Several years ago, my family and I decided to pursue minimalism. Since then, we have tried to remove all of the possessions from our home that are not essential. In doing so, we have found new opportunity to spend our time, energy, and finances on the things that are most important to us.
Also, we became far more observant about how our things rob us of our precious freedom. We have learned that just like most families, no matter how hard we try to stop it, stuff inevitably continues to enter our home… nearly every single day.
So we work hard to remove any clutter that begins to accumulate in our home. Along the way, we have picked up (and try to practice) some helpful clutter busting routines to help those who are just getting started with minimalist living.
Here are 15 Clutter Busting Routines we have found helpful in our home:
1. Place junk mail immediately into a recycling bin. Take note of the natural flow of mail into your home. Placing a recycling container prior to your “mail drop-off zone” can catch most of that junk mail before it even reaches your counter. And as an added bonus, you’ll begin to look through less of it too (think advertisements).
2. Store kitchen appliances out of sight. Toasters, can openers, coffee makers… they all take up space. And while it may not seem like much space by looking at them, the first time you prepare dinner on a counter without them present, you’ll quickly notice the difference when you have a minimalist kitchen. If you think it’s going to be a hassle putting them away every morning, don’t. It takes less than 6 seconds to put each appliance away… once you’ve found a home for it that is.
3. Remove 10 articles of clothing from your closet today. Go ahead. If you are typical, it’ll take you roughly 5 minutes to grab 10 articles of clothing that you no longer wear and throw them in a box. Your remaining clothes will fit better in your closet. Your closet will be able to breathe again. And if you write “Goodwill” on the box when you are done, you’ll feel better about yourself as soon as you drop it off. Most likely, you’ll find yourself inspired to do it again.
4. Fold clean clothes / Remove dirty clothes immediately. The way I handle clothes these days is one of the biggest clutter changes I have made in my life. Unfortunately, I used to be a “throw-them-on-the-floor” guy. But now I handle each one right when I take it off. Dirty clothes down the clothes chute. Clean clothes back to the hanger or drawer. That’s it. It’s really that simple. How do the dirty ones magically appear clean and folded in my closet you ask… I’m not sure. You’ll need to ask my wife.
5. Kids’ bedroom toys live in the closet. Not on the floor. Not on the dresser. But in the closet. And when the closet gets too full of toys, it’s time to make some room. Hint, it’s usually safe to remove the toys at the bottom of the pile.
6. Kids pick up their toys each evening. This has countless benefits: 1) It teaches responsibility. 2) It helps kids realize that more isn’t always better. 3) The home is clean for mom and dad when the kids are in bed. 4) It’s a clear indication that the day has come to an end. Gosh, you’d think with all these benefits it would be easier for us to get the kids to do it…
7. Fill your containers for the garbage man. Use every trash pick-up day as an excuse to fill your recycling containers and/or garbage cans. Grab a box of old junk from the attic… old toys from the toy room… old food from the pantry… old paperwork from the office. If once a week is too often, do this exercise every other week. You’ll get the hang of it. And may even begin to enjoy trash morning… okay, I won’t go that far.
8. Halve decorations. No seriously, I mean it. Grab a box and walk through your living room. Remove decorations from shelves, tables, and walls that aren’t absolutely beautiful or meaningful. You may like it better than you think. If not, you can always put them back. But I’d bet my wife’s old high school yearbooks that you won’t return all of them.
9. Wash dishes right away. Hand washing some dishes takes less time than putting them in the dishwasher. This applies to cups, breakfast bowls, dinner plates, and silverware. If hand washed right after eating, it takes hardly any time at all. If however, hand washing is just not an option for you, be sure to put used dishes in the dishwasher right away. Nobody likes walking into a kitchen with dishes piled up in the sink or on the counter… and it’s even less fun eating in there. Practice kitchen counter organization to have a clutter-free countertop.
10. Unmix and match cups, bowls, plates, and silverware. Uniformity makes for better stacking, storing, and accessing. If there is a souvenir cup or mug that is so important to you that you can’t live without it, that’s perfectly fine. Just don’t keep 5 of them. Mom, any chance you are reading this?
11. Keep your desk clear, clean, and minimalistic. Drawers can adequately house most of the things needed to keep your desk functional. And a simple filing system should keep it clear of paper clutter. The next person who sits down to use the desk will thank you.
12. Store your media out of sight. Make a home for dvd’s, cd’s, video games, and remote controls. They don’t need to be in eyesight, you use them less than you think. And if you remove them from your eyesight… maybe you’ll use them even less.
13. Always leave room in your coat closet. There are two reasons why coats, shoes, and outerwear keep ending up scattered throughout your home rather than in your closet. The first reason is because your coat closet is so full, it’s a hassle to put things away and retrieve them quickly. Leave room on the floor, on the hangers, and on the shelves for used items to be quickly put away and retrieved. The second reason is because you have kids… but you’re on your own with that one.
14. Keep flat surfaces clear. Kitchen counters, bathroom counters, bedroom dressers, tabletops… After you clear them the first time, keeping them clean takes daily effort. Receipts, coins, and paper clutter just keep coming and coming… it’s just easier the second time around.
15. Finish a magazine or newspaper. Process or recycle immediately. If you’ve finished the paper product, process it and rid yourself of its clutter immediately. Good recipe in there? Put it in your recipe box and recycle the rest. Good article that your husband will enjoy? Clip it and recycle. Article that your friend will enjoy? Clip it, mail it, and recycle (or better yet, search for it online and send it that way). Coupon too good to pass up? Cut it out and recycle. Stacks of magazines and newspapers serve little purpose in life but to clutter a room.
knh says
The bit about clean and dirty clothes makes me wonder if your wife is really the doing all the cleaning and minimalist improving. Just so you know, most people do their own laundry.
joshua becker says
Thanks for the comment. We share the workload around the family equally. She handles the family laundry. I handle other duties. And I’d have to disagree that most family members handle their own laundry… at least, not in any of the families I have been a part of.
Jen says
Cool article! While reading it I thought of 12 things I could do today!
Thedebtfreeminimalist says
A great article J.B. To give me the confidence to truly remove all items that clutter my life I have a 6 month rule (12 months for clothes), if the item has not been used/worn in that time period then it can be disposed of. Some items you will immediately know that they will never be used again so they can directly to a charity (Goodwill) shop but the items you stop and deliberate over then you can apply the 6 month rule. Not that you leave those items nestled in their current home! Find a box to put the variety of possessions in (I have roasting tins, excess of knives, forks etc.., cardigans, trousers) and then if required in that time period you can simply remove it and when used it can settle back in its previous home. What’s left in the box at the end of the 6 months will be boxed and ready to go to Goodwill.
If you want to enjoy another inspiring blog about how to live a simple, frugal, debt-free, minimalist life then please check out the http://www.thedebtfreeminimalist.com.
My latest blogs include:
Are you a clutterist? Take the 5-a-day challenge (and i’m not talking fruit!)
The duvet which made a difference (the tale of giving)
Is the iPhone such a smart phone?
A tale of opportunity cost (and the effects of compound interest)
I don’t need much!
Thank You! says
This is a great list! I especially liked the idea of talking the appliances of the counter. So simple, yet I never though of it. My family complains often how we don’t have enough counter space, but I think we found a solution!
Valerie says
My husband and I live in a 400 sq ft studio. We love antiques and vintage items, but were able to pare down to just our favorite pieces, which immediately made everything that survived that much more special. We put built in shelves along one wall, and everything goes on those shelves – books, bowls, statues, keepsakes (extra blanket on the bottom shelf, jewelry in a nice box.). Almost nothing is stored away unseen. So every other surface – coffee table, desk, counter, etc – is clear. It’s also easier to keep things pared down when you can see it all together at once.
swalia says
great ideas….i need to work on clothes…i have been donating clothes to an orphanage for a year now but it seems like a never-ending process…looks like i will have to totally stop buying new ones for a while which seems like an intimidating thing to do
Annabell says
Awesome read, sounds simple enough. Will employ strategies. Just gotta figure out what to do with the tubs of stuff that accumulates in kitchen, hall, lounge room. The little things I find when on floors, counter and in pockets doing laundry. Items include, Tech plugs-usbs, charger bits,batteries, nuts, bolts,nail clippers, pens,hair ties,pins,buttons
You know the things. Ive been tempted to up end it over the rubbish bin but I cant do it! I used to sort it & take it all back to its ‘home’ but now i just cant be f&%$ so ive been transerring it to a bigger box :( and hidding it in the front room.
Any advise?
Rebecca says
Annabell – just a suggestion (from a family that cannot get rid of the little bits of #@$% that we accumulate either!), we have drawer dividers that will stack and several smaller, clear plastic bins – we have put the nuts, bolts, pins, buttons, and other tiny bits into the drawer dividers. If you do so with some organization, you can keep track of what is there and where they are. We used the clear, plastic bins for the larger tiny things — like the charger bits, usbs, batteries, and pens. We have marked the clear bins with the items they contain – and with the bin being clear, we can also see what is inside of them with ease. All of these – the dividers and clear bins – fit inside of a larger storage tub – which easily fits into the floor of a closet – or on a shelf that is easily accessible. We have found that putting things away like this has led all of us (and there are six of us) in the household to keep the smaller items organized so we can find them easily. None of us liked the junk drawers that accumulated – or just tossing them into a box or tub and not being able to find anything quickly.
Hope it helps!
Yosef Hardin says
Great, thanks for sharing this blog post.Thanks Again. Great.
Michelle says
I really enjoyed reading through this list. I have developed a habit of reading through the http://www.ApartmentTherapy.com each Sunday for tips and ideas on how to be better organized while living in a smaller space. Today I read a great idea that would relate to your laundry idea. Someone over there had mentioned that they don’t have a laundry hamper anymore. They keep a color catcher sheet in the washer and just throw all the clothes in each day until it fills up, then run a load, put it away, etc. I thought that was a great time and space saver. What do you think?
samantha says
Loved it. It’s now bookmarked and hopefully starting in the morning I can put it to work. My house is a mess and I’m about to go crazy. Dishes on the counter from never being home, kids toys piled high, 5 ppl living in a one bedroom house while the other rooms are being built….I’m losing my mind and need all the help I can get.