Minimalist: How to Declutter Your Home & Organize Like a Professional
“To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury; to be worthy, not respectable; to be wealthy, not rich.” William Henry Channing
People love labels and rules. We like to define and measure and compare.
Who can call themselves a minimalist? Who is living a minimalist lifestyle?
Is it an interior design trend, an organization system, a life hack for gaining time?
Minimalism is releasing everything that no longer serves us, so there is more space, time, and energy for people, things, experiences, work, and meaning.
We can change our lives in an instant. To flip the switch and make the change we need to know WHY. Unless there is an understanding of how our values, habits, approach to life and the definition of success are causing us to feel
empty and discontent,
burnt out,
cut off,
depressed,
or desperate, we won’t ignite the energy to make a change.
You could experience the loss of a loved one and come home and purge your house of everything you don’t like or need, as I did.
Or you could see, all at once, that by decluttering your home you could calm your mind and free up time to invest in what is truly important to YOU in life, right now.
Win time to devote to your health, self-care, relationships, hobbies, career, or community. Yes, decluttering and organizing your home and life will free up hours.
You will no longer be picking up, sorting, cleaning, and putting away belongings. There is no longer any pick-up game before a clean.
When you remove the pick-up step, you find it takes less willpower to do a quick clean, every day. You won’t spend your weekend morning cleaning the entire house. You will be keeping it clean with a few minutes of effort, daily.
STEP 1 to MINIMALISM: Nothing New Comes IN
The first step is the foundation of a pyramid of cards. Are you ready to stop the flow of things coming into your home?
Unless we stop bringing in new clothes, décor, electronics, magazines, books, toys, kitchen tools…(include the unmentioned category of possessions here), it won’t matter how well and often we release things back out of our homes.
Our life will be a revolving door.
In comes new things, out with the old. In new, out old. Repeat until the happily ever after that never arrives.
Do you want, deep down to create white space in your life through decluttering your home? How will you fill this white space? What do you want to start saying yes to, but there isn’t the time, money, or space?
Write it down.
Know your #ReleaseReason.
Know the why that will keep you from buying, and yes, accepting new possessions into your life.
Fan That Flame of Desire for Change
Have you experienced how much more relaxed and serene you feel without clutter and mess all over the place? It’s time to earn yourself this calm in your own home, but without the effort of a significant time and energy investment. Fan that flame on your desire for a minimalistic life by investing just 20 minutes.
STEP 2 to MINIMALISM: 20-Minute Game Changer
What is your favorite room in your home? Grab a plastic bag or a box. Clear every surface in the room of clutter and place in the box. Open the closet and drawers.
Throw in everything you haven’t used in the past thirty days.
There’s no need to debate on whether you should keep, not keep, love, or not love anything. Just throw it all in the box or bag, seal, and place in your basement or attic for the next month.
Enjoy the feel of a de-cluttered and minimalist life in your favorite room for the next month. Keep a daily one-sentence journal of home you feel in the place now that it is Spartan and clear of clutter.
STEP 3 to MINIMALISM: Plan Your Declutter Strategy
Declutter Magic: Method 1
Kon Mari, the author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, advises a strict approach to purging your home of clutter and non-essentials. Pick up every possession in your life and ask ‘Does this spark joy? Do I use this?’ Everything that doesn’t pass the test is sold, given away, or thrown away.
Kon Mari advises to decide on a category, like al