Living in an old home, with lots of space, realized that when the grandparents passed, we got the stuff. Then parents passed, we got the stuff. Hubby and I started calling the stuff, ‘OPS’ , other people’s stuff. Only used 1 dining room set, not the 4 we were storing in the extra bedrooms. So had a family meeting and shared we weren’t going to keep the OPS, if they wanted it, come and get it. No takers, just calls of excuses, why they couldn’t. A tough decision was prayerfully made, sold the OPS, the money is collecting interest, not dust. Surprisingly not 1 family member has asked about what we did with all the OPS. But Restore, Goodwill, Salvation Army, Christian Charities and other organizations have enjoyed the OPS for their efforts.
1. Mountains of never-ending laundry. Capsule wardrobes for everyone in our home was a game changer because there's a LIMIT to how many clothes can ever get dirty at once. 2. An always messy kitchen. I realized I owned WAY too many dishes and instead of re-using a cup, mug or plate. Another was pulled out. A minimized kitchen made a big difference. 3. Always losing things. When you own less - it's easier to know what you own and WHERE it's home is. 4. Spending HOURS each weekend "cleaning" but never actually cleaning the house. I was just "clutter shuffling" and constantly "reorganizing clutter" instead of getting rid of it. 5. Debt from all my impulsive spending. All the time I've spent decluttering has cured me of wanting more. 6. Mom guilt because I spent more time taking care of stuff than spending time with my kids. 7. Feeling constantly drained, low energy, and stressed but not realizing it was my cluttered home that was the big problem. 8. My house cleaner telling me it would be easier to clean my house if I got rid of all the clutter. 9. Being constantly worried about a friend or family member stopping by with no notice. 10. Spending years looking for a new and bigger house thinking that would solve all my problems. Not realizing that when I minimized, I'd find the space I was looking for and fall in love with my house again. This is my list Joshua. Thanks for being a big inspiration ☺️❤️
The underlining mental state behind a cluttered or untidy living space is the real issue. Holding onto or nonstop acquiring stuff is to fill some void or trauma or depression or anxiety in the headspace.
We had an exterminator come out to spray for sugar ants (we’re in TN) and my children and I stayed outside while he sprayed inside, he came out and said “that was the easiest home I’ve ever done” I was happy we could make our home accommodating so he could do his job properly and it took us no time to get it ready for him since we downsized by 90 percent
This past weekend, I moved from a 1000 square foot apartment to a 648 square foot apartment. I didn’t own too much stuff last week-but I sure do own too much stuff now!
Fell upon your channel by accident. I’ve lived as you suggest for 50 years (I’m 68). It’s all so easy to live like this. Life is wonderful. I really can’t understand why people don’t live as you suggest. First class advice….🇬🇧
1. Garage can’t be used for cars 2.Rooms left untidy at the end of the day 3.You can’t figure out why the money is gone 4. It takes longer to clean your house than it should 5. Children assume they deserve more new things 6. Your home is stressful for you 7. You are constantly organizing and reorganizing 8. You don’t use what you have 9. You say “I need to declutter” but you don’t 10. You lose items and can’t find them 🤍
Yesterday we cleaned out 2 sheds cause 1 is falling down. Half of the stuff went to recycling and trash, 1/4 will be donated and we'll only keep the remaining 1/4. It will easily fit into the good shed with room to spare. One more day of work to go. Decluttering is so much better than organizing!
I love this: If you have to buy stuff to store your stuff, you have too much stuff. I tell friends and family that plastic storage boxes aren’t their friends 😅
I have a china cabinet in my dining room that has three drawers. Not long ago I realized that it has been more than a year since I even opened those drawers. I decided it was time to clean them out. I kept a handful of things. The rest I either threw away or gave to Goodwill. It took me all of twelve minutes! What an eye opening experience.
"Look around. All that clutter used to be money" . I've found in life that saving is a lot more fun that spending. Having money in the bank to take care of yourself is a lot more important than have a bunch of junk piled up. I do believe clutter leads to depression.
I can personally attest to the benefits of minimizing. I have a bit more to do but 98% of my home *and garage* is peaceful, calm, organized, and not to boast, but beautiful. I have more free time, more money - so I get to donate more, and my creativity is energized more without the distractions of Stuff and having to take care of it. There is so much more to life than STUFF. And I don't miss one single thing I have parted with.
I miss some things that I parted with, but mostly ok with it. Mindful decluttering is a satisfying process, and so is Imagining, making mood boards (often photographing my own things that I wanted to keep), doing furniture layouts to best make use of what I own and to show it off to its best advantage. Strategic paint, strategic purchases to fill in the gaps, very satisfying. all of the downstairs common rooms and kitchen are welcoming to guests and the repainting is very satisfying so far, with more to come. One of my favorite accomplishments is my garage, although it is currently recovering from the purchase of a sauna, & hubs going a little crazy with some new lawn equipment. And trying to cram too many things onto the wall-mounted shelves that I had (graciously and spaciously) spaced out with dedicated bins for things we needed. Trying so hard to make him understand that having a space to stuff something into doesn’t actually mean it’s a good idea to stuff something into the space. getting a giant yeti cooler absolutely did not help, it is outrageously heavy!!! My goal was to have nothing on the actual floor of the garage unless it absolutely had to be kept and absolutely could not be on the shelf or hanging up. SMH. The last bastion of clutter has to do with necessary storage and activities, along with things that bring a lot of practical satisfaction and peace. They all need a home in two beautiful adjoining, (but average-sized) sunny spaces with garden views and French doors to the outside, so it deserves to look really nice. It’s quite a challenge, w/ wall space limitations, and large work tables.
Since decluttering I find it is easier to keep the house looking neat and not having to hurry cleaning when someone is heading over or dropping in unannounced!
After 3 years of decluttering and simplifying my life, I am happy to be 0 for 10 on signs of too much stuff. Life is SO much better now! Thanks Joshua ❤
When I moved a few years ago, my strategy was to get rid of as much stuff as possible. After 17 years of living in my childhood bedroom, I never loved it more than the last few days before moving out. I threw away an entire car full of items, donated at least that much, and I finally had a space that made me calm. Before that, I never even realized my room was making me stressed. I got the opportunity to design my next bedroom from the ground up, and I was convinced I was in love with the minimalist aesthetic. But I never liked the aesthetic, I like looking around and knowing everything had a purpose or significant meaning. I didn't have cleverly hidden piles of stuff in every corner. So when I got my room together and I finally laid down, I realized it felt empty to me. Aesthetically, I'm a maximalist. My walls are full of art I love and intentionally chose for myself. I have so many throw pillows on my bed, but they all adhere to a carefully curated style, and it's never to the point where making my bed feels insurmountable. I display most of my tops in an open wardrobe, so I have a finite amount of clothes that fit and donating clothes is something I do routinely. But it is life changing to be aware of everything I own and know where it all belongs.
The constant reorganizing, that’s when I realized I had way too much stuff lol, not to mention, wondering where money went. I started decluttering and quit buying and was able to have a lot more in our savings now and the house is a lot more tidy.❤❤❤
This one resonates with me. I never feel like I've made progress after decluttering. Need to stop buying and get serious with purging. Thanks for this list of 10 ❤
I hit the like button the moment I heard #1 Garages have become storage units in this country. You're 100% correct Mr. Becker . Our home should be our sanctuary. I definitely found value in this video
I know it probably isn’t easy to come up with new content for your videos. I just want you to know that I think you do a great job. I regularly subscribe and unsubscribe from different channels, but yours is consistently among my favorite top 10, and I don’t ever see that changing. Thanks for your thoughtfulness and hard work. You are a treasure to so many of us.
I knew I had simplified enough when the main floor of my house could go from a disaster to tidy in 20 minutes! Cleaning is also so much easier now that I don't have stuff everywhere. I love your videos, they're always inspiring me to go the extra mile when I'm maintaining our home.
OMG this video makes me want to rid my life of 75-80% of what I have. I'm stuck in the paralysis of the money I spent on the stuff. I've heard you and other speak out the sunken cost fallacy and it's so true, but I'm still struggling so bad with that! I'm drowning in stuff even after being on my minimalist journey since April 2017. I have no attachment to all this stuff other than the fact that I spent money on it. I'm pulling my hair out! 😫
Keep what you love and need and give the things that you only 'temporarily liked' away so that someone else can love them. You will enjoy the feeling of generosity, simplicity and peace in your home and life. 🙂
The money has already been wasted... why add your mental health to the list? Forgive yourself and move on. Why stay surrounded by your mistakes? My 2 cents. 💕🇨🇦
I searched for you this morning while cleaning out a double closet. I live in a barn apartment with radiant heat concrete floors, open concept, no defined bedroom, living room, or dining area. I'm going back to basics. I feel empowered and I thank you. I began the morning touching a few items that I was on the fence about, now they are going with more to follow. Last month I purchased several blue tee shirts and life was made simpler.
It's been an incredible relief to get to a point where some rooms in my house "stay" clean, seemingly without any effort on my part. A room that houses practical contents in an organized manner barely seems to need any tidying up, because the most natural place to leave the thing is also the place where it belongs. I have very little stuff, but in rooms where I don't have a well-organized system established, it still gets messy - partially due to my bad habits learned over years of living in an unmanageable hoard. The key difference for me is that instead of cleaning up feeling like a fruitless, unending task, it's a matter of 15 minutes to spruce up a room to livable standards. Completely different way to live.
I have finally gotten my declutter routine sorted. Decluttering my home for 10mins each week after watching your video has been a positive habit game changer to my life. Thank you Joshua!
I’ve just spent 2 weeks in a 376 sq fr RV on vacation and my decluttering muscle is itching ! 😅 I thrive in small spaces, everything is easier when there’s less options, less to clean, less to organise. I live in a 1054 sq ft flat with my 2 kids and it feels way too big for us… it’s an investment so selling wouldn’t make any sense but I want to live with a lot less stuff… thanks for the reminder, as always, you are spot on !
Just slowly keep at it. I’ve been at it 5 years but take long breaks when I don’t declutter much. You can feel the shift when you gets certain amount out.
An item a day. Start with a button, then another small item. Do this for a month. Put in one location and then watch your pile grow. The discard feels so good.
This is a society crowded with retail doors always open, permanent signs that say "Sale" beckoning - and dependant on - peddling whatever wares they can. No surprise most people have far more than needed.
I recently spoke with someone who has lived the last 8 years in Switzerland,still lives there, but visiting the US for his job. Is so surprised how people in US spend free time shopping - in Switzerland nobody likes to spend their free time shopping, they like to spend it outdoors! Paradigm shifter!
I did gain a lot from this. I started however with the thought, “Well I already know I have too much stuff!” But when you opened with the garage it struck a cord. We’ve moved 3 times in 5-6 years and I keep bringing all the garage stuff with me. We downsize then get rid of stuff then got a bigger home and filled it up again. This last move in April we downsized again. I’m tired of all the stuff!
Story I was told from almost the moment I was born was that more is better. More love, more generosity, more modesty, more humility. And the reality is all of this leaves me with more :-)
Thank you for this video! I'm in the process of letting go of so many things that don't add value to my life and also trying to not buy/add anything that I don't really need. Before I purchase anything, I check my closet or storage first if I already have a similar item that would serve the same purpose. For clothes, I've donated so many to charity and it was such a great feeling letting go of those items, especially the ones I've never used, still with the tags on them. I've forgiven myself for being an impulsive buyer when I was younger, and it really helps with deciding what to let go of.
You hit the nail on the head. I'm shame keeping stuff. I re-decorate a room and pack up the changed items moved out. To much to handle. I'm frustrated. I have started to down-size, too much too much stuff. Everything you have said is true. Thanks.
If you live with a 'messy' partner, I'm afraid it will cause a lot of tension if the other wants it clean, organized, minimalistic and no clutter at all 🤔 This is the part that is stopping me the most. If I ask if he is on board with minimizing he says yes but I know he doesn't really know what it entails. And will still throw his clothes in a pile over a chair, his mail spread on the couch, his shoes by the bed, buy plenty of 'just in case' stuff we don't need etc.
Be encouraged and just start decluttering your own personal items and try to minimize and declutter the common areas in your home he doesn’t really care about (ie kitchen, bathroom, maybe?) lead by example and see how it goes. And prayer helps! You got this!! 🤩
Today I let go of a set of drawers I kept in my walk in closet , I had decluttered it so much nothing was left in it , I also condensed my electronics , cords and all , into one little box , and I am a minimalist for over a decade ..and still find things
I know what you mean. Just when I think I'm done completely, I'll take a second look at a closet or box and suddenly find there's more to get rid of - like books I haven't read in ages.
I love your videos Joshua! I am very minimalist. I live in a small apt with very few possessions. I had to laugh at number 10 on this video. Yesterday I lost my earbuds. They are wireless, but hooked together by a wire and usually just hang around my neck. Let me tell you, I could not find them anywhere. All I could think was HOW does one lose something in my home. There is literally nowhere for it to go that you wouldn’t see it. I thought they must’ve fell into the trash can. Well…several hours later when I went to cook dinner I found them wound up in my apron 😂
Thank you Joshua. You have me thinking about my craft space - it seems to be the hardest thing for me to declutter and not buy more. I find it disheartening to give so much away that hasn't been used - yet i don't use. And there is no inspiration to create cuz there are too many choices. Oh well i will keep trying! 😊
I moved recently and was worried I had too much stuff but after listening to this I realized I'm ok! It's just taking some time to get organized and put everything in it's new place 👍 Thanks!
I look forward to your videos to kick off my weekend and help me prioritize what I want to do over the weekend. Thank you for the content you share without making me feel guilty. You motivate me to be a better friend, sister, daughter, etc.
Good content! Still working on getting the number of items down in our home. A little at a time is what works for us. What a difference five minutes a day makes.
I totally agree. I’ve been decluttering for a year and a half now and have more free time My husband just retired and I’m hoping he will also declutter his stuff. It’s so freeing.
More house, more cars, more clothes, more things just brings me more anxiety, more stress, more cleaning and more headaches. I’m so over the over consumption. I just want a peaceful life with the least a mount of worry possible. I live with an autoimmune condition, diabetes, arthritis, back pain, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and now an underactive thyroid. Things don’t really matter to me and I don’t need the extra worry with all these health problems.😢
Yes, to everything in this video. I'm tired of being stressed out about all the things we have & we need to desperately get back to decluttering. It just seems like a busy time of the yr & we can't seem to get back on track. Thank you for the video. 😊
Re-watching your videos and listening to this message is helping me to continue, layer by layer, to declutter my home. There is a way to go, and it’s taking me a lot longer than yours did, but I’m not stopping. As Dana White says, “progress not perfection”….
10 good points. Not sure how many I can relate to, but more than 50% for sure. Part of the problem is things need things. i.e. homes often need a lawn mower, hoses for watering, tools for fixing things and the list goes on, and on. In any case, good motivation to continue the purge of unused items.
Your videos are very helpful. We're still working on decluttering, but straightening up the house is so much easier now that we got rid of a lot of stuff.
I am a minimalist living on my own. I don't let any items rest on a surface. Everything is in clean lines and plain colour. Once a I brought a friend to my home, soon as I opened the door, she looked at me and asked, "Is anyone living in here?"
One of the best tests I’ve ever come up with to determine if I’m at the right amount of stuff for me, is this; I should be able to point to any drawer, closet, or box/container, and know exactly what’s inside. If I don’t, it’s time to pair down again. Try this with a friend, and you’ll be surprised at how many people can’t even name what they own.
Another uplifting and inspiring video 👏. It’s silly I know but because you are so inspiring I usually like to put on one of your playlist and let it play as I try to sleep(insomniac). You tube must be taking advantage of your awesome playlists because they are sticking very long 7 minute ads in. Unfortunately due to that I can only watch when I can try to skip them. I finally dozed off last night to have a screaming woman of 7 minutes wake me up lol. I miss when you didn’t have any ads but I understand why you did. You are still the most inspirational and best channel on you tube. Thank you for sharing 👍👍. Stay safe healthy and happy ✝️🇺🇸❤️
I appreciate the content itself and I love the closing remarks! :D I have been on a long journey to reducing my stuff. For years I took a mix of small and big steps toward my goal. It's been a wild ride that I learned more and more to enjoy. One of the most influential people in this sometimes rapid, mostly slow-paced journey is you! More power to you, Joshua! Thank you and thank you 3000!
1) You’re unable to park in your garage 2) Rooms are left untidy at the end of the day 3) You can’t figure out where all the money is going 4) It takes longer than you think it should to clean your house 5) Your children consistently presume you’re going to buy them stuff 6) You feel stressed in your own home 7) You’re constantly organizing and reorganizing 8) You don’t use a significant amount of stuff in your home 9) You’ve said to yourself I really need to declutter but you’ve never taken action 10) You often lose items and spend valuable time looking for them #8 is my fav
Thank you for the summary! This makes it easy to evaluate for each of us. Living in Europe (for context), and have followed the minimalist community for a year now. 1) we don't own a car, so no garage. But the basement is quite cluttered, though we can walk through it. 2) so true 😅 but mainly the toy room is cluttered 3 to 5 are going okay. 6) the clutter stresses me, but it is quickly cleaned up (now). 7) seasons change, and with two little children there is a lot to reconsider ever three months or so 8) yes. Working on getting rid or borrowing more things to friends (i.e. baby stuff) 9) finding the energy is hard, but working on it one drawer at a time. 5 minutes matter 10) yes and no. The truely valuable things in life are relationships, and those are rarely lost 😊 Thank you for the video!
Great video as always. Few years ago I started decluttering and I felt so free. I used to old onto the past thinking everything I own is a memory and that I need it to make me happy. At the end it was just a burden of clutter that was just taking space.
In England it is common for the garage to be used as a storage space because we are an island nation to begin with. Some houses don't even have garages! It is very common to leave your car outside all year round.
I used to feel overwhelmed and didn't know where to start. One day I started a plan. I chose the rooms where my visitors would see first, hence the front entrance and hallway first, followed by loungeroom, bathroom and kitchen. ( bedrooms, laundry, garage etc were lowest priority.) I put my timer on for 10 minutes each day and start at a corner and work from there. Once an area is done I make a committment to myself that area now will always be clutter free. I am about half way done and the sheer pleasure I get now looking at my clutter free areas in my house is pure joy. I look forward to my task everyday and find myself going over the designated time of 10 mins a day sometimes as the outcome is so rewarding.
You keep me on track Joshua. All the signs are there , I will keep going, Iam enjoying the experience, mae we will use the garage , once it is dealt with, so on we go! Thanks again for your guidance.
Thanks for the motivation. Need to get back to it. Five minutes a day to make something better has really changed our home. We still have a ways to go.
Very good points. Just an FYI on the first point (you may find this interesting) in the UK most empty garages do not fit a car. This might sound bonkers (and it kinda is) but that's because the standard size garage in the UK come from a time when cars were much smaller than they are today. So nowadays a car will only fit in the garage if it's a "double garage". I don't get it either! All my relatives own single garages but their cars don't fit, the garages are usually long enough but not wide enough 😮
Ha ha. That sounds like our garage. When I had a Kia Reo it fit just fine. Bought a Kia soul and you can pull in but you can’t open the doors to get out. 6:24
I live in Las Vegas. The sun here is intense and damages the paint on cars if habitually left outside. Also the interior of the car gets unbearably hot. Yet I see people leave an automobile they paid thousands of dollars for sit in the driveway while their garage is filled with worthless junk. Makes no sense to me.
Exactly. Im 40 years old and live in the center of beautiful Heidelberg Germany. I inhabit a flat with 2 students, to save money. I can walk to work (ICU nurse), but I have an old used bike for less then 200 bucks. I don't need to travel. Heidelberg is paradise. No car, no kids. I only work part time so I have enough money for my hobbies: Bouldering, Running, Gaming on Sony PlayStation and Nintendo Switch (when our house burns down, I can't lose those games, I own them in the cloud). Life is beautiful nowadays, why would I waste it at work. I only buy cloths when I really need them, mostly cheap. You can eat healthy for 5 bucks a day (coffee included). I consider whole grain pasta to be healthy, but you should have them split up in to maximum 2 meals a day, and with a good amount of healthy plant seed oils (I prefer olive). Other than that I eat nuts and vegetables. Only drink water, coffee, and tea without milk or sugar. If you're vegan have your vit.B12 and a good source of omega-3 fatty acids (like algae oil), maybe vit.D if you're a nightshift worker or not out in the sun much, and you're good. I'm 40 years old, athletic, everyone thinks I'm much younger. Take good care of your bodies folks and enjoy life 💟
Key Points: 🔑 - 🚗 Garage filled with stored items, not cars - too much stuff - 🛏️ Messy rooms not tidied daily - too much stuff to organize - 💸 Money spent on unknown items - buying too much stuff - 🧹 Longer cleaning times - too much stuff to maintain - 👦 Kids expect new toys often - overemphasizing possessions - 😥 Feel stressed at home - clutter is overwhelming - ♻️ Constant reorganizing doesn't help - too much stuff - 😴 Many unused items gather dust - not useful - 💭 Know you need to declutter but don't act - too much stuff - 🤔 Frequently lose items - clutter makes it hard to find things - 🛒 Consumerism often leaves us with less fulfillment and freedom - 📈 The more we buy, the less we tend to use - 🏠 Home should feel like a sanctuary, not a source of stress - 👪 Our actions teach our children what matters in life - 🎁 Start decluttering small and start now - future you will thank you! - 🧘♀️ Owning less brings more freedom, space and peace - 🎯 Goal isn't to own nothing, but make room for what enriches life
Just came back from going yard saling. It’s the 127 sale that runs over 600 miles. BUT, all I “bought” was getting 2 knives sharpened. That’s it. I couldn’t believe all the junk out there ! Ugh ! 😮
It's surprising how waiting works ....like I liked a kurta so much but waited.... gradually I found am more into jeans....I gave up on that kurta 😃🙏🏾🙏🏾
Over the last 2 years I have done two major declutters & multiple smaller ones (only of my own room, I share a house). With my most recent mini declutter I got rid of about 2 paper bags worth of stuff but most of it wasn’t “visual” clutter, it was items I had stashed away in drawers. I am happy to be at the point I rarely have to declutter visual clutter, though I still end up with piles lol, but I was surprised at how many items were hiding away.
#5 oh I can relate, sadly. I didn’t realize the impact it has had on my 20 year old daughter until we were settling her into her new living quarters for college this week. Now that I’m more minimal I am having a hard time teaching her I won’t be purchasing her stuff ‘just because’!
Joshua you’ve just described me. I keep saying I am going to declutter but I never seem to get around to it. I really need to declutter. Thank you for this video.
My grandfather just passed away 3 days ago and we are going through all his stuff. It’s so much and most haven’t been used for the last 4 years since my grandma died.
If I put my vehicles in the garage, where do I put the big items like, my riding mower, push mower, weed wacker & garden tools, snow blower, snow pusher, table saw, mitre saw, chest of tools, air compressor, bicycles, kayaks, camping gear, dog stroller, auto vac? All of which are needed & used. My last home was a large custom build with both extra width & depth added to the garage. The extra width allowed for shelf storage for all the small stuff, & the extra depth provided room for all the big stuff. I "downsized" to a small house and the garage is ridiculously small, short & narrow.
don’t be afraid to start small. It adds up. Plan as you purge, what you will do, how you will live, instead of how are you live right now. One room, one cabinet, one closet at a time. Heck, one corner of a closet at a time, if you have a big one. I love how my kitchen cabinets Have turned out, for example. Almost everything can be reached with one grab and pull, and put away the same way. With EASE. You can’t have that ease If you still have too many things. it meant adding a couple of off-white IKEA Billy bookshelves to our standard off-white laminate interior cabinets. It meant adding a few strategic command hooks on the sides and inside of the doors. But now it is perfection. We were literally measuring inches to make sure That what I wanted to keep was the best choice for the space we had available. All DIY. I didn’t just get rid of wire shelf things immediately, either. I hang onto them to see which ones, if any, could be useful for a free DIY update. Guess what? ALL of them were successfully re-purposed in a way that wasn’t annoying to me. so it is smart to set aside useful organizing containers until the very end. Whatever doesn’t make the cut can go after you have a home for everything. You can spend money later if you want it to be more beautiful but honestly… None of what I kept look bad to me anymore. One of my favorite hacks is to use simple plastic baskets that are the exact correct size to fit under bathroom vanities. I don’t want to run out to the linen closet to get a towel when I just got out of the shower in realized I really want a fresh one. I don’t want the guests to feel awkward asking for towels. Or toilet paper or paper towels that live in similar containers down there. And it’s easy Peezy to pull them out to inspect for leaks and termites and bugs etc., the way everyone should do every month or so anyway. Even easier if the plumber has to come out for some thing. Oh, and I’m totally Minimal on my toiletries which is why I don’t have all that junk under my vanities. My hairdryer and styling brush each hang on their own hook just inside my closet door. I’m fortunate in having a few drawers for toiletries, but if push came to shove I could honestly live out of a small make up bag for a long time. If I kept my travel toiletry bag hung up, completely unfolded, I wouldn’t need the drawers either. I’m very visual so my wardrobe hangs on rods with very few exceptions… A special sweater, underwear/lingerie. Socks. Shoes are in hanging shoe nooks (The kind that don’t bow at the bottom which I love, and that’s why I don’t put sweaters in that sort of thing because they always bow at the bottom). Envision it. Make it happen. Chip away at the clutter that is not the vision and get rid of it, Once it is determined not useful now or for any other project coming up. I pictured all of the convenience in my head, and decluttering was easier after that.
Thanks Joshua. I have been on this decluttering journey since start of Covid. I am tackling clothes & coats etc now, difficult but will have to be done. I take my time& have never regretted anything that I have got rid off 🙏
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Thank you, Joshua, for another meaningful video that helps me so much on my Minimalism journey. Thank you! A hug from Portugal. 🙏🏼🇵🇹
I love those tips: If you have to buy stuff, to store stuff; you have too much stuff. If you have a lot of things that are never used; . . . I had to down-size when I moved from a 3 bedroom house to a 3 bedroom apt many yrs ago & now to a one-bedroom apt. Now, I choose minimalism I chose to declutter It is a comfortable, comforting lifestyle. Partly because I can't afford more things or have space for them. But, if I could afford more, I would buy a better living room recliner to replace the worn patio recliner that I must use in my living room for my brother to have a place to watch TV.
Hi Joshua, I wish you lived in England! You could help me declutter my ‘stuff’ ! Your calming voice would help me let go of everything I’m holding on to xxx❤
Living in an old home, with lots of space, realized that when the grandparents passed, we got the stuff. Then parents passed, we got the stuff. Hubby and I started calling the stuff, ‘OPS’ , other people’s stuff. Only used 1 dining room set, not the 4 we were storing in the extra bedrooms. So had a family meeting and shared we weren’t going to keep the OPS, if they wanted it, come and get it. No takers, just calls of excuses, why they couldn’t. A tough decision was prayerfully made, sold the OPS, the money is collecting interest, not dust. Surprisingly not 1 family member has asked about what we did with all the OPS. But Restore, Goodwill, Salvation Army, Christian Charities and other organizations have enjoyed the OPS for their efforts.
@kathleensheeks8440 Thank you for this good example and sharing your experience!
1 sign to know that you minimized enough - when people walk into your house/apartment and they think you were robbed. This gets me every time!
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Or you just moved in yesterday
🤣🤣🤣🤣
I do enjoy your programs and I try, but is 88 too early to start 6:24
1. Mountains of never-ending laundry. Capsule wardrobes for everyone in our home was a game changer because there's a LIMIT to how many clothes can ever get dirty at once.
2. An always messy kitchen. I realized I owned WAY too many dishes and instead of re-using a cup, mug or plate. Another was pulled out. A minimized kitchen made a big difference.
3. Always losing things. When you own less - it's easier to know what you own and WHERE it's home is.
4. Spending HOURS each weekend "cleaning" but never actually cleaning the house. I was just "clutter shuffling" and constantly "reorganizing clutter" instead of getting rid of it.
5. Debt from all my impulsive spending. All the time I've spent decluttering has cured me of wanting more.
6. Mom guilt because I spent more time taking care of stuff than spending time with my kids.
7. Feeling constantly drained, low energy, and stressed but not realizing it was my cluttered home that was the big problem.
8. My house cleaner telling me it would be easier to clean my house if I got rid of all the clutter.
9. Being constantly worried about a friend or family member stopping by with no notice.
10. Spending years looking for a new and bigger house thinking that would solve all my problems. Not realizing that when I minimized, I'd find the space I was looking for and fall in love with my house again.
This is my list Joshua. Thanks for being a big inspiration ☺️❤️
I can relate.
@@nieladrew ❤️❤️❤️
That's why I only own, at the most, 5 plates 😂
@@valerierogers9609 you're doing great. I wish I'd figured it all out sooner 😊
Too many stuff is my problem. However, I have started decluttering by donating my already read books to a school library. Next, is my unused clothes.
The underlining mental state behind a cluttered or untidy living space is the real issue. Holding onto or nonstop acquiring stuff is to fill some void or trauma or depression or anxiety in the headspace.
We had an exterminator come out to spray for sugar ants (we’re in TN) and my children and I stayed outside while he sprayed inside, he came out and said “that was the easiest home I’ve ever done” I was happy we could make our home accommodating so he could do his job properly and it took us no time to get it ready for him since we downsized by 90 percent
This past weekend, I moved from a 1000 square foot apartment to a 648 square foot apartment. I didn’t own too much stuff last week-but I sure do own too much stuff now!
Agree with everything in this video. And thank you for NOT having background music (it's clutter).
Yes I agree.
I keep hoping back ground music fad will pass. Words are enough.
I've been binge watching this guy's video contents as I'm decluttering. I got too much stuff and can't stand it. Clutter stresses me out mentally.
Fell upon your channel by accident. I’ve lived as you suggest for 50 years (I’m 68). It’s all so easy to live like this. Life is wonderful. I really can’t understand why people don’t live as you suggest. First class advice….🇬🇧
1. Garage can’t be used for cars
2.Rooms left untidy at the end of the day
3.You can’t figure out why the money is gone
4. It takes longer to clean your house than it should
5. Children assume they deserve more new things
6. Your home is stressful for you
7. You are constantly organizing and reorganizing
8. You don’t use what you have
9. You say “I need to declutter” but you don’t
10. You lose items and can’t find them
🤍
Yesterday we cleaned out 2 sheds cause 1 is falling down. Half of the stuff went to recycling and trash, 1/4 will be donated and we'll only keep the remaining 1/4. It will easily fit into the good shed with room to spare. One more day of work to go.
Decluttering is so much better than organizing!
"Decluttering is so much better than organizing." 🎉🎉🎉
11. You open boxes that you are storing in the garage for example, and find things that you forgot you even bought or had.
I love this: If you have to buy stuff to store your stuff, you have too much stuff. I tell friends and family that plastic storage boxes aren’t their friends 😅
I have a china cabinet in my dining room that has three drawers. Not long ago I realized that it has been more than a year since I even opened those drawers. I decided it was time to clean them out. I kept a handful of things. The rest I either threw away or gave to Goodwill. It took me all of twelve minutes! What an eye opening experience.
"Look around. All that clutter used to be money" . I've found in life that saving is a lot more fun that spending. Having money in the bank to take care of yourself is a lot more important than have a bunch of junk piled up. I do believe clutter leads to depression.
i ve gotten tired of feeling overwhelmed by trying to clean and organize my space. so now im decluttering. i want to be a calm state of mind.
I can personally attest to the benefits of minimizing. I have a bit more to do but 98% of my home *and garage* is peaceful, calm, organized, and not to boast, but beautiful. I have more free time, more money - so I get to donate more, and my creativity is energized more without the distractions of Stuff and having to take care of it. There is so much more to life than STUFF. And I don't miss one single thing I have parted with.
❤
Amen!!
I miss some things that I parted with, but mostly ok with it. Mindful decluttering is a satisfying process, and so is Imagining, making mood boards (often photographing my own things that I wanted to keep), doing furniture layouts to best make use of what I own and to show it off to its best advantage. Strategic paint, strategic purchases to fill in the gaps, very satisfying. all of the downstairs common rooms and kitchen are welcoming to guests and the repainting is very satisfying so far, with more to come.
One of my favorite accomplishments is my garage, although it is currently recovering from the purchase of a sauna, & hubs going a little crazy with some new lawn equipment. And trying to cram too many things onto the wall-mounted shelves that I had (graciously and spaciously) spaced out with dedicated bins for things we needed. Trying so hard to make him understand that having a space to stuff something into doesn’t actually mean it’s a good idea to stuff something into the space. getting a giant yeti cooler absolutely did not help, it is outrageously heavy!!! My goal was to have nothing on the actual floor of the garage unless it absolutely had to be kept and absolutely could not be on the shelf or hanging up. SMH.
The last bastion of clutter has to do with necessary storage and activities, along with things that bring a lot of practical satisfaction and peace. They all need a home in two beautiful adjoining, (but average-sized) sunny spaces with garden views and French doors to the outside, so it deserves to look really nice. It’s quite a challenge, w/ wall space limitations, and large work tables.
Since decluttering I find it is easier to keep the house looking neat and not having to hurry cleaning when someone is heading over or dropping in unannounced!
After 3 years of decluttering and simplifying my life, I am happy to be 0 for 10 on signs of too much stuff. Life is SO much better now! Thanks Joshua ❤
When I moved a few years ago, my strategy was to get rid of as much stuff as possible. After 17 years of living in my childhood bedroom, I never loved it more than the last few days before moving out. I threw away an entire car full of items, donated at least that much, and I finally had a space that made me calm. Before that, I never even realized my room was making me stressed.
I got the opportunity to design my next bedroom from the ground up, and I was convinced I was in love with the minimalist aesthetic. But I never liked the aesthetic, I like looking around and knowing everything had a purpose or significant meaning. I didn't have cleverly hidden piles of stuff in every corner. So when I got my room together and I finally laid down, I realized it felt empty to me.
Aesthetically, I'm a maximalist. My walls are full of art I love and intentionally chose for myself. I have so many throw pillows on my bed, but they all adhere to a carefully curated style, and it's never to the point where making my bed feels insurmountable. I display most of my tops in an open wardrobe, so I have a finite amount of clothes that fit and donating clothes is something I do routinely. But it is life changing to be aware of everything I own and know where it all belongs.
Love the simplicity each message is delivered with, the content is so valuable, no fat, just meat
From a three bedroom home to a studio now. I donated so much and I feel so much better and I'm enjoying being a minimalist. Thank you Joshua.
I’m just moving into a studio and will need to get rid of over half of my furniture and other things. But I know it will be liberating.
The constant reorganizing, that’s when I realized I had way too much stuff lol, not to mention, wondering where money went. I started decluttering and quit buying and was able to have a lot more in our savings now and the house is a lot more tidy.❤❤❤
This one resonates with me. I never feel like I've made progress after decluttering. Need to stop buying and get serious with purging. Thanks for this list of 10 ❤
I hit the like button the moment I heard #1
Garages have become storage units in this country. You're 100% correct Mr. Becker . Our home should be our sanctuary.
I definitely found value in this video
I know it probably isn’t easy to come up with new content for your videos. I just want you to know that I think you do a great job. I regularly subscribe and unsubscribe from different channels, but yours is consistently among my favorite top 10, and I don’t ever see that changing. Thanks for your thoughtfulness and hard work. You are a treasure to so many of us.
Same here
Me three.
me four
Keep those pep talks coming! It actually feels like validation, playing your videos while decluttering. Eye on the prize!
I knew I had simplified enough when the main floor of my house could go from a disaster to tidy in 20 minutes! Cleaning is also so much easier now that I don't have stuff everywhere. I love your videos, they're always inspiring me to go the extra mile when I'm maintaining our home.
OMG this video makes me want to rid my life of 75-80% of what I have. I'm stuck in the paralysis of the money I spent on the stuff. I've heard you and other speak out the sunken cost fallacy and it's so true, but I'm still struggling so bad with that! I'm drowning in stuff even after being on my minimalist journey since April 2017. I have no attachment to all this stuff other than the fact that I spent money on it. I'm pulling my hair out! 😫
Keep what you love and need and give the things that you only 'temporarily liked' away so that someone else can love them. You will enjoy the feeling of generosity, simplicity and peace in your home and life. 🙂
Can you sell some of it to recoup some costs? Maybe a garage sale or FB Marketplace?
You should sell it online or donate the stuff least someone else gets use out of it rather than it being thrown away
The money has already been wasted... why add your mental health to the list? Forgive yourself and move on. Why stay surrounded by your mistakes? My 2 cents. 💕🇨🇦
Stop pulling your hair out .Just do it.Donate ,let it go .Come on you can do it😊
I searched for you this morning while cleaning out a double closet. I live in a barn apartment with radiant heat concrete floors, open concept, no defined bedroom, living room, or dining area.
I'm going back to basics. I feel empowered and I thank you.
I began the morning touching a few items that I was on the fence about, now they are going with more to follow. Last month I purchased several blue tee shirts and life was made simpler.
It's been an incredible relief to get to a point where some rooms in my house "stay" clean, seemingly without any effort on my part. A room that houses practical contents in an organized manner barely seems to need any tidying up, because the most natural place to leave the thing is also the place where it belongs. I have very little stuff, but in rooms where I don't have a well-organized system established, it still gets messy - partially due to my bad habits learned over years of living in an unmanageable hoard. The key difference for me is that instead of cleaning up feeling like a fruitless, unending task, it's a matter of 15 minutes to spruce up a room to livable standards. Completely different way to live.
I have finally gotten my declutter routine sorted. Decluttering my home for 10mins each week after watching your video has been a positive habit game changer to my life. Thank you Joshua!
Nice routine!
I’ve just spent 2 weeks in a 376 sq fr RV on vacation and my decluttering muscle is itching ! 😅 I thrive in small spaces, everything is easier when there’s less options, less to clean, less to organise. I live in a 1054 sq ft flat with my 2 kids and it feels way too big for us… it’s an investment so selling wouldn’t make any sense but I want to live with a lot less stuff… thanks for the reminder, as always, you are spot on !
Thank you for the reminder that everything is easier in small spaces! 🎡🎉🏡
I have decluttering but still feel overwhelmed. I need to start on round 2 of decluttering and get rid of more.
Just slowly keep at it. I’ve been at it 5 years but take long breaks when I don’t declutter much. You can feel the shift when you gets certain amount out.
It’s so nice when you barely need to do much around the house ☺️. The more I get rid of, the easier it gets and the less I have to think of any of it.
An item a day. Start with a button, then another small item. Do this for a month. Put in one location and then watch your pile grow. The discard feels so good.
Watched this and went to throw some things away. Do that about 1000 more times and I’m on my way to minimalism!
Well at least you've started,that's the main thing. Just continue what you started. Good luck
This is a society crowded with retail doors always open, permanent signs that say "Sale" beckoning - and dependant on - peddling whatever wares they can. No surprise most people have far more than needed.
I recently spoke with someone who has lived the last 8 years in Switzerland,still lives there, but visiting the US for his job. Is so surprised how people in US spend free time shopping - in Switzerland nobody likes to spend their free time shopping, they like to spend it outdoors! Paradigm shifter!
I did gain a lot from this. I started however with the thought, “Well I already know I have too much stuff!” But when you opened with the garage it struck a cord. We’ve moved 3 times in 5-6 years and I keep bringing all the garage stuff with me. We downsize then get rid of stuff then got a bigger home and filled it up again. This last move in April we downsized again. I’m tired of all the stuff!
Story I was told from almost the moment I was born was that more is better. More love, more generosity, more modesty, more humility. And the reality is all of this leaves me with more :-)
Thank you for this video! I'm in the process of letting go of so many things that don't add value to my life and also trying to not buy/add anything that I don't really need. Before I purchase anything, I check my closet or storage first if I already have a similar item that would serve the same purpose. For clothes, I've donated so many to charity and it was such a great feeling letting go of those items, especially the ones I've never used, still with the tags on them. I've forgiven myself for being an impulsive buyer when I was younger, and it really helps with deciding what to let go of.
You hit the nail on the head. I'm shame keeping stuff. I re-decorate a room and pack up the changed items moved out. To much to handle. I'm frustrated. I have started to down-size, too much too much stuff. Everything you have said is true. Thanks.
If you live with a 'messy' partner, I'm afraid it will cause a lot of tension if the other wants it clean, organized, minimalistic and no clutter at all 🤔 This is the part that is stopping me the most. If I ask if he is on board with minimizing he says yes but I know he doesn't really know what it entails. And will still throw his clothes in a pile over a chair, his mail spread on the couch, his shoes by the bed, buy plenty of 'just in case' stuff we don't need etc.
Be encouraged and just start decluttering your own personal items and try to minimize and declutter the common areas in your home he doesn’t really care about (ie kitchen, bathroom, maybe?) lead by example and see how it goes. And prayer helps! You got this!! 🤩
@@staceyjordan4242 aaaaw Stacey, thank you so much for your encouragement, I appreciate it! I started small today with a closet haha :) Bless you! 🧡
Today I let go of a set of drawers I kept in my walk in closet , I had decluttered it so much nothing was left in it , I also condensed my electronics , cords and all , into one little box , and I am a minimalist for over a decade ..and still find things
I know what you mean. Just when I think I'm done completely, I'll take a second look at a closet or box and suddenly find there's more to get rid of - like books I haven't read in ages.
I want to get mental energy I spend on stuff to zero lol
Great to read this! Its an ongoing process.
I love your videos Joshua! I am very minimalist. I live in a small apt with very few possessions. I had to laugh at number 10 on this video. Yesterday I lost my earbuds. They are wireless, but hooked together by a wire and usually just hang around my neck. Let me tell you, I could not find them anywhere. All I could think was HOW does one lose something in my home. There is literally nowhere for it to go that you wouldn’t see it. I thought they must’ve fell into the trash can. Well…several hours later when I went to cook dinner I found them wound up in my apron 😂
😂😂😂
Thank you Joshua. You have me thinking about my craft space - it seems to be the hardest thing for me to declutter and not buy more. I find it disheartening to give so much away that hasn't been used - yet i don't use. And there is no inspiration to create cuz there are too many choices. Oh well i will keep trying! 😊
I can sympathize.
I get that, I am a creative person so it's difficult letting go as it has a purpose or will at some point in another project
From cradle to grave we are advertised at, told that "stuff" will make us happy, no wonder so many people struggle!!
I moved recently and was worried I had too much stuff but after listening to this I realized I'm ok! It's just taking some time to get organized and put everything in it's new place 👍 Thanks!
Today, is usually my rest day however when I watch a video like this one, I begin decluttering, and resting, thanks so much.
I look forward to your videos to kick off my weekend and help me prioritize what I want to do over the weekend. Thank you for the content you share without making me feel guilty. You motivate me to be a better friend, sister, daughter, etc.
Oh, this is a beautiful comment. Thank you for the amazingly kind words.
Good content! Still working on getting the number of items down in our home. A little at a time is what works for us. What a difference five minutes a day makes.
I totally agree. I’ve been decluttering for a year and a half now and have more free time My husband just retired and I’m hoping he will also declutter his stuff. It’s so freeing.
You may have to do it for him.
More house, more cars, more clothes, more things just brings me more anxiety, more stress, more cleaning and more headaches. I’m so over the over consumption. I just want a peaceful life with the least a mount of worry possible. I live with an autoimmune condition, diabetes, arthritis, back pain, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and now an underactive thyroid. Things don’t really matter to me and I don’t need the extra worry with all these health problems.😢
Google "newstart". A health program out of Miami.
Yes, to everything in this video. I'm tired of being stressed out about all the things we have & we need to desperately get back to decluttering. It just seems like a busy time of the yr & we can't seem to get back on track. Thank you for the video. 😊
Starting a major de-cluttering this week and a friend just shared this. Couldn't be more timely. Thank you!😊
Re-watching your videos and listening to this message is helping me to continue, layer by layer, to declutter my home. There is a way to go, and it’s taking me a lot longer than yours did, but I’m not stopping. As Dana White says, “progress not perfection”….
10 good points. Not sure how many I can relate to, but more than 50% for sure. Part of the problem is things need things. i.e. homes often need a lawn mower, hoses for watering, tools for fixing things and the list goes on, and on. In any case, good motivation to continue the purge of unused items.
Your videos are very helpful. We're still working on decluttering, but straightening up the house is so much easier now that we got rid of a lot of stuff.
I am a minimalist living on my own. I don't let any items rest on a surface. Everything is in clean lines and plain colour. Once a I brought a friend to my home, soon as I opened the door, she looked at me and asked, "Is anyone living in here?"
I've been working hard over the past few weeks on my house. It's not completed but the changes are huge.
Constantly watching videos on decluttering, organizing and minimalization!!!!
One of the best tests I’ve ever come up with to determine if I’m at the right amount of stuff for me, is this; I should be able to point to any drawer, closet, or box/container, and know exactly what’s inside. If I don’t, it’s time to pair down again. Try this with a friend, and you’ll be surprised at how many people can’t even name what they own.
Another uplifting and inspiring video 👏. It’s silly I know but because you are so inspiring I usually like to put on one of your playlist and let it play as I try to sleep(insomniac). You tube must be taking advantage of your awesome playlists because they are sticking very long 7 minute ads in. Unfortunately due to that I can only watch when I can try to skip them. I finally dozed off last night to have a screaming woman of 7 minutes wake me up lol. I miss when you didn’t have any ads but I understand why you did. You are still the most inspirational and best channel on you tube. Thank you for sharing 👍👍. Stay safe healthy and happy ✝️🇺🇸❤️
I appreciate the content itself and I love the closing remarks! :D I have been on a long journey to reducing my stuff. For years I took a mix of small and big steps toward my goal. It's been a wild ride that I learned more and more to enjoy. One of the most influential people in this sometimes rapid, mostly slow-paced journey is you! More power to you, Joshua! Thank you and thank you 3000!
Too much stuff complicates life instead of making it easier. Maintaining a balance between enough and too much is constant.
1) You’re unable to park in your garage
2) Rooms are left untidy at the end of the day
3) You can’t figure out where all the money is going
4) It takes longer than you think it should to clean your house
5) Your children consistently presume you’re going to buy them stuff
6) You feel stressed in your own home
7) You’re constantly organizing and reorganizing
8) You don’t use a significant amount of stuff in your home
9) You’ve said to yourself I really need to declutter but you’ve never taken action
10) You often lose items and spend valuable time looking for them
#8 is my fav
Thank you for the summary! This makes it easy to evaluate for each of us.
Living in Europe (for context), and have followed the minimalist community for a year now.
1) we don't own a car, so no garage. But the basement is quite cluttered, though we can walk through it.
2) so true 😅 but mainly the toy room is cluttered
3 to 5 are going okay.
6) the clutter stresses me, but it is quickly cleaned up (now).
7) seasons change, and with two little children there is a lot to reconsider ever three months or so
8) yes. Working on getting rid or borrowing more things to friends (i.e. baby stuff)
9) finding the energy is hard, but working on it one drawer at a time. 5 minutes matter
10) yes and no. The truely valuable things in life are relationships, and those are rarely lost 😊
Thank you for the video!
Very good video - thank you for these 10 signs you may have too much stuff!
10) and you go out and buy items that you already have but cannot find!
Great video as always. Few years ago I started decluttering and I felt so free. I used to old onto the past thinking everything I own is a memory and that I need it to make me happy. At the end it was just a burden of clutter that was just taking space.
In England it is common for the garage to be used as a storage space because we are an island nation to begin with. Some houses don't even have garages! It is very common to leave your car outside all year round.
Got a trash bag full of things to dropp off at goodwill just while watching this. Thanks!
I used to feel overwhelmed and didn't know where to start. One day I started a plan. I chose the rooms where my visitors would see first, hence the front entrance and hallway first, followed by loungeroom, bathroom and kitchen. ( bedrooms, laundry, garage etc were lowest priority.) I put my timer on for 10 minutes each day and start at a corner and work from there. Once an area is done I make a committment to myself that area now will always be clutter free. I am about half way done and the sheer pleasure I get now looking at my clutter free areas in my house is pure joy. I look forward to my task everyday and find myself going over the designated time of 10 mins a day sometimes as the outcome is so rewarding.
When you know where everything goes, that comfort says I got this!
My new moto.. “Less is More”. ☺️ Less physical things and MoRe meaningful experience, More Time.
I’m in the process of decluttering & downsizing to a smaller place. I have way too much stuff.
You keep me on track Joshua. All the signs are there , I will keep going, Iam enjoying the experience, mae we will use the garage , once it is dealt with, so on we go! Thanks again for your guidance.
Have been following you for years now and LOVE that your messages are not only very true but always so clear and to the point! Thank you
Hi, the same in France, a lot of garages do not serve to park the cars but for storage ..
I really look forward to starting each of my Saturday mornings with a Joshua Becker video ❤
I'm a minimalist, but I still follow you and your books.Still so much more to learn...
Thanks for the motivation. Need to get back to it. Five minutes a day to make something better has really changed our home. We still have a ways to go.
Very good points. Just an FYI on the first point (you may find this interesting) in the UK most empty garages do not fit a car. This might sound bonkers (and it kinda is) but that's because the standard size garage in the UK come from a time when cars were much smaller than they are today. So nowadays a car will only fit in the garage if it's a "double garage". I don't get it either! All my relatives own single garages but their cars don't fit, the garages are usually long enough but not wide enough 😮
Ha ha. That sounds like our garage. When I had a Kia Reo it fit just fine. Bought a Kia soul and you can pull in but you can’t open the doors to get out. 6:24
I live in Las Vegas. The sun here is intense and damages the paint on cars if habitually left outside. Also the interior of the car gets unbearably hot. Yet I see people leave an automobile they paid thousands of dollars for sit in the driveway while their garage is filled with worthless junk. Makes no sense to me.
Exactly. Im 40 years old and live in the center of beautiful Heidelberg Germany. I inhabit a flat with 2 students, to save money. I can walk to work (ICU nurse), but I have an old used bike for less then 200 bucks. I don't need to travel. Heidelberg is paradise. No car, no kids. I only work part time so I have enough money for my hobbies: Bouldering, Running, Gaming on Sony PlayStation and Nintendo Switch (when our house burns down, I can't lose those games, I own them in the cloud). Life is beautiful nowadays, why would I waste it at work. I only buy cloths when I really need them, mostly cheap.
You can eat healthy for 5 bucks a day (coffee included). I consider whole grain pasta to be healthy, but you should have them split up in to maximum 2 meals a day, and with a good amount of healthy plant seed oils (I prefer olive). Other than that I eat nuts and vegetables. Only drink water, coffee, and tea without milk or sugar. If you're vegan have your vit.B12 and a good source of omega-3 fatty acids (like algae oil), maybe vit.D if you're a nightshift worker or not out in the sun much, and you're good. I'm 40 years old, athletic, everyone thinks I'm much younger. Take good care of your bodies folks and enjoy life 💟
Thank you once again! My life is so much better since decluttering after your advise. God Bless You!
Key Points: 🔑
- 🚗 Garage filled with stored items, not cars - too much stuff
- 🛏️ Messy rooms not tidied daily - too much stuff to organize
- 💸 Money spent on unknown items - buying too much stuff
- 🧹 Longer cleaning times - too much stuff to maintain
- 👦 Kids expect new toys often - overemphasizing possessions
- 😥 Feel stressed at home - clutter is overwhelming
- ♻️ Constant reorganizing doesn't help - too much stuff
- 😴 Many unused items gather dust - not useful
- 💭 Know you need to declutter but don't act - too much stuff
- 🤔 Frequently lose items - clutter makes it hard to find things
- 🛒 Consumerism often leaves us with less fulfillment and freedom
- 📈 The more we buy, the less we tend to use
- 🏠 Home should feel like a sanctuary, not a source of stress
- 👪 Our actions teach our children what matters in life
- 🎁 Start decluttering small and start now - future you will thank you!
- 🧘♀️ Owning less brings more freedom, space and peace
- 🎯 Goal isn't to own nothing, but make room for what enriches life
Keep dancing and spreading the gospel pastor Josh
Thanks. Amen.
I loved that video. Definitely one of my favorites. Great advice, it's a process, not a one time event. 😊
Just came back from going yard saling. It’s the 127 sale that runs over 600 miles. BUT, all I “bought” was getting 2 knives sharpened. That’s it.
I couldn’t believe all the junk out there ! Ugh ! 😮
It's surprising how waiting works ....like I liked a kurta so much but waited.... gradually I found am more into jeans....I gave up on that kurta 😃🙏🏾🙏🏾
I find that every six months works for me : )
Over the last 2 years I have done two major declutters & multiple smaller ones (only of my own room, I share a house). With my most recent mini declutter I got rid of about 2 paper bags worth of stuff but most of it wasn’t “visual” clutter, it was items I had stashed away in drawers. I am happy to be at the point I rarely have to declutter visual clutter, though I still end up with piles lol, but I was surprised at how many items were hiding away.
#5 oh I can relate, sadly. I didn’t realize the impact it has had on my 20 year old daughter until we were settling her into her new living quarters for college this week. Now that I’m more minimal I am having a hard time teaching her I won’t be purchasing her stuff ‘just because’!
Joshua you’ve just described me. I keep saying I am going to declutter but I never seem to get around to it.
I really need to declutter. Thank you for this video.
This is inspiring, thank you! I am definitely a prime example of this! I have to declutter and stop shopping!
My grandfather just passed away 3 days ago and we are going through all his stuff. It’s so much and most haven’t been used for the last 4 years since my grandma died.
If I put my vehicles in the garage, where do I put the big items like, my riding mower, push mower, weed wacker & garden tools, snow blower, snow pusher, table saw, mitre saw, chest of tools, air compressor, bicycles, kayaks, camping gear, dog stroller, auto vac? All of which are needed & used. My last home was a large custom build with both extra width & depth added to the garage. The extra width allowed for shelf storage for all the small stuff, & the extra depth provided room for all the big stuff. I "downsized" to a small house and the garage is ridiculously small, short & narrow.
don’t be afraid to start small. It adds up. Plan as you purge, what you will do, how you will live, instead of how are you live right now. One room, one cabinet, one closet at a time. Heck, one corner of a closet at a time, if you have a big one. I love how my kitchen cabinets Have turned out, for example. Almost everything can be reached with one grab and pull, and put away the same way. With EASE. You can’t have that ease If you still have too many things. it meant adding a couple of off-white IKEA Billy bookshelves to our standard off-white laminate interior cabinets. It meant adding a few strategic command hooks on the sides and inside of the doors. But now it is perfection. We were literally measuring inches to make sure That what I wanted to keep was the best choice for the space we had available. All DIY. I didn’t just get rid of wire shelf things immediately, either. I hang onto them to see which ones, if any, could be useful for a free DIY update. Guess what? ALL of them were successfully re-purposed in a way that wasn’t annoying to me. so it is smart to set aside useful organizing containers until the very end. Whatever doesn’t make the cut can go after you have a home for everything. You can spend money later if you want it to be more beautiful but honestly… None of what I kept look bad to me anymore. One of my favorite hacks is to use simple plastic baskets that are the exact correct size to fit under bathroom vanities. I don’t want to run out to the linen closet to get a towel when I just got out of the shower in realized I really want a fresh one. I don’t want the guests to feel awkward asking for towels. Or toilet paper or paper towels that live in similar containers down there. And it’s easy Peezy to pull them out to inspect for leaks and termites and bugs etc., the way everyone should do every month or so anyway. Even easier if the plumber has to come out for some thing. Oh, and I’m totally Minimal on my toiletries which is why I don’t have all that junk under my vanities. My hairdryer and styling brush each hang on their own hook just inside my closet door. I’m fortunate in having a few drawers for toiletries, but if push came to shove I could honestly live out of a small make up bag for a long time. If I kept my travel toiletry bag hung up, completely unfolded, I wouldn’t need the drawers either. I’m very visual so my wardrobe hangs on rods with very few exceptions… A special sweater, underwear/lingerie. Socks. Shoes are in hanging shoe nooks (The kind that don’t bow at the bottom which I love, and that’s why I don’t put sweaters in that sort of thing because they always bow at the bottom).
Envision it. Make it happen. Chip away at the clutter that is not the vision and get rid of it, Once it is determined not useful now or for any other project coming up.
I pictured all of the convenience in my head, and decluttering was easier after that.
I don't have any of these problems anymore. Even if I wait until bed time to clear up the toys, it takes 5 minutes and they all have a home.
Thanks Joshua. I have been on this decluttering journey since start of Covid. I am tackling clothes & coats etc now, difficult but will have to be done. I take my time& have never regretted anything that I have got rid off 🙏
Thank you, Joshua, for another meaningful video that helps me so much on my Minimalism journey. Thank you! A hug from Portugal. 🙏🏼🇵🇹
Love love love your videos Joshua! Thank you for ALL you do to help so many of us on this minimalist journey! Blessings to you and your family!
I love those tips:
If you have to buy stuff, to store stuff; you have too much stuff.
If you have a lot of things that are never used; . . .
I had to down-size when I moved from a 3 bedroom house to a 3 bedroom apt many yrs ago & now to a one-bedroom apt.
Now, I choose minimalism
I chose to declutter
It is a comfortable, comforting
lifestyle.
Partly because I can't afford more things or have space for them.
But, if I could afford more, I would buy a better living room recliner to replace the worn patio recliner that I must use in my living room for my brother to have a place to watch TV.
Hi Joshua, I wish you lived in England! You could help me declutter my ‘stuff’ ! Your calming voice would help me let go of everything I’m holding on to xxx❤
Everything you mentioned I already knew but, I needed to hear it spoken out loud. Thank you!!