Many people feel overwhelmed by the clutter and extra things around them that they don’t probably need. Such items not only create a sense of chaos but also fill up space unnecessarily. Also, maximalism distracts people from experiencing a flowing state of productivity. That’s why, many people prefer living a minimalistic lifestyle to increase their productivity and live a better life.
There are a lot of things you can do to adopt minimalism in your life. In this article, I am going to discuss the top 12 minimalist lifestyle hacks you can utilize to live a better life. Let’s start.
Top 12 Minimalist Lifestyle Hacks:
Now, in the next to our guide I am sharing the details about the 12 tried hacks for a minimalist lifestyle.
1. Declutter Unnecessary Items:
The best and the most basic hack to follow for a minimalistic life is to declutter unnecessary items. Whether it’s about your work desk or any other place in the house, decluttering helps get rid of things you’re not going to use for a long time. Discard items no longer in use and avoid filling up space unnecessarily. Follow these guidelines to implement the hack:
- Divide different parts of your house and make a list of the main items placed in each part.
- Now, cross the things that are no longer required. Also, cross off those things you won’t use in the near future.
- Discard these things and adopt minimalism.
- Another thing to do is store these items in a safe place and use them later whenever required.
2. The 1-In, 1-Out Rule:
The 1-In, 1-Out Rule is, perhaps, the most effective hack if you purchase new things frequently. This rule allows you to keep a balance between the things you purchase and the things that you already own.
According to this rule, whenever you’re buying a new item (in), you have to get rid of one item (out) to keep a balance. It helps avoid purchasing too much stuff and helps keep things minimalist. The idea works flawlessly when executed the right way. It’s simple yet very effective when it comes to avoiding gathering too much stuff at your home or office.
Here’s how:
- Keep a clear idea of a relevant item you will discard before purchasing a new one.
- Besides discarding, you can give it to charity or to any other friend or family member.
3. Go Paperless:
Many people are following the idea of going paperless since not only does it help with minimalism but also is an eco-friendly act. When there’s low paper demand, people will use fewer trees which is a positive thing. Going paperless in this digital world isn’t difficult at all. There are many online tools and apps that can be used to write and keep notes.
It will result in fewer purchases of physical notebooks giving a lot of free space at the study or work desk. Also, reading eBooks instead of physical ones also helps in achieving minimalism. For example, if you want to read an ebook, instead of purchasing it physically, use apps or devices like Kindle. By doing this, you won’t have to store when you’re finished reading the book.
4. Use Multi-Purpose Items:
Since technology has become advanced, companies are manufacturing products designed to perform multiple tasks. Purchasing multi-purpose products helps perform tasks with a single item instead of purchasing separate ones.
Not only it is a budget-friendly lifestyle hack but also helps with living a minimalist life. The specialty of this hack is that it is applicable to almost all areas of life.
For example, if you want to make the kitchen minimalist, purchase things like an immersion blender which is a handheld blender designed to whip, blend, and puree by placing it directly into the food. Similarly, purchasing an all-in-one cable organizer will help keep your office desk clean.
5. The 20/20 Rule:
The 20/20 Rule is an amazing hack for living a minimalist lifestyle that was developed by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus. This rule helps make better purchasing decisions so you don’t end up buying unnecessary items. The rule is based on two main questions that a person needs to ask while buying a product.
- Can I buy it for $20 or less?
- Can I replace it in under 20 minutes?
If the answer to both questions is “yes”, it’s a green light to purchase the item. If not, don’t buy the item because it will be expensive and will be very difficult to replace in case you want to replace it. The result will be a cluttered space with items longer in use anymore and are hard to replace or get rid of.
6. Use the Capsule Wardrobe:
One of the main things that destroy our minimalist lifestyle is our clothing. So, you need to deal with it in order to create a less cluttered wardrobe. One of the best ways to do it is to embrace the capsule wardrobe hack. It describes creating a wardrobe that is versatile and doesn’t include unnecessary clothing items.
According to this hack, buy 30 to 40 pieces of high-quality clothes that are extremely versatile. While purchasing these clothes, you need to make sure they can create multiple outfits when combined. It creates a wardrobe that not only is versatile but also goes on for a long time due to its quality.
The best way to perform this hack is to understand your core fashion. Then, only purchase items that complement your fashion. Having a simple and dedicated wardrobe helps in getting rid of maximalism.
7. The 90/90 Rule:
As I mentioned earlier, decluttering unnecessary items is a basic hack for embracing a minimalist lifestyle. However, deciding which items to discard during the decluttering procedure is confusing. You can try out the 90/90 rule to ease this confusion and declutter effectively. Just like the 20/20 rule I discussed above, this one is also based on two simple questions:
- Have I used it in the past 90 days?
- Will I use it in the upcoming 90 days?
Giving yourself a three months’ time window is more than enough to understand whether the item is of your use or not. If you haven’t used it for the past three months, chances are you won’t use it in the upcoming ones either. So, try discarding items using this rule to avoid getting rid of things that might actually be of use.
8. Perform Temporary Packing:
Temporary packing is another great way of living a better minimalist lifestyle. The idea is useful for only using items that are actually going to be used. According to this idea, you temporarily pack all the household items like you’re moving somewhere. When all the packing is done, start unpacking items that will only be used in the upcoming 30 days.
Whether it is about kitchen appliances, office items, or personal items, unpacking only the required ones will help avoid cluttering the space. Keep in mind that it is a very time-consuming hack and needs to be followed properly. So, follow it only if you’re very serious about having a simple and minimalist environment.
9. Abandon the “Just in Case” Mindset:
People with a “just in case” mindset tend to keep unused items just in case they need them in the future. To achieve peak minimalism, you need to abandon this mindset. It’s true that some items might be used at some point in the future but you can always borrow or rent them. It’s a good idea to clear out such stuff because the chances of their need are usually very low.
People keep extra items like unused wires, outdated carpentry tools, or extra kitchen gadgets in case their need arises. However, that’s not the mindset a minimalist function according to. His main goal is to look for the current needs and keep items that are only going to be used in the upcoming few weeks. All the other stuff is simply clutter which needs to be rid of.
10. Prefer Quality Over Quantity:
Picking a lot of low-quality items instead of a few high-quality ones is another major reason for a junky environment. Besides filling up space during usage, these items fill up space even when they’re no longer in use. For example, if you purchase a low-quality piece of furniture, it’s likely to break soon.
Then, you will have to deal with it while buying a similar piece as a replacement. This cycle keeps on going and you end up with a lot of items at your house. So, it is important to prefer quality over quantity. It works like an investment where you put in money for the long run. As a result, the owned items are less but are of high quality.
11. Borrow Instead of Buying:
Borrowing instead of buying is a simple hack to try out in order to be minimalist. People tend to purchase things they don’t really need to use more than one or two times. It’s a huge waste of money and causes cluttered spaces. If you need something for just one or two times, try borrowing it from someone else. For example, if you need a ladder to climb the roof and clear it once a year, try borrowing the ladder instead of purchasing it.
That is because the ladder will have no use for the rest of the year. Similarly, some items like partying supplies are required once a year as well. Purchasing the items will cause nothing but maximalism. There are several rental services that offer such items for a limited period of time. You can use these services in case you don’t know anyone who owns these supplies.
12. Organize Things Effectively:
Living a simple and minimalist life isn’t always about reducing and decluttering. This lifestyle is achievable through effective organization as well. This hack is life-changing for people who do not want to throw away their possessions. These people can find ways to organize items in a way that they don’t create a lot of mess.
For example, if you have a lot of books, creating a small library at home will organize them properly. Similarly, placing clothing items in a wardrobe with dedicated sections will clear out the space. There are a lot of things that can be done to organize items effectively according to their nature. Another example here is building an extra storage room where all the unnecessary stuff goes to keep the environment clean and spacious.
Conclusion:
Living a minimalistic lifestyle comes with a lot of benefits. Not only does it keep you focused but also keeps the surroundings clean. Being a person who only has a few things that he needs is also helpful financially.
So, it will be a wise decision to introduce some minimalistic lifestyle hacks to improve the quality of your life. Keep on following these hacks and you’ll find yourself living in a place that’s very organized, simple, and relaxing.
