Simplify.7GuidingPrinciplestoHelpAnyoneDeclutterTheirHomeand

Life

Copyright2010byJoshuaBecker

Allrightsreserved.

SmashwordsEdition

DEDICATEDtomywife,Kim:thanksforjourneyingwithme.tomykids,SalemandAlexa:thanksforcheeringforme.

SPECIALTHANKStoMarthaandJana:yourinsightsmadethispossible.

TABLEOFCONTENTS

OurTypicalStory

Principle#1–BeConvinced

Principle#2–MakeItWorkForYou

Principle#3–JumpRightIn

Principle#4–StoptheTrend

Principle#5–Persevere

Principle#6–SharetheJoy

Principle#7–SimplifyEverywhere

Simplicity’sInvitation

OURTYPICALSTORY“Anyhalf-awakematerialistwellknows– thatwhichyouholdholdsyou.”—TomRobbins

Two years ago, Memorial Day weekend turned out to be a beautiful springweekendinVermont.IwokeupearlythatSaturdaywithonegoalinmind:cleanthegarage.Iknewitwasgoingtobeanall-dayprojectandsetmyalarmearlytoget a good start. My wife and I had decided to spend our three-day holidayweekendcleaning thehousefromtop tobottom.Afterall, that’swhat familiesdo.

And we are, by definition, just your standard, run-of- the-mill, middle-classfamilyoffourlivinginthesuburbs.MywifeandIareinourearly-thirties.Myson is 7,mydaughter, 3.Weare everything typical (minus thedog andwhitepicketfence).

ItallstartedharmlesslyenoughthatSaturdaymorningasmysonandIbegantoclean thegarage.Theneighbors alsohappened tobeoutsideplantinggardens,wateringflowers,andtendingtotheoutsideoftheirtwo-levelhome.

Nearly four hours later, we were still working on the same garage and ourneighbors were still working on their home. My neighbor, noticing myfrustrationwiththeproject,turnedtomeandsaidsarcastically,“Ahh,thejoysofhomeownership.”

Irespondedbysaying,“Well,youknowwhattheysay,‘Themorestuffyouown,themoreyourstuffownsyou’.”Hernextsentencestruckachordwithmymind,heart,andsoul,andchangedthecourseofmylifeforever.

Sheresponded,“That’swhymydaughterisaminimalist.ShekeepstellingmethatIdon’tneedallthisstuff!”

Callmeuneducated,naive,whateveryouwant–butIhadneverheardthetermminimalistbefore.Yet,somehow,itwastheonewordthatdefinedadesirethathad been building in my heart. I went inside to tell my wife about my shortconversation.Herresponsewasthesameasmine,“Ithinkthat’swhatIwant.”

I immediately went to the computer (garage still unfinished) and beganresearchingtheideaofminimalism.Ifoundavarietyofwebsitesthatdescribedasimplelifestylefocusedonowningjusttheessentialsoflifeandremovingtheclutter.ThemoreIread,themoreIwantedit.Andaminimalistwasborn.

WhyMinimalismwasanEasyChoiceNow, two years later, I can look back and see whyminimalism was an easychoice.Whyitresonatedwithmysoulfromtheverybeginning:

•Iwastiredofspendingvacationdayscleaning.

•TherearethingsinlifethatIvaluemorethanpossessions–God,family,relationships,character,etc.

• I enjoy clean, tidy, uncluttered rooms... but don’t like to clean -minimalismscratchesthatitch.

•Ienjoyminimalistdesigninmostthings–fromclothes&watchestoart&interiordesign.

•Welovetoentertain–minimalismkeepsthehouseinorder.

• Idon’t fearchange–becomingminimalistwasdefinitelya life-changeforus.

•Wearedonehavingchildren–althoughmykidsarestillveryyoung,wehavenoneedto“hangontosomethingjustincase.”Whentheyoutgrowclothes,toys,orsupplies,wejustgivethemaway.

• I’m frugal.Not cheap, frugal – there is a difference (or at least, that’swhatItellmywife).

•I loveinspiringotherstoliveaworthwhilelifestyle.Ourstoryhasnowinspired millions of people around the world through our blog(www.becomingminimalist.com).

Youprobablyidentifywithoneortwoofthereasonsabove(justnotthecheapone, right?). If so, you can probably agree that minimalism may be an easychoiceforyou.Ifyoudonotdirectlyidentifywithanyofourreasonsandhavesomedoubts,justkeepreading.Asimple,minimallifestylehasbenefitsforall.

Sincebecomingminimalist,wehavesavedmoney,reducedclutterandremoveddistractions.Ourhomeiscleaner.Andthree-dayweekendsarespenttogetherasafamily,notcleaningthegarage.

Over thepast twoyears,wehave learnedmany lessons aboutminimizingourpossessions and simplifying our life. This book is a compilation of those lifelessons.Welivetypicallives...justlikeyou.Andifthisfamilyoffourlivinginthesuburbscansimplifytheirhomeandlife,socanyou!

Thisbookisacollectionof7GuidingPrinciplesthatwehavelearnedoverthepast two years. These principles are transferrable to anyone’s life, and I amconfidentthattakentoheart,theywillhelpyoudeclutteryourhomeandlife.

PRINCIPLE#1:BECONVINCED“You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?” – found in my son’sfortunecookie

Therearemanyreasonswhyyoumaybereadingthisbook:youdesireasimplelifestyle, you are interested in pursuing a simple lifestyle, or your partner isinterested in you pursuing a simple lifestyle. No matter your state of mindentering this book,Guiding Principle #1 of simplicity is always the same:BeConvinced.

OurActionsFollowOurHeartOur actions will always follow the true desire of our heart. What our heartbelievesandlovesalwaysdeterminesthepathofourlife.Wecanmaskourtruewantsforonlyashortwhile.Withouta trueheartchange,wealwaysreturn toourheart’sfirstlove.

Thistruthappliestoallareasoflife:ourenergy,ourtime,ourrelationships,ourspirituality,ourmoney,andourpossessions.

Beforeanyofuscansimplifyourhomesandlives,wemustbeconvincedthatthelifestyleisworthoureffort.Toaccomplishthattask,Ihavelisted10benefitsoflivingaminimallifestyle:

Benefit#1—SPENDLESS.

One benefit of living simply is the simple reality that it costs less. As youaccumulatefewerthings,youspendlessmoney.Manypeoplebelievethesecrettofinancialfreedomisearningmoremoney.Unfortunately,whentheybegintomakemoremoneywithout spending restraints in place, they just spendmoremoney.Thereverseisprobablymoretrue:therealsecrettofinancialfreedomisspendingless.Ifyoulivealifethataccumulateslessstuff,youwillspendless.

Benefit#2—LESSSTRESS.

LeoBabauta,ofZenHabits,remindsusthataminimalisthomeislessstressful.Clutterisaformofvisualdistraction,andeverythinginourvisionpullsatourattention at least a little.The less clutter, the less visual stresswehave inour

environments.Asimple,minimalisthomeiscalming.Ihavefoundthistobetrueandyouwilltoowithasimpleexperiment.Gocomparetwocountertops–onethatisclear(minimal)andonethatiscluttered.Lookateachofthemseparately.What isyour internalemotional response?Doesn’t theclearonebringaboutacalming effect while the cluttered counter arouses emotions of distraction oranxiety?It’strue:asimple,minimalisthomeislessstressful.

Benefit#3—EASIERTOCLEAN.

Whenwebegantodeclutterthedecorationsinourlivingroom,Iwassurprisedat theamountofdust thatIfoundontheshelves(particularlythetopshelves).Clearly, thevastnumberofknick-knacksontheshelvingmadethepropositionofdustingadaunting task.Whenwe finisheddeclutteringourkids’ toy room,we suddenly noticed that it tookmuch less time to put their toys away in theevening.Whenwebegandeclutteringourwardrobe,wefounditmucheasiertokeepourclosetstidy.Thefewerthingsinourhome,theeasieritistoclean.

Benefit#4—FREEDOM.

Thisbenefittookmebysurprise.IhadjustcompletedminimizingmyofficeatworkandasIputthelastfewitemsintheirnewfoundhome,Ikeptcommentingoutloud,“Thisfeelssogood.Todayhasbeenagreatday.”Afeelingoffreedomwas coming over me as I kept looking around at my new, simple office. Nolonger would my work environment feature three bookcases of books that I“should have read.” No longer wouldmy desktop be clutteredwith stacks ofpaperthat“shouldbefiledproperly.”NolongeramIstrangledbyclutterasIsitinmyofficetryingtowork.Thesenseoffreedomthatcomesfromminimalismistrulyrefreshing,becauseitismorethanafeeling;itisarealitythatcandefineyourlife.

Benefit#5—GOODFORTHEENVIRONMENT.

Assumeforamomentthatyouhaveoneofthosemothersthatdoesalltheworkaroundthehouseforyou.Everymorningwhenyouwakeupshemakesyourbedand the kitchen is spotless nomatterwhat the family ate for dinner the nightbefore.Ifthatwasthecase,howwouldyoushowthemostrespectandhonortoyour mother? Would you best bring her honor by pulling out every toy andmaking as large amess as possible for her to clean?Orwould you bring herhonorbykeepingthingsclean,byputtingyourowntoysaway,andkeepingtheroomasclose toperfectionaspossible?Thesecondoneofcourse.Youwould

bringhonortoherbysustainingtheperfectionthatshedesiresforyouasmuchas possible. That’s how I look at the environment. If it started in a state ofperfection,wewouldmosthonoritbytakingasmuchcareoftheenvironmentaswecan.Thelessweconsume,thelessdamagewedototheenvironment.Andthatbenefitseveryone.

Benefit#6—BEMOREPRODUCTIVE.

Ourpossessionsconsumeour time.Whetherwearecleaning them,organizingthem,buyingthem,orsellingthem,themorethingsweown,themoretimetheyrob from our lives. Take shopping for example: the averageAmerican spendsnearly 12 hours every month shopping. Now, while it is impossible tocompletelyremoveshoppingfromourschedules,onebenefitoflivingsimplyistheopportunitytoliveamoreproductivelifebytheplainfactthatwespendlesstimeshopping.Addin thetimewespendcleaning,sorting,andorganizingourstuffoncewegetitinourhomesandwe’rebeginningtotalkaboutasignificantchunk of time.Weonly get one chance to live this life;wewould bewise tomakeitasproductiveaspossible.

Benefit#7—EXAMPLEFORMYKIDS.

AsImentioned,mysonis7andmydaughteris3.Rightnow,theyaresoakingup values from my wife and me about how to live and how to achievesignificance. Becomingminimalist hasmodeled formy children that personalbelongingsarenotthekeytohappiness,thatsecurityisfoundintheircharacter,and that the pursuit of happiness runs a different road than the pursuit ofpossessions.Thesearevaluablelifelessonstheywillneverlearnatschoolorinthemedia.

Benefit#8—FINANCIALLYSUPPORTOTHERCAUSES.

Closelyrelatedtothebenefitoffinancialfreedom,livingasimplelifeprovidesthe opportunity to financially support other causes. Minimalism provides anopportunitytonotjustsavemoneyforthesakeofkeepingitformyself,buttouseittofurthercausesthatIbelievein.Imetamanrecentlywhohasjustputhishouseonthemarkettosellsothathecandonatesomemoneytoacharitythathebelieves in strongly. Letme adjust that... he has put one of his homes on themarket.Hehasrecentlydecidedthattherearemoreimportantthingsinlifethanowninghousesineveryimaginableclimate.Now,Imaynotbetemptedtosellmyhouse(Ionlyhaveone),butIamseeingthevalueofnotpurchasinganother

coatthiswinter,anotherpieceofartformywall,oranother“newandimproved”cleaningsolutionsothatmyfinancescanbegiventobiggercauses.

Benefit#9—OWNHIGHERQUALITYTHINGS.

I will admit this benefit of minimalism came unexpected to me. For somereason, I didn’t combine owning fewer things and owning nicer things inmymind.Butthetruthis, theygohand-in-handandaredirectlyrelated.Whenwemade a commitment to buy fewer things, we opened up our lives to theopportunityofowningnicerthings.Takeyourwardrobeforexample:ifyouarelikemost,youhave25mediocreshirtshanginginyourcloset–eventhoughyoureally only wear 10 of them and truly love even less. Amuchmore sensibleapproach is tohave10 shirts that you truly lovehanging inyour closet ratherthan25thatyoujust“kindalike.”Basedonthebudgetaryreality thatweonlyhave a certain amount ofmoney thatwe can spendon clothes, you can eitherpurchase 20 shirts at $20 each or 10 at $40 each. In this way, a minimalistlifestyle allows you to purchase higher quality items. Remember,more is notbetter...betterisbetter.

Benefit#10—LESSWORKFORSOMEONEELSE.

Thispastyear,mymothersortedthebelongingsofadeceasedparent.Thispastmonth,myclose friendoversawanestate saleofa familyas they transitionedintoassistedliving.Thispastweek,Ihelpedafamilymoveoutoftheirresidenceof 45 years. Hours and hours were spent going through boxes and boxes ofbelongings,roombyroom.Somethingswerekept,somethingsweresold,muchwasthrownaway.Ineachcase,someoneotherthantheownerofthepossessionswasdoingall thework.Consider thefact thatatsomepoint inyour life(or inyour death) every single item of your belongings will be sorted by anotherhumanbeing.Youcancreateforyourselfa lessstressful life todayby livingaminimalist lifeandlessentheburdenonsomeoneclosetoyouaswell.Forthesakeofyourclosestfriendsandfamily,choosetoliveasimple,minimalistlife.

I have offered ten rational reasonswhy choosingminimalism as a lifestyle issuperior to the alternative lifestyle of purchasing, collecting, saving, andhoarding. On our blog, we have compiled a list of over 27 benefits ofminimalism. If you need more persuading, that may be a helpful place tocontinueyourpursuit.

Ontheotherhand, ifyouarereadytoexperienceforyourself thebenefits thatcomewithsimplifyingyourpossessions,proceedtoGuidingPrinciple#2:MakeMinimalismWorkForYou.

PRINCIPLE#2:MAKEITWORKFORYOUMinimalism is the intentional promotion of the thingswemost value and theremovalofanythingthatdistractsusfromit.

RationalMinimalismMany people that I speak with get nervous when they hear the term“minimalist.”For them, it conjuresup imagesofdestitution,barrenwalls, andemptycupboards.Rightly so, theydecide that isnoway toenjoy life.Believeme,Iagree–thatisnowaytoenjoylife.

MaybethatiswhyIhavebeencalleda“rationalminimalist.”Ihavebecomeoneof the leading proponents for “rational minimalism” and wear the label withpride. If youwalked intoour home today, youwouldnot immediatelydeducethata“minimalist”liveshere.Whenyoulookinourlivingroom,youwouldseeatelevision,couches,booksandchildrens’toys(probablysomeonthefloor).Inourcoatclosetyouwouldfindavarietyofcoats,boots,mittens,andgloves.Inour toy room downstairs, you would find a video game system and probablymore toys on the floor (unless we cleaned them up before you arrived, ofcourse).Sincedecidingtobecomeminimalisttwoyearsago,wehavebeenonajourneytodefinewhatthatmeansforus.

We live in suburbia. We have two small children. We are active in ourcommunity.We love to entertain and show hospitality.While not exceptional,ourlifeisnotidenticaltoanybodyelse.Itisourlife–nobodyelse’s.Andifwewere going to becomeminimalist, it would have to be a style ofminimalismspecifictous.Itwouldrequireustoaskquestions,togive-and-take,toidentifywhatwemostvalueandbehumbleenoughtochangecoursewhennecessary.

Eventually,wedefinedminimalisminfiveaspects:

1. WE WILL INTENTIONALLY PROMOTE THE THINGS WE MOSTVALUE.The heart ofminimalism can be summed up in this phrase: It is theintentionalpromotionofthethingswemostvalueandtheremovalofanythingthatdistractsusfromit.Thispromotioncanbeseeninhowwespendourtime,theartworkthatwedisplay,andeventheclothesthatwewear.

2.WEWILLREMOVEALL“CLUTTER”FROMOURLIVES.Thisprocessbeganwithphysical items aswemoved from room to room selling, donating,and recycling everything thatwe no longer used.Aswe did,we realized thatsimplicityandorderbringsfreedom,joy,andbalance.Ourhomebegantogivelifeandenergyratherthandrainit.Aswebeganclearingphysicalclutterfromourlives,wenoticedopportunitytoremoveothernon-physicalclutterfromourlives: emotional clutter, relational clutter, and spiritual clutter. Since then, wehaveworkedhardtomaintainaclutter-freelife.

3. WE WILL DECORATE IN A MINIMALIST STYLE. Since becomingminimalist, we have removed numerous pieces of furniture and countlessdecorations fromourwalls and shelves.What remains is not just clean, sleek,andmodern,butalsomeaningful.Thedecorationsandpaintingsthatremainarethepiecesmostdeartooursoulsandlives.Asaresult,ourhousedrawspraisefrommanywhoenterandenjoyitssimplebeauty.

4.WEWILLUSEOURMONEYFORTHINGSMOREVALUABLETHANPHYSICAL POSSESSIONS.MadisonAvenue has controlled our finances fortoo long.Since thedaywewereborn, ithas tolduswhatneeds tobebought,when itneeds tobepurchased,andwhat storeweshouldvisit to find thebestvalue.Whenwechosefreedomfrommaterialpossessions,webrokethecontrolthatourconsumer-driven,capitalisticsocietyhashadoverus.Suddenly,wehavebeenfreedtouseourfinancestopursueendeavorsfargreaterthanthoseofferedatourlocaldepartmentstore.

5.WEWILLLIVEACOUNTER-CULTURALLIFETHATISATTRACTIVETOOTHERS.Wehavemetmanyminimalistsoverthepasttwoyearsthatlivealifethatisfarfromattractivetous.Theyhavesoldalltheirpossessionstolivecommunallyonafarm...no,thanks.Theyhavelistedalltheirpossessionsonasheetofpaperanddeterminedtoeliminateallbut100...no,thanks.Instead,wehave determined to live out a rational minimalism that fits our lifestyle andinvitesotherstosimplifytheirlivesaswell.

The benefits of our decision are unmistakable: more freedom, more impact,moretime,andlessstress.Sinceourdecision,wehaveencouragedhundredsofthousandsofhouseholdsaroundtheworldtosimplifytheirlife,removeclutter,andbecomeminimalist.Afterall,ifthistypicalfamilyoffourinthesuburbscanbecomeminimalist,socanyou!

Yourparticular practice ofminimalism is going to lookdifferent fromanyoneelse.Itmust!Afterall,youliveadifferentlifethananyoneelse.Youmayhavealargefamily,smallfamily,ornofamily.Youmayliveonafarm,inahouse,orinastudioapartment.Youmaycollectantiques, stamps,orbottlecaps.Youmaylove music, movies, or books. You may cherish old photographs, familyheirlooms,orromanticlettersfromalover.

Findastyleofminimalismthatworksforyou.Onethatisnotcumbersome,butfreeingbasedonyourvalues,desires,passions,andrationalthinking.Beawarethatyourdefinitionwillnotcomeovernight. Itwill take time. Itwillevolve–evenchangedrasticallyasyour lifechanges.Itwill requiregiveandtake.Youwillmakeafewmistakesalongtheway.Andthus,itwillalsorequirehumility.

You will not have it all figured out when you begin simplifying your home.That’s okay. Realize that you can’t figure it out until you actually begin theprocessofsimplification.ThatiswhyGuidingPrinciple#3isJumpRightIn!

PRINCIPLE#3:JUMPRIGHTINHavenothinginyourhousesthatyoudonotknowtobeusefulorbelievetobebeautiful.—WilliamMorris

Recently,Burlington,Vermont(whereIlivedforsixyears)heldits20thannualmarathon.I lookuptomarathonrunnersbecauseIadmiretheirself-discipline.Yet,whenItalktorunnersabouttheiraccomplishmentandthedauntingtaskthatitmust have been to run 26.2miles, they usually tellme the same thing: youdon’t run 26 miles your first time out. You start with a small, manageabledistanceandbuildyourwayup.

Formany,theideaofdeclutteringtheirhomeseemsdaunting...orevenworse.Itmaybehelpful toconsider theprocessmore like training foramarathon.Youdon’t declutter your whole house the first day out... you start with a small,manageablejobandbuildyourwayup.

VictoryLeadstoVictoryI have a good friend who is trying to get out of debt. He was given someinterestingadvicebyhisdebtcounselor.Hiscounselordidn’ttellhimtopayoffthe highest percentage loans right away, instead he was told to pay off thesmallestdebtsfirst.Atfirst,Ithoughtthatwasabitodduntilmyfriendtoldmethe rationale: payingoff the smallest debts first results in a victory – one lessmonthlypayment.Even though itwasn’t thebiggestburden, it is stillone lessburden–onevictory.Andvictorybreedsmorevictory.

With this picture inmind, you can begin yourmarathon. Jump right in. Startsmall.Gainsomequickvictories.Andletvictorybreedvictory!

MinimalismEncouragesMinimalismYou’ll find that those small quick victories will motivate you to gain morevictoriesandtacklelargerjobs.Whenasurfaceisleftclean,onepieceofclutterseemsoutofplaceandcallsyoutoputitaway.Afterweminimizedmyofficeand removed all the clutter, I couldn’t stand the idea of leaving one piece ofpaperonmydeskovernight– it seemedoutofplace.Afterweminimizedourbedroom,Icouldnolongerleaveashirtlyingonthefloor.

Wespecificallychosenot tostartwith thebiggestburdens (basement,kitchen,toy room). We decided to start simple and gain some quick victories. Eventhough the victorieswere small, every time I opened the bathroom cabinet orlooked at the fridge, Iwas reminded that thiswas not something thatwe justreallywantedtodo...itwassomethingthatwecoulddo.

OneSuggestedOrderThisistheexactorderofroomsthatweredeclutteredinourhome:

VehiclesLivingRoom/DiningRoomGuestRoomBathroomsMasterBedroomChildren’sBedroomsWardrobeHomeOfficeToyRoomKitchenStorageRoomGarage

Yourexactordermaylookdifferent,butIofferourprogressionasabeginningguide.Wechoseroomswiththeleastamountofclutterfirstandworkedourwayuptoeventuallydeclutterandsimplifyeveryroominourhome.

SimplifyingAnyRoomNo matter which drawer, closet, or room you choose to simplify, the sameprocess can be applied to each.As reasonably as possible, remove every itemfromthespace.

Physically touching each item provides your mind adequate room to focus.Then,sorteachitemintooneofthreecategories:keep,move,ordiscard.

Itemstobekeptshouldbereturnedtotheirhomeinanorganizedmannerwithless-useditemsinthebackandfrequentlyuseditemsinthefront.

Items to be moved should be moved to their new home immediately.Sometimes,theseitemswilljustbereturned(ahammergoesbacktoyourtoolboxorabookgoesbacktoyourlibrary).Othertimes,theywillfinda

brandnewhome.Thisnewhomemaybeanewdrawer,anewroom,oranewlevel,i.e.,theattic.

Items to be discarded should be sorted as you see fit to be removedcompletelyfromyourhome:sold,donated,recycled,orthrownaway.

These simple steps hold true for any space you choose to simplify. Splittingwholeroomsintosmallerpartsmakeseveryprojectmanageable.

RecognizingClutterWebster(youknow,theonewhowrotethedictionary)definesclutteras“tofillor coverwith scattered or disordered things that impedemovement or reduceeffectiveness.”Isitjustmeordoesthatdefinitionfeelcluttered?

Hereisamuchmorepracticaldefinitionofclutter:

Clutter is anything that is disorganized. The motto in our house is,“Everythinghasahome.”Cluttercollectswhenthingshavestrayedfromtheir home and got mixed up with everything else. Anything that isdisorganizedoruntidyisclutter.

Clutter isanythingyoudon’tneedor love.Oneof the joysofbecomingminimalististhatweareconstantlypushedtodefinewhatwetrulyvalueinlife.Throughtheprocesswehavelearnedthatahomefilledwithonlythethingsweuseandloveisahomethatwetrulylovetouse.

Clutteristoomuchstuffintoosmallaspace.Thistakesmanyforms:toomany clothes in one drawer, toomany items in a bathroom cabinet, toomany knick-knacks on one shelf, or too much furniture in one room.Remember, you can be creative with your storage solutions for only solong.

Levelingvs.MinimizingIlearnedavaluablelessonearlyinourjourneythatneedstobepassedon.Iwashaving a great conversationwith some friends about our new desire to live aminimalistlife.Istartedtellingthestoryofourprogressfromtheweekendandhappenedtomentionthatwehadmovedsomethingsdownstairstogetthemoutoftheway.MyfriendLiz,oneoftheladiesatthetable,wiselyresponded,“Thatsoundsmorelikelevelingthanminimizing.”

Itriedtodefendmyselflistingthethingsthatwehadthrownaway,butitdidn’ttakelongformetorealizethatshewasright.Lookingback,forthemostpart,we had begun “leveling” not “minimizing.” Sure, there is some place for“leveling” in thedeclutteringprocessasyoumove lessused itemsoutofyourway,butrememberthat“leveling”doesn’taddresstheunderlyingissue–thatwejustowntoomuchstuff.Choosetominimize,notjustlevel.

QuickTipsforEveryRoomInYourHomeWhat and howmuch you decide to purge from each room in your house is adecisionentirelyuptoyou.Ageneralruleofthumbtoguideyouis,“Ifitisn’tessential, remove it.”With thatprinciple inmind,herearea fewquick tips tothinkaboutineachroomofyourhouse:

Living Room / Dining Room – Make a commitment to keep only thedecorationsthatmeanthemosttoyou.Toomanyknick-knacksandphotosin one room distract you and your guests from the ones you holdmostvaluable.

Bedrooms – Look to clear as many surfaces as possible. Keep yourdrawersandclosetsfreefromclutterbyremovingtheitemsyounolongeruse.

Wardrobe–Atypicalpersonwears20%oftheirclothes80%ofthetime.Try this experiment: turn around all of the hangers in your closet.Afteryouwear an item, return it to the closetwith its hanger facing the rightdirection. After 2-3 months, you will have an irrefutable, visualrepresentationoftheclothesyounolongerwear.Donatethem.

Bathrooms/Linens–Someoneoncesaid,“Youreallyonlyneedtwotowelsorsetsofbedsheets.Onetousewhiletheotherisbeingwashed.”Whileminimizing down to only two towels may be a bit irrational, you cancertainly find inspiration in the thought above to clear your closets ofunusedlinens.

HomeOffice–Paperclutterisanever-endingbattle.You’llneedafilingsystem.Andyou’llneedthedisciplinetouseit.

ToyRoom–Kidsneedtoplay.Kidsneedtoys.Theyjustdon’tneedquitesomany.Includetheminthepurgingprocess–asdifficultasitmaybeat

first,theywillgetusedtoit.Makesureeverytoygetsahomeandeverychildknowswherethathomeis.

Kitchen–IntheNewYorkTimes,ProfessionalChef,MarkBittmanwroteanarticle titled,“ANo-FrillsKitchenStillCooks”whereheoutfittedanentirekitchenfor less than$300.Checkouthiscomprehensive list toberemindedofhowfewgadgetswereallyneedtocook.

StorageRoom–Whilesomeargueagainsttheuseofboxesinthestorageroomsayingtheydiscouragetruepurging,Ibelievetheycanbehelpfulinstoring things neatly. If you are nervous about the minimizing process,storeitemsinaspecially-markedboxwiththedateclearlymarked.After3-4 months if you had no need for the item, perhaps you can functionwithoutitpermanently.

WhereOurClutterWentSincewebecameminimalist,wehaveremovedcountlessboxesofclutterfromourhome.Eachboxthat leavesourhomeseemstoallowinanextrabreathoffreshair.Hereiswhatwechosetodowithouroldclutter:

Weturneditintomoney.

Garagesales-Notthebestreturnoninvestment,butwhatyousacrificeinmoneyyougainbackintimeandconvenience.Set-upafewtables,slaponafewstickers,andwatchtotalstrangersturnyouroldclutterintocash.

Ebay – Theworld’s largestmarketplace takes a littlemore time, energyandcomputerskills,butthefinancialreturnisworthit.

Craigslist–WehavefoundCraigslisthelpfulinsellingsomeofourlargeritemssuchasfurnitureandvehicles-whereshippingwouldbeaproblem.(Tolearnmoreaboutsellingyourthingson-line,checkoutAdamBaker’scomprehensiveguide:SellYourCrap.)

Wehelpedsomeonewhoneededit.

Goodwill – Countless boxes of books, clothing, and home decorationshavebeendeliveredtoourlocalgoodwilloutlet.

PregnancyCenters–Becauseofourstageinlife,wehavegivenplentyofqualitybabyandmaternity items tohelpoutyoungmothers throughour

localpregnancycenter.

Refugee Resettlement Programs – Our local program gladly acceptedqualitybedding,linens,andcookwaretohelprefugeesbeginanewlifeinanewhome.

Werecycledwhenpossible.

LandfillRecycleCenter–Ourlocallandfillofferstheopportunitytodropoffitemsthatarestillusable.Theseitemsarefreeforanyonetotakehomeanduse.

Wethrewthingsaway.

Garbage–Ifadifferenthomecouldnotbefound,thegarbagemangladlythrewourblackplasticbagsintothebackofhistruck.

Nomatterwhereitendsup,whetherinyourbankaccount, inanotherperson’shome,orinthelandfill,theimportantthingisthattheclutterisnolongerapartofyourlife.

Oncetheclutterhasbeenremoved,wemustensurethatitdoesnotreturn.ThatiswhyGuidingPrinciple#4indeclutteringyourhomeandlifeisStoptheTrendofConsumerisminyourLife.

PRINCIPLE#4:STOPTHETREND“Yousay,‘IfIhadalittlemore,Ishouldbeverysatisfied.’Youmakeamistake.Ifyouarenotcontentwithwhatyouhave,youwouldnotbesatisfiedifitweredoubled.”—CharlesSpurgeon

Last August, we took our son to a big-box toy store to spend some giftcertificates thathehadgottenforhisbirthday.Hewantedaskateboard.I likedtheideaofhavingakidthatcanrideaskateboardsowetookatriptoToys‘RUstospendhisgiftcertificates.

Assoonaswewalkedinthestore,hiseyesgotreallybigandstartedwandering.Ihadhoped tomakeabeeline for the sports section,but immediately realizedthat this shopping trip was not going to happen as I planned. As we werewalking (Imean, as Iwas pulling him)my son quickly noticed an aislewithdinosaursandspottedapop-uptentthatwasdesignedtolooklikeacave.Onthepackage was a young boy smiling from ear to ear while playing with 15-20dinosaursaround thecave.At thatmoment,mysondecided thatheno longerwantedaskateboard;hewantedapop-uptentthatlookedlikeadinosaurcave.

Asthefather,Ihadtostepin.I’msmartenoughtorealizethatthistoywouldgetplayedwith once or twice and never again – if it didn’t break right away.Hewouldhavequicklyrealizeditwasn’treallythatexciting(thedinosaursweren’tevenincluded).Throughsomeheavypersuasiontechniques,Italkedhimoutofpurchasing the dinosaur cave and he ultimately did buy the skateboard (thatexperience looksmuch neater on paper than it did in the store... if you knowwhatImean).

I’mglad Iwas there toplay the father-roleandsavemyson fromwastinghisbirthdaymoneyonthatunwisepurchase.IwasabovethesituationenoughthatIknew, in the long run, hewould findmore enjoyment in a skateboard than apretenddinosaurcave.

Butthisbookisn’tabouthim,it’saboutmeandit’saboutyou.

Thisstorygotmeaskingthehardquestion:“WhodoIhaveinmylifethatkeepsme from making foolish decisions with my money?” Sure, I have more lifeexperienceandwisdomthanmysonwhichhelpsgivemesomediscretion.But

asIlookaroundmyhouseatallthethingsthatseemedlikeagoodpurchaseatthe time, I can’t helpbutwonder ifmyhouse (andbank account)would lookdifferentifIhadsomebodylookingovermyshoulder...playingthedaddy-role...keepingmefromwastefulspending.

Luckily, there are some practical tips to help decrease the influence ofconsumerism in your life. Their success in our lives will require somebrainpower and intentionality.But they areworth the effortwe put into them.After all, the sooner we decrease consumerism’s influence, the easier it is tocontrolourspending.

Realizepossessionsdonotequaljoy.Asapartofmyfull-timejob,Ifrequentlytakeadultsandstudentstothird-worldenvironments. Ihave takenenough tripsover theyears that Icanpredictwhattheemotionalresponseisgoingtobeinthelifeofsomebodywhohasneverseenlifeoutsideoftheestablished,consumer-driven,AmericanculturewhereIlive.Theywillinevitablyhavethreeemotionsatsomepointduringthetrip:

1.Theywillbeshockedthatpeoplewithsolittlecanbesojoyful.2.Theywillwishthattheyenjoyedlifeasmuchasthepeopletheymeet.3.TheywillsaythattheyareblessedtoliveinAmericaandownsomanypossessions.

Thereflectiveoneswillconnectthedotsandrealizethefoolishnessoftheirthirdstatement as soon as they say it out loud. Others will repeat the same threeemotions over and over again. Studies have shown over and over again that“possessions”and“joy”arenotequal(forexample,Americaranks#1inrateofdepression).

Theunfortunatetruthis,wehaveequatedpossessionswithjoyforsolongthatevenwhentheevidenceisrightinfrontofourfaces,wedon’trecognizeit.

Considerthetruecostofyourpurchases.Usuallywhenwemakeapurchase,welookattheamountonthepricetagasthefullpriceoftheitem.Whilethatnumberaccuratelyrepresentstheactualcostonthedayof thepurchase, it rarely represents the full costof the item.Considersomeofthesehiddencosts:

•1in11Americanhouseholdspurchaseself-storagespaceoutsideoftheirhouse.Onaveragetheyspendover$1,000peryearstoringtheirstuff.

•Itcostsanaverageof$10/squarefoottostoreitemsinyourhome.• Stephanie Winston, author of the Organized Executive, estimates amanagerloses1hour/dayofproductivitytodisorder(costingthebusinessover$8,000/yrifearninga$65,000annualsalary).•Estimatessaythatsomewherebetween8-13%ofyourelectricalbillisaresultofstandbypower–theelectricity thatanappliancepulls justfrombeingpluggedinwhennotinuse.•HarrisInteractivereportsthat23percentofadultssaytheypaybillslate(andincurfees)becausetheylosethem.•TheNationalAssociationofProfessionalOrganizerssayswespendoneyearofourliveslookingforlostitems.

UnderstandtheDownsideofConsumerism.Consumerism is an economic theory that argues an increasing consumptionofgoods is economically desirable for a civilization. It is most often associatedwith thewesternworld, but is true of farmore economic systems around theworldthanjustthewest.

Consumerismhasitsadvantages:

The consumer chooses his/her lifestyle – what goods are necessary andwhatluxuriescanbeafforded.

There are economic advantages to a large segment of the population(middle-andupper-class).

There is opportunity andmotivation to improve your social standing byworkinghard.

Butconsumerismalsohasitsdisadvantages:

In a consumerist market, it is in the interest of producers that theconsumer’s needs and desires never be completely or permanentlyfulfilled, so the consumer can repeat the consumption process andpurchase more products. This can be accomplished with made-to-break

products, continuously changing the trends of themarket (i.e., fashion),employingclass-envy,orencouragingindividualstopurchaseabovetheirmeans.

Inaconsumeristsociety,peoplebegintoseekmoney/goodsasthegreatestgoodratherthaninfluenceorhelpingothers.

Consumeristsocietiesaremorepronetodamagetheenvironmentanduseupresourcesatahigherratethanothersocieties.

Inconsumeristicsocieties, theupper-andmiddle-classtypicallybenefitattheexpenseofthelower-classorothernon-consumeristicsocieties.

Pleaseunderstand,thispieceisnotwritteninsupportoroppositiontothetheoryofconsumerism.It ismeantonlytoprovideyouwithenoughunderstandingtohelpyoumakewise financial choices in theconsumerist society inwhichyoulive.

CreateaSpendingPlan.Whiledeciding to live simplyhas financialbenefits, itwon’tautomatically fixyourfinancialproblems.Chancesareifyouoverspentbeforedeclutteringyourlife,you’llcontinue tooverspendafter– (you justmayfinddifferent things tospenditon).Ifyouoryourfamilyhavebeenoverspendingyourmeans,letmeofferaspendingplanthatIhaveusedwithgreatsuccess.

The idea thatdistinguishes this“spendingplan” from“a typicalbudget” is theunderstanding thatwhile a budget dictates to youwhat you can spend,where,andwhen (“we can only spend $200 on groceries thismonth...”); a spendingplangivesyou thecontrolofyourmoneyeverysinglemonth.Also, it realizesthatyourpurchaseschangeandexpensesvaryfrommonthtomonthandthataone-size-fits-allmonthlybudgetdoesn’ttrulyfitanything.

Using thismodel that Ipropose isquite simple, although itdoes require someeffort from you on the front end and throughout the month. To get started,determine yourmonthly take-home pay (not your gross income, but your netincome-theamountonyourcheck).

Second,sitdownanddetermineyourfixedmonthlycosts.Thesearethethingsthat you currently have in your life that require some of your income everymonth – no questions asked. The actual monthly expense may vary (within

reason)frommonthtomonth,butyouknowitisgoingtobethere.Forus,hereisourlistofmonthlyexpenses:

•mortgage•charity•groceries•autofuel•autoinsurance•savings/retirement•gas/electricity/utilities•water•collegeloanrepayment•cable•phone/internet•cellphone•garbage•newspaper

Afteryouhavedeterminedyourmonthlyincomeandyourmonthlyfixedcosts,youcaneasilyrecognizeyourmonthlydiscretionaryincome(themoneythatyouhave leftover to spendasyoudesire)bysubtractingyourmonthly fixedcostsfromyourmonthlynet income.For example, ifyouhave$500permonth leftoverafterpayingyourfixedcosts,youhave$500indiscretionaryincome.Thespending plan allows you the opportunity to spend that $500 as you desire:golfing,cinnamonrolls,dining,newclothes,thisbook...

Thisspendingplanhassomewonderfulbenefits:

Theinitialrealizationofyourdiscretionaryincomewillgiveyouahealthyframeworktodeterminehowmuchmoneyyouactuallyhavetospendeachmonth.

Theplanallowsyoutoseehowlifepatternsaffectothers.Forexample,ifyoulayoutyourplanandrealizethatyouneedmorediscretionaryincome,youhavealistoffixedcoststhatcanbecut.Maybeyoudon’treallyneedcabletvifitmeansyoucanspendmoreonavacation...

Youwillbeabletoeasilyrecognizehoweconomicsshouldbeinfluencingyour spending. If auto fuel goes up $1.00/gallon, you can quicklyrecalculateyourfixedcostsanddeterminehowmuchdiscretionaryincome

hastakenahit.Conversely,iffuelgoesdown,you’llhavealittleextrathatyoucanspendorsavethatmonth.

Even if you don’t hold yourself to consistent tracking of expenses throughouteachmonth,Irecommendgoingthroughtheinitiallayoutjusttogetasenseofyour“actualdiscretionaryincome.”Itmayjustbethefirststepforyoutofinallycontrolyourspending.

BecomeaFanoftheInvisible.Thereisawisesayingthatgoeslikethis,“Fixyoureyesnotonwhatisseen,butonwhatisunseen.Forwhatisseenistemporary,butwhatisunseeniseternal.”

April15 is taxday inAmericawhereeverycitizen is required to fillout theirformsandsendintothegovernmentanytaxesdue.Itisaninterestingfeelingtofilloutyourtaxforms.It’soneofthosemomentsinlifewhereeverythinggetsflippedupside-down.

Forexample:duringtheyearIlookforwardtoeverypaycheckandeverybitofextraincome.ButwhenIsitdowntofilloutmytaxforms,Icringeateverybitof extra income that I received during the year. In the same way, making acharitabledonationcanbeadifficultchecktowriteduring theyear,especiallywhenmoney is tight.But, onApril 15, I celebrate every charitabledonation ImadeandoftenwishIhadmademoreaseachoneslowlyreducesmytaxbill.

The endof our liveswill bemuch the same. Itwill be anothermomentwheneverythinggetsflippedupside-down.Atthatmoment,wewon’tcareabouthowmanyhourswehadworked,we’lljustcareaboutthetimewespentwithfamilyand friends andprobablywishwehaddone itmore.Wewon’t care about thesizeof our bank account or the thingswehad acquired...we’ll care about thedifferencewehavemade, the liveswehave changed, and the legacywehaveleft.

Tax day and deathbed are two moments in life when everything gets flippedupsidedown.Butthereisonebigdifferencebetweenthem:we’llhavetodoourtaxes again next year (unfortunately), but we only get one shot at this life(unfortunately). Live it for the things that matter by becoming a fan of theinvisible,lastingthingstoday.

PRINCIPLE#5:PERSEVERE.Noteverythingthatcanbecountedcountsandnoteverythingthatcountscanbecounted.—AlbertEinstein

GoalsShapeUsandChangeUsMyfriendCherylhadagoalinmind.IknewherinhighschoolandhergoalwastoreceiveadivingscholarshipfromtheUniversityofNebraska.Allthroughherhighschoolyears, thisgoalmotivatedherinincredibleways.It inspiredhertowake up early in themorning and hit the gym. It inspired her everyday afterschoolasshewasinthepooldivingoverandoveragain,forhoursatatime.Itaffectedhereatinghabits,causinghertochoosehealthysaladsandbottledwaterrather than cheeseburgers and tacos (like I was eating). Shewould go to bedrehearsingdives inhermind,andshewouldwakeupthinkingabout themandwhatsheneededtoworkonthatday.Hergoalofmakingthecollegedivingteamaffectednearlyeveryaspectofherlife.

Thatwas,untilMarchofhersenioryearattheconclusionoftheNebraskahighschool diving season and the state competition. Unfortunately, despite all herhard work, she was notified that she would not be receiving the divingscholarshipshedesperatelydesired.Shehadpouredherheartandhersoulintorealizingthatgoal,butithadvanishedandwasoutofherreach.

Overnight,Cherylbecameadifferentperson.Onceshecametograspthatitwasnotmeanttobe,herlifechangeddrasticallyandradically.Suddenly,shebeganspendingtonsoftimewithherfriends,hangingoutafterschoolandstayinglaterattheirparties.Shestartedorderingcheeseburgersandsodainsteadofsaladsandwater (which made us feel better about ourselves, by the way). She begansleeping inonweekends insteadofhitting thegymat6am.Itwasalmostas ifshe had a different life before and after the birth and death of her goals. Shebecameacompletelydifferentperson.

Thetruthisthatgoalsmoveusandgoalsshapeus.Ourgoalsaffectusandtheyaffectthewaywegoaboutlivingourlives.

Whenyoubeginthedeclutteringprocessinyourhome,youwillfeelexcitedandenergized.Youwill gain small victories and theywill compel you to set even

loftier goals (next Saturday – the attic!). Theywillmold you, shape you, andmotivateyou.Then,you’llfinish.

Andthedifficulttaskofkeepingyourhomeclutter-freewillsetin.Yourenergywill no longer be set by thegoal of declutteringonemore room. Instead, youwilllearntopersevere.

Tohelpyoupersevereandkeepyourhomeclutter-free,hereare6helpfulhints:

1.RecognizeYour“ClutterCollectionSites.”

Afterjustafewshortmonthsofdecluttering,Ibegantorecognizesome“cluttercollection sites” in my home: the kitchen counter (mail, school papers, kids’artwork), the bedroom dressers (coins, magazines, books, pocket items, workprojectsbroughthome), thediningroomtable(toys,shoppingbags), thehomeofficedesk(receipts,unpaidbills,computerprint-outs,paperwork)and the toyroom(toys,toys,toys).

Because clutter attracts clutter, these specific areas of my home broughtfrustration tomy life as they continued to collect clutter even aftermonths ofpurging. Ididgainsomerelief in the realization that Icouldeven identifyourtroublespots.Beforebeginningthejourney,I’mnotsureIunderstoodtheflowofmyhomeenoughtoevenrealizewhichspotswerethesorespots.Afteryoupurge your clutter and recognize your clutter collection sites, you are able tobeginaddressingtheproblem:

•Admitthatsomethingswillrequiredailyattentionbytheirnature:beds,clothes,dishes,mail,toys...

•Install“clutterbusters”inthoseareas.Forexample,atidyinboxforyourmail or kid’s schoolwork should help keep the unsightly clutter to aminimum.Ajunkdrawerforthoselittleoddsandendsthatenduponthekitchencounter.Findasolutionthatfitsforyou.

•Change your habits. Stop putting yourmail on the kitchen table, yourcoat on the back of a chair, or your change on the countertop. Find itshomeandgetinthehabitofputtingitthere.

2.MinimizeYourJunkMail.

One step to not allowing junkmail to clutter your home is to throw it in therecyclebinimmediatelyafteryoubringitthroughyourdoor.However,thebetter

solutionistonotreceiveitatall.

Removingyournamefrommailinglistsisnotastime-consumingasyoumightthinkanditshouldn’tcostyouapenny.Youcanreduceyourjunkmail75-85%byfollowingthesethreeeasysteps:

• Register your name with the direct marketing association’s mailpreference service (www.dmachoice.org) and be added to their “do notmail”database.

•Opt-outofpre-approvedcredit card,mortgage,and insuranceoffersbyusingtheonlineformatoptoutprescreen.com.

•Forindividualcatalogsthatyoureceive,callthecompanyandaskthemtoremoveyoufromtheirmailinglist.

Thesechangesmaytakeupto90daystobeginworking,butyouwillcertainlynoticethedifferencewhentheydo.

3.StayAheadoftheGamewithClothing.

Igetit:youchange,yourkidschange,seasonschange,andstyleschange.Neverbuyingnewclothesisoutofthequestion.Therefore,determinetostayaheadofthegamewhen itcomes toclothing.Perhapsa“one-in,one-outpolicy”worksfor you. Formy family, thewardrobe experimentwith the hangersmentionedaboveworksforus.Atthestartofeveryseason,weturnourhangersaroundandcommittoremovinganyarticleofclothingthatdoesn’tgetworn.Ithashelpedustostayaheadofthegamewhenitcomestoourclosetspace.

4.StayClutter-FreewithKids.

Igetaskedoften(byreadersandfriendsalike)howwemaintainasimplehomewithtwosmallchildreninthefamily.Itcertainlyaddstothechallenge.Wehavefoundafewkeystepstobeveryhelpfulinourhouse:

• Identify the toys they actually use. Our kids’ toy room was given asubstantialfaceliftbytakingonesimplestep:weremovedthetoystheynolongerused.Weinvolvedthemintheprocessandgavethemavoiceinthedecision to keep a toyor remove it. Surprisingly, theywerevery candidandhonestintheirresponses.

•Purgeoften.Duringyourinitialpurge,youwillprobablyremovealargenumberof toys.That’sgreat.But stayon topof it.Purgeoften.Asnewtoysarebroughtinthehome(holidays,birthdays,seasonalchanges),beonthelookoutforoldtoysthatcanberemoved.

• A home for everything. The rule for you applies to them as well.Everything gets a home. When everything has a home, cleaning upbecomesamucheasierchore(andalittlebitmorefun).

•QualityoverQuantity.Allowthisprincipletopermeateallareasofyourlifeincludingthetoysthatyoupurchase.Itisbettertoownafewtoysthatyourkidslovetoplaywiththantoownapileofjunkthattheydon’t.

5.BeReadyfortheHolidays/Gifts.

I almost gave up minimalism one time. As I mentioned, we chose rationalminimalism as a lifestyle just a few years ago. We immediately spent thesummerpurgingeveryroominourhome.It lookedgreatbythe timewewerefinishedandwelovedlivinginournewhome.

Butthen,cameChristmas.Wequicklyrealizedthattwosmallchildrenplusfoursetsofrelativesequalsalotofgifts.Ourhomewasquicklyclutteredwithtoys,gifts,andboxes.Itfeltlikeallofourhardworkwasfornothing.

Wepersevered.Wedecluttered.AndwechosetomakesomechangesbeforethenextbirthdayorChristmas:

•We chose not to remove the joy that our relatives receive fromgivinggifts.Ourfamilieslovegivinggifts,especiallyonholidays.Itisonewaytheysharetheirloveforus.Itwouldbeunfairtorobthemoftheirjoyandrobourkidsoftheirjoybyaskingfornomoregifts.Therefore,wewiselychosenottogodownthatroad.

•Wemade a point to give them lists.Before everybirthday/holiday,wegive our relatives a wish-list for each of our kids and ourselves. Weincludejustthethingsthatwetrulyneed.Again,wechoosequalityitemsoverquantity.

•Afteratime,wepurgeagain.Itcanbedifficulttoknow,rightoutofthepackage,howourkidswillrespondtoanewtoy.Sometoystheyplaywithforadayandnevertouchagain.Sometoystheyplaywithforaweekand

nevertouchagain.Othertoysbecomesomeoftheirfavoritesandgetusedoften.Afterthedusthassettled,weevaluatetheirnewtoysandtheiroldtoysanddeterminewhichtoystokeepandwhichtoremove.

6.ThinkOutsidetheBox.

Here are a few more helpful tips to help you persevere in your clutter-freelifestyle:

• Buy things for their usefulness rather than their status. Stop trying toimpressotherswithyourstuffandstart tryingtoimpressthemwithyourlife.

• Reject anything that is producing an addiction in you. Refuse to be aslavetoanything:coffee,cigarettes,soda,television,chocolate,alcohol...

•Developahabitofgivingthingsaway.Mostofuscouldgetridofhalfofourpossessionswithoutanyserioussacrifice.

• Refuse to be propagandized by modern gadgetry. Technology doesn’talwaysmakeyourlifesimpler.Asamatteroffact,mostofthetimeitjustmakesyourlifemorecluttered.

•Learntoenjoythingswithoutowningthem.Ownershipisnothing,accessiseverything.Visitalibrary,apark,oramuseum.

•Developadeeperappreciationfornature.

AdaptedfromTheFreedomofSimplicity,RichardFoster.

PRINCIPLE#6:SHARETHEJOY“Anindividualhasnotstartedlivinguntilhecanriseabovethenarrowconfinesofhisindividualisticconcernstothebroaderconcernsofallhumanity.”-MartinLutherKing,Jr.

TellingOurStoryOverthepasttwoyearssinceweintentionallydecidedtobecomeminimalist,Ihave had thousands of conversations with people about our decision. And itusuallystartsaboutthesameway.

MywifeandIwillbeseatedatatablewithagroupofpeoplewhenoneofourfriendswillsay,“Joshua,youshouldtellusaboutyourminimalismdecision.”Itend to be a smidge reluctant not desiring to draw all the attention to us, butoften oblige when the question is repeated. I try to begin as close to thebeginning as possible and take them throughour journeywhile the others askquestionsalong theway.Somewhereabouthalf-way through, I inevitably findagreementonthepartofthelisteners.

Typically, theywill respondwith statements like, “I have somuch stuff that Ineedtogetridoftoo,”or“Youshouldseemybasement,it’sadisaster,”ormypersonalfavorite,“Ican’twaittogethomeandstartthrowingthingsawayrightnow!”A smaller percentagewill email or post a comment on ourwebsite thefollowing day journaling the boxes of junk or bags of clothes that they haveremovedfromtheirlives.

The attractiveness of minimalism (to date, only two men have outrightdeterminedthattheywouldnevergetridoftheirstuff)seemssouniversalthatIcan’thelpthinkthatthisisthewaylifeismeanttobelived.Whenasoulhearstheinvitation,itrespondsfavorably,justlikeours.Wewerenevermeanttolivelifeaccumulatingstuff.Weweremeanttolivesimplyenjoyingtheexperiencesoflife,thepeopleoflife,andthejourneyoflife-notthethingsoflife.

Guiding Principle #6 for decluttering your home and life is Share the Joy bytellingyourstory.Youwillfindpeopleareexcitedtotryitthemselves.Theywillcheeryouon.Theywillmotivateyoubyholdingyouaccountableandaskyouhowthingsaregoingthenexttimeyouseethem.

Joy is best enjoyedwhen it is shared.Whenmywife and I got engaged, shecouldn’twaittotellherfriends.Whenourfirstchildwasborn,Icouldn’twaittocalleverybodyIknew.Joyreachesitsfullnesswhenitissharedwithothers.Sobesuretoshareyourstoriesofdeclutteringwithothers.

On our website, we encourage our readers to share their stories of becomingminimalist.MyheartiswarmedwhenIreadaboutthejoytheyareexperiencingfromdecluttering their lives.Every story isunique,but theoutcome is alwaysthesame.Herearetwoofmyfavoritestories:

Christine’sStoryI’ve always liked the ideaofhaving less “stuff” around.However, Iwas trulyenlightenedduringaparticularlystressfulweekatwork.

I’ma26yearoldinsuranceagent.I’dbeenworkingwithclientsontheirpoliciesandcouldn’tgetover thegreedthatconsumedsomanyof them.Ihadaclientcallmeup to complain about her insuranceprices and in the samebreath sheaskedmetoquoteheranewBMW.Anotherclientwasobsessedwithinsuringeverybelongingheandhiswifehad–jewelry,furs,antiques,paintings,etc.Anditjustclickedinmyhead:Ididn’twantmyhusbandandmyselftobecomethesepeople. I wanted to live without the stress of owning so many unnecessarybelongings.Iwantedfreedomfromstuff!

Since that moment, I’ve been going through my small apartment and“minimizing.”I’vealwaysbeenorganizedandnotmuchofapack-rat,butyou’dbesurprisedathowmuchyouhavethatishidingindrawersandclosets!IwentthroughmyjewelryandgotridofeverythingI’dneverwear.IbroughtthegoldIdidn’twanttoajewelerandsoldit.Ebayhasbeenfantasticfortheotheritems.IkeepmakingsweepsthroughtheroomsinmyapartmenttoseewhereelseIcanminimize.I’vestillgotalongwaytogo,butit’sbeengreatsofar.

OneoftheperksisthatinmyattempttobecomemoreminimalistI’vestoppedshopping almost completely. I plan on wearing out the clothes/shoes I havebefore buying anything new. I don’t even think about shopping much at allanymore.Myhusbandhasreallystartedgetting intomynewlifestylechoice–it’sgreattohavehimonboard!

Ijustthinkthatit’sagreatwaytolive.IcarrylessinmybagwhenIgoplaces.Ihave fewer material things to worry about. I don’t feel “consumed withconsumerism”.It’sliberating!

Christy’sStoryIhavespentthelast10monthsdeclutteringandsimplifyingourhomeandlives.I did one round of simplifying andwhen I started looking atmy thingsmorecritically,Irealizedthatthefirstgo-aroundwasreallythetipoftheiceberg.

ItallstartedlastHalloween.Iwasschleppingtothedoorfortrickortreaters.IwasembarrassedatthestateofmyhouseandthinkingaboutChristmasanditalljustcametoaheadinternally.

Thethoughtoccurredtome–IliveinadarlinglittleVictorianhousethatcouldbetheepitomeofhomeandwarmth,butitfeelscrampedandmessy.AndIknewChristmaswouldbeherebeforeweknowitandthatwillmeanmoredecorandclutter.Talkaboutmissingthepointandskippingthewholepeaceandreasonfortheseason.

So I decided that night to start the next day removing as much clutter andreorganizesothatinafewweekswhentheChristmasseasonhit,IwasgoingtoenjoymylittlehouseandcrammingitfullofpeopleandthingsIreallyloved.

IworkedmyTAILoffanditmadeahugedifferenceinourChristmasandinmymental clutter. I started to look for things that had meaning in my stash ofChristmasdecorandsomewherealongtheprocess,Istartedtoseeallmythingsin a newway....Iwanted to be surrounded by things I love and not by stuff Ishould keep. I re-thoughtwhat Iwanted our living spaces to be like and howtheycouldserveourfamilybetter.Forexample...whilearockingchairemotesafeelingofwarmthandcomfort,howpracticalisitwhenmywrestlinglittleboygetsitintheheadandfloorspaceisatapremium?

And in the10monthssince, Ihavekeptat it...paringdownourentirehouse–basement to bathroom – every drawer and corner. I’ve taken countlessoverflowingcarfulsofpossessionstothethriftstoreandthereisn’tasinglethingIwishI’dkept.Thatconcepthasbeensoberingtometosaytheleast...Ihadthatmuchstuffthatwas“outofsightoutofmind”.Oy...nowonderwe’reconsideredthe“haves”oftheworld.AndI’mstillfindingthingsweeklythatIcanpurge.

Tome,thisisn’taboutifIhave100thingsor1000.It’saboutlivingontheleastI can. It’s about spending less time thinking about stuff andmore time lovingpeople. It’s about living in the present and not being caught up in the past orwaitingforthefuture.It’saboutseeingeverythingIhaveasahugeblessing.

AmIdowntothebareminimum?Probablynot,butI’mworkingonit.ButIfeellikeI’vediscoveredanewwayoflivingthatinvolvesrealthoughtandprioritiesandcreativity.Iaskmyselfquestionsnowwhendealingwithmythings...WillIreallyusethisthing(andnotjustintheory!)?Isitinthemostsensibleplaceforit?Would itmeanmore to someone I love to have it? Andmost importantly“JustbecauseICANbuysomething,doesitmeanIhaveto”?

Ihopethesestoriesinspireyou.Butmoreimportantly,Ihopeyouareabletotellastorythatinspiresothers.

PRINCIPLE#7:SIMPLIFYEVERYWHEREYoudon’tneed tochaseeverythingyou’vealwayswanted ifyoualreadyhaveeverythingyouneed.

Simplicitybringsfreedom.Simplicitybringsjoy.Simplicitybringsbalance.Youwillexperiencethisfreedom,joy,andbalanceasyourhomebecomessimpleanddecluttered.Soon,youwillbegintoaskthequestion,“WhereelseinmylifecanIremovedistractionandsimplyfocusontheessential?”

Your answer to the question should sound something like this, “AlmosteverywhereIlook!”Inallareasofyourlife,choosetointentionallypromotethethingsyoumostvalueandremoveanythingthatdistractsyoufromit.Hereisapartiallistofareasthatwehavefoundthisprincipleaddvaluetoourlives:

TimeManagementI once spoke to a roomfulof teenagersonpriorities. I shared this storywhichoriginatedwithStephenCovey:

Auniversityprofessorwasaddressinghisnewgroupofbusinessstudentsand,todrivehomeapoint,usedan illustration thosestudentswillneverforget.Ashestoodinfrontofthegroupofhigh-poweredoverachievershesaid,“Okay,timeforaquiz.”Hepulledoutaone-gallon,masonjarandsetitonthetableinfrontof him.He also produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placedthem,oneatatime,intothejar.

Whenthejarwasfilledtothetopandnomorerockswouldfitinside,heasked,“Isthisjarfull?”

Everyone in the class yelled, “Yes.” The professor repliedwith a little smile,“Really?”

Hereachedunderthetableandpulledoutabucketofgravel.Hedumpedsomegravel inandshook the jarcausingpiecesofgravel towork themselvesdownintothespacesbetweenthebigrocks.Then,heaskedthegrouponcemore,“Isthejarfull?”

Bythistimetheclasswasontohim.“Probablynot,”oneofthemanswered.

“Good!”hereplied.Hereachedunderthetableandbroughtoutabucketofsand.He started dumping the sand in the jar and it went into all of the spaces leftbetweentherocksandthegravel.Oncemoreheaskedthequestion,“Isthisjarfull?”

“No!”theclassshouted.

Thistime,hesaid,“Welldone.”Hegrabbedapitcherofwaterandbegantopouritinuntilthejarwasfilledtothebrim.Thenhelookedattheclassandasked,“Cananyonetellmethepointofthisillustration?”

Onestudent inthefrontrowraisedhishandandsaid,“Thepoint is,nomatterhowfullyourschedule is, ifyoutryreallyhardyoucanalwaysfitsomemorethingsinit!”

“No,”thespeakerreplied,“that’snotthepoint.Thetruththisillustrationteachesusis:ifyoudon’tputthebigrocksinfirst,you’llnevergettheminatall.”

Whatthen,arethe‘bigrocks’inyourlife?Sincebecomingminimalist,wehavebeenabletoidentifythebigrocksinourlives–ourkids,ourfriends,ourfaith,ourgoals,andourinfluence.Simplifyinglifeisaboutidentifyingthebigrocks,puttingtheminthejar,andintentionallyeliminatingthelittlerocks.

TheTyrannyoftheUrgentIn 1967,CharlesHummelwrote a book calledTyranny of theUrgent.Amanaheadofhistime,Hummeldescribesthetensionbetweentwocontestantswhichbattle for our time: the urgent and the important. He argues that the urgentthings–suchasthedemandsattheoffice,thedemandsofotherpeople,andevenourown“innercompulsions”– typically trump the thingswhichare important,likeregulardateswithourspouse,personalsolitude,exercise,ormeditation.

Withincredibledepthofinsight,henotedthatimportantthingsarepolite;theydon’tclamorforourattention.Theyjustwaitpatientlyforustoact.Inthelongrunthere’sapricetopayforthisneglectoftheimportantstuff.Likeavolcano,therecomesadaywhentheneglectedareasofourlifeexplodeandwreakhavoc.Ironically,wewonderhowwemissedtheearlywarningsigns.

Ourtemptationistosay,“Well,Ijustdidn’thaveenoughtimetodoeverything.”Hummel suggests that the lack of time is ultimately a problem of settingappropriatepriorities.

Last month, I read an article from CNN titled, “Drop that Blackberry!Multitasking may be Harmful.” Some recent studies are suggesting thattechnological multitasking actually lowers productivity. Specifically, heavymultitaskersaremoreeasilydistractedbyirrelevantinformationthanthosewhoaren’t constantly in a multimedia frenzy, according to the study in theproceedings of theNationalAcademyof Sciences.DavidGoodman,AssistantProfessor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins UniversitySchoolofMedicinesaid,“Wearebeingfloodedwithtoomuchinformationandyou can’t selectively filter out quickly which is important and which is notimportant.”

Whichbringusback to theprinciplesargued inTyrannyof theUrgentwrittenover40yearsago.

Simplifying your life can bemore than just removing physical belongings. IfminimalismistheintentionalpromotionofthethingsthatImostvalue,itisalsoaboutdecidingwhat ismost important inmy lifeandremoving the things thatdistractmefromit.Itisaboutremovingtheurgentforthesakeoftheimportant.

Plain,HonestSpeechMakehonestyandintegritythedistinctivecharacteristicsofyourspeech.Ifyouagreetodosomething,doit.Avoidflatteryandhalf-truths.Steerclearofwordsonlyusedtoimpressothers.Youwillneverregretit,andyouwillsleepwellatnight.

YourTelevisionChannelsLast January, we got rid of extended cable. It was the cable company’s idea.Althoughweconsideredchangingourserviceeverytimetheyraisedourprices,when theywent over the $60/month threshold,we finally pulled the plug anddowngradedtotheirBasicPackage(13channels).

Because that was over one year ago, we have had sufficient opportunity toevaluateourdecision:

•Lesschannels•Moreboardgames•Morefamilywalks•Moretimeatthedinnertable•Moresex•Moremoneyinthesavingsaccount

•Moretimewithfriends•Moreinterestinrealpeoples’lives•Moretimeatthegym• More appreciation for both political parties (less FoxNews, CNN,MSNBC)

Let’sbeclear:wehavenoteliminatedtelevisioncompletelyfromourlives.Myyoungchildrenstillwatchatleastonehourperday(30minutesinthemorningand30minutesafterschool). I stillwatchsportswhenavailable.Mywifestillenjoysherdramasinprimetime.Butourtelevisionwatchinghasbeendrasticallyreduced. We are overwhelmingly pleased with our decision and wouldrecommendtheexperimenttoanyone!

YourComputerScreenComputers,evenwithalltheirtime-savingdevices,canactuallybecomeoneofthe most distracting things in our life. In order to keep your computer usestream-lined,Irecommendthesesimplifyingtechniques:

•Clearyouremailinboxeveryday.•Uninstallunusedsoftware.•Usefolderstosortdocuments.•Hidedesktopicons.•Useasimpleword-processor.•Limityourtimeonsocialnetworkingsites.

SIMPLICITY’SINVITATION“Everyone chases after happiness, not noticing that happiness is right at theirheels.”-BertoltBrecht

One day a fisherman was lying on a beautiful beach, with his fishing poleproppedupinthesandandhissolitarylinecastoutintothesparklingbluesurf.Hewasenjoyingthewarmthoftheafternoonsunandtheprospectofcatchingafish.

Aboutthattime,abusinessmancamewalkingdownthebeach,tryingtorelievesomeofthestressofhisworkday.Henoticedthefishermansittingonthebeachand decided to find out why this fisherman was fishing instead of workingharder tomakea living forhimself andhis family. “Youaren’tgoing tocatchmanyfishthatway,”saidthebusinessman.“Youshouldbeworkingratherthanlyingonthebeach!”

Thefishermanlookedupatthebusinessman,smiledandreplied,“Andwhatwillmyrewardbe?”

“Well, you can get bigger nets and catch more fish!” was the businessman’sanswer.

“Andthenwhatwillmyrewardbe?”askedthefisherman,stillsmiling.

The businessman replied, “Youwillmakemoney and you’ll be able to buy aboat,whichwillthenresultinlargercatchesoffish!”

“Andthenwhatwillmyrewardbe?”askedthefishermanagain.

The businessman was beginning to get a little irritated with the fisherman’squestions.

“Youcanbuyabiggerboat,andhiresomepeopletoworkforyou!”hesaid.

“Andthenwhatwillmyrewardbe?”repeatedthefisherman.

Thebusinessmanwasgettingangry.“Don’tyouunderstand?Youcanbuildupafleetof fishingboats, sail allover theworld, and let allyouremployeescatchfishforyou!”

Onceagainthefishermanasked,“Andthenwhatwillmyrewardbe?”

Thebusinessmanwas redwith rage and shouted at the fisherman, “Don’t youunderstand that you can become so rich that youwill never have towork foryourlivingagain!Youcanspendalltherestofyourdayssittingonthisbeach,lookingatthesunset.Youwon’thaveacareintheworld!”

The fisherman, still smiling, lookedupand said, “Andwhatdoyou think I’mdoingrightnow?”

TheInvitationThereisalifeofsimplicitythatiscallingouttoyou.Itisinvitingyoutolivethelifeyouwereborn to live,not the lifeyourneighbor is trying toachieve. It isinviting you to value the things that you want to value, not the values ofbillboards and advertisements. It is inviting you to remove the distractions inyourlifethatarekeepingyoufromtrulyliving.

Andit’sbeenherethewholetime...

MOREFROMJOSHUABECKERGet ready for a 360 degree approach to a simplified lifestyle. Inside-OutSimplicity:Life-ChangingKeys toyourMost ImportantRelationships is ane-bookthatgoesbeyondexternalfixestoourcomplicatedlives.Instead,thisbookdarestofocusontheveryheartandsoulofasimplifiedlife.

It isbasedon the truth thata simplified lifestylebegins inaperson’s soulandwill help the reader find an inside-out simplicity by focusingon life-changingprinciples in their most important relationships. Healthy relationships areabsolutelyessential for simplicity.Andhealthy relationshipsalways flow fromtheinside-out.

Readmorehere:Inside-OutSimplicity.

ABOUTTHEAUTHORSince choosing to simplify his life two years ago, Joshua has encouragedhundredsofthousandsofothersaroundtheworldtopursueminimalismintheirlifethroughhisblog:www.becomingminimalist.com.Asoneoftoday'sleadingproponentsof“rationalminimalism,”

Joshua presents 7 principles that will help guide the reader into a practice ofsimplicity that works for their unique, individual lifestyle. Youwill enjoy hisunique blend of illustrative stories, theoretical principle, and practicalapplication. After all, if this typical family of four living in the suburbs cansimplifytheirlife,socanyou!