Did you catch Miss’es Clean’s latest article in HWS Magazine? HWS is Niagara’s health and wellness magazine offering its readers educational articles, by health and wellness experts, on how to live a healthy lifestyle.
In the latest issue, I had the opportunity to share my experience on living minimally. I also share with readers tips on decluttering and small ways we can be minimal at home.
Seeking Simplicity
Can we live a meaningful life with less stuff? I certainly think we can. I have spent the last few months on a mission – to need less, to want less and to live with less. In a world where material possessions consume us, there is a sense of peace to the idea of letting things go. Getting to this point however is no easy task. Even “Miss’es Clean” herself struggles with this.
The idea of living a minimalist lifestyle can mean many things to different people. For me, it means having less debt, having more space in my home and having more time for myself and what matters to me. I am not advocating that everyone should be like me, but I do believe that decluttering can be a good thing for the mind and the wallet. This realization has come from over 15 years of being in the cleaning industry and being a helping hand for friends, family and clients to declutter their homes. If you are looking to declutter and live a little simpler, I would recommend starting with your home.
Tips from a Pro
- Declutter the “easy” stuff: Start by decluttering a few easy items. These are items that do not require any hard decision making and that you can live without. These are broken items, duplicates and things you no longer have use for. Always remember the golden rule, if it has not been used for over a year – get rid of it. You must also remember that storing things away is not decluttering.
- Control what comes in: When you can control the flow of what is coming in your home, you are already saving yourself a lot of time. Try not to replace something for the sake of replacing it. Ask yourself if this is something you really need or if you can live without it. If you can get past this, you won’t have to make the decision whether to throw it away afterwards.
- The final purge: Start with five piles – keep, donate, sell, throw away and return. It will be a difficult task to determine which items will go in each pile but, if you have been eliminating what is coming in your home and have successfully decluttered the smaller stuff, this step should be manageable.
As I embarked on this journey, the most important thing I learned was to be patient with myself. You must remember this is not a one day task. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and don’t punish yourself over it.
When you’ve completed your final purge, reward yourself by having Miss’es Clean in for a Spring Cleaning! You deserve it! Or, if you are looking for some help, Miss’es Clean offers an optional decluttering service on top of our cleaning services.
For tips from another pro, visit Joshua Becker’s website, or his Facebook Page.
