De-clutter to minimize your life and maximize your potential

These days, our lives are more complicated than ever. With so many pressures to contend with every day — keeping a roof over our heads; paying the bills; holding down a job; achieving good grades; eating healthily; getting enough exercise; commuting to work; striving for the perfect body; replying to no end of messages from no end of sources; keeping up with the latest technological developments; projecting the best version of ourselves through social media; raising the perfect children; saving the planet from destruction; plus hundreds more — it is little wonder that we often feel stressed and burnt out.

From time to time, many of us fantasize about running away from it all to live a simple life — perhaps to live in a caravan in the countryside, in a motor-home on the road, or on an undiscovered island somewhere hot. Although there are people who do indeed choose these lifestyles, most of us feel we are unable to sacrifice certain aspects of our lives for such a huge step into the unknown — this may be because of family commitments, fear of destitution, financial obligations or debt.

Fortunately, there are plenty of other ways we can de-clutter and simplify our busy lives without taking such extreme measures, and there are many benefits to be gained from doing so. People often find that they have more time to take up hobbies and engage in activities they enjoy, more time to socialize, and less time spent cleaning and tidying. Many also report that they benefit from a new-found sense of freedom, greater peace of mind, improved mental health, a decreased desire to spend money, a more productive life, and less overall stress.

Here are 15 easy to achieve ways to minimize and de-clutter your life, freeing you up to be more creative, more productive, more efficient, more clear-headed, more sociable, more healthy, and less stressed. You will need to devote some time to putting these into practice at first, but you will save so much time in the long run!

Update your phone and email contacts

Go through all the contacts in your phone and email address book, and delete any you haven’t been in contact with for more than a year (excluding any vital ones you might need in the future).

Check that all the remaining contact details are current, and update those that aren’t with the correct information. Add any new contacts from scraps of paper and notebooks you may have lying around in bags, pockets, and piles of unsorted paperwork. Also add the contact details for businesses and agencies you deal with, such as insurance companies, the tax office, utility companies, and the bank. Then, go ahead and schedule a day in your calendar to repeat this process at least once a year.

Put aside a few hours to optimize your email account. If your inbox is overflowing with unopened mail, then go through and delete any that are obviously spam or junk to start with. If you feel too overwhelmed to do this in one sitting, then aim to delete so many emails per day until you have cleared all junk and spam from your inbox. The number you choose to delete each day should be at least five more than the average number of junk or spam mails you receive on a daily basis. Otherwise, you will be fighting a losing battle as more emails arrive to replace the ones you have deleted.

This should whittle things down nicely, so that you end up with only the messages you need to read and those you need to action. Go through these, filing in folders or deleting any that don’t need a response. If you don’t already have inbox folders set up for filing, then spend some time setting these up now. It will save you so much time when you need to search for something from a specific contact at a later date, and it will keep your inbox looking nice and lean.

You should now just be left with emails you need to respond to, as well as those that require some other sort of action — e.g. emails sent to remind you to do something, such as paying a bill or re-ordering a prescription. For those that require an action, decide when you are going to do whatever it is (remember to check any deadlines first), then insert the task into your online calendar (more on this later). You can then delete or file these emails.

At this stage, you will be left only with emails you need to respond to. Prioritize these from most urgent to least urgent, then try to respond to as many as possible within 20 minutes each day. It’s best if you are able to set aside these 20 minutes at the same time every day if possible. Before you start your replies each day, get into the habit of scanning and deleting any unwanted emails from that same day first. This way, you will be on top of your inbox in no time, and your mind will also feel less cluttered as a result.

Finally, the chances are that your email address is on at least a few mailing lists, the owners of which have been sending you countless newsletters or offer messages for months or years. Many of these will most likely have outlived their usefulness and are now just a nuisance, but they still keep piling up. The next time you receive one of these, just take a few seconds to click the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email. If you do this consistently with the newsletters you no longer want to receive, you will soon start to notice a lighter inbox.

Eliminate distractions

Distractions bombard us from no end of sources in today’s constantly connected world. Social media, text messages, phone calls, answer phone messages, emails, letters, the internet, TV, radio, video games, cold-callers, people around us — it’s a wonder we ever get anything done at all!

Often, we allow our time to be eaten up by other people’s agendas or by our own inability to resist temptation. To really put ourselves in control of our own time and our own lives, we need to eliminate — or at least reduce — as many potential distractions as possible.

Ring-fencing a number of hours each day for your own agenda will increase your productivity exponentially, and will enable you to focus on tasks much more easily. Give these suggestions a try:

– Set your phone to silent and check it at the same time, twice a day. If you have missed an important call, the caller will have left a message and you can call them back once you have a free moment. It also helps to have this time to gather your thoughts before returning the call.

– Similarly, check and reply to any text messages just twice a day at times you have decided on in advance.

– Open your email account just once or twice a day at a set time, and deal with anything in your inbox straight away whenever possible.

– Keep your internet browser closed whilst working or doing other things. If you are doing something that doesn’t involve your computer, then shut it down completely. This will reduce the temptation to check Facebook, Twitter or Instagram every 10 minutes, or to browse the web randomly for hours on end.

– Limit or even eliminate the time you spend watching TV or playing video games, particularly if it has become a daily “unwinding” habit. You will find that your mind feels more alive, and you will have so much more time for other enjoyable and productive activities, many of which will help you feel just as — if not more — relaxed.

Use an online calendar

Getting into the habit of scheduling all appointments and important future tasks into an online calendar will both save you time and ensure that you never miss a deadline, or forget about an important meeting.

The beauty of using an online calendar — for example, Google calendar — is that you can access it on any device with an internet connection, wherever you may be. This enables you to check at the time of booking that appointments won’t clash, and to record appointments as soon as you schedule them.

At the beginning of each year, it is also a good idea to enter annual reminders for renewals and yearly events such as medical check-ups, MOT tests, vehicle services, computer software updates, subscription renewals, tax return deadlines, school term dates, and holiday dates, etc.

Scheduling these events in advance enables you to plan ahead of time and avoid any unexpected surprises or potential embarrassment later.

Keep a separate re-usable calendar for birthdays and anniversaries, and set alerts

Set up a separate calendar that omits days of the week and shows dates only, making it re-usable from year to year. Use this to enter birthday and anniversary dates you need to remember, and develop a habit of checking it at the beginning of each week to ensure you don’t forget or miss anyone’s special day. Remember to add to this when new children, nephews, nieces or grandchildren are born, or when new friendships are forged.

Buy greetings cards and gifts in advance

Keeping a constant and varied stock of greetings cards and gifts can save you so much time and money in the long run. Once a year, check that you have a suitable card for everyone you usually give or send a card to, whether this is for a birthday or anniversary, and check that you also have a couple of get well cards on standby, in case you need them. Make a list of any you don’t have, then go and purchase these at the same time, preferably when there is a sale on at your preferred store or online retail outlet.

If you usually send e-cards, many online greetings cards retailers will allow you to pre-schedule send dates. Do this once a year, and you won’t need to worry about remembering all those special dates throughout the year.

When purchasing gifts in bulk, take advantage of the January sales. Buying gifts well in advance means you can avoid the stress and hassle of last-minute panic shopping several times a year.

Use an online password service

We’ve all done it — forgetting the login details for those sites you only visit once or twice a year, or even the ones you visit more frequently. Yes, it’s true that you can ask your web browser to remember email addresses and passwords; however, this is not always a good idea. For example, there may be security issues when someone else uses your device; this method may not work across all of your devices simultaneously; and clearing your cookie history can wipe all stored logins from your browser’s memory in an instant.

For all of these reasons and more, it is far better to use a secure online password service such as LastPass. You will need to spend some time initially entering the login details you already have, but once you have done that, you will only ever need to remember just one password which will give you access to all your other login details. Furthermore, you will be able to add new logins to your LastPass vault easily with just one click, as and when you register with new websites in the future.

Clear out your wardrobe

You may have heard about Project 33 — the minimalist concept that challenges you to dress with 33 items or less for 3 months by creating a “capsule wardrobe”. Even if you aren’t ready to go this far just yet, having a good clear out of your wardrobe periodically can be extremely cathartic. It’s incredible how many clothes we tend to hold onto but never wear.

Begin by making a pile of all your clothes on the bed, and sort them into four boxes, labelled: Keep, Bin, Donate, and Mend (you may also want a fifth box labelled Sell, if you choose to do so). First, pick out the items that you love and wear on a regular basis, and place them in the Keep box. If any of these items need repairing in any way, place them in the Mend box.

From what is left, sort anything you are sure you don’t like or don’t wear anymore into two separate boxes — place items that are still wearable into the Donate (or Sell) box, and any items that are no longer in good condition into the Bin box.

Be sure to take items to be mended, donated or binned out of the house as soon as possible, to avoid procrastination and any changes of heart at a later moment of weakness.

If there is anything remaining on the bed once you have completed this process, it is likely that they are items you are unsure about. We’ll call this the “Maybe” pile. If you’re really not ready to part with these items, place them in a box outside of your wardrobe for three months. When the three months is up (set an alert on your calendar to remind you), review the clothes in the box and retrieve anything you have missed and feel you would like to wear again. You may find you are now ready to donate the items remaining, but if you’re still not sure, then repeat this three month process again.

Now, rather than buying new clothes to replace the ones you have discarded, create new outfits by combining items you already own in new and different ways. Accessories such as scarves, belts and jewellery can really transform or tie together an outfit you might not usually consider wearing.

And consider hosting or joining a clothes swap party with a group of friends every few months, for ongoing opportunities to give your wardrobe a new lease of life.

There are many benefits to minimizing your wardrobe — from saving money, making faster and more creative fashion decisions, saving water and time spent on laundry, not to mention reducing your impact on the environment — you will wonder why you didn’t do this years ago!

De-clutter your home

Most of us have more items than we really need cluttering up our homes. Discarding things that you no longer use or no longer love will make you feel less burdened and tied down, it will free up space, give you more clarity, and will also make your home much easier to clean.

De-cluttering can seem like an overwhelming task however. It’s usually best to break the job down into smaller, achievable tasks, and to do just a little every day. Follow these tips to avoid burnout and stay motivated:

Follow the same process you went through for de-cluttering your wardrobe — with five boxes labelled: Keep, Donate, Sell, Bin and Mend.
Work through one room at a time.
Devote an hour each day to de-cluttering one small area of a room before moving on to the next.
Make one trip to a local charity shop each week to drop off unwanted items.
List five items to sell online each week.
Digitize anything you can, to free up physical space in your home — this could include scanning paper documents and photographs, as well as converting cassettes, VHS tapes and vinyl records into digital audio files. Be sure to invest in a decent shredder when disposing of paper documents.
Ask for help from family and friends.
Reward yourself with something you enjoy after each de-cluttering session.

There are many more creative ways to de-clutter your home. If you can stop seeing it as a chore, you may even start to enjoy the process!

Downsize your home

Whether your grown-up children have flown the nest, or all that de-cluttering has revealed vast expanses of space you never realized you had, sometimes downsizing your home can be a hugely beneficial way to minimize and simplify your life.

Not only will this save you money on fuel bills, maintenance costs, furniture, decorating costs, and (often) council tax, but it will also save you time on maintenance tasks, repairs and cleaning.

And one added benefit is that a smaller home means it won’t be possible to accumulate so much clutter!

Stop buying unnecessary things

Whether it’s clothes, books, gadgets, knick-knacks or snacks, most of us are suckers when it comes to unnecessary consumer goods. Unable to resist sales or bargains, we accumulate mountains of “stuff” that we don’t need and never use.

To avoid temptation, try implementing the following practices:

· Block internet ads with an ad blocker when working or browsing online.

· Mute the TV or switch the channel when the ad breaks start.

· Avoid the city center shopping malls as often as possible.

· Cancel subscriptions to mail-order catalogues and shopping newsletters.

· Visit the library instead of buying books and CDs.

· Create new outfits with the clothes and accessories you already have.

· Participate in clothes swap evenings with friends.

· Take a list to the supermarket when food shopping, to avoid making spontaneous purchases.

Shop online

When you really do need to purchase something, shop for it online whenever possible to avoid heavy traffic, full car parks, crowded shops, and long queues.

Many items can be found online at a fraction of what they would cost in the High Street, even when shipping fees are taken into account. It is also much easier to compare prices than it would be to trek around dozens of shops in person.

Shopping online can also save you money on petrol, public transport and car parking fees. It also takes less time, freeing you up for more productive or enjoyable activities.

Pay bills through your bank

Online banking accounts give you the option to set up Direct Debits or Standing Orders for your regular monthly bill payments, saving you lots of time compared to paying them all individually. It can also help you to budget more efficiently.

Pre-prepare meals

Many of us don’t really feel like cooking a meal from scratch when we finally get home after a long, hard day at work. Pre-preparing and freezing portioned meals once a week will save you time and effort every evening, and can also save you money if you opt for meals that require fewer ingredients and shop for them in bulk.

Stock up on non-perishable staples such as rice, pasta, canned beans and pulses, and use spices to add more flavor to your meals.

Develop a daily routine

There are numerous benefits of adopting a daily routine. Doing so can positively impact many areas of your mental and physical health, including hormonal regulation, sleep cycles, eating habits, digestion, and stress reduction. It can also lead to increased productivity, less procrastination, more time to do things you enjoy, and peace of mind.

Developing regular bedtime, exercise and eating habits will make you feel more energized, motivated and focused. Achieving a healthy balance in your life involves making these three crucial elements a priority when it comes to developing a daily routine.

Also, try starting each day with a To Do list, and prioritize tasks from most to least essential. As well as your daily list, make a Master list and weekly project lists for ultimate, streamlined efficiency.

Pay someone to do the jobs you hate or find difficult

This may seem indulgent, and even counter-intuitive if you’re looking to save money, but actually there is a lot to be said for freeing up your time to do other, more productive things.

Successful business people understand the value of outsourcing jobs they are not qualified or inclined to do themselves. After all, if the old adage, “time is money” holds water, then it makes sense to spend a small amount of money on tasks you are unable to do quickly or easily, so that you can focus the time saved on the things you do best — for example, more of the type of work you thrive at, which could earn you as much, if not more money than you’re spending on such help.

A study carried out by Ashley Whillans, assistant professor at Harvard Business School, found that people who spend money to save time are significantly happier than those who spend it on material goods. So, whether your nemesis is cleaning, gardening or book-keeping, hiring help could be a shrewd move to further enhance and simplify your life.