Living simply at home does not have to mean giving up your Eames chairs, annual Ikea pilgrimage, or moving off-the-grid into a cabin in the woods. To the contrary, simple living means becoming clear about what you love so that your own time, energy and money are spent on that which matters to you. By clearing clutter, creating new customs and minding your priorities, you can simplify your own life no matter where you are. Read on for 10 ways to begin.
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1. Get heated up. Take a little time to explore what you really want to gain from bettering your life at home. Envision, as vividly as possible, how your home and daily routines are different as soon as you have simplified.
Can it be a sense of space or cleanliness? Is it more time which you crave? Less frustration? Make a few notes in your journal about your own thoughts and feelings, along with any ideas sparked in this procedure.
Clutter-Clearing 101
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2. Display cherished belongings (and get rid of the rest). Begin with a small step. Have you got a box of old photos that give you warm fuzzies every time you watch them? Select your favorites and have them framed. Start spending 10 minutes clearing clutter each Saturday morning, and earn a visit to Goodwill when you’ve got a complete box. Little by little, you can create a home that better reflects what’s important to you.
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3. Use the rule. Preventing clutter from entering your residence is equally as significant as getting rid of the surplus possessions you presently have. The $100 rule is straightforward: Whenever you’re considering making a purchase, first ask yourself whether you’d still purchase it if it cost $100. The idea is that no price, however small, should be taken for granted. The dollar amount you use does not really matter — it should only be a number that feels expensive to you. For me, $100 is a fantastic benchmark, but your number might be higher or lower.
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4. Keep things visually straightforward. Opening a cabinet or closet filled with objects of several distinct colors, sizes and shapes often seems cluttered, even if the contents are well organized.
Matched sets of glassware and dishes generally look splendid lined up on a shelf, but not everything could (or should) come at a matched set. If that’s the case, look to containers to make that cohesive feel — boxes, baskets, trays and magazine files are superb and simple to label. Just remember, if it looks simple, it likely is.
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5. Use easy-access storage containers. Don’t make things more difficult than they have to be! Open baskets and bins make it rather straightforward to remain organized and grab what you need quickly and efficiently. Save the boxes with lids for deep storage (cellar, attic, etc.) where keeping dust outside is more important in relation to availability.
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6. Reconsider your space requirements. We are inclined to accumulate belongings to fill whatever area we live in, regardless of the size. Keep things simple by choosing to reside in a home that fits you: large enough that every member of the family feels comfortable, but not so large that whole rooms often go unused.
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7. Go digital — using several copies. Going paperless is a worthy goal, lessening our effect on the environment and reducing clutter at home at precisely the same time. Just be sure to back up stuff correctly — there is nothing simple about needing to locate replacements for lost information. Use an online “cloud” storage service, for example, but also back up having an external hard drive.
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8. Create simple systems and stick together. Routines are key to simplicity at home. You don’t need to remind yourself to brush your teeth or your own hair every day, right? In case you’ve got an area of frustration at home (e.g. laundry or weeknight dinners), consider what might make things work more easily (do one load of laundry every day, prep veggies Sunday, etc.) and commit to following through to the next fourteen days. Following a month, you will have instilled a new habit.
9. Make a record of your favorite straightforward pleasures and indulge one every day. Too many times we try and push through to the weekend, like that’s the only time we must unwind. No longer! Start by making a list of little things and moments you like, and keep it in your pocket to refer to (and add to) often. The items on your list should be small and easily attainable or doable: a bouquet of flowers from the current market, a distinctive bar of soap, and a new publication, a stroll after work.
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10. Design your home around the way you live. If you have pets or children, select easy-care fabrics and finishes, and hardy rather than ultra-fragile decoration. If you like to cook, then take the time to arrange your cookware in an intelligent way. The purpose is to make things as easy on yourself as you can.
When your home is organized around your lifestyle rather than the other way round, you will spend less time battling your belongings, and also have more time for what’s really important to you: the people, pets and adventures you adore.
Inform us Just how do you simplified your life at home?