR FAMILY

DECLUTTERING THE INTANGIBLE

WHAT ABOUT THE EXCESS?

DONE? CONSIDER SIMPLIFYING FURTHER

MONEY SAVING TIPS

SIMPLIFYING FOOD

SPARTANISM

STEP BY STEP

FURTHER READING

FINISHING WORDS

Simplicity

Simplicity

The quality or condition of being simple, uncomplicated, easy to understand. The quality or condition of being plain or natural.

INTRODUCTION

Have you ever looked around and felt overwhelmed by the amount of things you own? Are you experiencing a high level of stress? Is materialism something you’ve wanted to break free of? Have you wished you could spend less time cleaning? That you could live a calmer, happier life, owning things you really care for, minding people and experiences more than things?

We can help you make the changes that will improve your life. With Simplicity, we aim to help you on your journey to a simpler way of living. Whether you want to rid yourself of excess, to begin on a simpler, more sustainable way of living, or simply to reach a level where you feel less stressed by what you own, we’re here for you. Head to a simpler lifestyle in secure, welltried steps. This book will help you understand some of the most popular paths to leading a simpler life, so that you know exactly what to do when you decide to begin your journey. We will show you several ways to begin the decluttering process so you won’t be bogged down by excuses. No matter your current situation, you can start your own route to a simpler, healthier lifestyle. Anyone can do it. You can as well. Simplicity will help beginners as well as those who are already well on the road to their new lifestyle. But : Simplicity is not a destination, it’s an ongoing journey. Don’t expect to be done and never have to clear up again; a simple lifestyle requires

upkeep and mindful choices. As you advance in this path with us, you will find that your choices today will be your habits tomorrow.

Laura & Johanna

THE PATHS

Now, let’s begin your journey by introducing you to various lifestyles related to simplifying your life. They all share similar views and a similar goal: the ultimate goal is to cull your belongings and clear your mind and soul from clutter and stress. Some might be more extreme than others, and there is no right or wrong choice when it comes to deciding which best suits the life you envision. Ultimately, it’s not really about the labels. You might find that perhaps you’re happy in between what people consider minimalist and a simply uncluttered home, and that’s OK, that’s why we aim to bring you as much information as possible rather than focus on simply becoming one thing or the other. “The key to success is picking what works best for you. This way you will accomplish more than you ever expected. Pick what works for you, and be happy.”

What is Minimalism?

The dictionary defines minimalism as:

A style or technique (as in music, art, or design) that is characterized by extreme sparseness and simplicity.

And indeed, when we think of minimalism, what we first imagine is vast, open spaces; sparse furniture, almost nothing on surfaces, and usually white and black. That might well be what design minimalism is, but it’s not the end-all and be-all of the term.

But what really is minimalism?

There seem to be two schools of thought on the matter. On one hand, many people believe that you can’t be a minimalist unless you own under a certain amount of items or have clear surfaces all over your house. That minimalism requires nothing but a bed on the floor in your bedroom and nothing more. On the other hand, a lot of minimalists will argue that a less extreme lifestyle, even if not as sparse, is still minimalism. Because they’ve culled down their belongings to an amount that they use and make them happy, they have no excess clutter troubling their lives, and thus are able to achieve what we all seek: a simpler life.

If one were to take minimalism at its core label, then we’d have to say that yes, minimalism is purely that which is derived from the aesthetical form of design. Which implies reducing your possessions to your basic needs. In truth, however, we believe that if you wish to label yourself anything, then true minimalism lies in between those two points. Minimalism is mindfulness over materialism, it’s a way of thinking that is mindful to your needs and to where your true happiness lies. It should lead to more awareness caring and conscious living. It makes us more mindful of the things we consume, of our environment, and of how we treat our bodies and connect to others.

Who is it for?

If you’re looking for a truly simplistic way of living, detached from those possessions that keep you from the life you want, and keeping only those that matter the most to you, then this is for you. While it may seem easier to start this lifestyle as a single person, it is an adventure that will strengthen your values as a couple, and a legacy you build with your family.

What is Frugality?

Frugality is defined as:

The quality of being economical with money or food. Thriftiness.

Frugality is being mindful of your money, being smarter about what you do with it, knowing how much you need, and when you need it. The practical applications of these are obvious: it can help you repay debt faster, afford better quality things, and afford experiences. It’s perhaps not in and on itself a way of living simply, but we believe it is an integral part of it, and that several of the initial steps towards it overlap with those required to become a minimalist or transition to a simpler lifestyle. This is because it teaches you not to bring more things into your home, or add more to an already overloaded manufacturing world, usually by upcycling, borrowing, and finding innovative ways to reuse items you already own. Then, frugality is not only about saving money. Frugality opens the way to mindfulness of our environment. Frugal people will still purchase things they use daily or often, but they may forego purchasing an item they will only need every so often, or might trade having multiples of lesser quality for a single item of much better quality, much like minimalists might. There is a stigma attached to frugality: some people who call themselves ‘frugal’ use it as an excuse never to purchase anything, even if they do use it on a daily basis. They will borrow from others and never return the items. This is not frugality. This is taking advantage of the kindness of others, and it gives those who call themselves frugal a bad name.

Who is it for?

For those who need guidance to save money and stop living in fear of debt, as well as those who care for the impact of waste on our planet and wish to take action. From singles to families, of any age and gender, frugality could be the way to fulfill a dream that seems financially unreacheable, such as purchasing a home and forever living debt-free..

What is Simple Living?

Unlike minimalism, which finds its basis in items, simple living is more than just about the things. It is not only about clearing the spaces and decluttering your life, but about simplifying the actions you take to achieve things; simplifying routines, relationships, choices, food. It’s about reaching a balance point where you are content with the amount of things you own, because those are the things that you love and care for. It is about being mindful of your choices, about making it easier for you to get through the day, and your chores. About saving time so you can have a more fulfilling day every day, to enjoy the things you really care for. Like minimalism, simple leaving can lead to being mindful and aware of more aspects of your life, including a spiritual level that was so far left aside. You don’t have to be religious to feel more spiritually connected.

Who is it for?

Simple living is good for everyone. Families, couples, children, adults, male, female – everyone can enjoy a simple life without sacrificing all their belongings. At Simplicity we advocate for this all-encoming lifestyle. It has proven an easy gateway to a happier life for so many people, without sacrificing their everyday comfort, while helping them to find what really mattered to them in the rush of modern life.

What other paths are there?

There are many other paths to living a simpler lifestyle, some more extreme than others. Zero Waste, for instance, focuses on recycling and being environmentally

friendly by minimizing, or even completely eliminating, our waste. Many times this might mean composting, purchasing things without packaging, and in the process transitioning to a healthier lifestyle. It’s meant to create a cycle where things are recycled and reused in other ways. Sustainability (also sustainable living) focuses also on a greener way to live. It is meant to reduce the use of resources as much as possible and to slow the damage to the environment, so that future generations won’t have to deal with our mistakes. Usually people following this path are known to plant their own fruits and vegetables, build their homes with renewable resources, compost, create as little waste as possible, use little energy, etc. Tiny houses are another trend that’s risen up in the past few years. Most of these end up tied hand in hand with minimalism or simplifying your life in some way, as the houses truly are tiny (and often on wheels) and it’s impossible to store as many items as one does in an average family home, without feeling at once overwhelmed with clutter. There are more ways of living simply and mindfully, but these are the most widespread. In this chapter we have given you the essential definitions to give you a clear view of what each idea relates to. There are several ways to travel through each of the paths, several ways to experience and live them, as well as several more to reach your own personal goals. You might even find that you are comfortable applying one or more of these labels to what you wish your goal to be, thus helping you define what type of future you for yourself and your family. You might have also noticed most of these have two things in common:

Most involve getting rid of excess (be it possessions, waste, or otherwise) They require a shift on your mindset, to a more ecologically mindful lifestyle

In future chapters, we’ll show you all the ways in which you can achieve such changes, regardless of the path you’ve chosen to take, whether you choose to go into a fully simple or minimalist road, whether you decide your path lies in the middle and use concepts from the various different lifestyles.

What’s the difference between Minimalism and Simple Living?

To us, simple living encomes everything: minimalism, frugality, a more ecologically friendly lifestyle... Simple living can take any shape you want, can be anything you want as long as it’s simple and mindful. Thus, depending on your definition of it, there might not be any difference between minimalism and simple living, or there might be a world of difference. Personally, we believe the main difference is that minimalism tends to be a little more extreme.

Which should I choose? What are the benefits?

The journey to a simpler lifestyle is unique and personal, so we cannot make the choice for you. We can, and will, guide and help you in the process, but ultimately only you know which path and which label fits best to your desired lifestyle. If you’re undecided, then start slow and see which of the styles works best for you. : You don’t have to commit yourself to a single lifestyle. Take what concepts resonate with you from each lifestyle, and match them to make your ideal lifestyle!!

ABOUT CLUTTER & SIMPLICITY

The effects of clutter in our minds and bodies

Though we might not notice it, clutter takes a heavy toll in our minds and affects our emotional state. When you enter a room full of clutter, likely your first feeling is overwhelm. You might, in time, turn a blind eye to it where you no longer notice the clutter, and you might then believe it no longer affects you. You’d be wrong. ‘Invisible’ clutter is one of the worse types of clutter to deal with, because you’ve already convinced yourself it’s no longer a problem. Likewise, trying to work in a cluttered environment will be difficult. Whether you realize it or not, clutter can be distracting. It makes you unproductive, dulls your creativity and your wish to do things, and overloads your senses. Losing something in a cluttered place can make you frustrated, angry, and make you lose valuable time best spent in something else. Yes, when we live in a cluttered space we tend to lose stuff more often, or forget we owned it, only to find it either after it’s no longer needed (and often after we’ve spent money to replace the item), or on time but ruined and unusable. Things take much longer to clean and maintain when you live in a cluttered space. Bigger repairs or redoing a room... this all takes much longer to accomplish when you have to remove boxes and boxes of items from it. Clutter can also cause lower self-esteem and ruin your social life. You might feel like a failure from being unable to keep your house clean and organized, or fear having friends and relatives over. Clutter is not only physical objects, there is such a thing of a cluttered mind. You might have too much to do juggling work, family, friendships, or simply have too much to think about.

And what about that closet full of clothes? Though not visible, it is also clutter. How about the many choices on the menu at the restaurant... ? Having too many choices is a form of clutter, and it’s just as exhausting as the rest. In some cases clutter also has a direct link to obesity and other health issues. You might feel depressed by the clutter, or the clutter grew around you while feeling depressed. You might have gained weight when you started feeling overwhelmed with clutter. Does any of this sound like you? If the answer is yes, then you have a clutter problem and will definitely benefit from decluttering. Anyone can do it! We’ll show you how in the next chapter.

How simplifying your life can help

Decluttering, simplifying your life, changing the way in which you think and approach matters has many great benefits: It will help your finances. By selling the things that have some monetary value, and not following your impulse to purchase things without a thought, you will find yourself able to repay debts faster, afford to travel, spend money (and time) in experiences rather than things. You will have more time. Less time cleaning and more efficient use of work time means more time to spend with your family and friends, more time to travel, to enjoy the things you like and have, to learn new things. You will feel physically and emotionally better. You won’t have to fear visits, you won’t have to worry about a guest opening a junk closet, you won’t have to worry about what others think. You will feel creative, and have sufficient time to mind your health and your emotions. You will be better prepared to face catastrophes. Although horrible to consider, catastrophes happen: hurricanes, fires, floods... in the blink of an eye you may lose everything you’ve owned. If you allow yourself to be weighted down by the things you own, the pain of losing everything can be

devastating. When you simplify your life, although you may lose things of importance, you will realize things are just a physical representation of a memory and not the memory itself, and you will be better prepared to deal with the loss. It will improve your relationships. Less time in upkeep means you get to spend more quality time with friends and family, share experiences, and have less fights about clutter and chores. It will help your productivity. Decluttering your to-do lists, organizing yourself, knowing when to delegate or ask for help, and learning how to manage the influx of work and chores will help you become more productive, at home as well as in the workplace. It will open up possibilities. Whether it’s just the possibility to travel with less worries, move easier with less items, or something else, decluttering to a level you’re happy with usually frees your mind to work in other aspects of your life, so that you can work on your physical health, your spiritual health, and your life goals.

Why and How clutter builds up

There are plenty of reasons why clutter builds up, and not necessarily all of them have to do with just having enough room for it. A lot of times, smaller heaps of clutter are due to a lack of organization, because we have not granted items a rightful place to be, in a logical spot in our homes. For this, organizers have a motto: ‘A place for everything, and everything in its place.’ This means that if you give an item a set home in a place where it’s actually used, it will actually be a lot easier to return it there and find it when it’s needed again. When things don’t have a home, you end up leaving them on the closest surface from where you last used it, eventually growing from one item to a pile of clutter. A single item out of place tends to magically attract more clutter to it as well. This is because we feel like we might place all the things we have to return to their original places in the same spot, except we never actually do. Another reason why clutter builds up is sentimentalism. We have an emotional attachment to our items, and the longer we hold on to them, the stronger that attachment becomes. This is not inherently bad on itself, however when that attachment is placed on every single item we own, it starts to become a problem. Be it because it was the first thing we bought on our own, because it was a gift, because it’s served us well, because it reminds us of a place or person, etc... the things we grow attached to become more and more the older we get. Sometimes, to the point where we no longer display and care for the item in the way we should do for something we love. Fluctuating weight or gaining weight also has an influence on clutter, mostly clothes clutter. We end up keeping a lot of pieces of clothes with the hopes we might fit into them one day, or just in case we gain weight once more. While a bit of leeway might be reasonable, sometimes, you really don’t need to keep all the clothes that no longer fit you. Of course, health issues like illnesses and depression can cause clutter to build

up, as we don’t feel like cleaning up. Or maybe you’re just too busy with work or a new baby to tidy up. Another big reason clutter piles up is consumerism. Things are sometimes too cheap, cheaper to replace when we can’t find them than trouble ourselves wasting time to look for it. Things are made to break faster now rather than last, so that you’ll buy new ones, and we don’t always throw out the old broken one. Dormant dreams and hobbies are also a big part of this. What about those books you’ve piled for when you’d have time to learn that language? What about the music books for when you’d have time to play the piano? What about the scraps of fabric for when you’d have time to make that quilt or sew that suit? We might have not covered your specific reason on why clutter builds here, but just like these, there are countless ways in which clutter can quickly pile up.

Exercise:

Les try a small exercise to set you on the right mindset: Look around you right now. Really look. Pinpoint the places on which clutter has crept up, and try to identify the type of clutter. Is it paperwork next to the door? It’s easy to just dump letters in the first available surface. You might need an in/out box near it then, or to create a habit to move all this to your home office. Is it dirty clothes on the bedroom floor? Perhaps the laundry is far from this spot to carry a single pair of socks. Consider putting a hamper nearby to contain it until you’re ready to wash the clothes. Take note of the type of clutter, try to find the reason why it ended up there in the first place, and work out a possible solution for it.

THE METHODS

We’ve talked plenty about what clutter is, about some of the paths you can take, and about the benefits of leading a simpler lifestyle. Now let us move on to the meat of the subject. In this chapter we will teach you all the different ways there are to declutter. Not all methods might be good for everyone, there is no one size fits all when it comes to this – your life might be busier, you might be dealing with depression or a physical illness, you might just be overwhelmed and not know where to start, or perhaps your family is uneasy about the idea of decluttering and questioning all you wish to rid yourself of. We will try to be as thorough and possible so that no matter what your situation is, you will be able to start on the path to a better life. , no one says you should follow everything exactly to the letter. Pick and choose what works best for you from all we show you, or modify it in a way that suits you best. Now let’s start decluttering!

Item-based Methods

The Konmari Method (Categories)

This method, created by Japanese organizer Marie Kondo, consists in grouping items by category in a very specific order, and asking yourself the deceivingly simple question of ‘Does this thing bring me joy?’ The method also has a folding guide (which we won’t go into detail here), as well as deals with items in a more personal way. What interests us here, however, are the sound practices of grouping items and the questioning of a feeling. While the more usual type of decluttering often does only a room, or category of items within a room, the Konmari method prompts you to search your entire house for items belonging to that category and grouping them together, so that you can tackle them all at once. The benefit of this is that it serves as a type of shock therapy: you might have thought you had few books in your library, but when you gather all the books in every single room, just how much does the pile grow? The shock of seeing the amount of things piled up alone can be a good eye opener to how much you might need to declutter. One of the best tips this method has, particularly when dealing with books, and magazines, is not to open them. This is because you might end up distracted by the contents, or getting carried away by it, rather than figuring out if you truly want it or not. However, the biggest downside of the method is that not many people find the ‘joy’ question sufficiently clear; after all, a screwdriver might not bring you joy but still be necessary, and in such cases Marie Kondo does make exceptions. If you don’t find the ‘joy’ question to resonate with you, then perhaps you can modify it. ‘Am I keeping this only out of sentimental value?’, ‘have I used it in

the last 6 months?’, ‘is it a duplicate?’ and many other questions, which we’ll show you later on, can be used when tackling any type of decluttering project and not only Kondo’s method. Another common problem is that, perhaps the ‘joy’ question works for you, but you might still be unhappy with the amount of things you end up with: you might either not find anything that brings you joy, or find that everything does. If this is you, then definitely try to find another way to ask the question that doesn’t involve ‘joy’. The goal of this method is to have with you only what brings you joy., and there has been plenty of arguments online on whether the Konmari method is true minimalism or not, when the point of it was: if what you truly love is minimalism, then that is what you’ll have. If what you love is not minimalism, then that’s ok too. So long as at the end of the day you are able to give everything a home and you find yourself clutter-free, then you’ll have succeeded. How To:

Pick a category, or follow Kondo’s book and start with clothes (as it is the easiest) Search the entire house for items in that category and group them in a single place. Hold each item in your hands and ask yourself: ‘does it bring me joy?’ Keep, discard, or leave for a second round whatever you’re unsure about. Once done, return what you’ll keep to the rightful place.

Who is it for? People who benefit from shock therapy. People who can take a week or more to work on things in one go, or weekends for individual categories.

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The Packing Method (All at once)

Brought to the masses by The Minimalists, the packing method is the simplest to follow (particularly if you’re aiming for a truly minimal lifestyle). The idea of this method is that you pack up all your belongings without discarding anything right away. You must be thorough on labeling all your packing correctly, for you will be taking items out one by one as you start needing them. Give yourself a time period (say 6 months to a year, but it can be adjusted to fit your needs), and after that, whatever you haven’t used, you can get rid of. The goal of this method is to keep only what you use. This might not necessarily be something that is useful, but something sentimental as well, if it’s something you find terribly missing or reaching for often. How To:

Pack absolutely all your belongings so that there is nothing outside (not even your toothbrush!) Take things out of boxes as you find you need them, leave everything else in the box. Toss whatever is no longer needed after your chosen period of time, or when you find you are no longer reaching for items inside the boxes.

Who is it for? Everyone looking for a drastic change (after all, your house will be empty for quite a while), and who have the time and will to pack everything, and patience

to unpack things one by one.

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An Item a Day (single item)

An item a day keeps the clutter at bay! The premise is simple as well; each day, look around yourself and pick one item to throw out. This can work in any way you like: you may go by category (do a category each month, for instance), start with the easier and more obvious things (duplicates, old, damaged or broken items, etc), work by rooms, or even by shelf or drawer, or tackle this any other way you like. The goal of this method, while not as radical as the previous two and certainly not nearly as time consuming, is to free you from clutter when you consider the amount of things you have to be too overwhelming to tackle at once, or have no time for longer decluttering sessions. How To:

Simply look around yourself and pick one thing to get rid of. Anything at all. Even a piece of paper.

Who is it for? Anyone who lacks time for more involved methods, who have no energy to do a lot in one day, or who suffer from some kind of illness that prevents them to work long periods of time. People overwhelmed by the amount of things they own and who don’t know where to start or can’t deal with everything in one go

from the sheer amount of belongings.

Location-based Methods

Room by Room Approach

The room by room approach was by far the most common decluttering method before Konmari came along. The idea is pretty simple: you remove everything completely from a single room in the house, go through all the contents to decide what to keep, sell, donate or trash, and then you place what’s left back inside. It’s as time consuming as Konmari and the Packing method, but it’s still more practical than tackling your entire house. The downside of this method, in opposition to the Konmari one, is that if you keep several types of items spread throughout the house you might still accidentally end up keeping unnecessary doubles. The goal is to get plenty done without it being as overwhelming as doing the entire house. How To:

Start by preparing four containers, and label them: keep, sell, donate, trash. If you want, you may add a ‘maybe’ container. Remove either every single item from a room, or every single item and furniture from a room (depending on what you’re willing to tackle) Go through every item and place them in one of the containers. If you added a ‘maybe’ box, then finish up all the items and go through the maybe box once again. Replace everything that you’re keeping back in the room.

If you still have a lot of ‘maybe’ items, you can box those up and store them somewhere out of sight (such as in the garage, or at the top or bottom of a closet) for a period of time (usually 6 months to a year); if you haven’t gone back to the box in that time, then get rid of it.

Who is it for? People who have a free weekend or week to work on it. A family willing to work together. It’s also useful for those who only have a couple problema romos in their house.

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By Furniture

This one is exactly the same as the room-by-room one, except it’s done in a smaller scale. Instead of doing a whole room, you do just one piece of furniture: the bookcase, or a single shelf, a single drawer, a chest of drawers, a closet, etc. The goal is to get some stuff done that is noticeable immediately, without it being as overwhelming and time-consuming as doing an entire room. How To:

Start by preparing four containers, and label them: keep, sell, donate, trash. If you want, you may add a ‘maybe’ container. Remove either every single item from the place you’ve chosen to declutter, whether it’s the entire bookcase or a single shelf, etc.

Go through every item and place them in one of the containers. If you added a ‘maybe’ box, then finish up all the items and go through the maybe box once again. Replace everything that you’re keeping back in the place you were decluttering.

Who is it for? Anyone who due to lack of time or energy can’t work with a whole room, but who can still dedicate a few hours to the task.

Time-based Methods

5 Minutes Decluttering

For those that are short on time, the 5 minutes decluttering method is the best. Of course, 5 can be changed to any number you’re comfortable with: 5, 10, 15, 20 minutes... usually you want to start with highly visible areas or junk drawers, so that you can see the progress faster. There is another modification of this called ‘the 5 minutes rule’, in which if something (such as cleaning, putting something back in it’s place, repairing a piece of clothes, etc) takes less than five minutes, you should do it right away rather than put it off. The goal is to start clearing some of the clutter away without having to put aside an entire day or weekend (or even week!) to deal with it all. Progress is much slower, yes, but the result will be just as rewarding. How To:

Set your clock to count down from five (or ten, or fifteen) minutes Start the clock and start decluttering a visible area of your house

Who is it for? Anyone who lacks time or energy to work more than 30 minutes at a time.

20/10 (pomodoro)

Much like the method before, this is meant to make decluttering slightly easier to deal with. The first number corresponds to the amount of time you will declutter, the second corresponds to how long you will rest. Thus, you can change this numbers to whatever you’re comfortable, be it five minutes, but normally you want to aim for no longer than thirty without a break. You can do just one round or repeat it as many times as necessary, with a usual average of 3 to five times. The goal is to split larger decluttering sessions into smaller, more achievable chunks, and make sure you have enough rests in between so you don’t get burnt out. How To:

Set your clock to count down from twenty (or five, ten, fifteen, etc) minutes Start the clock and start decluttering a visible area of your house When the time is up, set the clock to count down from ten (or your chosen time) Rest until the timer goes off again, then restart the counter for twenty (or your chosen number) minutes and start decluttering again. Repeat for 3 to 5 rounds, or until done.

Who is it for? Anyone who can’t marathon a cleaning or who often forgets to take breaks.

The Mins Game

Also brought to the world by The Minimalists, the Mins game is a simple to follow game played for a certain amount of days (usually 30), and more often played with a friend (or partner, or someone else willing to play it along with you; but you can also play it on your own!). It’s easy to play, but it can become quite challenging towards the end. On day one, you get rid of one thing; on day two, two things, on day three, three things must go... you continue adding one per day until you reach day 30. At the end of the 30 days you will have hopefully gotten rid of 465 items or more! A modified version of this is the Reverse Mins game, where you start day one getting rid of 30 items, and then move on to day two with 29, and so on and so forth, removing one each day, until in day 30 you get rid of only one thing. This makes the game harder at the start, but it’s still less challenging than the original, and a lot less intimidating if you’re not feeling too confident. The goal is to slowly get rid of your excess clutter by practicing your will to eliminate excess progressively. How To:

On day one, get rid of one thing On day two, get rid of two things On day three, get rid of three things...

How To (Reverse):

On day one get rid of 30 things On day two get rid of 29 things

On day three get rid of 28 things...

Who is it for? Anyone who doesn’t have much time to work on decluttering. Those who have someone to play with and who like to compete. People who like a challenge.

5 Days to Minimalism

Created by Youtuber Lavendaire and Refinery29, it tackles dealing with a specific spot on your life each day, for five days. While the challenge has specific spots to tackle for each day, you can switch them up to other problematic areas for you (for instance, if you don’t have a car). The goal is to tackle a single area of your life each day, thus providing you guideance on where to start, which is usually a big problem for people. The original, unmodified challenge deals with clutter areas you might not initially think of when decluttering your house. How To:

On day one, declutter your purse or briefcase On day two, declutter your car On day three, declutter your digital files On day four, declutter your make up bag On day five, declutter your fridge

Who is it for? Anyone who doesn’t know where to start and likes a different type of challenge.

Other Challenges

Project 333/Capsule Wardrobe

Aimed at fashion, Be More With Less’ Project 333 is a challenge involving dressing with 33 items (or less) for 3 months (with some exceptions, such as not counting underwear, sleepwear, etc). This challenge encourages you not to discard right away, but to box up what doesn’t fit on those 33 items and hide it away until you’re ready to switch or discard. It also encourages that you choose your 33 items from the things you already own. In time, you’ll be able to pick and choose what works for you and what doesn’t, identify clearly what you never wear, and begin realizing what your style is, so that further purchases can be more mindful. You don’t really have to stick to this numbers if you don’t want to follow the challenge exactly. You can still have a capsule wardrobe with more, or less, amount of clothes than is indicated in this challenge. You may also change the duration of the challenge, though the 3 months will ensure you can rotate according to season, you can also do more items if you plan to keep all your seasons in one go. The goal is to declutter your closet and minimize the choices you have to make when getting dressed up, while remaining fashionable and still having plenty of variations in your wardrobe. It’ll also help you learn to accessorize more mindfully. How To:

Choose 33 items from your existing wardrobe, according to what you love and matches the rest of your choices

Place everything else in a box, and put the box away, you won’t touch it for the next three months For the next three months, dress only in variations of those outfits At the end of those three months, review if you truly need anything of what’s in the boxes, and toss what doesn’t work for you any more

Who is it for? People who own too many clothes, or who want to find their style. Those who want to learn to be original combining their clothing and accessories.

30 Bags, 30 Days

This trend came up in youtube recently, and I believe it was originated on Christian blogs in relation to Lent. As the title hints to, it consists in getting rid of (or donating, trashing, selling) one bag of items every day during a period of 30 days. Like before, you can choose the amount of time this happens through to suit your personal needs. The goal is to make a considerable dent in your clutter without overwhelming you too much – separating larger decluttering tasks in smaller chunks. After all, unless you pick a huge trash bag, a bag sounds achievable, right? How To:

Choose a pile (or two, or however many you need) to tackle that first day, go through it until you have an entire bag of things to get rid of.

Repeat with a bag each day during 30 days

Who is it for? People who aren’t sure where to start organizing their belongings.

The Spending Fast / Shopping Ban

While not exactly a way to declutter, the spending ban slows the amount of new things that enter in your home, thus making less clutter and creating a new habit of more mindful buying. This doesn’t mean you won’t be purchasing necessities such as food and toilet paper, but everything that isn’t a basic necessity needs to be put on a ban. Spending bans can last from a week to a year or more. If you’re a beginner, we recommend you start small with a two weeks to one month goal, and extend it as you see fit. The goal is to learn how to better take care of your finances and make thoughtful decisions when purchasing new things, while saving money. How To:

Choose an amount of time you’ll do this ban for, and the start date Stop buying things for the period of time, constantly reminding yourself of this ban until it becomes more of a habit

Who is it for?

Anyone who needs to save money, or who already have a house full of things.

Make Your Own Method

The previous decluttering methods were some of the easiest and most famous ones, but there are plenty more that are variations and mix-and-match of those. The 31 day house detox, 15 minutes a day for 365 days, the 6 week declutter challenge, the 100 (500, 1000) things decluttering challenge, 365 items in 365 days (that’s a single item a day, very doable!)... You can mix and match to make your very own decluttering challenge to better suit your lifestyle by changing the amount of time, items and the time frame to do it on.

How To (time based projects):

Consider the amount of time you have free or that you can free up for the project: can you do five minutes a day, or free up a weekend? Consider for how long you want to do this for: a week, a weekend, a month, every weekend for two months, a year... Consider the place that most needs your attention: it might be a drawer, a single pile, an entire room Consider if you will limit the amount or type of items to get rid of: A bag, a single item, u things, broken things, etc Put everything together!

Examples:

If you only have five minutes to work on decluttering per day, then you might want to extend your challenge for a longer period of time. A month would be good, a week if you think a month is daunting. that you can always extend the period you do it on if you’re doing well enough. You may also want to do one or two items only, or even not limit yourself to an amount if items and simply toss whatever you can in those five minutes. If you can free up a weekend, perhaps you want to use one of the 20/10 challenges above, or work for x hours or until you have a certain amount of bags gathered, or even until you’re done. Whatever you choose, make sure not to overdo it and burn yourself out. Unless you have previous experience decluttering, choose things that sounds easy and achievable. Only challenge yourself if you’ve decluttered before or if you truly feel you can take it. If you fail at all, don’t stress! Just rearrange the challenge to make it easier for you, and start again! Consistency is key to success! Make your own! Example Plan 1:

What? 1 item How often? Daily Where? Anywhere visible For how long? 1 year

Example Plan 2:

What? 1 bag

How often? A week Where? Bedroom For how long? 30 days

Example Plan 3:

What? Anything visible How often? 15 minutes a day Where? Anywhere visible For how long? 1 month

Example Plan 4:

What? Consumables How often? Daily Where? Bathroom For how long? Until empty

Example Plan 5:

What? Duplicates

How often? 30 minutes a day Where? Kitchen For how long? Until done

Mini Challenges

Here are a few mini challenges for you to tackle. You can deal with them in whatever way you like best, in whatever order, and over an amount of time that suits you best. You could do one challenge a day, or one in the morning and one in the afternoon, or five over the weekend... how you tackle them is your choice, but we recommend you start with one a day. You may print it out and strike through once you’re through with them (and then don’t forget to get rid of this list!)

Look through a bookshelf and pick one duplicate book to get rid of (it can also be a book you don’t like) Clear your desk Choose one out of place item to return to its rightful place Choose one item from your junk drawer to get rid of Go through your mail and get rid of unnecessary ones Pick one duplicate kitchen utensil you can do without Either fix or throw away one piece of clothing Either use up or throw away an item you’ve been avoiding (for example; sew one piece of fabric to make that quilt; use or toss that body cream you don’t like as much, etc) Wash the dishes (yes, this is clutter) Make your bed (this is also clutter!) Start reading that one book at the top of your to-read list

That thing you’ve been holding on to for sale? Put it for sale Take donation bags out to donate Take trash out If the item you’re trying to sell hasn’t sold in about 30 days, then trash or donate it instead Tackle half (or all, if you’re feeling up to it) of a pile of papers Clear one surface (one shelf, your table, a box, etc) Cull knick knacks from one shelf Pick a piece of clothes you no longer love, to get rid of Check that the pens you have all work, get rid of those that don’t work Clear your phone from unused apps Clear your computer’s desktop from unnecessary icons Do the hardest item in your to-do list Scan something that needs scanning Find one item to donate or trash Put a piece of clothing back where it belongs (closet, laundry, etc)

Things you can declutter right now!

Duplicates Any old or rotten food Spices you never use Any medicines or make up that are past their date Any clothes or items damaged or stained beyond repair Glasses that are broken or the wrong prescription Pens that don’t work or leak Clothes that no longer fit Shoes that are too uncomfortable or painful Socks that have no matching pair Hangers you don’t need (or are not to your standards) Random buttons Broken umbrellas Containers you don’t use or that are missing lids Any samples you haven’t yet used Accessories you don’t wear That earring you only have one of because you lost the other Cables for old gadgets that no longer have a use

Booklets for old appliances you no longer own Old calendars Old magazines and newspapers you saved just for the one article (cut out the article and toss the magazine!) Photos that are no good (digital or otherwise) Any dried out crafting supplies Toys that aren’t played with or are broken Random bits found and kept as what ifs, such as screws, nails, bolts... that you don’t even know what they belonged to Books from your time at uni (chances are, you never reference them anymore) Presents you didn’t like but kept not to offend the one who gave them to you Junk mail CDs and DVDs you don’t like or that have been replaced by digital versions Trash you had to take out Things you had to take to donation Things you’re supposed to return to their rightful owners

DECLUTTERING TIPS & TRICKS

In this chapter, we’ll share with you some of the best decluttering tips we’ve come across, as well as give you example questions you can ask yourself while decluttering to make the process much easier. One in, one out (or two out, or three out) is a simple tip that will help prevent clutter from entering your house. The premise is quite easy, whenever you buy (or get) one item, another one in a similar category must go. For example, if you’re gifted a cardigan, then remove a similar piece of clothing you no longer use or that it will replace – or if you prefer the things you already have, then discard the cardigan. If you buy a spatula to replace your old one, actually throw out your old one. One of the best tips when dealing with your clothes is this: place all your hangers the other way around. As you use them, place them back the proper way. At the end of six months to one year, you will have a mix of hangers placed the right and wrong way. Things placed the right way are things you’ve used. Things placed the wrong way you’ve clearly have no need for, and are probably safe to discard. If it can be put away or cleaned in less than five minutes, then do so. This tip is great fr keeping on top of cleaning and clutter. Why let clutter pile up when it usually takes under a minute to replace an item in its original home? Why spend hours cleaning on the weekend when it takes less than a minute to wipe a surface daily? Once this becomes a habit, your house will look much fresher, and you won’t even feel it as an effort anymore. If you find yourself too overwhelmed, then rather than start decluttering straight away, make a plan and minimize gigantic tasks. Make a list of all the places that need your attention, within those areas, make another list of the sub-area that is worse off. Continue breaking a bigger task into smaller ones, until you feel more comfortable dealing with it. Whenever you’re done with a task, stop for the day.

For example:

Home office

Desktop

Junk drawer

Shelves

Bedroom

Pile over chair Dresser top Closet

Hanging clothes First box on top shelf

In this list, you’d first start decluttering your home office’s desk with the

drawers, then the surface until it’s clear, then stop; the next day tackle the shelves, then stop; finally you’d move to the bedroom’s pile over the chair... Use boxes to help you declutter. Typical boxes might be labeled:

Keep For things you wish to keep.

Trash For those things that are broken or useless to anyone else.

Maybe For items you’re not sure if you should keep or donate. If it’s clothes, try them on; anything else simply go through it again and ask yourself any of the questions found below.

Donate For items in good conditions that might be of use to someone else.

Sell For things that are worth a pretty penny.

Relocate

For things that don’t belong to the area you are currently declutter. Be sure to relocate these items as soon as you’re done with the area!

Visualize. Visualize the life you wish to lead, the style you wish to have, how you want the room to look. Visualization is a most powerful technique to make your goals come true. Be detailed in your visualization! Make it fun. Put on music, an audiobook, a movie, or anything that will help you get through things. You can even invite friends over to help you out and make a mini decluttering party! Find your inspiration! Find youtube videos, TEDtalks, books, audiobooks about decluttering. Inspire yourself by reading and listening to decluttering, simple living, tiny homes and expat travelers – or whatever your simple living goal is! You will find their words inspiring and seeing others pare down will encourage you to do likewise. Once you’ve decided to get rid of something, get it out of your house as soon as possible. The longer you keep bags or boxes of discarded items around, the more the chances are you, or someone in your family, will cave in and go through them to take something back even if they don’t really need it. So take out any trash right away, take donation items to a donation drop point, do that garage sale or put the items up for sale at once and, if they don’t sell within 30 days (or by the end of the garage sale), donate them. The sooner they are out of your home, the better you’ll feel! Create and inbox and outbox, or an action box. There is nothing like having a clear spot to place incoming papers. Sort through them at a specific time each day (make it a habit) and replace things: either archive them, shred them, place them in the out box if it’s something you need to take outside your house, or in an action box if there is an action required before archiving or sending them out (for instance, paying bills). Don’t buy storage solutions until you’ve decluttered. It’s a waste of money and time to try and organize things if you haven’t gotten rid of the excess first.

Consider asking yourself the following questions as you declutter:

Is it something I use regularly or often? If the answer is yes, then you should keep it. If it’s no, then consider if it’s really worth keeping. Is it something I love? Or Do I like it? Or Does it bring me joy? Don’t keep trinkets and knick-knacks you don’t love. Don’t keep anything that isn’t useful or that you don’t love. Am I keeping it out of a sense of obligation? Don’t feel obliged to keep things because they were gifts. If you don’t use them and you don’t like them, them on to someone who will love it or find a use for it. If you’re keeping things for a family member or friend, then consider calling them up and telling them to take their things back. Is it broken, dried or otherwise past its expiration date? This one should be fairly obvious, but if the item is broken beyond repair or unusable for some other reason, or if it’s a health hazard, then you should remove it from your house. Can it or does it need to be fixed? Do I have real plans to fix this in the next month? Give yourself a time frame in which to fix (either yourself, or take to someone who can do it) the broken or damaged item. If you haven’t within that time frame, then let’s be realistic: you’re probably not going to at all Is it a ‘just in case’ item? Just in case items are usually not needed. They are mostly also easily replaceable. If you do throw it outand find yourself needing it, then consider this: would you have ed you had it? Would you have ed WHERE you had it? Would it have been in working conditions when you found

it? The answer to all those is probably ‘no’. Do I have multiples of it? Do I need the duplicates? Except on counted occasions, you will more than likely not need multiples of a single item. Keep the one that is the best quality or that you love most. Does something else I own do the same job? If there is some other item you own that can do the same or even better job, then there is no need to keep the lesser one. Is it worth the time I spend cleaning it? Is it worth the space I use storing it? Keeping our things clean can be difficult and is most certainly time consuming. If you find yourself annoyed at cleaning a single item over and over, then consider if it’s really worth keeping. Consider also whether you couldn’t make better use of the space it’s taking up. Would I buy it again if I saw it in a shop? This is a tricky question if you haven’t yet managed to stop impulse buys. Clearly you loved the item at some point in your life, but think carefully if you would truly spend your money again in re-purchasing it if you had to. Could I use the space for something else? There might be something better you could be storing, something you actually use. If not, then consider if you even need the storing space. Sometimes a bit of empty space isn’t bad! Is it still fashionable? If you’re very into fashion and trends, then this will be an important question for you. Consider getting rid of items that have gone out of fashion and you no longer love. Does this fit the style I like? If you’re already aware of your fashion style, then look at the clothes you own

and ask yourself if they fit the style you like. You’ll probably not wear it if it doesn’t. Is it something for a specific season? If you’re unsure about getting rid of something because it’s for a specific season, then review this item by the end of the season it belongs to. Have I worn it in the last __ months/year/season? If you haven’t worn it in over six months (and it’s not a seasonal item), then it’s probably safe to discard it. Does this fit the life I envision? The most important question of all should be this. Does the item fit the life you envision for yourself? If you want to live out of a bag, then keeping that huge wall painting might not be the best idea, even if you love it. Consider instead taking a picture of it for memory’s sake, and getting rid of the item in question. Do I really need this item? This question is best asked while you’re shopping. Consider deeply whether you don’t have something already that can serve the same or similar purpose, that is better quality, or that you already own.

DECLUTTERING WITH AN ILLNESS

Decluttering with an illness can be daunting. Perhaps a physical illness impedes your movement or makes it hard for you to make efforts for long periods of time. Or you suffer from anxiety or depression, which creates an additional emotional roadblock to clearing out your space. Whichever the case, we hope the following tips can help you get ahead of the clutter in your life, because we know that clearing out excess clutter can actually improve your health, if even just a little. that there is no rush. There is no immediate need for you to clear out the entire house in one weekend. Take your time, measure yourself, and set reachable goals. Start small. Just one item a day, or one item every time you enter a room, or five minutes each day is all it takes. It might take longer to see progress, but don’t be discouraged! In time it will definitely make a huge difference. Start with the most visible places. Surfaces like a table, night stand, chair, a counter, or similar. The most visible things are the ones that bother us the most, and once you start seeing progress, you will feel encouraged to keep going with any ‘hidden’ clutter. Request help. Don’t try to do it all on your own if it’s just not feasible. Request help from your significant other, parents, children, relatives, friends... Don’t be afraid to ask for their help when you need it.

TRYING A SIMPLE LIFE

If you’re scared about trying a simple living style, if you think getting rid of everything is too frightening, then consider trying out the lifestyle without committing to it straight away. How? Depending on your means, there are several options: If you’re able to, you could pack only basic necessities and spend holidays, or even just a weekend, either in a hotel, a rented room, or a rented tiny house. Try and see if you can live with minimal things, and avoid shopping things for your house. Pretend like you’re really living in that place and try to forget all you’ve left behind. If you ever find yourself missing or needing something you had back home, rather than buy it, just make a note of it somewhere. At the end, this will help you have a general idea of what you use and have. However, if you can’t afford to travel or rent a hotel room, then try boxing up your things (anything that isn’t obvious trash) and storing it away: either in places you won’t see (like an attic, basement, or garage) or, if possible, in a storage unit. This will only be temporary. If you’re serious about decluttering then we advise you don’t keep things for longer than three months for anything that isn’t clothing, and six months to a year for clothes as there might be seasonal items. If you ever find yourself needing anything from the boxes either go and remove the single item, or make a note of it somewhere. At the end of the timeframe you’ll give yourself, you will know what you truly use and need. Don’t be afraid to let go of the rest. You probably won’t even half the things you owned!

THE NUMBERS GAME

You will notice a lot of tips, tricks and challenges include numbers. Five minutes, five items, five days, five belongings... it’s good to experiment with numbers in your decluttering journey. What isn’t good, however, is to obsess over them. Yes, setting a goal in numbers can help you know to keep going or where to stop, but don’t obsess over them. If you can’t make it, then simply lower the amount of times or items and try again. There is no one holding a gun to your head and saying you must reach the goal of an entire bag in one day, or that you must only own less than 100 items counting your socks. Don’t obsess over how many clothes your capsule wardrobe has (particularly as it usually doesn’t have the amount you think, since most people actually rotate on seasons). Just be happy if there is room in your closet to push the hangers around freely. The numbers are there to guide you, not to tie you.

ROADBLOCKS & EXCUSES

Here is a list of common roadblocks and excuses people have when decluttering, and the harsh reality behind them. But I have no time! You do. You can make time for the things you like to do: wouldn’t you like to live the life you want? And even if you can’t make time for it, no one says it has to be done all in one go. Even just five minutes a day can improve your quality of life and get you closer to your goal. What if I need this later on? I may need this or regret getting rid of it. We can assure you 99% of the time, you won’t need the item. But, you say, what about that last 1%? Let’s assume you do need the item eventually. Ask yourself the following questions: Would you really, honestly, truly have ed you had it? Would you have ed where you had it? Would it not have been easier and more cost effective (time searching versus cost of the replacement) for you to just buy a new one? If you had ed and found it, would it be in good enough condition from being stored, that you could actually use it for the thing you wanted it to? The answers to most of those questions are usually ‘no’. be honest, You wouldn’t have ed if and where you had it, and if you had, the conditions of the item would’ve probably been less than what is required for the job. I’ll fix it someday. I’ll send it to repair.

You won’t. How long has the item been stored in its broken or damaged state already? More than a month? And you haven’t yet fixed it? Be honest with yourself. Give yourself a time period, say a month, and if you still haven’t had it fixed in that time, then get rid of it: you’re obviously not going to do anything with it. If I throw away clothes, I’ll have no choices on what to wear. You will have plenty of choices. If you select your clothing pieces right, you will have plenty of combinations to make several different outfits even out of very few pieces; plus, accessorizing them different ways give them new life as well. Look at some capsule wardrobes for inspiration but by all means, don’t let yourself be bogged down thinking you have to be stuck with 10 pieces of clothing or less – get rid of only as much or as little as it’s actually necessary for you to feel comfortable with both your space and your selection. I might throw out an important paper. This is true, which is why you need to find out in advance which paperwork is essential to be kept (usually home ownership titles, identity papers, etc; but different countries will have different paperwork that is best kept for a certain amount of years or months). However, keep in mind not everything in that pile of paper will be things you need to actually file. Chances are at least a good half of it or more are junk mail or extra ment that came with statements. Just be mindful when going through your papers and you’ll be fine! I’m saving it for a special occasion. But does the special occasion ever come? Let’s use as example your fine china. It might be new fine china, or a wedding gift, or even your grandmother’s old china. You want to save it for a special occasion because it’s so lovely, how could you do anything but? But really think it through. Does that special occasion ever come? Do you hold parties often at your home, in which you actually take out and use that fine china? And if you don’t use it for those parties, then what special occasion are you waiting to use it for? Just like this example, the item might be a dress, or shoes, or even a notebook. So many times we save things for special occasions or the right circumstances,

and we never enjoy them in the end for fear of ruining them. It’s better to have used and enjoyed it, than to have it be ruined by being stored for too long, without anyone enjoying it. But I spent good money on it! The sunk cost fallacy. The sunk cost fallacy works as follows: You make what you believe to be smart, rational choices on the basis of an object having more value in the future and thus being an investment, however, those choices are neither as rational nor smart as you think as there is plenty of emotion guiding them, and the more time and money you spend on the item, the more difficult it is to get rid of it. The harsh reality you have to face is: what you bought and now want to get rid of is a sunk cost. That doesn’t mean, however, that it hasn’t been useful or served its purpose. One of the things Marie Kondo says in her book is that all items you own have served their purpose, even if their purpose was just teaching you that you shouldn’t have bought it. Think of it that way if it helps you: Yes, you spent money on it, and it’s made you happy for an amount of time, even if that amount of time was only while you got the rush from buying it. It’s served its purpose and given you something for what you paid for it, and you can now let it go. Perhaps you can sell it in a garage sale or online, but you won’t get back the entirety of the money paid for it, so don’t dwell.

Sentimental Items

Sentimental items are tricky, we know this. But you can’t keep every single item your family or friends ever owned out of sentiment. Likewise, no one is really forcing you to get rid of that beloved family heirloom if you use it and it truly makes you happy. But you must also remind yourself that the items aren’t your memories. You will still the person, place, or experience, without need of a physical item. With this, for instance, we mean: your grandmothers’ grandmother old wooden

bed frame. We know it’s lovely, but does it fit your style? Are you using it? If the answer to this is ‘yes’, then do keep it. If the answer to this is ‘no’, then reconsider why you are keeping it. Perhaps another relative of yours will actually find use on it. Or are you keeping it to on to your own child? Consider that they might not want to use it as it might not be their style nor have any sentiment attached to it. What about that old journal? Is it something you re-read often and it makes you happy? By all means, keep it. But if you never read it or the contents don’t make you happy at all, then why are you keeping it? Of course, those are just some basic examples, and all this is easier said than done, so try the following: Contain it: Give yourself a single box (or cabinet) of sentimental items. Whatever doesn’t fit must go. Use it: Use the item. If it’s a heirloom particularly, they’ll want you to find happiness using it, not storing it. Take pictures: Snap photos of the sentimental items, get rid of the item itself and keep the picture for remembrance. Pictures, particularly digital, take little room.

Gifts and Guilt

You’ve been given this item as a gift, but maybe it doesn’t suit you. Maybe you never wanted it, or liked it, or perhaps you’ve just grown out of it, but it was a gift and you can’t get rid of it. What if the person who gave it to you doesn’t see it? What if they feel offended? Understand that you should not feel guilt over these gifts. Be appreciative, thank the person, but don’t feel guilty enough to keep something you no longer have a use for, or maybe never did. Perhaps consider requesting next time the person gift you experiences instead: a

day out with them, a few hours visit, a movie with them, eating out...

Organizing when you’re poor

A lot of people seem to believe simple living is for privileged rich people. One of the most common excuses is that you can’t throw things out if you’re poor as you can’t easily replace them, or that you can’t just up and buy better quality ones as advised. There is some truth to this, of course. If you don’t have as much money, replacing things that break or that are lower quality can be harder. However, if you look around, you’ll realize you’ve somehow still ended up with multiples of some articles, and that you’ve not often had to replace things. How about all those second hand clothes? The cheap purchases? How many are you really using, or going to sue? No one says you have to get rid of all your belongings and live out of a backpack, however, there are surely some things you can let go of – things that are old or have been unused, and that will eventually open up space for things you really want or need.

But it’s a collection!

Collections can be complicated. Clearly you’ve spent time and money on them, surely hoping deep down inside that the day you’d get tired of it, it’d be worth more. We fall once again in the sunk cost fallacy. No matter how much time and money you’ve spent in a collection, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll be worth more now. If you no longer love it, don’t keep it just because you stubbornly

want to get a certain price out of it. On the other hand, if out of a collection you only like a handful of items and not all... why keep it all? Because it’s a ‘collection’? Wouldn’t you rather be able to display and appreciate the items from it you really love than keep it all stored? Think also on whether you’re giving your collection the proper care it deserves. Are you displaying it? Can you look at it often? Or os it stashed away somewhere and never seen? If you want to honor your collections, the best is to display them, or at least, to be able to look at it every so often. If you can’t enjoy it, why have it?

Books and movies

Many people won’t have issues getting rid of books, but many more might find it the most complicated area to declutter. However, it doesn’t have to be so. We just have to be down to earth about it. We all have a certain amount of free time for the things we love doing, and if reading is one of them, then you should really examine how much time you spend reading and how many books you read in a certain period of time, and place that against the amount of books you purchase in that same timeframe. For example, is you read three books a month, but buy six, you’ll have an extra that you’ll never get to read. A lot of times we buy books because they sound interesting when we first see them, but we keep leaving them on the lowest part of our to be read pile and never actually get to them, because something else always sounds better. For those still collecting DVDs, a similar phenomenon occurs. We gather and gather books and movies with the hopes of seeing or reading them sometime, but there’s always more to have, newer things, and we never get to a lot of them because we keep adding more and more.

You don’t have to get rid of all your books and movie, but surely there are plenty you can get rid of. Here is some advice:

Just because you bought it, doesn’t mean you have to read it (or watch it) If you’re reading it (or watching it) and find yourself uninterested or disliking it, you don’t need to finish it If you haven’t read it in three months and keep buying more books, you’ll probably never read it If you donate unread books to a local library, you’ll have them accessible if you change your mind and decide to read them Consider using your local libraries more instead of buying everything Consider replacing your physical copies for digital ones, and only keeping the physical format of those books or movies you truly love

YOUR JOURNEY & YOUR FAMILY

What’s harder than trying to move along your journey to a simpler life? Trying to do so with your family. Particularly if said family doesn’t wish to in on the journey. Here are some tricks to deal with these situations. The very first thing you’ll want to do is sit down with them and discuss this new path you wish to embark on. Have a heart to heart with them and see if they perhaps feel the same way you do and want to you, or not.

A family journey

You’ve sat down and talked with your significant other, your children, your parents. They’ve agreed with your views, and wish to you on your journey. That’s fantastic! But that doesn’t mean the journey will be without bumps. The important thing during this journey will be to keep in constant communication. Don’t step on other’s toes – don’t question why they keep or get rid of things. Instead, make sure your entire family is on the same page. Make a plan. Share your visions of what you’d like the end result to look like. Your type of simplifying might not be your partner’s type of simplifying. Make sure you both understand your goals, and help each other out. A good way to do this would be via sites like pinterest or tumbler – or other sites that have plenty of pictures of spaces. Provide encouragement. It’s hard to clean up a space on your own, even harder if you’re demotivated. Provide encouragement and rewards, for yourself as much as for others. Give

praise and celebrate small accomplishments. Teach younger children that everything has a place. With younger children it’s easier to declutter. Teach them that at the end of the day (or at the end of the play session), everything must go back to it’s place. Teach them valuable lessons in organizing and decluttering, for instance, you may teach them that when they get something new, they must get rid of something old they no longer use. Give everyone specific boundaries. In order to teach children the above suggestions, it’s best they have specific boundaries. For instance, for small children you may decide one basket of toys is enough. If it’s filled, something must be thrown out in order to get something new. Make it fun for them and for you. Make it a game, give rewards to them when they perform well. Talk with any young children and make them understand you will be donating their toys to help other children in need. Make this both fun and educational for them, and make them feel like they’re helping.

A lonely journey

But what if your family doesn’t feel the same way? The most important thing is not being confrontational about it. Don’t force them to see things from your point of view, usually that only backfires, or makes the person angry and stressed out, which is definitely not the way you want them to be if you’d like them to listen to you. Don’t sneakily get rid of their things either, they might not notice it at first, but eventually they will start noticing it, and they will be angry and resentful towards you and your journey.

They key here is not force them to get rid of anything or do anything they don’t feel comfortable doing. that what might be trash for you, might be the other’s most cherished item. So what to do? Look at your own mess first. It’s easy to point fingers and blame others, but harder to look within. Yes, your parents, children, roomie or significant other might be a big contributor to the clutter in your house, but are you really, truly blame free? Have you decluttered all you felt you needed to on your own belongings? Do you put all your own things back where they belong when you’re done with them? Lead by example. Clearing your own space will make you feel better physically and emotionally, and you will be much happier with yourself and your environment. Don’t think everyone else won’t notice this change. Often, people will find inspiration in your own efforts and progress, and perhaps start trying it out on their own. Be ive, don’t force them. Offer your help in the process, even if they didn’t help you. If someone isn’t quite ready to get rid of something they own, then be ive of them. Ask them why they want to keep them, try to make them see if it’s truly something they love or not, but don’t forcefully say or imply that they should get rid of it or else. Designate the common areas as clutter free, or as clutter free as possible. When your family isn’t with you on the journey, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by general clutter. If you’re co-owner of the house, such as with a significant other or roommate, then give your partner a spot in which they can keep and create their own mess, as they wish. Anything that is out of that space and doesn’t belong can then be returned there for them to deal with at their own pace. If you’re not co-owner of the space, say you’re living with your parents, or on a similar situation, then things are trickier. But don’t despair! Give yourself a safe haven: your room. Put limits in place, and forbid anyone from bringing anything

into your room that doesn’t belong there, or leaving clutter behind if they visit. It might not be a solution, but you will at least have a little island to fall back to when everything else is too much. Alternatively, you could offer your help, kindly and without forcing it, cleaning the space. Perhaps your parents want a clean space but don’t know how to achieve it. Be mindful of others. that this is a personal journey, and respect boundaries set by others as well as those set by yourself. The key to peaceful living is to be respectful of one another!

Living with a Hoarder

Hoarding is a psychological condition. It’s not easily dealt with, and it’s even harder when it’s family trying to make the hoarder see they have a problem. More often than not, people with hoarding issues who are not quite ready to clear out the clutter will see any kind of approach as oppositional. Thus, we recommend the following: Have a good talk with them. Sit down, but don’t address the clutter itself as something bad. Be understanding. Mention that you understand the things are important to them, that you will be there for them, but that the situation concerns you and you only want them to be happy. Inquire if they would like to have help clearing out the space, or if they would consider getting some outside help. Hire professional help. Whether they agree to get help themselves or not, we recommend that you try and get them some expert help. Even if they agree to get it themselves, go with them to make sure they indeed talk to a specialist. They might have the best intentions but not follow through if left to their own devices.

It’s also important that a professional be with them during the process. Family can help clear things out, but doing so might cause unnecessary strain between you and the family member suffering from hoarding, so we’d recommend one or more professionals be around when cleaning.

DECLUTTERING THE INTANGIBLE

Physical clutter is not the only type of clutter that exists. Every day of our lives we find ourselves cluttered: cluttered with task after task of things to do at home, cluttered with work, cluttered with our digital lives – social and otherwise – and even with our own hopes and dreams. Let’s help you simplify some of these!

Social Life

Our lives are very active. When we work, we socialize with co-workers. After work, we socialize with friends. When we’re home, we go on social networks. But when do we have some time for ourselves? It’s as important to socialize as it is to have some ‘me’ time. If you find yourself going out too often and exhausted when you return, and then find yourself going on social networks, then do sit down and reconsider: are all those social outlets truly necessary? And if so, how can you regulate them so that you still have time for yourself? Harsh as it sounds, it’s important to look back at all your relationships and figure out which affect you negatively, so you can get rid of those. This might or might not mean get rid of some ‘friends’, but if all they do is bring you down all the time, then are they really people you wish to have around? Reconsider your usage of social networks as well. Places like Facebook often cause an effect known as the ‘fear of missing out’. They make you compare yourself to other’s (perceived) success. All this can lead to depression. Consider the following: Would you rather be taking a picture pretending you’re enjoying a party, or actually enjoy the party? It’s okay to want to immortalize a moment, it’s okay to

want to share it with family, but is it really necessary? And what about reading all your friends’ updates? Do you really need to see what they’re up to 24/7? Does it make you jealous or angry when you see your friend has traveled to places or gone to parties and you haven’t? Perhaps it’s time to remove their news from your feed. Clearing your updates feed on social networks (which doesn’t necessarily mean unfriending people) will go a long way into making you feel more peaceful and at ease when you finally do check your social feed. If you feel like you can go the extra mile, then by all means, unfriend those people you have added but never even spoken to.

Use your phone mindfully

Another important thing to be careful with is the usage of your phone. In an age when our phones have everything and we’re always reachable, it’s impossible to be on our own or with our loved ones without interruptions. We recommend you start by decluttering your apps: all those applications you never really use? Remove them, they just clutter your phone and make it hard to find the things you do use. Remove all apps from folders and honestly go through them with care. What haven’t you used in the last month or two? After, remove all notifications that aren’t fully necessary. Maybe you need to be updated of when you receive a work email, but I’m fairly sure you don’t need to be notified as well of whenever your friends post on facebook. Make sure you only have the alarms and notifications that matter. Give yourself off hours. It’s no good to be reachable and available at all times, 24/7. Set yourself times in which the phone must be off. Not just unattended. Not just on ‘do not disturb’ or silence. Not just in another room, but off. Good times for this, for instance, are: meal times, sleep time, or family time. It’s also not too good to have your phone near your bed

while you sleep, but we understand that some people use it as an alarm clock. Consider putting it on ‘do not disturb’ or silence then, and turning off all notifications.

Use other screens mindfully

The computer and TV are also big time suckers. There’s nothing wrong with relaxing in front of them now and again, particularly after a long day, however, do track how much time you’re spending in front of each, and take plenty of breaks in between. Particularly for the computer, keep in mind how much time you’re in front of it at work as well. Do you really want to spend all that time in front of it while at home too? Some ways you can minimize screen time: Declutter the TV. If you don’t use it that much, consider getting rid of it all together, switching for something like Netflix, or just foregoing it if you don’t watch TV. If you do watch TV often, then consider having only one in a family-area of the house, but remove the screens from your and any chidren’s bedrooms to minimize the usage (particularly before bedtime). Declutter your computer. Much like phones, your computer can easily get cluttered with files and software. This can greatly decrease your computer’s efficiency, make it slower and sluggish and overall annoying. Review the software you have installed, uninstall what you don’t need, and regularly clean up old, unneeded files and back up the rest to an external drive (and maybe an extra back up on the cloud, just in case). Run antivirus, antimalware, and clean-up programs (such as CCleaner) often to keep it running as smoothly as possible.

Scheduling & Delegating

Within work and home life our to-do lists may grow exponentially. Sometimes it feels like if you want something done right, or done at all, you have to do it yourself. This is not always true. You can and should delegate where possible. You should share tasks with family and roommates. Don’t try to do everything yourself. Do what’s important first. Look at your to-do list and figure out the following: what is most urgent? What’s hardest and more time consuming? You will definitely want to tackle those first. Separate your to-do list into things that need to be dealt with right away, and things that can be left for another day. Make sure you jot down any due dates not to overlook them. Delegate. If your significant other drives closer to the laundry place, have them pick up the laundry. Teach your children to collaborate by putting their things away and making their beds or cleaning their own rooms. Share chores with your parents, husband, children... delegate to your team anything that you don’t need to deal with personally. See what can be delegated on your to-do list to free up some time. to schedule in breaks and off-time. It’s important to take breaks and schedule in off time, and it’s equally important not to modify this except on emergencies. Having some time to lean back and rest, to enjoy a book or a movie or simply relax, is extremely important for your mental and physical health. You’d schedule in a doctor’s appointment, so schedule in this as well!

Decluttering Dreams

One of the hardest things to declutter, right up there with sentimental items, are your dreams. Believe it or not, dreams can be clutter in our lives, even if we don’t realize it. Let’s look at it this way: How many hobbies do you have? And how many do you actually do often? How many goals do you have in life? And for how many are you working on daily?

We understand we all need hobbies and goals, but sometimes we have too many. We might want to exercise daily, learn to play the guitar, write a book, sew that quilt and clothes, do all those scrapbooks, and learn three new languages. But we might not be doing anything to achieve any of those. We don’t really have time to sew, or use half the things we bought for scrapbooking, or perhaps you bought all those books on learning Italian but never really did so. Reconsider all these dreams and goals and give each and every one a hard, cold look. Are you truly willing to make time for these? Are you truly willing to make time to practice or study or work on them, at least once a week? Before doing anything drastic, or if you have troubles deciding, give yourself a time frame. Say, if in two weeks, or a month at most, you haven’t picked up the guitar at all, or you’ve only done it once, then you might not really be motivated enough for that dream at the time. If you haven’t sewn anything, or done any scrapbooking, then why keep all those things? They’re taking up space, physical and emotional. Let yourself go of those dreams and condense them to one or two that you will actually work on often. This doesn’t mean you have to give up on everything else, just that you have to set them aside and forget them for a while. Maybe you’ll find once you’ve used up all your scrapbooking supplies and feel done with it, you can move on to another dream. that our lives, and our tastes, change. The importance of a goal or dream might vary, and you should keep and work towards only what is most important and motivating to you right now.

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The Unplug Challenge

Every now and again it’s good to unplug yourself. Consider taking this challenge, be it for a day, a weekend, a week, or even a whole month: pick any

amount of time you’re more comfortable with and try to spend it entirely without using your phone, computer, or TV. Go for walks, go out with friends, read books, exercise... do anything that doesn’t require a screen. At the end of that time you will surely feel energized!

WHAT ABOUT THE EXCESS?

So you’ve decluttered your life and are pretty happy with the outcome. However, you don’t know what to do with the bags and boxes that are now sitting around, waiting to be dealt with. There are, of course, plenty of things that you can do with your excess things. Identify trash. Identify any trash or any item damaged beyond repair and/or unusable, and throw it out. Make sure to properly dispose of things in a proper way: batteries and tech gadgets, for instance, should not go to landfills but instead taken to specialty spots that will recycle them. Some papers might need shredding in order to remove information. See what can be thrown out safely, what needs to be recycled, and dispose of it responsibly. Gift to friends or family. While we’ve mentioned before that you shouldn’t impose your things on family , nor show what you throw out to family in case they try to convince you to keep it, there are things you might know your relatives or friends might need or really, really want. Thus, one choice is to either gift them those particular items or, if you’re sure they are ive of your journey, offer for them to go through your things ad pick whatever they might like or need before you get rid of the rest. Make a garage sale. Gather all your things, set yourself one weekend for this, and make a garage sale. Be sure to it well beforehand so you can get as many people as possible on it. Recruit the help of friends and relatives to speed things up. Have them help with the ment too. Use consignment stores or sell online. For items that are in particularly good condition and/or are worth a pretty penny, then you can try to sell them off. Consignment stores will often sell things for

you at a fee. This is usually the best way to go because you won’t b storing the items yourself. You can also try to put your things up on local or international auction sites, such as ebay. The downside to this is the items will remain at your home until they are sold. Thus, for anything that requires you to store the items until you can sell them, we advise you give yourself a set timeframe: if things don’t sell within, say, 30 or 60 days, then they must be donated. Put them up on freecycle lists. Freecycle are listings in which you can create ads for giving away free items. This is a good solution if you want things to be kept locally. You might not make any money this way, but you’ll know for certain the item is going to someone who needs it. Donate. One of the best things you can do with your excess is donating it. This is one of our favorite ways to get rid of things after gifting to friends and family, and here’s why: By donating you’re not only helping others, but you are also getting the items out of your home right away. It’s a win-win situation: no waiting on anyone, no keeping it until it sells, no worrying about anything. Just pack it up and drop it off at any nearby donation drop off point. About pricing your items for sale. Knowing what to price your items is very important, and thus, one of the first piece of advice we give is to do some proper research and look online for other similar items and what they are priced as. With that into , we know it’s very, highly tempting to put the item at the same price you paid for it (or even more), but please... don’t. You will be surprised to find that not everyone will value it the same way you do, and will be disappointed from the start when things don’t sell as quickly as you’d like. Even if the item is almost as new, keep in mind that already by having purchased it, it makes it ‘used’. This doesn’t mean you can’t turn a profit off it, but turning a profit reasonable to your expectations or your original sentimental attachment to it will take time,

and you’re not doing this to get rich, nor are you doing this to feel better about your space ‘sometime’, so your goal shouldn’t be to earn as much as possible, but to get rid of those things that are cluttering up your space as quickly as possible. Keep your goal in mind and don’t let greed get you. So, our advice is that you price things reasonably and accordingly to how fast you want them gone. Price them in a way that people would want to buy them, not in a way that puts them off or makes them thing twice. And to set a date in which anything that hasn’t sold will be donated, otherwise the whole exercise will be pointless. A good way to go about it, for example, is to give yourself 60 days to sell something. If during the first 2 weeks it doesn’t sell, lower the price. If on the next two weeks it doesn’t sell either, lower the price again. Keep doing this until it’s sold or it’s the end of those 60 days, and donate it if it hasn’t sold yet.

DONE? CONSIDER SIMPLIFYING FURTHER

If you’ve decluttered your life but feel that you still could do more, then consider downsizing further. Just decluttering your belongings isn’t all you can do to be happy. See if perhaps you’d be happier moving to a smaller – or even tiny – home, or an apartment, or even if you’d rather go to the extreme and live out of a backpack and travel the world. See if going zero waste is for you, see if you can simply your routines and equipment, see if you can simplify your meals by streamlining what you eat and making weekly meal plans. There are plenty of ways in which you can simplify your life.

MONEY SAVING TIPS

In addition to selling your excess clutter, there are many other ways in which you can simplify your finances and save some money. Here are a few tips to get you started:

Consider minimizing cable, or the TV. If you aren’t one to watch too many movies and TV shows, then consider getting rid of your cable subscription. You can replace it with something cheaper, such as Netflix, or with nothing at all. Minimize other services you might not use. Such as subscriptions to magazines you no longer even read. Change or sell your car. You could change your car for one that requires less resources or less expensive gas, or if you live near your workplace or don’t have much use for it, then you could even sell your car altogether and instead commute via bike. Avoid eating out often. Eating out as a special occasion can be fun, but eating out often or having take out often can put a serious dent on your finances. Consider cooking at home as an alternative! Consolidate bank s and keep only one credit card. Not only will this save you any maintenance fees, but it will also help you keep track of things in a much easier way. Try to avoid paying on layaway. Layway might be simpler, but it also makes you keep track of monthly payments and, sometimes, comes with extra fees. Try instead to save up and purchase those expensive items in cash, once you have all the money, so you don’t have to worry again about going into the red. Invest wisely. While the investment world can be tricky, it’s best to invest in things that you know will give you long term income, such as a property to

rent out, rather than in items that might or might not remain collectable.

SIMPLIFYING FOOD

Another aspect you can simplify in your life is consumables. Whether you’re cooking for yourself or your own family, whether you’re going zero waste or vegan, the following tips might help you get some ideas in order to simplify your meals. One pot meals. Like the name says, these are meals that can be made in one single pot, often (but not always) by dumping everything on it at the same time and cooking it. Usually this means a lot less cleaning up. There are plenty of recipes online you can find for several variations which will keep you entertained for a long time. Meal plans. Meal plans are usually done weekly. You sit down at the end of the week and plan each and every dish for the week: breakfast, snacks, lunch, dinner – everything is planned out. This simplifies the decision making process and the shopping list, as you will already know ahead of time what you need and how much. Freezing foods. Short on time or don’t like cooking? Batch-cook a very large meal and freeze it out in portion-sized containers. Then all you have to do through the week is heat them up and eat them! Eating always the same. Another way you can simply food if you’re not big on cooking is selecting a small variety of meals, say 3 different dishes, and making that over and over again. It will also simplify your shopping list and decision time when all you eat is always the same things.

SPARTANISM

We’ve touched briefly on hoarding before, and spoken about how it’s considered a type of obsessive compulsive disorder. But as bad as Hoarding is, Minimalism can also become an obsession. There have been cases of people who have thrown things out from the sheer compulsion of it, from being unable to stand living in what they deem a cluttered environment, even if others would never consider it to be so. When dealing with extreme cases – be it compulsive Minimalism or compulsive Hoarding – it’s important that we be able to recognize what triggers the feelings and accept that the person suffering from those must want to get help in order to get better. While from family and loved ones is much appreciated, it’s always best left to the professionals to deal with those who suffer from harder forms of these issues. Note that neither hoarders nor compulsive minimalists will get better if they don’t want to get better, and forcing them to face things when they are not ready might backfire and damage relationships, sometimes irreparably. Be careful and mindful when dealing with people who suffer from these tendencies not to make matter worse for either of you.

STEP BY STEP

If you’re the kind of person who needs help getting things done, who does better with step-by-step guides and checklists, then this section is for you. If you’d rather move at your own pace, we still recommend that you give this a readthrough as you might find some useful tips and tricks along the way. This step by step guide is designed in a way that will allow you to either do small bursts of decluttering, or do one after the other all in one go. Pick a pace you’re comfortable with and start decluttering!

Before you start

Find trash bags for trash Find boxes or more bags for sorting Keep these step by step instructions handy Decide what time frame you’ll want to use

Closet

Unless you’re a fashionista, the closet should be one of the easiest places to start with. If you are big on fashion skip onto the next step and move to your closet after you’ve gotten the hang of decluttering.

Give a quick look at your closet and pick out anything that is damaged, stained or needs fixing. Give yourself one week to fix the item. If you haven’t by then, throw it out. Get rid of old bras and underwear. Check items for moth holes. Throw out anything that has them. Pick out of your closet any items you know at once that you hate, throw them out. Pick out of your closet any piece that is two sizes over or under your current weight, donate them (if you don’t fluctuate much in weight, then remove any clothes that aren’t your size). If you don’t plan to have more children, donate any maternity clothing. Turn all your hangers around. When you use something, put the hanger the right way. Check back a couple weeks from then and look at your hangers. What you haven’t used will still be turned the wrong way. Anything you haven’t used but is currently in season (and thus should have been used if you had loved it), store in a box out of the way, and write down the date. Only pull things out of the box if you find you actually need to wear them. Check back in a couple weeks from then: whatever is still left in the box is safe to donate. Don’t even look at the items. You should have pretty much the outfits you wear often and love. Still, it doesn’t hurt to pull everything out of the closet and browse through it to see if there’s anything to toss or donate that you might have missed. Do your laundry. Repeats steps above as needed. Once you’ve decluttered, review your storage to make it more efficient for you. Consider reorganizing in a way that makes sense to you: by color, by season, or

even a mix. Fold anything that can be folded to save space. For baby clothes or clothes children have outgrown: If you plan to have more family, then keep two or three pieces of each type (tops, bottoms... ), don’t keep everything. Children grow very fast after all. If you have no plans to have more family, then consider throwing out the clothes.

Kitchen

Remove any duplicates you know off the top of your head and don’t need. Throw any damaged or broken item: scratched Teflon, melted plastic utensils, appliances that don’t work, etc. Revise your appliances: do you need and use two coffee makers? Consider getting rid of one. In fact, consider getting rid of both if you don’t even drink much coffee. Review all the appliances in this way. For any appliances that you do use, but less than once a week, find a spot to store them. Appliances you use daily are OK to be left out in the counter (such as a toaster). Have a look for any items that don’t belong in a kitchen. Yes, I do mean that pile of paperwork. Take it to where it belongs. Open the junk drawer and empty it out. Separate what belongs in the kitchen and what doesn’t, as well as what’s trash.

Deal with the trash first Then what belongs there And finally return everything else to where it belongs.

Continue with the other drawers. Do one drawer or cabinet at a time, or all at once. Rid yourself of unneeded duplicates, always keep the better quality item. Review the amount of dishes, cups and glasses you actually need, consider leaving a couple for backup and getting rid of the rest. Consider putting your heirloom fancy china to use. Better used and loved than unused and forgotten!

Bedroom

Remove anything that is visible but doesn’t belong there. Take dirty clothes to the laundry. Make note of the spot they’re in – you might need to put a laundry basket there (or nearby). Make your bed. Go to your linen closet. Get rid of any sheet sets that are dirty, broken, or with bad elastic. A good rule of thumb is to have one on the bed and one to two (depending how often you do laundry) for rotation (that would be 3 for your bed, 3 for your children’s, etc). The extra sheets can be used on a guest bed if you have it. Unless you’re running a hotel you probably don’t need to change the guest bed sheets as often, after all. If you do get a lot of visits, then get no more than two sets for the guest bed (one on, one in rotation). For children’s rooms, pick up toys with them and store them away. Teach them in the process! Review the toy storage, consider minimizing it to a basket per kid. Review toys they no longer play with and donate them. Trash any broken toys.

Home Office/Craft Room

Clear your desk first. Work drawer by drawer like you did in the kitchen:

Unneeded duplicates must go Try all pens, markers and the like to make sure they have ink Replace anything that needs replacing. Clean the drawer out then reorganize it.

Tackle paperwork.

Revise anything that pertains to home ownership, contracts, identity paperwork, etc that must be kept. Prepare folders according to health, finances, identity, ownership, etc... you can even designate a filer or box per person. Finally, go to any receipts that must be kept for a certain amount of time and file them out. Trash any junk mail, empty envelopes, old tickets and receipts that are past the keep date. This varies by country, so make sure you look online if you don’t know what to keep!

Make an in/out/file box so you know what needs to be tended to with future paperwork. Go through your email

Delete spam. Answer anything that needs answering. File everything else.

Go through your crafting supplies

Revise wools, threads, fabric, paper, tapes, ribbons, etc Get rid of unneeded duplicates Check what things you’ve not used and can be disposed of. See if you can work your hobby with less supplies (do you really need three different heart stamps?)

Go through any books

Living/Dining Room

Clear your dining table surface. Return things to where they belong. Clear anything that might be in the sofa.

Consider putting a tray or ‘catch-all’ near the door to drop keys, loose change, etc. Go through

Games, gaming consoles DVDs, Blue Rays Consider getting rid of some, or most, and instead get any movie or show you truly love digitally

Go through any books in this area

Get rid of duplicates Get rid of books you don’t love For books that have been in your to-read pile for ages, give yourself another week, and if you haven’t even considered starting them by then, donate them

Pantry

Anything past its date, throw it out. Spices that are no longer in good condition (moisture might have gotten in, or bugs) or that you haven’t used in well over three months can safely go. Double check any legumes and rice for bugs.

Double check all canned food to make sure the can isn’t expanding, which would indicate the food within is in bad condition. Make sure all opened bags are closed up properly (be it rolled, with pins or otherwise) to preserve the food within. If there is any food or snacks you haven’t eaten in a long while or don’t like, consider either using it up or getting rid of it. Clean the pantry, shelf by shelf, deeply. Reorganize your food in a way that is convenient for you.

Bathroom

Use up or toss out any products you weren’t too happy with and/or any samples. Clean surfaces. Review the amount of towels you own. Typically you only want two per person, one in use and one in rotation for laundry day. Cull any duplicate tech hair items: curlers, shavers, clippers, straighteners – whatever it is, if there’s more than one, you can probably get rid of the extras. Go through non-tech hair supplies: extensions, brushes, combs, scissors, hair bands, etc. Go through any make up: toss outdated items, items you no longer love, broken items, used up items, items that are no longer in proper conditions, dried out things, things with mold or other type of yucky growth, etc. Clean your bathroom.

Laundry Room

Make sure nothing is leaking. Review your supplies: things past due date, leaking items, items you don’t use anymore (use them up or toss them out!), items in bad conditions. Clean surfaces. Do your laundry. Fold and iron anything that needs it.

Purse/Backpack/Portfolio

Empty it fully. Go through any papers (tickets, stubs, etc). Go through your wallet.

Remove unneeded and out of date papers, trash, cards, etc. Re-check that you need all you carry in it Re-check the date on your cards

Remove any trash. Go through any make up

Make sure they’re in good conditions That it’s not empty That it’s not leaking

Go through any gadgets

Make sure they’re charged Make sure you need to carry it with you

Make sure if you carry pens that they have ink. Put back only what you truly need Only put back what you really need

Basement/Attic/Garage/Junk Room

This one will take time, so be prepared!!

Go through larger pieces first, find them a spot, make sure they’re in good conditions or get rid of them

Old furniture

Exercise equipment Old toys Bikes

Go through any boxes or drawers, one by one. Apply the same type of rules we’ve been applying so far

Let go of any children’s clothes if you don’t plan on having more Review photos and consider digitizing them instead Repair or remove anything that needs it, get rid of things you don’t use or love

Car

Remove any visible trash. Take anything that doesn’t belong there back to where it belongs. Check out the glove compartment for trash and no longer needed items. Make sure you have the things you DO need

Chargers Car papers Maps

First aid Etc

Clean and/or vacuum the interiors.

Other Rooms

Make sure there is nothing out of place. Return whatever doesn’t belong to their respective place. Follow the same rules as in the other rooms!

FURTHER READING

English:

❖ The Minimalists: https://www.theminimalists.com/ ❖ Unfuck Your Habitat: https://www.unfuckyourhabitat.com/ ❖ Project 333: https://bemorewithless.com/project-333/ ❖ Tiny House Movement: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiny_house_movement ❖ Zenhabits: https://zenhabits.net/ ❖ Konmari: https://konmari.com/ ❖ Becoming Minimalist: https://www.becomingminimalist.com/ ❖ The art of Simple: http://theartofsimple.net/

Spanish:

❖ Chocobuda: minimalismo y Budismo: https://chocobuda.com/ ❖ Orgranico: http://orgranico.com/ ❖ La Vida Positiva: https://www.lavidapositiva.com ❖ Una Vida Simple: http://unavidasimple.es/

FINISHING WORDS

Hi, we’re Laura and Johanna. Though we live in opposite poles, we were both immediately attracted to simple living. We’re not professional organizers, but we have ample experience organizing our own homes for a simpler, more peaceful life. Seeing the positive changes this has brought to our lives, we wanted to share what w’ve learned with the world. This is how Simplicity was born. Whether you’ve chosen to just simplify your life or you’ve gone straight for minimalism, now that you’ve finished the book you might be wondering, what’s next? Leading a simple, minimal life is an ongoing process. It takes mindful choices to keep clutter from coming back into your life, but as time goes by those choices will become a habit and you will no longer have to make a conscious effort to keep things clutter free. Working to simplify your life starts as a physical thing – via decluttering mostly – but it’s definitely not the end all of simplicity. There are many ways in which you can make your life simpler, and having less things around you vying for your attention will help clear a path for you to find your true ions and what really matters most. Slowly work your way to simplifying your life, health, work, and overall be a more mindful person, with others and with the environment. The future is yours! We hope this book has helped you in starting your journey to a better way of life!

Simplicity

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Johanna Vogel is a library conservator and life coach. You can learn more about her at: https://ohmybody.fr/

Laura Montini is an English/Spanish translator and teacher. You can learn more about her at: https://lkmontini.wordpress.com/

Copyright

Copyright © 2018 Johanna Vogel & Laura Montini All rights reserved. Thank you for purchasing this ebook. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the authors, except in the case of brief quotations for reviews and other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. First edition. Published by Smashwords. Cover photo by Pixabay.