In the last year or so I’ve tried to live a more minimal lifestyle. Inspired by Marie Kondo and the ‘Magic of Tidying Up’, I’ve made a more conscious decision to try and declutter and minimise the number of things I purchase. And whilst I still shop quite regularly I do stop and think twice about any unnecessary purchases. Aside from shopping, I’ve also tried to declutter my living space and ensure that I don’t pile up things I just don’t need. So here my top tips to help you live a more minimal lifestyle.
How to declutter your life
The best tip for decluttering is to remove the need of decluttering itself. There are certain things you need to stop doing – for example, to stop buying items that you definitely do not need and you will find no usage of. So basically I will teach you how you can declutter once and never need to do it again. Think of it as a lifestyle change and start with small habits that you can develop and grow.
Be careful what you buy
Quit buying things you don’t need. Quit buying cheap or unnecessary items just because they are on sale. Really think if you need it and what will its purpose be. Will you use it tomorrow, the next day, next month or even a year from now? If you have any doubts, then maybe you just don’t need it.
“Maybe one day I will need this”
Remove this sentence from your life. Stop using it. These types of items that you will ‘’maybe use one day’’ clutter your living space the most. Believe me – you won’t need it.
Remove every duplicate you own
If you find yourself owning the same item over and over again – get rid of them. I tend to be this way with clothes. I will often buy multiple items in different colours or lengths. I’ve now limited my clothes purchases and often ask myself; “do I already own this/something similar?’. Maybe start off small? Often people have multiple wine openers, pens, scissors, etc. Leave only one.
Now it’s time to ask yourself some important questions
If you are having trouble with getting rid of some things or having a hard time deciding whether or not you need a certain thing do these two simple steps.
The 6 Second Rule
There are a couple of questions that you can ask yourself which will determine if you need a certain item or not. ‘’Do I need this? Do I love this? Do I use this?’’ Ask yourself these questions and see what you answer in 6 seconds. If you answer no to these questions – you don’t need this item.
When you take on the task of decluttering it can be pretty overwhelming. And most of the time you can’t make a clear judgment whether you need the item or not. And you might feel you can’t make the right decision.
So what can you do? Again ask yourself:
- Do I really need it?
- Do I really adore it?
- Can I live without this?
If you truly need the item and it is very important for you – you will know it. If not – throw it away or donate it to charity.
Review your closet
I can guarantee you probably don’t even wear half of the clothes you currently own. You can take all of them out of your wardrobe and see which ones you have worn in the past year and which ones you haven’t. You know where I’m going with this – if you haven’t worn something in a year believe me you need to throw it away (or give it to charity).
Clean once you are done
The worst thing you could do after decluttering your space is to leave it in a mess! When you go through this process you tend to make a bigger mess since there are probably rubbish bags everywhere and things are just left in messy piles. Plus once you are finished you will probably be exhausted from all of the work you did so why not book a cleaning company like Monster Cleaning (they are actually based in London) to do the work for you, so you can now grab a drink while they turn your living space into a decluttered, minimal and clean home.
Have you ever tried to declutter your home? Are you trying to live a more minimalist lifestyle? Have your own tips to share?
Disclaimer: This is a collaborative post
