Simplify and Declutter

“Practising minimalism”, “decluttering”, and “simplifying your life” are all buzz phrases at the moment.  What do they really mean?

Essentially it is about acknowledging the amount of physical ‘stuff’ we have in our lives and the impact this has on us psychologically.   Having more ‘stuff’ does not make us happier; in fact, it is making us less happy!  The concept around minimalism, decluttering and simplifying is to reduce the amount of ‘stuff’ we have so we can focus on those few but awesome things that genuinely make us happy. 

Try decluttering one area of your life at a time:

• Home clutter – tackle each room at a time. Consider whether you keep an item, donate it,  recycle it or throw it out.
• Digital clutter – are you overwhelmed every time you look at your inbox? Start decluttering your emails, social media accounts, digital files and phone apps.
• Mind clutter – often neglected but so important to take stock of the clutter you may have in your mind.  Do you have old thought patterns that do not serve you? Do you often feel overwhelmed with the never-ending mental ‘to-do list’? Freeing some mind space allows you the time to pay attention to your thoughts and focus on those thoughts that enhance your wellbeing.

Clearing space – both physically and mentally, helps make room for new and improved ideas and items that add value to our lives.