I cannot stress enough how much easier life is when you simplify. Getting rid of things continues to be a game changer for me, and I can’t wait until I’ve gotten rid of enough to be “under my clutter threshold”, as Dana K White puts it. I’m kinder to my husband, more patient with my children, I have more mental energy for them, and more time to play because I’m not spending so much of it managing the chaos. Seriously. If your life is chaos, please just throw it out! Whatever “it” is! Your children deserve to have a mom who’s there with them when she’s home, and you deserve to BE a mom who gets to be there with her kids when she’s home. Your husband deserves someone who has enough brain cells left to me able to give him a smile and a hug and a good dinner. Please. Your family is worth so much more than the broken crayons and unmatched puzzle pieces you’re hanging onto that keep getting dumped all over the floor and left there in a pile of playing cards and legos.
There are so many many places to start if you’re looking to downsize, but I would recommend listening to different podcasters/youtubers depending on what situation you’re in right now. Are you single? Do you have one kid? Eight kids? A husband who hates clutter and already wants to throw all of your stuff out, vs one who is stuck in a scarcity mindset? Are you trying to convince your friend, or is your friend trying to convince you?
Moms, who can’t take on another huge “project”, but want to slowly build habits that will help pare down your belonging, I recommend Minimal Mom or (especially if you feel overwhelmed, and especially if you have just tiny little spaces off time before you get interrupted or distracted) Dana K White (youtube channels).
If you’re single/have no children, have time and energy for big projects, and want to do your future family a huge favor, I recommend looking into The Minimalists “Packing Party” (especially if you are, in fact, packing for a move) or Marie Kondo’s “KonMari method”. Another good tip for someone who’s moving is Dana K White’s Uhaul boxes idea with her “Container concept” applied as outlined in this video.
For someone trying to help someone else out.. first.. did they ASK you to? If they didn’t ask for help, don’t start throwing their things away. Just.. should be a no-brainer. If they DID ask for help, because (fill in answer here), then just refer back to the list and either recommend the appropriate one or look into them yourself and use their tips and tricks.
And, look. Always, always, ALWAYS start with yourself. If the kids are young, bring them along on your journey and let them learn with you, but if it’s a spouse, or another adult or older child who’s used to holding onto everything, don’t say anything about it. Just let them watch the positive impact that owning less has on YOUR life, and they’ll pick up on it and make the changes for themselves. Stop telling them they must throw their things out to be happy. It’s their stuff. You have no authority over it or them. Stop it.
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