How to Declutter and Simplify Your Life

marie kondo, decluttering

Tried of watching your life become so busy and such a mess that it overwhelms you?That’s exactly where minimalism may come in handy. There is more to it than simple disposal; decluttering is making a deliberate decision to have less and live more.When you have stripped out all the rhetoric, what do you are left with? Additionaly you get more time, more freedom and more head space. Minimalism is not only about tidying up your home, and what surrounds it, but also about clearing your mind, your schedule and events that take your time. In this guide you will learn how it feels to live a minimalist life and how to begin this journey of making your home, and consequently your life more minimalistic.

When you start the process of embracing minimalism, it is not simply about cleaning your house or decluttering – it is about decluttering your entire life. You add value only to what is necessary by removing even the least of trivial things or commitments that you possess. Some people get out of their bed to a clean room with no clutter where all their energy and time is utilized in what is important to them. They benefit from minimalism because they forget about a craving for things and start to go on a quest for experiences, relationships and personality development.

The positive effects of minimalism do not only concern spaces. It also enhances quality of the mind in a way that one is not bogged down by too many tasks, too many things and too many people. Such a way of living cultivates a certain level of awareness with the propensity for purpose ever present when making decisions, whether for work, relationships or play. Once you begin to shed what you feel is unnecessary, you will understand how releasing that need of more and more is liberating for the mind.

It is not a one-day affair and it is about being a minimalist. Gradually, try to declutter one drawer, or clean one room and then see the impact it has on your mood. Over time, this mindset has to be applied to different spheres of your life: your time, your money, technology, etc. It turns out that, contrary to popular belief, minimalism isn’t about living without things; it’s about making room for the things you love.

If you are ready, and willing to take the first step to submerge and to free your-self from all the materialistic things that you do not need. Once you adopt minimalism, you will find that your life is more manageable that it is lighter and more purposeful.

marie kondo, decluttering

What is Minimalism?

Minimalism in general can be described in the following phrase – less – less noise or interruption and more essentials in life. Regarding people’s things, time, ideas or knowledge, or relations, minimalism approaches each of them with purpose in people’s lives. However much it is important to live with less MO, it is also refreshing to know that when a person minimizes his/her MO content, he or she makes room for the things that give meaning to the life of human beings including foster meaningful experience, relationships, personal development, among other things.

What people often get wrong about minimalism is that it doesn’t mean living a life without things, or a life with only basic essential things. It is about consciously deciding on what kind of experiences you’d like in your life, and eliminating, eradicating everything that does not bring the instead. Everyone enjoys implementing this strategy across the board, even when it comes to neat arrangement of apparels, there and then arrangement of schedules for passions and hobbies. From a subjective perspective, minimalism is all about restoring the opportunity to choose happiness, attention, and meaning.


Why Decluttering is the First Step

Slimming down can mean, in its initial direction, the first detailed step to what is more, besides feeling ashamed of one’s home, physical clutter induces emotions of anxiety and stress. Many drawers of several areas are full of numerous items and objects as the numerous studies prove that clutter raises cortisol levels and we tend to be overwhelmed, distracted, and our mind is wasted.

Clearing out your environment allows the real you back in and introduces a measure of sanity into your life’s arena.When your property is easy, organized and free from unnecessary objects, you are better placed to stay focused on what subject matters most. Besides, the feeling of hard open spaces and clear planes may produce the profoundest touch of pride and rest.


How to Start Decluttering

Overwhelming for positive, mainly if you personal lots of things. However, you don’t have to take it all on right now. Here are a few realistic strategies to get began:

  • Start Small: Pick an area to declutter — a drawer, a shelf, whatever. It’s starting with a manageable space so that you’re not overwhelmed.

  • Sort by Category: Think category instead of room by way – for instance – sort clothes, books or kitchen gizmos. You can also see how much you have in each category and how to eliminate duplicates or things you no longer need.

  • Follow the 80/20 rule: The Pareto Principle tells us that we only use 20% of our resources 80% of the time. The rest of it ? Maybe it just takes up space. Stick to those, and give me the rest. Read more here!

  • Adopt the "one in, one out" rule: In fact, every time you bring something new into your space, decide to get rid of one thing. This simple rule will stop the mess and prevent the mess from coming back.


Mindset Shift: Letting Go of Attachments

It’s not just about removing things from your home; it is about reshifting your mindset. Some people hang onto things for emotional reasons or because they fear that they will need them someday. But there’s a question you should ask yourself: Do these items actually serve you right now?

A good tactic: Hold each item, then ask yourself if the item makes you want to say, 'I want this!' On a larger scale this has been popularized by Marie Kondo, where you are only to have those things that feel positive and add positive energy to your life. If something doesn’t suit you anymore, you don’t have to hold on to it. It’ll settle gratefully for your service and let you go. When you declutter, you’ll probably find that letting go will become less tedious (and perhaps liberating) the more you do it.


Simplifying Your Digital Life

You don’t need to stop with physical belongings; you can also simplify your digital life. From apps to organization and files to distractions, these days, the notifications scroll, the notifications plop, the apps distract and fill our devices. In other words, a cluttered inbox or a multitude of apps can just as stressful as a shambolic room. Here are a few ways to declutter your digital life:

  • Unsubscribe: Unsubscribe your email from awesome newsletters that no longer interest you. It will cut down inbox clutter and make it easier to focus on what’s important.

-Limit Apps:Remove the apps you hardly use and keep organizing the ones you need.The simpler, fewer things on a phone home screen, the better, as it eliminates distractions.

  • Organize Files: Place all your documents, photos and downloads in a folder system.Back up important files regularly and clear out old or unnecessary ones to keep file cabinet free from digital clutter.

  • Turn Off Notifications: Disable non essential notifications to get rid of constant distraction and help you focus.


Benefits of Minimalist Living

Minimalism is about putting minimal bags there, but the place that really counts. Here are some of the key benefits of adopting a minimalist lifestyle:


Free Time and More freedom

You can save time managing when you have less to manage. The hours spent tidying up clutter or organizing items you don’t even use are over. Simplifying your life lets you gain time, which you would then spend with things that matter, like spending quality time with family, pursuing passions, or enjoying these joyful moments.


Financial Freedom

With minimalism, one must spend their money more intentionally. You save money when you stop buying things you don’t need. You may also perceive a greater value to be put on quality over quantity and that you choose fewer, better quality items that are going to last longer. An altering of the mindset in this way can result in long term savings and financial security.


Less Stress, Anxiety

A cluttered space can make you feel cluttered. You free yourself from the constant pressure of making possessions because you simplify your environment. It also allows you to be mentally more clear, resulting in lower stress, increased concentration and thus improved well being. A neat, un cluttered home creates peace and calm in your home, and helps you feel more peaceful in your daily life.


Environmental Impact

Minimalism toward a sustainable lifestyle-the less you do, the smaller the footprint. Instead of throwing away items, donating, recycling, or reusing them makes you contribute to an environmentally friendly life. A resource management mindset and philosophy can help you and the planet.

marie kondo, decluttering

Practical Tips to Maintain a Minimalist Lifestyle

Well, after a clean up (and maybe some over simplification) you’d want to keep to the minimalist habit, but if carefully, you might end up falling back to some old or even previous patterns. Here are some tips to help you stay on track:

  • Set Boundaries: Above all, though, put a limit on how many things—clothing, book, kitchen gadgets—you will own. They make you not get too extra stuff and they do it, and and and and and and.

  • Be Mindful of New Purchases: Before you spend your hard earned money on something, really ask yourself, could I really live without this? That would really give me value? If the answer is no don't buy.

  • Regular Check-ins: If need be, clean your space, then check your space every few months. It stops getting cluttered all around again.

  • Practice Gratitude: Let’s focus on that right there, appreciate what you have. When I do this my mentality flips to what I don’t want, and it actually makes me happy with the little things in life.


Minimalism Beyond the Home

Minimalism isn’t just a thing about physical possessions, it’s also about how you spend your time in your life (aka your schedule), relationships, and even your mental state.


Make it easy for yourself with your schedule

Minimalism means ‘no’ to a lot of things that don’t fit into your values or make you happy. When you reduce your schedule's complexity, you increase your time available for that which is important to you. Let go of everything that burns you and lives a meaningless existence and focus on doing what truly matters.


Relationships That Are Intentional

Minimalism can even make your relationships better. Rather than reaching out to someone you don’t really know for every connection you make on the app, seek to build up something deep and meaningful with the people who lighten your day up. It allows you to build stronger relationships and ensure the people that matter spend time with you.


Mental Decluttering

Minimalism can finally help you declutter your mind. Most of the time, we find ourselves worrisome, to do, information overloaded. Practicing mindfulness, meditation, or journaling will remove those mental noises and focus on now. When you declutter your mind, you will be able to live a daily life recentered in peace and clarity.

Embrace the Freedom of Less

About creating a lifestyle that prefers meaning and reduces distractions rather than decluttering or organizing your space, that’s minimalism. When you focus on what’s really important in your life—relationships, passions or your mental well being—you’re able to experience life on a deeper level. Removing parts of your physical environment simplifies to minimize the mental clutter, allowing you more time, energy, freedom, to move in the direction of your goals, and cultivate joy. Minimalism is not a destination. It’s a journey of incremental success that grows in clarity and peace as you keep stepping. And the more you begin to be minimalist, the more less will give you space for what you bring the most to your life — strengthening relationships, trying out new things, or enjoying what is going on right now. It can begin with a single tiny area— such as a closet or a drawer.