EASY MINIMALIST LIVING

30 DAYS TO DECLUTTER, SIMPLIFY AND ORGANIZE

YOUR HOME WITHOUT DRIVING EVERYONE CRAZY
JENNIFER NICOLE

DRAGON GOD BOOKS

Copyright © 2015-2017 by Jennifer Nicole
All rights reserved.
Simultaneously published in United States of America, the UK, India, Germany, France, Italy,
Canada, Japan, Spain, and Brazil.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any other electronic or
mechanical means – except in the case of brief quotations embedded in articles or reviews –without
written permission from its author.
Potty Training has provided the most accurate information possible. Many of the techniques used in
this book are from personal experiences. The author shall not be held liable for any damages
resulting from use of this book.
Paperback ISBN-10: 1508617198
Paperback ISBN-13: 978-1508617198
 CONTENTS

Bonus Free Gift

Introduction
1. Philosophy
2. Strategy
3. Room by Room
4. Living Room
5. Bedrooms
6. Closets and Wardrobes
7. Shoes
8. Kitchen
9. Dining Room
10. Bathrooms
11. Linen Closet
12. Home Office
13. Storage
14. Lifestyle
15. Paperless
16. Organize Your Computer
17. Clean Your Desktop
18. Organize Your Email
19. Organizing Your Schedule
20. Organize Your Daily Routine
21. Checklists
22. Day 30
23. Recommended Book on Decluttering
Bonus Free Gift
Found a Typo?
About the Author
Also by Jennifer Nicole
One Last Thing
 BONUS FREE GIFT

Thank you for your purchase of my Easy Minimalist Living Kindle book, as
an extra bonus I want to give you a free calender. This is the exact tool you
need to start organizing your house without feeling any stress! It's my
thank you to you for taking the time to read this book.

You can access your free gift by clicking here

Or just head over to => http://thejennifernicole.com/easy/
 INTRODUCTION

We all have stuff. Some of us may have more stuff than others but in the
grand scheme of things, we all have way more stuff than we realistically
need.
With that being said, we can all stand to get rid of some of our stuff. But
I get it. Your stuff is important to you. It’s not just a collection of random
items that have gathered in your space. Every item means something to you
or at least it meant something when you got it.
Rather than immediately launching into this long diatribe about why
you should get rid of your excess stuff (that’s going to come later with some
really helpful tips and tricks), I’m going to share my story first.
I was your typical 21st Century woman. I was busy juggling my career,
my social life and my family life. Things were going well but for some
reason my stress level was at an all-time high. My career was demanding
but I thought I had control over everything. All of my needs were met and I
enjoyed a very full life. I had a closet full of fabulous clothes, shoes and
purses. I had a wonderful apartment that was well decorated and I managed
to squeeze in regular massage appointments to ensure that I relaxed as
much as possible. But something was still off.
The massages weren’t actually working.
I still felt stressed and it wasn’t until I turned my attention to my home
that I realized the problem.
I had way too much stuff.
It was stuff that I had slowly amassed over the years. My home wasn’t
messy in any way, mind you. I cleaned regularly and kept everything in its
place. But one day I was sitting in my office trying to concentrate and I
looked around and noticed there was an overabundance of folders, boxes
and cabinets filled with stuff. Suddenly I felt it all closing in on me and I
knew I needed to make some changes.
I needed to clear out some of this stuff and ultimately clear my mind but
when I walked over to one of my cabinets and went to throw some things
out, I stopped. I couldn’t just start throwing things away like this. There was
a reason why I had kept everything. I needed it. I slowly took some things
out and looked at them, quickly realizing that the items were several years
old. I also realized that I hadn’t looked at it in several years.
 Maybe I didn’t need it after all but I still couldn’t bring myself to just
start throwing things away en masse. I needed to separate from my stuff in a
way that honored my emotional tie to it. I did some brainstorming and came
up with a solution that I’m going to share with you.
I decided to write a goodbye letter to my stuff. That way I could give it
the send-off it deserved. If you have a hard time getting rid of your stuff,
give this tactic a try. It worked wonders for me.
Dear Stuff,
Please don’t take this wrong way. You are very important to me. I’ve
kept you around all this time because I just couldn’t part with you. I needed
you to be readily available at all times. I balked at putting you in storage
because that would be disrespectful to the relationship that we have.
But now that I look around and see that there is now so much of you I
realize that I’ve been unfair to both of us. I’ve been using you as a crutch.
You’ve been sitting here gathering dust and I’m not using you the way I’d
intended when I kept you.
This is not the type of relationship that we should have and with that in
mind, I have to say goodbye. I thank you wholeheartedly for what you’ve
meant to me and what you’ve done for me with your presence. But the time
has come for us to part ways.
Don’t worry. I’m not going to unceremoniously dump you in the nearest
trash bin that I see. I’m going to respect our relationship until the very end.
You’ve served me well but now it’s time for me to move on. I still
appreciate you as much as I did the day we met. I know you will go on to
provide some great value in your next life.
Goodbye Stuff.
Yours Truly,
Me
Feel free to edit your letter and make it as nice and loving or as gruff as
you’d like. The ultimate point is to honor the role your stuff has played in
your life while releasing it from being necessary. If you have a hard time
getting rid of your stuff, this is an important step. It’s your way of giving
yourself permission to move on to the next step which is identifying what
stuff can stay and what must definitely go. Writing the goodbye letter will
help you begin to make peace with ridding yourself of the extra stuff you
don’t need.
 Once you’ve begun to make peace with it, you can start to adopt a more
minimalist mindset.
1
 PHILOSOPHY

B reaking up with your stuff is going to be hard. Just because you’ve

written a letter and gotten the process started doesn’t mean that it
will be easy from this point forward. This will be a process of
coming to grips with getting rid of your stuff then changing your behavior
to make sure that you don’t end up in the same position again. In order to
begin to implement this change in behavior you should adopt a new
mindset.
Minimalism is the practice of culling things down to the most essential
elements. It’s when you live your life with the intention of focusing on only
using what you need at any given moment.
I realize that you may think you already do that. You may think that you
really do NEED all of your stuff. But before you launch into an argument
about why you really do need that box full of papers from your senior year
in college, let me ask you one very important question.
When was the last time you used it?
If you can’t say that you’ve used any given thing that’s in your space
within the last three months, it’s very possible that you don’t NEED it. But
before you start tossing everything you haven’t used in the past three
months into large black, garbage bags let’s go more deeply into the mindset
necessary to truly live a minimalist lifestyle.
The Philosophy of Less
Before you start throwing things away, it’s important to understand and
embrace the philosophy of less. It’s a simple philosophy that can be tough
to fully accept in this society that’s centered around stuff.
Focus on what’s most important and eliminate or reduce what is less
important.
Vague, right? That’s the wonderful thing about philosophies. Most of
them are fairly vague because they’re open to interpretation. You’re free to
adapt it to best fit your personal situation. I’m sure you may be wondering
how this vague philosophy and concept of minimalism is beneficial and
why you should bother with it.
Benefits of Minimalism
There are many benefits to adopting a minimalist lifestyle. Some of
them will speak to you right away and on a deep, intrinsic level but others
may go over your head. That’s ok. You may not connect with all of the
benefits of minimalism right away but as you work to adopt the lifestyle,
your perspective will definitely change over time.
1. Less stress
When you reduce the amount of stuff that you have, you decrease the
amount of stress. Without you realizing it, your stuff requires upkeep.
Whether you have to clean it, organize it, upgrade it or just maintain it, your
stuff becomes something else that’s on your to do list. When you have less
of it, you have less on your to do list. When you have shorter to do lists,
you have less stress.
1. More freedom
When we have things, they act as anchors in our lives. You have to store
it somewhere and pay for its upkeep. A lot of stuff requires that you pay to
own it which ties you to it financially. Not only do you have to tether
yourself to a job to be able to pay for your stuff, you also have to make
decisions that keep your stuff in mind. There is a level of responsibility that
comes with having stuff. When you get rid of the stuff, you reduce the
responsibility and increase your freedom.
1. More time
It takes time to get stuff. You have to take the time to purchase it and
depending on the type of stuff, you may have to do research and that also
takes time. Then when you do acquire the stuff, it takes time to maintain it.
When you reduce the amount of stuff you have, you free up a lot of your
time.
1. More money
It stands to reason that the less stuff you have the more money you
have. Stuff costs money to acquire and maintain. Even if you manage to
acquire stuff that’s essentially free of charge, you often have to spend
money making it fit in with your other stuff. Either way, stuff costs. The
less stuff you have, the more money you’ll have.
1. Less pressure
Many people get stuff as a way to stay current and relevant within
society. When you openly live the minimalist lifestyle, you are more often
exempt from that pressure to own and consume. People don’t expect you to
have and consistently acquire a lot of stuff.
1. More room for creativity
 Creative thought and ideas need room to grow and develop. When you
clear your clutter, you make room in your head and life.
1. More space
By reducing the amount of stuff that you have, you create more physical
space in your home and life. Physical space helps to create mental and
emotional space which opens you up to receive the more intrinsic and
intangible aspects of life like happiness, satisfaction and peace.
1. More power
Having a lot of stuff can weigh you down. It can make you feel as if you
don’t have the power to move around as freely as possible. When you
lighten your load, you have the power to come and go as you please.
1. Less of a carbon footprint
Over consumption is a big problem that affects the planet. The more
you consume the more waste you create. When you consume less, you
create less waste which is infinitely better for the planet. There is a finite
amount of space on the Earth and we have to use it wisely.
1. More joy
When you decide for yourself that you’re going to live a life where you
focus on the life you’re leading and not the amount of stuff you’re filling
your life with, you open yourself up for the opportunity to truly experience
joy.
Minimalism has a lot of benefits that are both tangible and intangible.
Once you adopt the minimalist mind set you may discover many more
benefits. This is why the vagueness of the philosophy of less is much better
than you might initially think. It gives you room to grow and expand
beyond what your mind can currently conceive.
Changing Habits
The reason adopting the minimalist lifestyle isn’t as simple as just
throwing out your stuff is because you have habits that put you in the
position you’re in. These habits are often built over the course of your life.
Many habits are so deeply ingrained in your psyche that you don’t
immediately realize you’re doing them until after you’ve done it or are in
the middle of doing it.
It’s these habits that have led you to your need for change. Recognizing
that need is the first step but recognizing those habits is the second,
arguably more important step. But I do realize that recognizing and
changing habits can be tough without having a mirror held up in front of
you showing where those habits lie. I’m going to outline some of the more
common habits that people have that lead to having too much stuff. This list
isn’t exhaustive by any means and is here to begin to open your eyes to
situations you may not have noticed before.
1. Not saying no
Many of us are people pleasers. We want people to like us and be happy
with us. When you’re too concerned with pleasing someone, you run the
risk of putting yourself in the position where you find it hard to say no.
Saying no is an important part of living a minimalist lifestyle. Not only do
you have to learn how to say no to getting more stuff, you have to learn to
say no to doing more things and making your life more full than you can
handle. Over committing to people, places and things can lead to increased
stress. Plus it’s a form of having too much stuff. Rather than having
physical stuff, you have too much stuff to do. Learn to say no without
feeling guilty. It helps to practice saying no to small things and building up
to the big stuff. As you become more comfortable with it, you’ll find it
easier to do. Practice makes perfect.
1. Staying busy
Do you know someone who can’t ever seem to sit still and just enjoy
life? They always seem to be doing something but may not be working
towards anything specific. Some people mistakenly think that they need to
be busy to appear productive. This is often an incorrect definition of the
word. Productivity means that you’re working towards a specific goal and
taking steps to reach it. Sometimes the most important step towards
reaching a goal is not to move at all. Waiting patiently is a valuable step.
Sitting and being silent is also a valuable step. Being focused on movement
and staying busy can often be a distraction. We have to learn how to be still.
1. Not setting boundaries
Some people have a hard time setting clear boundaries. This can bleed
over into your stuff. When you don’t set boundaries you can find yourself
being boxed in and existing to maintain your stuff rather than using your
stuff to enhance your existence. This also plays an important role in your
relationships with others. Sometimes you may find yourself involved with
stuff owned by someone else. When you are clear about your own
boundaries, you can keep your stuff and other people’s stuff from taking
over your life.
1. Seeking status as determined by outside forces
 Having nice things is often considered a status symbol. Some people
work really hard to get the nicest car, wear the nicest clothes, have the
largest house and go on the best vacations. But who determines all of those
superlatives? Who determines what is nicest, largest and best? Usually
these decisions are made by someone outside of yourself which makes you
set goals that have nothing to do with your own beliefs and internal
motivations. By ridding yourself of the things and stuff you rid yourself of
those outside forces.
1. Putting ourselves last
This is something that many women are more guilty of then men but it’s
not exclusive to women. Putting yourself last can cause you to not do
what’s best for you overall. Many people are led to pursue minimalism
because the other things they’ve been doing haven’t been working. They’re
not happy or satisfied with where there life is and want to do something that
feels good. Nothing feels better than taking control of your life and defining
what works best for you. Getting rid of your stuff under your own terms can
provide that empowerment.
These are just a few of the big habits that many of us need to work on
but we may not notice that they pose an issue because we’ve been doing
things one way for a long time. However, the point of changing your
mindset means making some changes to the way you live your life.
The most important thing to keep in mind when you’re changing your
life philosophy is that it’s a marathon not a sprint. This type of change
won’t happen overnight and you shouldn’t expect it to. You didn’t get to the
place where you are quickly. The changes you make are going to affect
decisions and choices you’ve been making for many years. It won’t be easy.
You won’t get it exactly right every time but it’s not about getting it right.
It’s about improving your life and loving yourself enough to put in the
effort to do so.
2
 STRATEGY

W hen I wrote my letter to my stuff, I immediately felt

empowered. I grabbed some trash bags and the shredder in my
office and went to work. I started going through my many
boxes and made a stack that was about knee high. As I shredded these
papers and dumped the shreds into a garbage bag I was fueled by my
progress. I used that fuel to make a big dent in my paperwork until I hit a
wall in my office. I ran across some papers that I couldn’t just throw out.
I headed to the next room that came to mind, my bedroom. I was going
to tackle my closet.
I got to my closet and started enthusiastically going through it looking
for things to get rid of but something happened. I couldn’t find anything to
get rid of. I was looking at all of my clothes and shoes and it all looked
important. As I looked around I could find a valid reason for keeping all of
it.
I felt deflated. My steam had run out.
Dejected I went to my kitchen and poured myself a glass of wine. I
couldn’t figure out what had happened. I was so excited to begin making
changes and reducing my stuff. I’d written the letter and was inspired by it
but when it came time to start taking action I fell short. I was disappointed
in myself. I usually follow through with things when I set my mind to them
but this was something else entirely. It wasn’t just a task I could
accomplish. I spent some time thinking it over and realized that reducing
my stuff wasn’t just about the stuff. It was about what the stuff meant to me
and that would change according to the room of stuff I was assessing. I
realized that I needed a strategy to do this the right way. I sat down and
came up with a strategy.
I realized I had to address different areas of my life in different ways. It
had to be a multilayered strategy that I would tackle in phases. I couldn’t
just identify the problem, create a task and solve it.
Getting the Right Mindset
After reading the previous chapter you should be tapped into the
philosophy necessary to begin to practice a lifestyle of minimalism. But
even after you adopt the philosophy, you have to embrace the mindset
necessary to effectively practice minimalism. It’s a simple mindset but that
doesn’t mean it’s an easy one to adopt.
Focus on what’s most important and eliminate or reduce what is less
important.
Simple, right? Easy? Not so much.
First you have to define important as it relates to your life. This is where
minimalism takes on a personal approach. There is no right or wrong
answer here. It’s all about deciding what’s going to work for you. However
just because you have to decide what’s important for you doesn’t mean you
can just decide that it will be easier to keep everything as it is. This mindset
works when it’s accompanied by a focus on de-cluttering your life.
You still have to do some work but before you start, figure out what
you’re working towards. It helps to answer a few key questions.
1. What are you most passionate about?
2. Who can you not imagine living your life without?
3. What cause would you work for and not expect to be paid?
4. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
5. What are you happiest doing at any given time in any given place?
I do realize that these may sound a little pie in the sky but it’s important
to take your feet off of the ground in these moments. Allow yourself a
moment to dream and visualize what you could do if your life was
completely unencumbered from all of your stuff. Then you can slowly
begin to figure out what stuff will help support those goals.
Once you see what your desired life looks like, you can begin to
eliminate stuff that isn’t adding to it. You can also begin to say no to new
things that won’t support the way you want your life to look. This is a great
way to start practicing minimalism. You can start filtering any new stuff
that comes your way while assessing the stuff you already have.
Setting Up a Support System
You can’t do this all on your own. If the people around you don’t
understand or won’t respect what you’re doing they will be hampering your
progress greatly. It’s important that they support you in your lifestyle
change even if they’re not doing it themselves. Ideally your family will
actively participate in the process. You may have to sit down and explain to
them the value and importance of making the change. This could be tough
for children and young adults to understand but they’re easy. If they live
under your roof, they have to follow the house rules. However, this house
rule will be easy to enforce if the adults in your household back you up.
They may take some convincing. It’s important to get them involved with
the process as early as possible. Don’t wait until you’ve started
implementing different tactics to inform them.
As soon as you have the idea that you want to pursue a minimalist
lifestyle, share the idea.
You’d be surprised at the level of support you will get from the very
beginning especially if you explain your motivation and what inspired you
to consider minimalism.
Many people have never considered the idea of having less stuff and
that it can be done in a way that won’t completely compromise their
happiness. Some people assume that living a minimalist lifestyle is akin to
being a hermit with no electricity, car or creature comforts. This isn’t the
case. If you live a full life with a job, family, friends and everything else
that comes with it you simply cannot move to a cabin and live off the land.
Besides, who wants to move to a cabin in the woods and live like they did
in the olden days?
I know I don’t. I enjoy my manicures, pedicures and massages. I don’t
remember ever seeing a spa on any episode of Little House on the Prairie.
So rest assured. Being a minimalist doesn’t mean suffering or going
without. What it does mean is structuring your life to only live with what
you need. Once you understand that concept you can explain it to others
and help them understand it too. In fact, giving them permission to dream
about a life without being tied to stuff could be good for them. It will allow
them to experience the same moment of clarity that you experienced.
However if your family and friends don’t want to actively pursue the
minimalist lifestyle, ask that they at least respect and honor your wishes.
Then go and find a group of people that can be your support system. This is
the beauty of social networks. You can go out and find support networks of
people that share your interests.
If you have an account on a website like Facebook, do some searches
for minimalists and minimalism. You will find different groups and pages
dedicated to minimalism. You can join those groups and have access to
people who are doing the same thing as you. The great thing is that they
will be in varying stages of adapting to the lifestyle. There will be
beginners, like you, full of questions as well as more advanced minimalists
who can provide some sage advice and insight.
 If you aren’t on Facebook (it’s ok, I’m not judging), you can sign up for
a website like www.meetup.com. This is essentially a web based
community of people organized according to their interests. When you
create an account, you can then put in different topics that interest you and
find groups in your area of people who share those interests. The great thing
about Meetup is that the group may start online but they also have in person
meetings where everyone comes together occasionally. Often these
meetings are centered around a specific activity.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that you don’t have to do
this alone. You can find a support system and it’s important that you do.
Even if you start out alone, you will have moments where it’s a huge benefit
to have a sympathetic ear and someone to go to for advice.
Determining the Value of Your Stuff
You need to have a very hard conversation with yourself about what
role your stuff plays in your life. Is it truly adding value or is it mostly
taking up space? This is the overarching question that you will need to
come to grips with before you start getting rid of anything.
Collections and Heirlooms
But in this case, two types of stuff will require some careful thought and
consideration; collections and heirlooms. Your collections are often sets of
stuff that you’ve purposely kept and amassed over time and they tend to
mean a lot more than most of your other stuff. You have to take some time
to determine whether that collection you’ve been building over the years is
truly adding value to your life or if it’s not. This will likely be a very
personal decision and may take some time to tackle. Who you involve in
this decision making process is up to you but you should be asking yourself
some important questions.
1. Will this collection truly increase in monetary value over time?
2. Is this collection family heirloom worthy?
3. Will I care about this collection in five years?
Family heirlooms tend to be things that have been passed from family
member to family member for many years. It might also be something that
has great value to your immediate family. Either way family heirlooms are
sensitive areas that must be addressed with care. If you decide to keep it,
make sure you put it in a place that highlights its significance so you don’t
end up pondering its worth every time you do a cleaning.
 Figuring out the value of your stuff doesn’t necessarily mean the
monetary or financial value. It means the personal value as well. In fact,
most of the stuff that you do own probably doesn’t hold a lot of financial
value. It’s the personal and sentimental value that makes you hold on to it.
Breaking the hold that it has over you means taking some time to truly
evaluate WHY it’s so important to you.
Holding on to the past is never a good idea. Many people keep stuff as a
way to hold on to the past even if they may not think this is the case. When
you hold on to the past you allow it to remain relevant in your present
which prevents you from growing and moving forward. When you do this,
your stuff tends to have a hold over you that isn’t beneficial.
Sell, throw away or give away
When you’re considering the stuff that you have and how to best get rid
of it, it’s important to determine what that means in practical terms.
Sell
Start out by considering all of the things you can truly sell. Be realistic
here. You can’t sell something that’s barely being held together by a thread
or no longer looks like what it actually is. But selling some of your stuff is
one great way to put a little extra money in your pocket while de-cluttering
your life. Ask yourself these questions to determine if something is
saleable.
1. Is it in good condition?
2. Can it be repaired in a low cost, easy way?
3. Would I buy this?
4. Is it obsolete and too old to be of value?
You have to ask yourself these questions objectively. This is a fun
activity to get your family and friends involved with, especially your
children. Promise some of the proceeds from anything you sell and have
them help you identify and organize items that can be sold. Plus having a
third party come in and help you with objectivity.
Give away
Some things are better being given away than sold or trashed. If you
have items that are gently used but will probably not get a lot of money
from selling them, consider giving them away. There are homeless shelters
and domestic violence shelters in almost every city in dire need of clothes
and other household supplies. Put on your altruistic cap and donate some of
your extra stuff to someone who truly does need it.
 Throw away
This is where the hard work begins. You will probably have a lot of
stuff that should be thrown away but you may find it tough to actually do it.
This is another opportunity to involve your friends and family and enlist
their help. You will need some help deciding what should be thrown away
and what can go into the other two categories.
Taking the time to determine where your stuff should go will be very
important when deciding how to handle getting rid of it. Some things
shouldn’t be thrown away and if you go on a war path tossing everything in
a garbage bag, you will eventually hit a wall like I did. You have to be more
organized and analytical about the process and how it’s going to work.
Ideally you should determine what you’re going to do with your stuff
BEFORE you start de-cluttering a room. That way you know what to do
with things as you discover them. I do realize that it can be tough to prepare
for all types of items you will find but you should have a general idea the
types of things you’re going to find in each room. For example, you know
you’re going to find clothes, shoes, perfume and jewelry in your bedroom.
You should be prepared to find magazines, books and toys in the living
room. You should also be prepared to find food and dishes in the kitchen.
Yes you will discover some things that may not typically be kept in
those rooms but those things can be addressed as you find them. Make your
organization as simple as possible and determine where things will go
before you’re knee deep in de-cluttering.
No matter how excited you are to get started the key to maintaining
your excitement is to come up with a strategy. It’s very easy to lose steam
and end up sitting in your closet looking at everything in confusion and
frustration like yours truly. I want to save you some of the frustration I
encountered as I worked to transition to a minimalist lifestyle. Taking the
time to map out a strategy may seem unnecessary at first but you’ll
appreciate having it when you start getting rid of things.
3
 ROOM BY ROOM

I n spite of what you may think, each room of your house requires a
different de-cluttering process. It’s not a good idea to approach your
house like one space when it’s really a combination of smaller spaces.
Rather than approaching it in one fell swoop, you should tackle each room
separately based on your relationship with that room. Everyone uses
different rooms of their homes differently so this distinction is important.
I’m going to help walk you through the different rooms of a house and offer
tips on how to de-clutter each room. The initial benefits of this walk
through will become immediately obvious. You will realize how much
easier each room will be to clean once you get rid of some of the stuff you
don’t need.
4
 LIVING ROOM

W e’ll start with your living room, family room or sitting room.
Regardless of what you call it, this is typically the large room
in your house where you gather with family, friends and
guests. There is most often a television in this room so people tend to spend
a lot of time in there. Because you tend to spend a lot of time in the living
room, it’s important that you take a moment and step away from the space.
Leave your house. Go run an errand or something. Clear your head. I
realize the thought of de-cluttering your space can be overwhelming but
you’re not just leaving for that purpose. Once you come back home, take a
breath before you walk back in and adjust your perspective.
You are going to enter your home as if you’ve never been inside before.
It’s important that you look at your space with a fresh perspective. If you
find this tough to do, enlist the help of a friend that’s capable of being fully
objective and honest. You need a fresh set of eyes on your living room.
Because you use the space on a regular basis, you have most likely grown
accustomed to the stuff that’s in it.
You need to be able to recognize what’s adding to the space and what’s
just taking up space. You should ask yourself if your living room looks
homey and inviting or if it looks cluttered? You should also look at the
different objects in the room and determine whether that object enhances
the feel of the room or if it detracts from it.
Your living room can be one of the easiest places to tackle because the
stuff that builds up there tends to be stuff that obviously doesn’t belong.
Things like magazines, books, toys, papers and tchotchkes can often be
removed with relative ease. Plus you can and should involve the rest of the
people who live in your home when clearing out the living room space.
This is a great time to incorporate them and get them to participate in the
minimalizing of your space.
5
 BEDROOMS

T his is a case where everyone should tackle their own bedroom. If

you live alone then your bedroom is your duty. However if you
have a significant other, both of you should be involved in this
process. The same goes for your kids. Everyone has a different relationship
with their space. You can’t take it upon yourself to de-clutter other people’s
rooms. You have to respect the relationship they have with their space. If
they’re not ready for a full overhaul at the same time as you, set some
guidelines and start the process more slowly. Here are some tips on
guidelines you can set based on the room.
1. You and your significant other’s bedroom
You may be ready to dive headfirst into de-cluttering your bedroom but
you will need to have some very clear conversations with your significant
other to ensure that he/she is also on board. Don’t just rush in announcing
that you’re going to become minimalists and assume that he/she will be just
as gung ho as you are. Take some time and explain your motivation and
reason why you feel it’s important. If there are questions, take the time to
answer them. Remember, you came to this conclusion over time and have
had time to sit with it. Unless you’ve been talking about this from the
beginning, you may have to fully introduce the concept.
While you’re waiting for the concept to sink in and get the ok from the
person you share your bedroom with, you should start small. Choose a
dresser and start with that. Tackle it one section at a time. Start with what’s
on top of the dresser and then work your way through each drawer. When
you get to your significant other’s drawers, choose one and use it as an
example. You can demonstrate how it will be ultimately beneficial for both
of you.
1. Your children’s bedroom(s)
You will most likely have to make it a rule for your children to de-
clutter. Depending on their age, you can make it a game. But be prepared
for some push back. The best way to start is by removing things that are no
longer age appropriate. If you want to offer a compromise, leave one or two
items that have sentimental value but get rid of the rest.
1. The guest bedroom
 When you don’t have a lot of guests this bedroom can become a de
facto storage space. Take the things out of this room that won’t be used by
guests. Treat this like an empty hotel room. Don’t put personal items in it
because it’s there for guests, not storage. If you begin to find that you need
to make use of this room it might be necessary to convert it into another
type of room.
Once you’ve started on the bedroom, you will have to tackle it in
sections as well. You can start with the bedroom overall but save the closets
and bathroom for later. I will share some tips on how to de-clutter those
areas later in this book. Like I said previously, you should tackle your
bedroom in pieces. Start with a dresser or armoire and clear that out. Then
move to other dressers or portions of your room, making sure to focus on
your things until your significant other is ready to join you in minimizing.
6
 CLOSETS AND WARDROBES

T he closet is the one space that most women, and some men, find
themselves needing to purge even if nothing else in your home is
de-cluttered. It’s very easy to quickly build up a closet full of
clothes, many of which you may not wear very often. But de-cluttering your
closet should not be done the same time that you do your bedroom. This
will require you to create piles of clothes and it can be overwhelming on its
own. Depending on the size of your closet, it may need to be done in
sections. Be realistic but give yourself a definitive time frame. Then when
you’re going through your closet or the different sections (including your
shoes) ask yourself these questions. Be honest with yourself.
1. Does it fit?
This doesn’t just mean that you can put it on zip or button it up. Fit
means that you can wear it comfortably without it creating any unflattering
bulges, puckers or rolls. This applies to your “fat” clothes as well as those
“skinny” clothes. If you find yourself gaining or losing weight, go
shopping. Don’t keep clothes in your closet on the off chance that your size
will change. This is another way of holding on to your past. Your “fat”
clothes represent a size that you once were and want to be prepared in case
you become that size again. Your “skinny” clothes represent a size that you
once were and are hoping you’ll become again. Don’t live in the past. Live
in the size clothes that you’re wearing now.
1. Does it flatter?
There are some pieces of clothing that fit comfortably but they don’t
flatter you. Not everyone can wear everything. Some styles, cuts and shapes
of clothes simply do not flatter you. Be honest with yourself. Don’t keep a
dress you love if it makes you look unflattering. Try things on in a full
length mirror and look at your front, back and sides in the piece. It should
flatter you in 360 degrees.
1. When was the last time I wore this?
If you haven’t worn it in the last year, get rid of it. Lots of people have
pieces in their closets that they haven’t worn in years. If you can’t figure
out a way to take that piece and immediately incorporate into your everyday
wear, it shouldn’t stay in your closet.
1. Does this color look good on me?
 You should focus on colors that flatter you and get rid of colors that
don’t. No matter how versatile you are, there will always be colors that
don’t make you look your best. If the piece of clothing makes you look
washed out in any way when you hold it up to your face, get rid of it.
Don’t be afraid to drastically pare down your closet. Focus on the pieces
you wear most often and get rid of the things that you don’t. This may seem
daunting. I realize that many of us keep closets full of clothes to feel like
we have options. But in spite of those options, you most likely end up
reaching around them to choose the same pieces on a rotating basis. The
best thing to do is clear out the extra clothing and focus on a few key
pieces. If you have these key pieces, you’ll have the ability to create
wonderful outfits by rotating those pieces and you won’t miss all of your
other clothes.
1. Dark jeans
You should have at least one to three pairs of dark jeans. These are great
for dressing up or dressing down and can be very versatile.
1. Two classic button up shirts; white and colored
If you own a basic, button up white shirt, you can wear it in a variety of
situations. It can be thrown on with some classic sneakers or boots and
worn casually. It can be paired with a classic black slack in a dressy or
business oriented situation. You can explore so many options with a classic
white shirt that your wardrobe would really benefit from it. Once you find
this classic white shirt, look for the same cut in another color or pattern.
Benefit from this great fit but with some added variety.
1. Pair of khakis
You can either have a pair of dark khakis or light khakis but either way,
these are great versatile pieces that can also be worn casually or dressed up.
Plus, khaki is a great neutral that can be paired with almost any color with
relative ease.
1. Pencil skirt
A classic pencil skirt in either a black or a neutral color like gray, tan or
brown is a great piece to own. It’s an easy way to look dolled up without
having to put in a lot of effort. There are always occasions where you need
to ramp up your look but don’t have a lot of time to do so. Pull on a pencil
skirt and a t-shirt and you will automatically look really pulled together.
1. Blazer
 You’d be surprised at how valuable a well-fitting blazer can be to your
wardrobe. I suggest you have a neutral color like black, navy blue or tan. If
you put on a blazer, solid colored t-shirt and jeans, you quickly look very
pulled together.
1. Cardigan
A cardigan can be worn over pants, jeans, a skirt or a dress. It can be
worn with a belt cinched at the waist or more casually. You can either do a
print (as long as it’s versatile) or a solid color.
1. White t-shirt and Black t-shirt
A classic t-shirt that fits well is also very versatile. Plus they’re very
easy to wear and can be quite comfortable. Take some time to find a good t-
shirt then get one in black and white.
1. Black slacks
You always need a pair of black slacks to put on when you need to dress
things up or go for a more professional look. Get a classic slack. Don’t get
anything too trendy like wide legs or pencil pants. You want a pair of slacks
that can last for several years.
1. Black dress
Any woman’s closet is incomplete until she owns at least one little
black dress. Ideally this dress will be fairly simple to add to the versatility
but it’s a wardrobe must have. A simple, black shift dress can go from day
to night with the switch of a pair of shoes and a change of jewelry.
If you notice, versatility is the most important word in this list. You
want classic pieces that can be worn in a variety of ways. This list works
quite well for guys too. They can just remove the pencil skirt and black
dress. These pieces are also investment pieces. You should be willing to
take the time or spend the money to find pieces that are of high quality and
will last. You also want pieces that fit well and compliment your body type.

Once you’ve pared your wardrobe down to these key pieces, you can
focus on accessorizing. Accessories are much smaller and take up a lot less
space than a lot of clothes while providing the versatility you need. Plus,
accessories can be used to inject your personal style and attitude into your
outfit with relative ease.
7
 SHOES

T his is an area that is near and dear to my heart as I know it is with

many women. Either you think you have way too many shoes or
you don’t feel you have enough. Regardless, shoes are a popular
subject and must be addressed separately.
I’m not here to suggest you reduce your shoe wardrobe to three to four
pairs of shoes but what I will suggest is that you do a regular shoe
inventory. It’s not a good idea to hold on to shoes that you never wear. The
same questions you asked about your clothes could easily apply to your
shoes.
1. Does it fit?
Our feet may change size, even if just slightly. Don’t keep shoes that
don’t fit just because you love them. They’re taking up valuable space in
your closet. Plus if you try to wear them you won’t be doing them or
yourself any justice if they’re ill fitting. There’s nothing worse than seeing a
woman wearing gorgeous shoes walking uncomfortably or shuffling oddly
because they don’t fit properly.
2. Does it flatter?
Believe it or not there are shoes that aren’t flattering. You have your
classics like pumps that everyone can wear but some of the more
specialized shoes may not work well on every foot. For example, if you like
boots, you may have a pair of knee high boots that are too small for your
calves. If you insist on squeezing your legs into those boots, you run the
risk of having a not so flattering effect and detracting from your overall
outfit. Your shoes should enhance or highlight your outfit, not detract from
it.
3. When was the last time I wore this?
If you haven’t worn those shoes in the last year, it’s time to get rid of
them. Don’t hold on to an old pair of shoes for any reason. The space those
shoes are taking up could be occupied by other shoes.
4. Does this color look good on me?
The great thing about shoes is that you can go a little more crazy with
the color but there are still some colors that just don’t do your feet justice.
Get rid of those shoes.
 I understand how some women (and some men) feel about their shoes,
which is why I think it warrants a separate section. But you should not keep
a lot of shoes around just to indulge your inner shoe fan. Focus on getting a
few quality pairs that you can rotate easily between several outfits.
You should definitely have one black dressy pair of shoes and one
brown dressy pair of shoes but there are some others that are good to have.
These tips are definitely more for the ladies but guys, if you are inspired to
follow along feel free!
1. Tan or nude pair
A pair of heels that closely matches the color of your skin is great for
making your legs look longer. Plus this color shoe will be a great neutral to
have on hand so it will go with almost any outfit that you have. Versatility
and leg lengthening are great qualities in any pair of shoes.
2. One statement pair
You could have at least one pair of shoes that pop when you wear them.
They could be a pair of bright colored pumps, sparkly heels or bright red
sneakers. Either way, it’s always fun to have a pair of shoes that aren’t
necessarily practical but are fun to wear. This is a great way to indulge your
whimsical side.
3. One pair of knee high boots
Regardless of where you live in the world, there is usually a time of
year where wearing knee high boots will work. You can wear these boots
with jeans, slacks, leggings, skirts and dresses. If knee high boots don’t
work, go for calf high boots.
If your shoe wardrobe has outgrown your closet, it might be time to get
a bigger closet OR it can be time to de-clutter your shoe wardrobe. We all
have shoes that we only wear occasionally or not at all. Get rid of those
shoes. Make them available for someone else to enjoy. Give them the
opportunity for a new home.
When it comes to your closet and wardrobe, these items will most likely
fall under the giveaway or sell categories. When it comes time to decide
how to proceed, consider the quality of the piece of clothing that you have.
If you won’t get much money by selling it, consider giving it away. You can
still write it off on your taxes and you will enhance someone else’s life in a
positive way.
8
 KITCHEN

T he kitchen can be a secret treasure trove of stuff. Because a lot of

what’s in the kitchen is behind cabinet doors, you may not realize
just how much is in your kitchen until you start cleaning it out. If
you have a kitchen with several cabinet spaces, you may want to take it
cabinet by cabinet to avoid becoming overwhelmed.
When I was de-cluttering my home, I had made great progress by doing
my closet, living room and bathroom first. I was pleasantly surprised to find
that those areas were much neater than I thought. I did have some stuff to
get rid of but I was pleased to discover that my occasional purges had been
a little help. But when I got to my kitchen, I was horrified at the amount of
stuff that I had.
I charged happily into my kitchen ready to clear out a couple of pots and
pans along with a few dishes. I had done a mental walk through and figured
that I had a few pieces that were broken and needed to be thrown away but
most of them could be sold at the large community yard sale the following
week. I reached into my lower cabinet and began to pull things out. I
figured it would be better for me to just put it on the counter and sort
through it there.
An hour later I was still pulling things out of that cabinet. I didn’t
realize that it was actually very deep and I’d managed to push quite a few
things into the deep recesses of this cabinet. After I pulled out the last piece,
I had pots, pans, cookie sheets, pie tins, muffin pans and other random
things that I’d forgotten I had. The items from that one cabinet now spilled
over from the cabinet to the kitchen table and some of it was on the floor.
I couldn’t believe that I had so many cooking containers. I was looking
at a virtual lifetime of cooking experiences. I picked up one of the pots from
the back of the cabinet and realized I was holding the very first pot I
purchased for myself when I was in college. It brought back a lot of
memories.
My first inclination was to shove it back into the cabinet and keep it
because it had sentimental value to me but I pushed that feeling down. I’ve
been out of college for several, ahem, years and I’d completely forgotten
that pot existed. It was in surprisingly good shape so I took it out of the
kitchen and placed it in the yard sale pile.
 Empowered by that decision, I caught my second wind. I went through
all of those pots and pans and kept only the things that we used in the last
month. After another hour had passed, there was an almost towering pile of
cooking containers in my living room and I felt a sense of release.
I took a deep breath and went back into the kitchen. I looked in the now
almost empty cabinet and smiled. I had made a significant dent in the
kitchen stuff but the other five cabinets sat waiting to be cleared out. I
needed a break so I decided to wait for another day.
Your kitchen may be filled with cooking containers, glassware, dishes
and gadgets that you’ve acquired over the years. You should definitely
tackle your kitchen in pieces because you will inevitably find an area that is
full of things you weren’t prepared for.
Just keep these tips in mind as you go through the different sections.
1. You only need one set of pots and pans.
Keep what you use regularly and get rid of what you don’t. If you have
a family heirloom that’s a specific dish, put it in an area that will make it
available for regular use. Then get rid of the rest of the stuff. Don’t keep
multiple sets of pots and pans. It’s very likely that you only use one at a
time so keep that one.
1. You only need one set of silverware or cutlery.
Your silverware drawer can quickly become full especially if you’ve
lost a fork or spoon over the years. You may have seen some nice
silverware and purchased it without going in and getting rid of the old set.
It’s completely understandable but it’s not necessary for you to keep it.
Unless you have 10 or more children, you don’t need more than four forks,
four knives, four spoons and four butter knives.
1. You don’t need several sets of dishes.
It’s perfectly fine to keep a set of good china for those dinners where
you want to eat off of something nice and a little fancy but you only need
one set of good china and one set of everyday dishes. If you look at your
dishes and see multiple colors, shapes and patterns, choose one and get rid
of the rest. The rule for the dishes is the same as the one for silverware,
unless you have 10 or more children, you don’t need 10 plates, saucers and
bowls.
1. You don’t need a cabinet full of cups, mugs and glassware.
I’m going to address glasses, cups and mugs in this section. One of the
areas that almost all of us need help with is our mugs and cups. This is the
one item that we tend to acquire a lot of over the years. You may start out
with a set of mugs and cups but as time passes you end up with this weird
amalgamation of items in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. When it
comes to cups, get rid of anything that isn’t a part of one matching set. You
don’t need to keep all of those cups you’ve collected from various college
parties, conferences and festivals you’ve attended over the years.
The same goes for mugs. We tend to collect them rather than getting rid
of them when we get new ones. If you have a special mug that you use
regularly, keep that one but get rid of the rest of them. When you get a new
special mug, get rid of the old one.
When it comes to your glasses, you only need one set. If something
happens and one breaks, get rid of the others in the set when you buy a new
one. Don’t just buy a new set and slide it in between the old partial set.
1. Not all gadgets are beneficial.
In this era of infomercials and cool kitchen gadgets, we are inundated
with things that will make our lives easier. We’ve all been guilty of buying
something that seemed like the coolest thing in the world, using it once then
put it away only never to pick it up again. There are some gadgets that truly
provide a lot of value but those gadgets are ones you use on a very regular
basis and are usually sitting out in plain view. Those other items that you
bought but haven’t used in months or years, should go.
You may be re-inspired by the utility of the product when you encounter
it but ignore those feelings. That’s what made you buy it in the first place.
Think back to the number of times you’ve used it. If you can’t remember
the last time you did, it’s not adding any value to your life. It’s only adding
stuff to your space.
Your kitchen is an area that is often filled with unused items that you
have most likely forgotten about. Once you do a thorough purge of the
kitchen you will likely have a lot of extra space. Fight the urge to re-fill that
space with new stuff. You don’t have to fill every cabinet to the brim. It’s
ok to have room in your cabinets.
9
 DINING ROOM

I f you have a dining room it may be one of the least cluttered areas of
your house, which is largely because the dining area tends not to have
a lot of storage areas in it but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t deserve a
de-cluttering once over. This is a good room to do as a respite from the
other, more intense rooms because it will probably not require a lot of work.
But a functional dining room should only have the main dining essentials in
it. If it has room for a table and chairs that would most likely be the main
thing in the room. The main area you’ll likely have to tackle is the actual
table which probably attracts lots of miscellaneous items. You should clean
those items off and get rid of them.
Obviously everyone’s dining room area is different and you know your
space better than me. The point is for you not to forget it while you’re de-
cluttering your home.
10
 BATHROOMS

E ven though your bathroom tends to be a fairly small space when

compared to the other rooms in your house, it can also have a lot of
items in it. It’s not unlike your kitchen but often the items in your
bathroom are out and visible. But since it’s a smaller space, you can and
should tackle it at one time. This is an ideal room for a complete overhaul.
Take everything out of the bathroom. You want to strip it down to only
the things that were in there when you moved into your place. Pull out
everything from your beauty products, bath products and cleaning products.
Then go through and pull out everything you actually use on a daily
basis and put them back in regardless of when you last purchased them.
Focus only on things you use on a daily basis. If it helps, you could pull
everything out one night before you go to bed and put it in a neat pile in
your bedroom.
When you wake up the next morning, go to the pile and take out the
things you need as you need them. You may want to do this on a weekend
day when you aren’t pressed for time in the morning. Once you’ve gone
through your morning routine, take note of everything that’s left in your pile
of stuff.
Pull out all of the cleaning items and identify the ones that you use
regularly. Put those in your bathroom cabinet. Everything else in the pile
should be properly sorted in to three piles: keep and store, throw away or
donate. Only the items that are new should go in the donate pile but you
may find some of those things so this pile is necessary. Once you’ve sorted
your bathroom items, take the throw away pile and put it into a garbage bag
right away. Don’t put this off or you may be tempted to keep the stuff.
Then you should get a storage bin of some sort and put the store things
in them. These items shouldn’t live in your bathroom so whatever you store
them in should give you access to them with relative ease. This is the area
where you should store those specialty beauty items that you only use once
a week or once a month and other gadgets and tools that are bathroom
oriented. You should store this bin in another part of your room, possibly
your closet.
If you want to accessorize your bathroom, less is more. Don’t add too
many items. Try just one candle or one small figurine. It’s ok to have a lot
of white space in your bathroom. If you want to add color do it with
necessary items like your towels or your walls. If your walls are painted a
rich color, you should use white towels. If your walls are painted a light
color, you should use dark or bright colored towels. Look for simple ways
to decorate that don’t create clutter.
11
 LINEN CLOSET

T he linen closet or wardrobe can easily become a space that’s over

run with stuff. It’s often stuff you use but it can quickly become
disorganized. When you begin to de-clutter your linen closet, take
stock of the amount of linens you have. How many towels, bed sheets and
comforters do you realistically need? Depending on the number of people in
your household, you only need a few items per person.
You should change your bed sheets and bathroom towels once a week
so there should be just enough for you to have something to change to while
you’re doing the laundry. Essentially that would mean that you have two or
three bath towels and wash clothes per person. You’d also have two to three
bed sheets per bed. If you have more than that in your linen closet, get rid
of the extras.
Make it a habit of getting rid of old linens when you buy new ones.
Don’t hold on to anything for back up. If you anticipate having guests, get
one or two sets for guests. You have to streamline your linen closet because
it can quickly become overrun.
12
 HOME OFFICE

Y our home office whether it’s a separate room or a portion of

another room can be one of the toughest areas to de-clutter. Much
of what you keep in your home office is there for a reason. Even if
you don’t use it on a daily basis, you are usually very clear about why you
have it. Office clutter can happen fairly quickly which is why you have to
be diligent about keeping it as clean as possible. A cluttered office can
negatively affect your productivity even if you don’t think it does. Try
cleaning your office and see how much more focused you can be. There are
some important things to do to begin de-cluttering your office.
1. Take everything off of your desk.
You need to start with a clean slate and removing everything from your
desk with help you see how much space you have and where things should
go.
2. Identify the things in your office that you use the most often
and put those closest to you.
It’s important that the things you truly need on a daily basis are easily
reached. But be honest with yourself and make sure you truly need these
things. Don’t put things you think you may need in this category. This is the
area for things you actually use regularly.
3. Get rid of things you don’t use.
Many of us have office supplies on hand that we have simply because
they go in an office. Then we end up with “useful” clutter. If you don’t deal
with papers on a regular basis, do you really need a stapler or three hole
punch device? Probably not. Get rid of those items that you have just
because you think you need to have them. This is your office. It should be
set up to serve your needs not set up in a way that you think an office
should look.
4. Create a regular filing system.
Don’t let papers sit on your desk longer than a day. Force yourself to
file or discard important papers within 24 hours of you receiving it.
5. Create a digital business card file.
If your home office is anything like mine, you have tons of business
cards lying everywhere. I go to quite a few different types of events and
conferences throughout the year where I meet lots of wonderful people. We
exchange business cards and when I get home, I put those cards on my desk
to remind me to go through them and follow up with those people. While I
have the best intentions, I don’t always reach out to everyone I’ve
exchanged cards with. Or we may have a correspondence and I keep their
card on hand.
I created a digital file to keep the information on the business cards and
give me the ability to get rid of the card. The reason I keep the cards is
because I don’t want to lose the information. There are devices that allow
you to scan business cards and save them digitally. You could use one of
those but you don’t have to spend the money on a new device (which will
ultimately take up space). Just create a spreadsheet or use a contact database
program and input the information. This will allow you to keep track of
your contacts digitally and keep your desk clutter down to a minimum.
6. Downsize your computer.
If you have a desk top or an especially large laptop, look into going a
little smaller. Do you really need a laptop with a 17 inch screen? Depending
on the type of work you do, you might. But if you can afford to go down a
size, do it. It will take up less space and put much less strain on your back
when you carry it around. If you have a desk top you should really consider
getting a laptop. Desk top computers have a lot of pieces and can take up a
lot of space. A laptop is much more compact.
7. Sign up for an online fax service.
Although faxes aren’t as popular as they once were, there are still
organizations and people who use them. You don’t have to own a fax
machine though. You can use an online fax program and still send and
receive faxes.
8. Get an all in one device.
If you want to keep a fax machine on hand, that’s fine. Get one of those
all in one devices that allow you to fax, print, copy and scan all in one.
Rather than having three to four separate devices in your office, you can
have one. These tend to work really well and aren’t very expensive to
purchase. You can pick one up for around $150 and if you catch a sale, you
may find one for just under $100.
9. Don’t stockpile supplies.
Yes I realize that when do the math, it’s a better deal to buy that box of
100 file folders but now you have this box that is taking up space in your
office. How often do you use file folders? That box could be sitting there
for months. Get what you need when you need it. You’d be surprised at how
much more efficiently you’ll make use of your supplies if you don’t have a
surplus of them. No one needs 1000 paper clips. Just get the small box.
10. Reduce your paper.
Look for ways to reduce the amount of paper that you have in your
office. Don’t print unless you absolutely have to. Cancel all of your
magazine subscriptions. Many magazines have digital versions that are
either free or less expensive than the print versions. Carefully scrutinize all
of your paper transactions to make sure you truly need them. If you do need
to keep some of the papers, institute a regular disposal/shredding schedule.
Get rid of papers after a month.
11. De-clutter your computer desktop screen.
I cringe when I look at someone’s computer desktop and it’s littered
with icons. I can’t imagine how you’d be able to focus if that’s what you see
every time you turn on your computer. Make use of the folders on your
computer and organize your computer files, much like you would the files
in your office.
Your home office can become overrun with papers so suddenly it can
make your head spin when you think about getting rid of it. The best thing
to do is tackle your office in sections. Don’t try to do everything at once.
Institute a regular cleaning plan where you dispose of things on a daily
basis.
1. File or shred a pile of papers every day.
Take 30 minutes out of every day and go through a pile of papers in
your office. You may not get through the entire pile all at once but you will
whittle it down over time. Plus seeing the pile diminish will be
encouraging.
2. Promptly address any new paper that comes into your office.
The reason why papers tend to pile up is because we don’t address it as
soon as we receive it. We may put it to the side with the idea that we’ll get
to it later. Unfortunately later may not come until months later and that one
piece of paper has grown to hundreds. Make it a habit to interact with each
piece of paper as you receive it. At least look at it and determine if you need
to keep it. If you truly need it, put it in a place that designates it needs to be
filed. If you don’t need it, shred it.
3. Designate one day a week to go through papers in your office.
 Put a filing box in your office (not on your desk) where you place
papers that need to be filed or addressed. Choose a day every week to spend
at least two to four hours going through that box. It may not take the entire
time but set aside the time anyway. Don’t put it off. This is important and a
necessary part of you doing your job or handling your business. It’s an
administrative task. If you have to account for the time you can call it
administrative time. Over time you will develop a rhythm and not need that
much time to handle your filing. But initially you need to give yourself the
time to really address your papers and clear them out.
The main issue with keeping your home office de-cluttered is that it
requires consistent monitoring. Because so many pieces of papers and
information come through your office on a regular basis, you have to be in
the habit of keeping it clutter free.
13
 STORAGE

T here are a few different storage spaces that come up in a person’s

life at any given time. We have to address them separately.
Self-Storage
If you own a self-storage space that you’re paying to keep things in, get
rid of it as soon as possible. Storage spaces are supposed to be temporary. If
you have a space that you’ve owned longer than three months, start getting
rid of the things in the unit. If you’ve put items in a storage unit, you need
to figure out how important it is to your daily life. If you don’t know what’s
in there from memory, then you probably don’t need it that much. Create a
schedule where you visit the storage unit every weekend for a month and
remove things from it. The goal is to donate, trash or sell as much of it as
possible. Only keep what you find you absolutely need but I have an inkling
that if it’s been languishing in storage you don’t really need it that much.
Attic
Some of you have homes that come with attic space. Usually when we
find out we have attic space, we automatically use it for storage. It’s ok if
there is space in our homes that isn’t used for something. In fact your attic
may be worth finishing and turning into another room if it’s big enough.
You won’t know this if you’ve filled it with boxes. Unfortunately things in
the attic tend to go up there never to be seen again. When you go to your
attic, the idea is to get rid of as much stuff as possible.
You will have to approach your attic in sections. Enlist the help of
family and friends. Ideally you’ll get help from a friend that isn’t
emotionally attached to the items in your attic. You’ll need help getting rid
of stuff that you don’t need. This is where you may encounter heirlooms
and collections that may have been passed down over the years. You can
keep that stuff but it must be organized in a way that makes as much sense
as possible. But there are some things in your attic that are simply old and
should be gotten rid of. This is where your honest friend will come in
handy. This person can help you get rid of things you may talk yourself into
keeping if you were looking at it on your own.
Once you’ve gotten rid of the items that are not needed and shouldn’t be
kept, you should organize your attic into zones. If it’s a place where you
store clothes, holiday decorations and important papers, organize it into
zones where those items stay. You should be able to walk into your attic and
know exactly where to go when you’re looking for certain things.
Basement
Your basement is usually a mirror of your attic or if you don’t have an
attic it will have the same problems as an attic. Often a basement is twice
the size of an attic so you can easily end up with twice as much stuff in it.
Tackle your basement in sections but the goal is to get rid of as much as
possible. Then you want to organize it into zones. You should organize your
basement so that when you go down there you know exactly where to go to
get what you’re looking for.
Garage
I can’t help but smile when I go visit a friend and pull up to see their
cars parked outside of the garage. I almost always ask why they don’t park
in the garage and the typical answer is that it’s full of stuff. The point of a
garage is to hold your car but many people turn it into a storage shed. This
is another area where you should involve other people. Open the garage
door one Saturday and turn it into a party! Turn on the music in your car
and pull everything out of the garage.
Create those four trusty piles: keep, throw away, sell, donate then assign
a person to each pile. The point is to have someone keep track of what’s
going in their respective pile and make sure that it’s organized for the post
removal review.
Once everything is out of the garage and organized into piles, you
should review each pile for accuracy. Make sure each thing in the pile truly
belongs there. The keep pile should be the smallest one. At this point it may
be the largest pile so the review of that pile will involve dwindling it down
and moving stuff to the other piles. This process may be a little intense but
you have to be firm. Your garage should be used to house your cars and
maybe some lawn equipment but that’s it. If you have other things that are
being kept in your garage, move them to another place in your home.
Sometimes items being kept in the garage are best kept in the basement or
attic and not the garage.
Yes it is important to have storage spaces and make use of storage in
your home but that should not be an excuse to dump things in the corners of
your house. Storage space should be used just as wisely as your other space.
It should not be overrun with miscellaneous items that you have to sift
through every time you need to get in there. I do understand that these
storage spaces are often used to keep items that have sentimental value and
mean a lot to you. I get that and respect it but some people keep things
around for sentimental value and end up with a house full of sentiment and
no room for humans to move around. If you find yourself holding boxes of
sentimental items, it’s important that you go through it with an objective
eye and get rid of the things that may only have residual sentimental value.
Often times it’s enough to keep one piece of jewelry or one painting rather
than a house full of it.
However, I wholeheartedly suggest that when you go through
sentimental items, you do it in pieces. It may be a lot to do all at once. You
should also try to do this with other family members or friends who may
appreciate receiving the sentimental items as gifts. Sometimes the nicest
gesture can be to give someone something that’s sentimental to both of you.
Then the item is still cherished by someone without sitting in your space
collecting dust.
When you want to start de-cluttering your life your home is the first
place to start but it’s important to remember that every room in your house
serves a different purpose. You shouldn’t steamroll your way through your
home, throwing things out here and there. You should approach it
strategically and do your best to involve everyone that lives with you in as
many ways as possible. De-cluttering a home can really help boost your
move towards living a minimalist lifestyle but you should carry this concept
with you out into the world as well.
14
 LIFESTYLE

I f you’re changing your lifestyle, it’s important that you incorporate

minimalism into your life overall. It helps to carry the idea of
minimalism around with you everywhere especially when you’re just
starting out.
15
 PAPERLESS

O nce your home office has been de-cluttered and organized, you
may be inspired to carry this over into the rest of your life. If you
also work outside of your home office, you should definitely
organize your work office in the same way. But one of the reasons why we
have so much paper in our home is because we get it while outside of the
home. You have to make a decision to go paperless across the board. It can
take some time but once you do it, you will find everything is much more
efficient and easier to maintain.
1. Cancel your subscriptions to all printed publications.
I know I suggested this for your office space but you should do it for
your entire household. Sit down with your family, significant other and
roommates and determine which magazines, newspapers and other paper
subscriptions are really necessary. The point is to keep the number down to
one or two subscriptions that come every month. Not only will this reduce
the paper in your life, it will also save you some money. This is a win-win
scenario. Plus, many publications have digital versions so you can sign up
for those…if you absolutely have to.
1. Purchase a scanner.
Some of the papers that you have are valuable and should be kept but
you can keep them in digital form rather than as papers in a box, file cabinet
or stack on your desk. If you have an all in one scanner in your office, you
can use that but it may be better to purchase a separate scanner that
everyone in the house can use together. You may not want your kids or
roommate making it a habit of going into your office to handle tasks. That
could cause some of your things to end up moved around and out of place.
There are small scanners that you can put in a central place in your home
with the central computer. If you want your roommate to contribute to
keeping your home paperless, it could be very beneficial to purchase one
for him/her as an organizational gift. You can purchase a desk scanner for
less than $100.
Once you acquire a scanner, make it a point to scan in all important
paper documents that you need to save for later. Be discerning in the types
of papers that you scan. You don’t want your computer to become cluttered
with a lot of documents you don’t need. But I realize that there are some
papers that you need the information from but don’t necessarily need to
keep the papers. Those would be scanned. A scanner that can do double
sides would save a lot of time but if you have a budget to consider, start
with the basics.
1. Purchase a shredder.
As you may have noticed, I’m a big fan of shredding paperwork. This is
largely for security purposes. With so many instances of identity theft we
have to be very diligent about protecting our information even the stuff that
seems inconsequential. You should have at least two shredders in your
home. You definitely need one in your home office but you should also put
one in your living room near the place where you keep your mail. This is so
that you can easily shred all of the pieces of paper that come into your home
that don’t belong there.
The best type of shredder to get is one that is large enough to shred an
8.5 x 11 inch piece of paper and will allow you to feed several sheets at one
time. It should also cross shred rather than shred in one long strip. You want
to ensure that your important documents aren’t easily pieced back together
by some overzealous identity thief. Don’t get a shredder that is so small that
you spend hours on end sitting and shredding one piece of paper at a time.
That is not a time saver at all. If shredding becomes a time consuming task
you’ll be much less likely to do it regularly.
1. Create a junk mail bin.
Don’t let junk mail into your house at all. I have a stack of mail that sits
in my foyer that sometimes grows much taller than I care to admit. Most of
it is junk mail that I didn’t want to deal with at the time so I tossed it on the
stack. Rather than tossing it on the stack, I should have tossed it in a
recycling bin. Junk mail is largely paper. If you make a habit of looking at it
as soon as you receive it and discarding it right away, it won’t have an
opportunity to pile up on you. If you’re concerned about identify theft, you
should simply peel off or tear off any areas of the junk mail that has your
name on it and shred those. In the most ideal set up you’d have a shredder
right next to your junk mail bin which should be near where you keep your
mail.
1. Sign up for online accounts.
This largely applies to companies that send you regular bills or
statements. Create an online account with your bank, credit card, utilities,
cable provider, internet provider and any other organization you make
regular payments to. This will provide a lot of extra benefits. You’ll be able
to monitor your accounts more quickly without having to make time
consuming phone calls. You’ll also be able to make payments without
having to drive somewhere and stand in line. But the main thing you’ll be
able to do is control the amount of important paper sent to your home.
1. Sign up for electronic notifications.
Sign up to receive your bills, statements and other notifications
electronically. This will go a long way towards reducing much of the
important papers that come into your home. This way you won’t feel
compelled to hold on to bills when you receive them. By reducing your
amount of mail, you’ll be able to manage your paper even more effectively.
If you’re concerned about missing bill payments because you’re no longer
getting a hard copy, you can sign up for bill reminder services from those
same companies. You can also simply set a reminder on your own calendar
to keep track of bills so you don’t forget to pay them when you go
electronic.
1. Don’t delay dealing with paper when you do get it.
Make it a point to address paper when it first enters your hands. Don’t
make it a habit of setting paper aside to deal with later. This is how you end
up with a lot of extra papers lying around in unattractive piles. If you
address it as soon as you touch it, you’re much more likely to move on it
and get rid of than have it in a pile somewhere.
It’s not impossible to go paperless but it does take some effort and
attention to detail. You will have to create some new habits so it’s important
that you put processes in place as soon as possible. It’s going to take some
adjusting but once you get used to it, you will marvel at how much less
paper you have in your life overall. You may even find yourself advising
others about how to go paperless themselves.
16
 ORGANIZE YOUR COMPUTER

W hen you go paperless you may find yourself with a lot more
digital files than you’re used to. Don’t fret. It is possible to get
control over your new influx of digital files. You need to
organize your digital space with the same attention to detail that you’re
organizing your personal space. I know I mentioned organizing your
computer desktop briefly in the section about your home office but now I’m
going to dive in more deeply. Many of you are walking around carrying
these disorganized devices that hold lots of valuable content. We keep so
much on our computer I find it amazing how little time people put into
keeping it organized.
Organize your files
1. Create a broad filing system
Choose a home folder where you keep all of your documents and
organize them into files. You should keep all of your documents in one
main folder. This makes it easier to back up your files and keep track of
where they all are.

This is an example of a main folder that can hold all of your files. You
can take advantage of the default file system created by the operating
system on your computer. There is often a My Documents folder of some
kind. You can use that as your base. From this point forward all of your files
will be stored in this folder.
2. Create large sub topics inside of this main folder. These should be
very broad topics that are going to house more specific sub topics.

This image illustrates the types of broad categories you can create to
begin organizing things more specifically. These categories should be as
broad as possible because you’re going to create folders within these that
are more specific.
3. Create more specific categories within the broad categories.

This image shows how you can further break down the broad topic
folders using the Financials folder as an example. If you notice you have a
very clear path for when you want to save or access your bank statements,
for example.
Once you’ve created the basis for an overarching organizational system
on your computer, you should keep this going. Whenever you come across
a situation where you need to add a new folder, create one. Try not to make
it so specific that you have thousands of folders and end up overwhelmed
by the sheer number of folders on your computer. But you do need some
level of organization for your files and once you go through all of the steps
to go paperless, you will need to organize those digital files in a meaningful
fashion. This may seem like a lot of up front work but once the system is in
place it will be virtually seamless. Spending many minutes searching on
your computer for important documents is a poor use of your time. This
way you will know exactly where to go every time and in those situations
where you have to do some searching, it will be very targeted searching and
yield much quicker results than if everything is spread everywhere.
17
 CLEAN YOUR DESKTOP

N ow that you have a filing system on your computer, it’s time to

clean your desktop. As I said previously, I can’t stand to see
someone’s desktop be full of icons, most of which they don’t
access on a regular basis. So rather than being tucked neatly away in a
folder, they’re out making your desktop experience confusing and
overwhelming. You don’t have to put everything on your desktop just
because your computer saves it there initially. When you install many
programs, they may automatically create a desktop icon but you don’t need
it for the program to run.
Operating systems are very menu oriented so your computer puts
everything in a menu whether it saves it to your desktop or not. You can use
this menu to find your programs and free up your desktop space. The only
icons that are on your desktop should be to the main programs you use
daily. Many people only use a few programs on a daily basis. You may have
other programs on your desktop but you probably use many of them weekly
or monthly. Those icons don’t need to be on your desktop.
You can easily delete these icons from your desktop.
1. On a PC
When you’re using a PC, just right click on the icon and scroll down to
delete. You will get a message saying that deleting this icon won’t remove
the program from your computer. It will look like this:

You just click “yes” and the icon will disappear but the program will
remain on your computer.
1. On a Mac
The cool thing about Mac computers is that it automatically puts your
icons in one place on the desktop to make your viewing experience more
streamlined. However, there are times when that area, called a Dock may
become more full than you prefer.
 When you want to move icons from your Mac desktop, drag them to
another area. In fact, there may very well already be an Applications folder
you can drop it into without worrying about losing the program as shown
below:

When you’re clearing your desktop make sure the icon you’re removing
can be accessed somewhere else. Check your program menu for programs
and make sure you move all files to an appropriately labeled folder.
Make sure you de-clutter your computer desktop. It’s not a good idea to
have a clean office and then see a cluttered desktop on your computer. It has
just as much of an effect on your organization as a cluttered desk.
Once you’ve created a file system to organize your files and cleaned off
your desktop, your computer should be a much more organized place to
spend time. Think of how much more productive you could be if you knew
exactly where everything was at the time you needed it?
It never ceases to amaze me how much a moment of organization can
benefit me over time.
18
 ORGANIZE YOUR EMAIL

E mail inboxes are the new frontier of organization. People’s inboxes

can be a hotbed of unread emails, junk mail, flagged emails,
message drafts, trash and spam. It can be very overwhelming very
quickly. There are a few things you can do to get a handle on your email
inbox but you have to commit to doing these things on a regular basis. The
key to effective inbox maintenance is consistency. Once you start doing
something you have to keep doing it.
1. Create folders for different items.
You can create folders for your inbox in any email program. Most of us
get a variety of emails on a daily basis so it helps to be able to divide it up
as you check your box. Most email programs already have a spam folder
designated so you don’t have to worry about that. Focus on the items that
you do want to read.
1. Make it a point to read, delete or act on 10-15 emails a day.
This can be hard in the beginning but as you get into a groove you’ll
find yourself making a lot more headway in your email box. Many
organizational experts suggest not checking your email at the beginning of
every morning and that’s something I agree with. You could check your
email as your day is winding down. If someone sends you an urgent email
they should mark it urgent so you know to move on it quickly.
1. Unsubscribe from all of those e-newsletters.
You barely have enough time to read emails that require a response, let
alone an e-newsletter. Make it a point to begin unsubscribing from as many
of them as possible. My theory is if you realize you’re missing that
newsletter, you’ll take the time to sign up again. If you don’t notice that it’s
no longer coming to your inbox, you didn’t need it in the first place.
However, if there are some you can’t bear to part with, create a newsletter
folder and move them there for future reading. But take this step sparingly
and don’t let this folder become cluttered.
1. Send shorter emails.
You should make your emails quick and to the point. You’ll find that the
people you email will follow suit. This will stop you from having to sort
through and read long, wordy emails. It may not happen overnight but it
will happen.
 1. Create an auto-responder.
If you want to encourage people to contact you via other means outside
of email, create an auto-responder to that effect. You can include this
sample message:
I have received your email and am confirming receipt. I will do my best
to get to it within the next 48 hours. If this is an emergency or urgent
situation, please feel free to call or text me at XXX-XXX-XXXX.
This way people know when they email you something urgent, it’s best
that they follow up with a call or text so you can act on it quickly. This
message will go a long way in organizing and streamlining your email
inbox.
1. Clear out your email regularly.
Set a schedule where you go through and delete old emails every month
or quarter. This doesn’t apply to new emails but old ones you may not have
deleted. You shouldn’t let more than three months go by without clearing
your inbox. This practice will help to keep the sheer volume of your emails
down to the bear minimum.
Email is a wonderful thing. It’s a very efficient form of communication
that everyone should take advantage of. It allows you to impart a lot of
information without having to spend a lot of time on the phone or in a
meeting. Sometimes information you have to share doesn’t need to be
communicated verbally or in person. Plus email gives you a great digital
paper trail when you’re communicating with someone. It helps to have a
written record of what you discussed so you can refer to it at a later date if
necessary.
The key to effective email communications is to be diligent with
managing it. Make it a habit to properly maintain your inbox all the time
and you won’t have to play catch up or clean up. The main reason why
email inboxes become so overwhelming is that people don’t make it a point
to manage them. I realize that we all live busy lives and taking the time to
clear your email box can be tedious but when your inbox only has 100
messages in it, rather than 5000, it can really help reduce your stress level.
19
 ORGANIZING YOUR SCHEDULE

I t seems like our schedules have gotten busier and busier. People have
so much going on in their lives that they are running on fumes on a
regular basis. This is unhealthy and should be changed. It’s ok to have
down time where you can just sit and watch a movie with your friends,
family or significant other without having to schedule it in. Your kids won’t
grow up to be negative members of society if they aren’t scheduled to the
hilt.
This may be an unpopular tactic to do with your kids, especially if they
have grown up doing multiple activities simultaneously but it’s necessary.
Cut out some activities
Sit down and make a list of all of the things that you and your family
are currently committed to doing. I’m not talking about casual social things
that may come up occasionally but don’t necessarily happen every week.
I’m talking about classes, sports leagues and other regular activities that
you commit to do for an extended period of time. Look at all of these
different activities and choose one or two to keep and remove the excess.
This is a good way to involve your kids and empower them to take control
over the schedule as well. Let them know you won’t be mad if they don’t
want to play that sport any more or be a cheerleader any more. After you
make a list of their activities, tell them to choose two of their favorites.
Then cut out the excess.
Learn to say no
I know I discussed saying no without feeling guilty early on but I think
it needs to be mentioned again. You have to practice saying no to people
and things as it relates to your stuff but also your time. People will ask for
things all the time. It doesn’t mean you have to agree to it. But I completely
understand how tough this may be for some of you. You don’t want to
disappoint people and saying no is a surefire way to do that.
I used to be a notorious people pleaser because I couldn’t bear to see the
disappointment in the eyes of my friends and family when I said no. Soon
people picked up on this quality and began to exploit it. Yes there were
some people who were rude about it but most people just did it because
they could. They weren’t trying to use me but they knew that if they asked
me for something or to do something, I would. So they’d ask and I’d say
yes.
I knew I needed to start saying no but I wasn’t comfortable with going
from zero to no. I took baby steps. When I didn’t want to do something but
didn’t want to say no right away, I’d say, “Let me check my schedule and
get back to you.”
That gave me permission to hold off the request until I could check my
calendar. Then if I didn’t want to do it, I could follow up and say that my
schedule wasn’t free or something along those lines. It worked like a charm.
It made the people making the requests of me stop thinking that I would just
automatically yes to all of their requests but most importantly it made me
more comfortable saying no. Eventually I got the point where I could just
say no in the moment but there are still occasions where I am not
comfortable and I can use my schedule excuse comfortably. It works like a
charm.
20
 ORGANIZE YOUR DAILY ROUTINE

O ne of the areas in our lives where we often need the most help is
organizing our daily routines. The reason this area is so tough to
fix is because we often do things on autopilot so we don’t realize
how much time they may take. We also tend to presume that the things we
do on a daily basis have to happen for our day to go according to plan. If for
some reason our daily routine is disrupted, we’re often irritated.
This is a natural response because as human beings we prefer routine
but just because we’ve been doing something every day for an extended
period of time doesn’t mean we have to keep doing it. When you want to
organize your daily routine, tackle it like you did your schedule.
1. Write down everything you do on a daily basis.
This will require some mindfulness where you go off of autopilot and
pay attention to what you do on a daily basis. You should make notes of
everything you do for a week straight. This is important because sometimes
you do things on certain days that you don’t do on others. You need to keep
those things in mind. It may look a little like this:
a. Wake up
b. Shower
c. Walk the dog
d. Put the dog in her room with food and water
e. Go to work
f. Leave work
g. Stop by the grocery store
h. Get home
i. Walk the dog
j. Cook dinner
k. Watch television
l. Surf the web
m. Talk on the phone
n. Go to bed
This is just an example of one day, but you should get an idea of what I
mean by writing down your daily activities. Be as detailed as is necessary.
After you’ve done this for a week, you will have a good snapshot of what
you spend your time doing on a daily basis.
 1. Review and analyze the list.
Look at the different activities you do over the course of a week. Make
a note of the things that are essential for each day. Things like showering,
walking the dog, waking up and eating dinner are essentials. Things like
watching television, surfing the web and talking on the phone are not
essentials and may not happen every day.
1. Look for areas that you can save time or replace with something else.
Many people complain about not having enough time but if you really
look at your schedule, you will see that there are places where you can
make time. If you need to allot time to work out but can’t ever seem to,
maybe you could take some time away from watching television or surfing
the web. You could also try working out while you watch television. There
are some things you can do at the same time that won’t detract from each
other. Feel free to multi-task those things.
Your daily routine is definitely important and while there are some
things that must happen every day there are other things that can be
substituted. Look for ways to get the most out of your day and live a more
efficient, fulfilling life. You should also make it a point to be mindful of
what you’re doing with your time. Don’t obsess about it but try not to live
on auto pilot.
Living a minimalist lifestyle requires that you be aware and alert to how
you’re doing different things. Lifestyle changes mean making a series of
smaller habit changes and these can be tough to do. It takes dedication and
determination. You have to decide that you want to live a minimalist
lifestyle then actively pursue it. Eventually you will adopt those new habits
as your own. They say it takes 21 days for something to become a habit. If
you can commit to making these changes over the course of 30 days, you
will be on the right track.
21
 CHECKLISTS

A s you can see from this book, I’m a big fan of lists. They’re so
helpful in organizing information and communicating tasks in a
fashion that’s easy to follow. Plus, there’s nothing more satisfying
than checking something off of a checklist. I make to do lists, shopping
lists, and organizational lists for when I travel and task lists for lots of other
things. I think I’m a natural list maker but it is very helpful to see samples
of lists to make sure I’m covering all of my bases.
Some people miss out on the value of creating lists. Not only does it
help to have something to refer to as you go about your day, it also provides
an outline for what you need to accomplish. When you are making major
life changes, it’s important to keep track of what needs to be done
differently. Lists can be helpful especially when you are working to change
old habits.
It’s so easy to go on autopilot and go about your day without really
thinking about what you’re doing. Adopting the minimalist lifestyle
requires an increased level of mindfulness that can be maintained by using
lists. If you have something written to reference, you can stay on track
while you work to change your habits.
I’m going to provide some lists for you to help you get started.
Feel free to adapt these lists to best fit your needs.
Daily Task To Do Lists
Figure 6-1

Figure 6-2
Sample Grocery Shopping Lists

Figure 6-3
Figure 6-4
Packing Lists
Figure 6-5
 Figure 6-6
Those are just a few different types of checklists you can use for
different things. But the ultimate goal and value of checklists is to ensure
that you don’t forget anything. Time management is a common issue among
many people and one way to better manage your time is to keep track of
what needs to be done and what is completed. As you start adopting the
minimalist lifestyle more over time you will find your lists becoming
smaller.
The point of becoming a minimalist and practicing this lifestyle is to de-
emphasize the value you place on stuff and focus on placing value on
people, time and experiences. When you reflect back on the times in your
life that are most memorable, it’s not about the things you had it’s about the
way you felt. Cut back on your things and focus on enhancing the moments
you experience.
So far I’ve given you tips on how to ease into the minimalist lifestyle
but in some situations you may need to go whole hog and take the more
drastic route. That’s perfectly fine. However, I do suggest if you decide to
take drastic measures look for things you can do that won’t negatively
affect others. For example if you have three kids, a mortgage and a car note
to pay every month it’s not a good idea to quit your job and move to a
desert island to live the ultimate minimalist lifestyle. However, if you are in
a position where you can quit your job and go back to school by all means,
do it. You can use these tips to not only live with less stuff but to cut back
on your life expenses.
If you notice, many of the tips I’ve shared suggest you stop paying for
different things in your life like subscriptions. You’d be surprised at how
much money people spend on things like monthly subscriptions.
The most important thing to remember about minimalism is that it’s up
to you to define what works for you under your terms. You can’t take
someone else’s minimalist experience and duplicate it.
Let me tell you a little secret. This isn’t my first time adopting a
minimalist lifestyle. When I was in college, I was like a fish out of water.
I’d grown up in a very loving environment that was reflected in my home
life and school life. I wasn’t one of the popular kids but my high school was
fairly close knit. Everyone pretty much got along with each other even if
they didn’t hang out together on the weekends.
 This made my high school experience pretty warm and fuzzy when
compared to some other people’s experiences. When I got to college, I was
excited to be exposed to a whole new world but I didn’t know what to
expect. I’d chosen a school where only a few of my high school classmates
were and we were quickly separated by the hierarchy of college. It was nice
to see an occasional familiar face on campus but I was essentially in a sea
of strangers.
My roommate was this girl named Alycia. She was from a different city
and so different from anyone I’d ever met before. She was a nice girl but
she had some interesting ideas about how to live your life to be happy and
enjoy yourself. Her parents were yogis who visited a nudist resort every
summer for a month and practiced minimalism.
I was intrigued at the entire concept of minimalism. She seemed to live
her life so freely. Her parents made a good living running their yoga studio
but they didn’t have a lot of material possessions. She drove an older model
car and shopped at the thrift store. But she was beautiful and all of her
clothes looked great. She seemed to breeze through campus like a breath of
fresh air.
Her side of the dorm room was virtually empty with the exception of a
beautiful comforter and her school supplies. It got to the point where my
stuff started to creep over to her side of the room but she didn’t seem to
mind. One night we both ended up in the room for the evening with no
plans. She invited me to go for a walk with her to enjoy the starlight.
It sounded so magical and enlightening that I jumped at the chance. I
was in the process of deciding if I was going to rush a sorority and I thought
she might have some insight to share. We headed out across the campus.
She was right. The stars were beautiful. We walked in silence before I asked
her about rushing.
She looked at me and said that she wasn’t really interested in being a
part of any organization that glorified any type of social climbing and paid
unnecessary attention to status. I had never considered joining a sorority in
that way. I was going to do it to make friends. But after talking to her about
it, I wasn’t so sure any more.
She suggested that I give minimalism a try and see if it’s something I’d
be interested in doing. She told me about a group that she was involved in
at school that was about living your best life and pursuing what made you
most happy. I was intrigued about anything that was about pursuing
happiness so I agreed to go the next meeting with her.
I went to the meeting and thought that the people were a little different
but cool. The vibe was all about non judgment and doing what makes you
happy. I decided to follow Alycia’s lead and give minimalism a try.
When I got back to my room that night, I threw out most of my clothes
and shoes. I gave my extra linens to some of my new friends and was
pleased to see that my side of the room looked a lot more like hers. For the
next week I tried to consume less.
Unfortunately I didn’t really know what that meant so I ended up sitting
in my room studying afraid to go outside for fear that I’d consume
something and not be a good minimalist. I was more stressed out than I’d
ever been. I wasn’t happy at all. I asked Alycia why I was so stressed out
and she said that maybe I was doing it wrong.
She didn’t understand why I didn’t feel as peaceful as she did. After a
week of giving minimalism a try, I quit. Rush week had started at school
and I began to participate in the rush activities. I joined a sorority and
moved to the house leaving my minimalist roommate Alycia behind.
I never had any negative feelings towards her. I realized that living that
lifestyle wasn’t best for me. I needed to have stuff. I continued through my
college experience. I would see Alycia and smile and wave but we never
really talked again.
When I embarked on the path to a minimalist lifestyle years later I
realized the error of my ways. I was trying to adopt Alycia’s minimalist
lifestyle that had been defined for her since she was a child. I wasn’t
equipped to jump in with both feet in that way. I had to make minimalism
work for me. When I did it again, I was much more successful but it still
looks a lot different than the lifestyle Alycia was living. In fact, I can almost
bet that her lifestyle now probably looks a lot different as well.
The point of that story is to drive home the fact that minimalism is a
lifestyle choice. With any lifestyle choice, you have to do what works best
for you. You can’t adopt someone else’s version of the lifestyle. This will
increase your chances of failure.
When you begin to practice minimalism you will quickly realize that the
joy of life comes from moments and the people that help you create them,
not the stuff you have. It alters your focus and makes you take it inward.
The effort that you were previously putting towards getting things and
creating a lifestyle that looks nice is directed at you. Now you can focus
that energy on loving yourself as much as possible and creating a lifestyle
that honors who you are and what makes you special.
I don’t know about you but I’m a big fan of any lifestyle that gives me
an excuse to focus my energies on myself in such a positive way.
If you follow the tips I’ve shared in this book, you could realistically be
practicing the minimalist lifestyle in 30 days with relative ease. In fact, I
suggest that you aim to do it in 30 days. If you give yourself too much time
to ease in it you run the risk of going back on auto pilot and not making and
definitive changes. But this doesn’t mean you should do anything sudden or
hasty.
As long as you make sure to do what works best for you and don’t make
any drastic changes that will put you in a bad situation, you will be able to
reap the positive benefits of this lifestyle. Remember that minimalism isn’t
about living like a hermit in the woods with no electricity. It’s about
focusing on what’s most important and eliminating or reducing what is less
important.
The important stuff is up to you to decide and define. Good luck with
your minimalist practice.
22
 DAY 30

N ow that I’ve given you some insight and tips into what it will take
to practice the minimalist lifestyle, I’m going to give you a 30 day
plan to begin implementing these changes. This plan is based on a
home with six rooms; living room, dining room, kitchen, two bedrooms,
one bathroom. You should review the plan before you start it to make
adjustments for your space.
Before you start, go out and get a few de-cluttering tools. You’ll need to
purchase a scanner and shredder. You will encounter so much paper that
will need to be shredded as you de-clutter your way through your house.
This is an important tool to have on hand throughout the process. Don’t
wait until you are knee deep in de-cluttering to have to stop and buy a
scanner.
Remember, when you are going through your stuff, you should have
three piles: throw away, giveaway, sell.
This is a fairly rigorous de-cluttering schedule that will take some effort
especially during the week when you’ll be de-cluttering after work. It’s not
going to be easy but it will be worth it in the end.
Remember that I have made a special calender that you can pin to your
fridge to help you with this thirty day process! You can grab it right now by
going to
==>> http://thejennifernicole.com/easy/
Day 1
Write a letter breaking up with your stuff then make a list of the reasons
why you’re breaking up with your stuff.
Take some time to say goodbye to all of your stuff while mentally
preparing yourself to begin de-cluttering your life. Once you've written your
letter and come to terms with getting rid of your stuff, organize the process.
Make a list of the rooms you're going to tackle. Start with a room that
requires the least amount of de-cluttering. You want your initial process to
be easily attainable so you can experience the success of clearing a room
without it taking a long time.
Decide where you're going to take the stuff that you’ll be getting rid of.
Choose a place for the sell, giveaway and throw away categories. The throw
away category may be easy. It's just a matter of identifying where the items
can go until the trash run happens or taking it to the closest dumpster. The
giveaway category could go to your local Goodwill or homeless shelter.
The sell category may be more of a challenge. You should come up with a
plan for the sell category in advance. If you're going to take the items to a
consignment shop, do that. If you're going to hold a garage sale, figure out
where you will store everything until the sale. You may have to choose a
holding place for all of your sale stuff to be addressed later. This is fine as
long as you address it within 10 to 15 days of the 30 day change.
Then go out and buy a box of big, black trash bags. You're going to
need them.
Day 2
De-clutter the first room.
Choose a room that is easy to fully de-clutter in one day like the dining
room. Aim to get rid of as much as possible. Don't leave anything to be
sorted later. Deal with it in one sitting. This is important to give you a push
to keep going. You need to experience some initial success to help support
your journey into minimalism.
Put everything you're getting rid of in a black trash bag and put it in
another room to be removed the next day.
Day 3
Make a minimalist shopping plan for the next 30 days.
You should only buy foods and goods that you will consume
completely. This means no buying clothes, electronics, shoes, jewelry,
trinkets, knick knacks, etc. Focus on food, drinks and cleaning supplies, if
necessary. Take your first minimalist shopping trip. Even if you don't have
to buy a lot of things, this is a good way to get accustomed to shopping in
this way with your new minimalist mind set.
Day 4
De-clutter the second room.
If you don't have a room that can be de-cluttered in one day, choose a
section of a room and do that area. Aim to get rid of as much as possible
and put it into a black bag. Don't leave anything to be sorted for later. Deal
with it in this moment. Put the trash bag(s) in another room to be removed
the next day.
Day 5
Reach out for support.
 If you have a family that you live with, schedule a family meeting and
tell them about minimalism and what you're doing. Your purpose isn't to
force them to join you on this journey. Your purpose is to educate them
about what you're doing and why and to ask for their support. This may be
tough if you have children under 18 but if you think they can be empathetic
to your cause, include them. You don't want to try to force them to go on the
initial journey with you because you will have ups and downs and you need
to experience them on your own. If your husband, boyfriend or fiancé is
willing to do it with you, let him know what you've done so far. Show him
your room de-clutter plan and involve him in the next one.
If you live alone, invite your close friends over and tell them what
you're doing. Explain to them the importance of it and why you need their
support. You're not trying to force them to do it with you but if any of them
decide to join you, that's great. Show them your letter breaking up with your
stuff and encourage them to write one too. Share your room de-cluttering
plan and encourage them to make their own. Then make an agreement to
check in with each other regularly throughout the next 25 days.
Day 6
Create a plan to tackle your larger rooms.
Expand your room plan by mapping out the items you will put in these
three categories: sell, throw away, giveaway. Walk from room to room and
do a quick survey of what's in each one and pre-plan what you put in these
three categories. Since you've done two rooms so far you should have an
idea of what may come up in each room and be able to guess what that
would look like. This won't be exact since you're not actually pulling things
out but it's important that you plan what you will do with your stuff before
you're knee deep in it. Take this day to really plan. Don't take it easy on
yourself. You should be really getting rid of a lot of stuff.
Day 7
De-clutter another room.
This time you should tackle one of the more involved rooms like the
living room. Commit the day to fully cleaning it out. Take everything out,
sort it into piles sell, giveaway, throw away. Keep only the essentials and
get rid of the rest. Take your room plan list and sort things based on what
you determined in advance. As you find new things, work hard to add them
to one of the three lists. Your keep pile should be tiny compared to the other
three piles.
 If possible, involve your friends and family in this process. If you have
a friend that's going minimal with you, make a deal that you'll help him/her
with some of his/her big cleanings if he/she helps you with yours. Involve
your family in this cleaning whether they're becoming minimalists or not.
They should be involved with the purge and sorting of stuff. This will help
show them minimalism in action.
Put the bags of stuff in another room to be removed from the house the
very next day.
Day 8
Rest
Don't de-clutter any rooms today. Take some time to walk around your
house and notice the difference. You should have de-cluttered two or three
whole rooms by now. There will be a marked difference in those rooms. Sit
in the space and breathe in the change. Appreciate what living with less
really looks like.
Remove the bags that you filled up the day before.
Day 9
Take a step away from your home.
If you work outside of the house, start de-cluttering your office or work
space. This may take a few passes since you can't just dedicate an entire day
to it. You can take this day to map out your process.
Divide the space into sections and make a plan to tackle a different
section each day. After you map out a plan, choose the smallest section and
de-clutter it. This shouldn't take a lot of time out of your work day so you
can still get work done.
Day 10
De-clutter another part of your home.
You may not be up for doing an entire room so choose a section of a
room and do that one. You could tackle your closet, starting with your
shoes. Streamline your shoe collection. I know this will be hard for us shoe
lovers but you can do it. Pull out all of the shoes that you wear on a regular
basis. In this case regular means at least two to three times in a week's time.
Put those shoes in a stack.
If you're like most women you may have three to four pairs in this stack.
Now go through the rest of them and sort them into piles: special occasion,
functional and everything else. Sort out the shoes that were purchased just
for an occasion like a wedding, ball or event. Then sort out the ones you
wear for specific purposes like hiking boots, rock climbing shoes, running
shoes, etc. You'll likely not get rid of these because they serve a distinct
purpose. Now if you haven't been hiking in several years or seen the side of
a mountain since you were in college, put those shoes in the pile to be
gotten rid of. De-cluttering isn’t a time for wishful thinking.
Put the shoes that you actually use and wear on a regular basis back in
your closet along with the functional ones. Then sort the rest.
Put the sorted shoes into the black garbage bags to be removed the next
day.
Day 11
De-clutter your bathroom.
Take everything out including the cleaning products and any easy to
remove decorations. Put everything in a pile/stack in another room. Then
put back only the things you use to get dressed in the morning. Next put
back only the things you use before you go to bed. After that put back the
cleaning supplies you used the last time you cleaned. Be honest with
yourself. If you haven't used something in the last week, it shouldn't go
back in. Sort through everything else and put it in give away and throw
away piles. It's very likely your bathroom won't have anything to sell in it
but if it does set that stuff aside.
Put everything in black plastic bags and sit them in another room to be
removed the next day.
Day 12
Create an organizational plan for your computer.
You're not going to dive in and start moving things around yet. Set up
your organizational system like I outlined in Chapter 5. Do this for your
work computer and your home computer if the two are separate.
Day 13
De-clutter your kitchen.
Start with one cabinet and empty it completely before going through the
sorting process. Since you'll be starting after you're done with work you
should aim for one cabinet.
Sort everything in another room but don't put it in the plastic bags just
yet. You'll be adding to those piles the next day.
Day 14
Finish de-cluttering your kitchen.
 Tackle each cabinet one at a time. Take everything out, sort it and keep
only what is absolutely essential. Those cabinets should be fairly empty
when you're done.
Put the black plastic bags in another room to be removed the next day.
Day 15
De-clutter the bedroom that has the least amount of stuff in it.
If you have a child or two using the second bedroom you should de-
clutter your bedroom first. Leave the child's room for last so you can work
with him/her during the process. That may slow things down since he/she
will have an opinion about the things you decide to get rid of, regardless of
age.
If you don't have a child and your second bedroom is a guest room or
your office, it's time to tackle it.
Day 16
Start de-cluttering your computer.
Now that you have the file system in place, you should start moving
things into those folders. Don't try to open every file on your computer and
review it. Just move things into folders. You will return to your computer at
a later date but this is a good way to start with the de-cluttering process.
Day 17
Start de-cluttering your bedroom.
Section it into zones and do a zone at a time. Sort everything in another
room. You want to experience the stuff actually leaving your room rather
than piling up on the floor. Do two zones a day.
Day 18
Continue to de-clutter your bedroom.
Do two more zones. Add to the sorted pile in the other room.
Day 19
Finish de-cluttering your room.
If you have more than six zones, it may take another day. Put the items
in the sorted piles into the black garbage bags and put them in another room
to be removed the next day.
Day 20
Stop all paper from coming into your house.
Cancel all magazine subscriptions. Request and sign up for electronic
statements from your credit card, bank, investment accounts and anyone
else that sends paper statements of any kind to your house. Visit the Direct
Marketing Association website to stop catalogs and junk mail from coming
to your house. You should also opt out of pre-approved credit card
applications by visiting optoutprescreen.com. Visit the World Privacy
Forum for more information and tips on how to stop the paper from being
sent to your home.
Day 21
Finish de-cluttering your computer.
Now that you've started this process and gotten most things into folders,
you can start going through them and looking for things to delete. Go one
folder at a time. This may take more time than you prefer spending but it
will be beneficial in the long run.
Day 22
Digitize the paper that's already in your house.
You may have to take a few passes at this. You'd be surprised at how
much paper we have in our house that has accumulated over time. Start
with any bills or papers that you may be keeping around. Use the scanner
and scan them into your computer then shred them.
Day 23
Take a break.
Don't de-clutter anything. Spend some time in your newly de-cluttered
house. Take it all in. Enjoy your hard work.
Day 24
De-clutter your car.
Now that you've done your home, you should clear out your car. Take
everything out of your car and put it on the driveway or the grass near the
car. This includes stuff in your glove compartment and center console if you
have one. Don't take the stuff into the house at this point. Sort everything.
You should work to get rid of as much stuff as possible. You should really
only have one black plastic bag for your car. Most of the stuff we keep in
our car shouldn’t be there.
Day 25
Reduce your expenses.
Sit down and review all of the expenses that you pay for on a regular
basis. Look for ways to cut those expenses down. Ask yourself if you really
need everything that you currently pay for. This will require some blunt
honesty with yourself. You may need to enlist the help of a trustworthy and
honest friend. You need someone to level with you about everything that
you're paying for and play devil's advocate. This won't be an easy process
but it's important.
Day 26
Reflect
Now that you've de-cluttered several spaces in your life, take some time
and reflect on your feelings during the process. How has your opinion
changed as it relates to stuff and the things you thought you needed? How
do you plan to maintain your new perspective going forward?
Day 27
Have another family meeting and check in with your family members.
You want to ask how they feel seeing the changes you've been making.
Explain that you're making a lifestyle change and this is just the beginning.
Ask them for their continued support.
If you don't live with family, invite your friends over for dinner in your
newly de-cluttered space. Talk to them about what you've learned in the last
26 days. Thank anyone who's supported you for that support.
Day 28
Re-read the letter you wrote saying good bye to your stuff.
Even though you’ve successfully de-cluttered your home, car and office
this is just the beginning. Minimalism is a lifestyle and if you don’t begin to
incorporate the philosophy and perspective discussed in this book, you will
find yourself back at square one before you know it. This letter is a great
tool to reconnect with the feelings that led you to write the letter in the first
place. Keep it somewhere you can easily get to it or post it somewhere you
can see it on a regular basis.
Day 29
Create your future plans.
Now that you’re changing your perspective about the stuff that you
have, you can think of things to do with the extra time and money that
getting rid of all of that stuff will bring. Make a list of the things you’ve
always wanted to do but never felt you could.
Day 30
Review the list you made detailing why you wanted to de-clutter your
life.
Reflect on those reasons. Were they all met by the time you finished?
Now make a list giving all of the reasons why you want to continue to
actively practice minimalism. Post these reasons somewhere. This will help
keep you on track.
23
 RECOMMENDED BOOK ON DECLUTTERING

I hope you have enjoyed my decluttering book. If you’re interested in

learning more about decluttering and organizing your home, check out
this book that I highly-recommended:
“The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" by Maria Kondo”
Check it here: http://thejennifernicole.com/tidy
This is an awesome book on decluttering.
- Learn the Japanese Style of decluttering
- The hottest trend in Tokyo right now
- Bring Zen into your living arrangement
- Find more peace within your soul
 BONUS FREE GIFT

Thank you for your purchase of my Easy Minimalist Living Kindle book, as
an extra bonus I want to give you a free calender. This is the exact tool you
need to start organizing your house without feeling any stress! It's my
thank you to you for taking the time to read this book.

You can access your free gift by clicking here

http://thejennifernicole.com/easy/
 FOUND A TYPO?

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 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jennifer is a full time mom and a part time author. She has a passion for helping other busy moms
find joy with their children. She has a passion for her family and is so grateful that writing allows
her to spend more time at home.

Find out more about Jennifer at:

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ALSO BY JENNIFER NICOLE

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