4 Key Minimalist Hacks For Decluttering & Making Life Easier

When my space is cluttered, I feel overwhelmed and anxious by all of my things. I'm easily distracted by the constant visual noise surrounding me and I waste time and energy trying to locate things. I spend a lot of time at home so I want to create a peaceful environment. When my home is clutter free and organized, I am calm, more focused, and far more productive.

I apply these decluttering and organizational tips to all areas of my life like my phone bills, clothing, electronics, holiday décor, and hobbies. It's amazing how much more efficient my life runs when I declutter and organize everything. I hope sharing these tips will help you make your space feel more manageable as well.

1. Start small

Before I can organize, I need to declutter the items that I don't need. I start small and focus on one area at a time. Trying to declutter and organize my entire home all at once is pretty much impossible. It's very overwhelming, which can lead me to give up easily.

Instead, I start with one small area such as a closet, a drawer, or a cupboard, and I work my way through each small space until the larger space is complete. This is a great approach to tackling most tasks in life. Start small and break things down into manageable-sized tasks.

Everything feels harder when we’re overwhelmed, so taking small steps is a far more effective way to get things done than looking at the big-picture goals.

After I declutter a space, I get rid of the items that I don't use. I go through my possessions and ask myself if I really need each of these things.

If I haven't used it in the past year, which is plenty of time for seasons to change, or if it doesn't bring me joy, I consider getting rid of it. I realized that the less stuff I own, the easier it is to organize. The organization begins with awareness of the things that work for me and the flow of my life.

2. Create a storage plan

Once I've decluttered, it's important to have a plan for where to put everything. I observe the natural patterns of everyone in the house and I try to organize in a way that works with our natural flow. For example, having a place for the mail near the door in the kitchen works well for me when I'm bringing it in from the mailbox. 

I give every item a home. Only if absolutely needed I will invest in storage bins, baskets, and other organizational tools to help keep my space tidy, choosing the best option for function. It's the functionality of how I organize that simplifies my life.

Dealing with paper can get overwhelming. I separate my papers into three piles; trash, important papers, and papers I want to keep a record of. The only papers I keep are the ones I need hard copies of. I file those neatly and label everything.

Labeling storage bins and other organizational tools helps me, and the rest of my family stay organized. It makes it easy for me and my family to find what we’re looking for.

I scan the papers I don't need hard copies of but would want for future reference like medical bills. This system works best for me to stay organized with my papers. It eliminates the mountains of papers hanging around the house.

3. Eliminate visual clutter

I use all spaces possible to hide possessions, thereby eliminating visual clutter. I've lived in small spaces before and it's amazing where you can hide things. Under the bed is a great place to hide blankets, pillows, or even out-of-season clothes.

Don't forget to utilize the space on walls and the backs of doors. I use shelves, install hooks, and I love using over-the-door organizers to make the most of every space I keep.

I store like items together. Grouping similar items together makes it easier to find what I need. For example, I keep all of the cleaning supplies in one cleaning bucket. That way I can bring it around the house when I'm cleaning.

4. Make a habit of putting things away immediately after use 

The key to organization is maintenance. Staying organized is easier when I make a habit of putting things away as soon as I'm done using them. This will help prevent clutter from accumulating around the house and keeps my space looking tidy and clean. 

For example, when you cook, put away each ingredient after you use it. Don’t leave it all out until you’re done cooking. Getting overwhelmed always makes tasks feel more difficult. Putting things away immediately as opposed to leaving them out to clean all at once will help make cleaning feel quick and manageable. 

Minimalist hacks

I hope you enjoyed these decluttering and organizational tips and find them useful. If you found these tips useful or have any hacks of your own you can share, leave me a comment. I love exchanging ideas with you all. Have a beautiful day, my friends.