Decluttering "Stuff" for a Minimalistic and Positive Life

While the practice of minimalism will look different to different people, the benefits are the same. Adopting a minimalist mindset can improve your stress levels, sleep, mental and physical health, increase happiness and well-being, reduce your environmental impact, and also save you time, energy and money.

Believing More is Better

Our homes and our lives are overflowing with "stuff". More stuff than we need.

Eventually all that stuff to make our lives seem better, actually starts adding stress to our lives. Our homes become cluttered and hard to clean. We lose things and we waste a lot of time for them. Our homes become overwhelming to keep up with.

When we embrace minimalism, we begin to see that owning less can make our lives better. When we only own the things we use regularly or love, we aren't burdened and weighed down by too much "stuff".

When we spend less time managing what we own, we can spend more time actually living and enjoying our lives.

Thinking the Things We Own Define You as a Person

When we embrace minimalism and choose to own less, we stop believing the things we own define who we are. We realize the things we own are not who we are. They are simply things we use to make life easier or things that make us happy. But they do not define who we are.

The way you live your life defines who you are. Your words, your actions, your thoughts, your beliefs and your values.

The amount of stuff you own, what kind of things you own or what brand of things you own has nothing to do with who you are.

Keeping up With the Jones'

In our society, many of us feel the pressure to keep up with what we think are certain standards of success. We all have our own version of what these standards are. Comparing our lives to other people based on what we own is common.

We think we need to own certain things, do certain things and live a certain way to be successful.

It is not healthy to compare what we own with other people. Focus on only owning what you use regularly or love.

But just as the things we own don't define us as people, nor is it helpful to compare what we own to other people or try to "keep up with the Jones'."

Owning more is not always better. Choose to own the amount of stuff and the type of stuff you actually use or love. Don't worry about what others own. Let go of comparing your life to other people and focus on creating a life that serves you.

Overspending and Mindless Shopping

Don't see something you want and just buy it! This pattern of behaviour can lead to a house full of stuff you don't use or need.

Learn to make more thoughtful and intentional purchases. Instead of impulse buying, try to shop mindfully. Buying things that add value to your life. Not just the clutter.

A Scarcity Mindset

Many people hold onto clutter and stuff because it makes us feel secure. Maybe they might worry they may need it "someday", or "just in case".

These are all forms of a scarcity mindset. A feeling you have when you worry you won't have enough or won't have the things you need in the future.

Keeping things because of a scarcity mindset often leads to a home full of clutter. Full of things you rarely or never use because you are afraid of letting them go.

Realize, even with less, you will still have everything you need. It's about choosing to have more time, space, energy and freedom.

Spending the Majority of Your Time Managing Your Stuff

When we own too much stuff, a large portion of our time is taken up with managing it. We have to earn the money for it, shop for it, organize it, clean it, pick it up, maintain and repair it.

The more you own, the more of your time is taken up managing the things you own. This not only takes time, but energy and work involved managing it all. It is exhausting, frustrating and stressful.

Don't spend so much of your precious time and energy managing stuff you don't even need or use.

Staying Busy Doing Things That Don't Align With Your Values and Goals

Owning fewer things that don't take up your time and energy gives you more time to focus on what is important to you.

Embracing minimalism also helps you look at your schedule and what fills up your time. Identifying which activities and commitments are adding value to your life and which are only adding clutter. Give yourself the opportunity to become more intentional about what fills up your time.

When you let go of the things keeping you busy or not adding value to your life or aligning with your values and goals, you don't have more time for the things and people you do and love.

Minimalism teaches you to let go of being busy because you feel pressure to do it all!

Believing Happiness Comes From "Things".

It is easy to get caught up in the mindset that the things you own will make you happy.

Buying something new often makes you feel happy at the time. That feeling of happiness doesn't last. Instead, soon after buying something new, you are already looking for the next thing you can buy to make you feel happy again.

This leads to a cycle of buying things you don't need and buying more than yo need. Causing your home to be cluttered and your life to become burdened by too much stuff.

Minimalism means you can value and appreciate the things you own because you use them regularly or love them. It helps you stop tying your happiness to what you own and what you can buy.

You can commit to owning less and look for the happiness buying something new gives you from other places - spending time working on a hobby you love for example or spending time with friends and family.

Prioritizing Things Over People

Minimalism helps you clarify what you value most in your life. One of the benefits of getting clear about your goals, priorities and values is you can be intentional about what you devote your time and energy to. It will help you realize what the best things in life are and that it is not about things. The people you share your time with, the experiences you have.

It will help you become clear on what you value most, who you want to spend your time with and your energy will align with what you value.

Minimalism means you spend less time cleaning up and managing the things you own. You have more time to spend connecting with your kids, family and friends instead.