I would love to be able to provide a list of rules to follow to help others become Happily Decluttered but it doesn’t work that way because every one of us is unique. What I can provide is some insight on how I became Happily Decluttered. Hopefully, this will help spark an idea for you to make an adjustment in your life that allows you to feel happier and lighter.
If I had to describe my lifestyle in one word, I would choose simplified. I have decluttered useless material objects, limited my commitments, and eliminated unnecessary choices so that each day can be filled with joy and everyday frustrations and annoyances can be avoided.
I live in the present. This doesn’t mean that I don’t periodically think about the past or plan for the future but I do my best to be in the here and now while enjoying each moment without getting lost in thought.
I have become more mindful of how I am feeling. When I find myself experiencing negative emotions like frustration, stress, or anger, I have learned to acknowledge those emotions and then lead myself back to happiness. With a little creative thinking, simple changes can be made to avoid some of these negative emotions altogether.
Lifestyle Choices I have Made That Have Lead Me To Be Happily Decluttered
My Self
- I don’t wear makeup or use any products besides soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and deodorant. This keeps my morning and evening routine quick.
- I keep a small wardrobe with a complementary color palette that makes it easy to coordinate outfits. No more stressing about what to wear.
- I practice yoga daily. Hello calm, goodbye stress.
Related: Ways To Declutter Your Mind
My Home
- Everything in my home has a place and things are put away promptly or during a reset time, normally at the end of the day. I feel at peace in my home.
- The items in my home reflect who I am now. As I change and develop new interests, I pass along the things I no longer need. I don’t hold on to items just in case. No more negative emotions being stirred up by stuff for me.
- I decorate with plants instead of knick-knacks. Plants bring happiness!
Related: 30 Reasons To Declutter
My Time
- Spending time with the people I love is more important than what I am doing. I keep open days so I can be available to those I care about. In the end, it’s the people that matter most.
- With few exceptions, I don’t sign my kids up for more than one thing at a time. I want them to experience a balance between structured time and free time.
- I don’t schedule things back to back. I don’t want to rush from event to event or have to leave early or show up late for things. I only commit to things if I have time to enjoy them and not feel rushed.
Related: Is Your Calendar Overflowing? It’s Time to Declutter Your Schedule
My Shopping Habits
- I shop using my need list and give gift ideas with things on my want list.
- I am more intentional about what I bring into my home and life. Thinking about the space something will take up and the time that will be required to maintain it, is enough for me to avoid bringing something new into my life.
- I don’t browse stores for fun. There are many more rewarding hobbies.
Related: Rethink Your Needs And Avoid Clutter
My Technology Use
- My devices include my phone, my iPad, and my TV. I don’t need any more devices.
- I don’t have cable and I only sign up for one steaming service over the winter months. Less time watching TV provides more time for hobbies. Plus, I avoid advertisements.
- I deleted all the apps off my phone and iPad that are time wasters. There are only two apps that I use regularly.
Are you happily decluttered or on your way to being so? What does your happily decluttered look like?
I did a major clean out last year, but I have since stalled. I need to get up and start again, but books..
Books are difficult for many people. I have a bookshelf with plenty of books for my kids. For myself, I check out books from the library or swap books with friends and family.
When I first started trying to clear away some of the clutter, I did manage to get rid of some of the books. I gave away an enormous box of kids books to a lady who did tutoring for kids learning to read and she was overjoyed. Still, all these others are more difficult to part with.
If you enjoy them and have space for them, keep them. There isn’t a perfect amount of books to own. As time goes on, you can always revisit this area to see if the time has come to let some more go.
Which is true. And yes, right now they are out of the way and no threat to anything other than ignorance as most are non fiction.
So much to keep in mind for decluttering. Thank you for those reminders! Time is a big one for me. It’s a weekly challenge to reset my schedule for self-care and to keep pockets between commitments. I find an appointment book very helpful.
Appointment books and calendars are very helpful. Thanks for reading and sharing!😁
Wow these are great tips, thanks for sharing. I’m still working through a room that has become a kind of storage room in our house, this post helps 👌😊
Good luck! I’m glad you found my post helpful.
This is a great list. I am well on my way to being happily decluttered. I have simplified a lot and greatly reduced the number of products I buy and use. Life is much less stressful.
I am totally with you on prioritizing people!
Thanks Michelle! I love reading about your decluttering journey on your blog.
I love this. Especially loved the way you declutter and simplify your time and that of your family’s. My brother is a school teacher and he says it’s quite stressful how many children have 3-4 extra curricular activities after school each day, that they’re commonly exhausted! I think your approach sounds great.
Thanks! It has worked well for us so far. I have heard other parents discuss juggling multiple extracurricular activities per kid, and it doesn’t sound fun at all.
I know I’ve said this before, but we have so much in common, Suzanne! This is such a great post! I would guess that your mindset is super-calm most of the time, right? 🌞
It wasn’t always the case, but yes, over the past several years, I have remained in a calm state of mind most of the time.
Great post. Love your ideas. makes for an easier life.
Everything does flow nicely. I enjoy it! Thanks for your kind comment.😁
I don’t wear makeup either!
Also, we don’t use cable. We have an antenna right now and download tv shows and movies, so no Netflix. I don’t like Knick-knacks either but it’s hard for my husband to let go of things…. as for mugs, he wants to keep them all 🤦♀️ What is up with mugs and baseball hats? He said he was going to throw a hat away only for me to find that he didn’t throw it away 🤦♀️
I made a promise to myself that I wasn’t going to buy any more books and have kept that promise. I can usually find the audiobook version on YouTube for FREE. I used to download YouTube videos but can’t be bothered these days. Perhaps I should look into doing that again! Having a simple iPod that played only music is the one thing I truly miss the most 🙇♀️
Not wearing makeup is a huge time and space saver!
Mugs and hats are big collection items for a lot of people. My husband only has four hats but whenever he needs a new one, he always tries to rationalize keeping the old worn-out one.
Again, great article. Many thanks. I’d love to be more decluttered… or less cluttered! Not easy with kids but guess gotta take responsibility for buying them stuff!
It is amazing how quickly kid stuff accumulates! Earlier this year, I wrote a post on decluttering with young kids- https://happilydecluttered.com/2021/02/03/tips-for-decluttering-with-young-kids/
True . The simpler our lives, the closer to joy and peace.
Well said. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!