30 DAYS TO MINIMALISM » + printable guide

I'd like to take a moment to thank Squarespace for sponsoring this video and supporting the channel. I'll speak a little bit more about them at the end. Now, as we approach the holiday season, I always like to declutter and downsize my possessions because I like to enter the new year feeling refreshed, but I also like to take my time getting there. I much prefer to break down daunting tasks into smaller steps instead of overwhelming myself by jumping in all at once. In this video, we'll explore what small things you can do each day to become more of a minimalist come new year. I'm gonna start with the easier categories first and move my way to the more complex items just so that we can ease into it, but you take this at whatever pace you'd like and also choose whatever order you'd like. I've created a little checklist to help guide you along, and if you'd like to get your own copy, just see the link in the description box below. Now let's begin. The first category we're gonna look at is clothing, and we're gonna start off day one with the bags, purses, and wallets. We all hate digging to find our keys or credit cards, so once you've emptied it out, try keeping it maintained by completely clearing it out every few days. Day two is for the clothes themselves. Now, this might take more than one day, and again, that's okay, take it at your own pace. I personally like to use one of Marie Kondo's methods, which is to clean by category, focusing on just one item at a time. So in this case, I'm focusing on just the shirts, so pulling them out from all possible locations, whether it's hung or folded, and now that they're all in one pile, it's easier to see how many of that one item I might have. I then create my yes, no, and maybe pile. The no pile gets donated, and the maybe pile gets tucked away in a bag or a box for a few months. If I haven't found the need to go and retrieve any of the items after the few months have passed, then these items get donated as well. I then repeat this for other categories of clothing, like jeans, and then pajamas, tank tops, and so on. Day three is for the undergarments. For those underwears, boxers, briefs, bras, or socks with holes, missing pairs, or that are stretched or too tight. The next day, we'll look at shoes, the ones that are uncomfortable or worn out. And day five is for the beauty products. This includes makeup, perfume, hair products, skin products, worn out hair ties, useless bobby pins, and nail polish. Remember that your face and body deserve the best, so don't put anything on there that isn't something you love. The next day, we'll look at accessories, like broken watches or belts, earrings that are missing a pair, or broken sunglasses. The second category is office and media supplies. So for day seven, we're gonna look at things like magazines, and newspapers, and manuals. These days, everything can be found online, whether it's news updates, or fashion photos, or manuals for our electronic devices. The next day, I looked at notebooks and textbooks. Now, I'm guilty of having kept my textbooks for a few years after I graduated, hardly ever cracking it open, because again, I was able to find most of the things I was looking for online. I chose to sell it, and I donated the rest. Day nine is for CDs, DVDs, and books. If they don't spark joy anymore, or aren't getting any use, I let them go. If it's a book I've already read, or I'm not getting around to, I remind myself that the library has it for whenever I'm ready. And if you still are using a dictionary, it's now called Google. Day 10 is for the old or unused electronics. This includes computers, TVs, tablets, phones and their cables, maybe even old cameras. If it's outdated, try to sell it, and if it won't be bought, remember to recycle responsibly. The next day, we'll sort through the receipts, bills, and documents, keeping only the items we really need, like for tax or warranty purposes. And I find that storing the necessary items in an expanding file folder can really help to keep things less cluttered. Day 12 is for stationery supplies. I'm talking all over the house, throwing away markers and pens that no longer have ink, and donating excess supplies, and removing pages in old notebooks that are no longer needed. The third category is for general household items. And on day 13, we're gonna look at things like linens and towels. If you have worn out sheets, pillowcases, towels, or washcloths, either toss them, or what I often do is turn them into rags that then can be used in cleaning in the future. Day 14 is for the cleaning products. Getting rid of the unused ones, and I eliminated even more when I switched to using natural cleaning products instead, like baking soda, vinegar, and simple Castile soap. The next day, we're looking at the junk drawer. We all have them, let's find it a home or let it go. Day 16 is for the tops of shelves and drawers. Now the tops of furniture pieces tend to accumulate items over the year. Leave some of the decorative or practical pieces that spark joy, and remove the rest. This will also make cleaning so much easier when the space is less cluttered. Day 17 is for furniture. Those items that are useless, broken, or that just don't go with our style. I think we tend to let certain furniture pieces hang around, often not even noticing them anymore, just because we've gotten so used to them being there. So on this day, I want you to look at your space with some fresh eyes, and ask yourself, if it was my first time seeing this particular item, would I love it, or would I purchase it? If the answer is no, it might be time to let it go. And the fourth category we're gonna look at is the kitchen items. So for day 18, we're looking specifically at the fridge and the freezer. Clearing out items that are old, unused, rotting, expired, or items that you just don't enjoy eating. I've now gotten into the habit of doing this before I load the fridge, each time with new groceries. The next day, we'll look at the pantry, or medicine and supplement cabinets. Again, clearing out any unused or expired items, and it also helps if you can organize the contents of your pantry into up-cycled jars to keep the items visible, which then helps to keep it more organized. Day 20 is for the kitchen cabinets. Now, I've been guilty of hanging onto cracked or smelly Tupperware containers, or containers without lids, or more butter knives than I need. Clear it out and send the reusable items to the thrift store. The fifth category is for the phone and computer. So day 21 is looking specifically at the apps, deleting the ones we no longer use. The next day, we'll look at the stored media, like pictures, videos, and messages. Clearing out the unnecessary items and backing up the items we want to keep. This should also help to keep our phone running a bit more smoothly. Day 23 is for the inbox. This can be a behemoth to start, but once you've finished, it's easier to maintain. I always try to keep my inbox near zero, deleting the items I no longer need, and placing the emails I do need into their respective folders. Day 24 is a simple one, just unsubscribing from any email lists or mailing services that no longer serve me. The sixth and final category is personal and miscellaneous items. So for day 25, we're looking at photos. Now, I'm all for keeping cherished photos, but sometimes we keep the blurry ones or the multiples that look virtually the same. Take a moment and really enjoy flipping through your pictures and remove any of the ones that are just taking up space. This is both in hard copy form or the ones that are stored on your electronic devices. Day 26 is for hobby supplies. Now, it's wonderful to have a hobby, and by all means, keep everything you need to continue with this creative outlet. Our focus is just to rid of the items that are no longer useful. So for example, paint supplies that have dried out or sports equipment that doesn't perform optimally anymore. Day 27 is for the sentimental items, and this can be the hardest category, in my opinion. These are things like gifts, souvenirs, stuffed animals, or other sorts of collectibles. What helps for me, again, is Marie Kondo's method of holding it in my hands and asking myself, does this item spark joy? If the answer is no, I then donate it in hopes that it might spark joy for somebody else. Day 28 is for holiday decorations, for those tacky or broken or unused Christmas, Halloween, or Thanksgiving decorations. Day 29 is for your car, if you have one, just removing things in the glove compartment or the trunk or giving it a good wipe down. And I've saved the best for last. Day 30 is for our minds, decluttering it and taking this time for ourselves. I really want you to schedule this day as a little staycation of sorts, where you'll distance yourself from anything that's not adding to your feel-good vibes. You've just gone through a whole month of decluttering, so reward yourself with something relaxing and enjoyable. And once you're done the 30 days, you might find that you've entered a flow state, so you might be interested in decluttering some other categories as well, like chipping away at your basement or your attic or your tool shed. I'm gonna leave this up to you. I just wanted to let you know that the PDF you can find in the description below also has space for you to add your own customized categories as well. Now, if you found this video helpful, be sure to give it a thumbs up. It always means a lot to me when you do. And I, again, wanted to thank Squarespace for sponsoring this video. For those of you who don't know, Squarespace is an all-in-one platform for anyone who's interested in creating a website or an online store, and it's really simple to set up. They offer beautiful award-winning templates, so all you really have to do is go in there and pick which one suits you best to present your content online. So you don't need any kind of coding or digital design experience. There's nothing you need to install or patch or upgrade. And if you're ever in need of assistance, they offer 24-7 customer service. So if this is of interest to you, go to squarespace.com forward slash pick up limes to get a free trial, plus you'll get 10% off your first purchase. All right, I'm gonna let you go now so you can start decluttering. And thanks a lot for watching. We'll see you next week.