Our lives are so busy and fast-paced, it is so valuable to create a home environment that is calming and brings us so much joy. I believe the best way to do this is by simplifying what we own and how we live. I wouldn’t consider myself a true minimalist, but I do strive to live a simple and mindful lifestyle. Today I wanted to share my tips on how to simplify your life and live minimally!
ONLY OWN THINGS YOU LOVE
I love the quote “Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful”. I have tried to live by this for many years. For many of us, it takes a lot of practice to be ok with getting rid of items that are no longer serving us.
Maybe a wedding gift that was never quite the right colours. Or a dress that just didn’t end up fitting like we expected. I used to feel so much guilt getting rid of these items, but now it is so freeing to live in a space free from things that don’t add value to my life.
DECLUTTER OFTEN
The best way to ensure that your home is only full of tings that are useful or beautiful, is to ruthlessly declutter, and do it often. (Check out 25 things you can declutter TODAY!)
Eventually, you should be able to declutter less often, assuming that you become more mindful about purchases. But at the beginning, I find it takes multiple purges to get to the place you want to be!
I’ve always purged my clothing, makeup, and other closets on a regular basis…usually with each new season.
REUSE ITEMS
This goes for everything from clothing, to home decor. But I specifically want to talk about home decor.
I love decorating my home and changing things up. But I rarely buy new things. Instead, I am constantly rearranging items and reusing items in new rooms or locations.
For example, when I got sick of the throw pillows in our bedroom, I moved around all the throw pillows in our home to make everything feel new and fresh. I’ve done the same thing with furniture! If I am sick of the way something is looking is a specific room, I will swap a table, dresser, etc.
Another idea is to paint or refinish furniture! I have refinished our bedside tables 3 different times! This is so much more affordable and less wasteful than purchasing new ones and allows you to live so much more minimally! Read more about how I decorate clutter-free!
SELL THINGS
Secondhand websites like facebook marketplace, craigslist and kijiji make it so appealing to get rid of items AND make some extra cash! Sometimes when we want extra spending money for a trip we will look through our house at what we can get rid of and sell! It’s a win-win situation!
ALWAYS SLEEP ON A PURCHASE
I almost never buy things upon first look. So often, I will see something I like at a store, and go home and think about it for a few days before making the purchase.
Most of the time I decide I don’t love the item enough to purchase it, so I end up saving money and I don’t end up buying something I’ll later get rid of!
When I do decide to make the purchase, I know it’s something that is worth my money!
EVERYTHING NEEDS A HOME
This is a HUGE thing if you are wanting to live minimally. Make sure that every item you own has a home.
Instead of shoving things in closets or drawers, make sure that your closets, shelves and drawers are organized in a way that you know where everything goes. This helps ensure that you don’t repurchase something you already had. Like if you can’t find your sunscreen before a trip, so you just run to the store to replace it.
If everything has a home you eliminate so much time and effort looking for things!
The last two tips are more about simplifying our minds and our lives!
DO A BRAIN DUMP
On days when I’m feeling really overwhelmed and feel the need to take a step back and simplify my to-do list. I love to do a brain dump. Basically this is when you set a time, and then write everything that comes to mind that you have to do.
At the end, you go through this huge list of things and break it down into what is a priority!
LEARN TO SAY NO
Learn to guard your time, energy and resources. I forget what the actual quote is, but there’s a quote something like “The only people who will be upset about your boundaries are the ones benefiting from you having none”.
One of the most important ways we can take care of ourselves, and live a more simple life is by learning to say no to things. It is absolutely still possible to love people without always people pleasing.
If a relationship, a job, or something else has started negatively affecting your life, it’s important to set boundaries and set the tone for how you want to be treated or what you will prioritize.
I hope you enjoyed these tips to live minimally!
If this was helpful, be sure to pin it for later or to share with a friend!
