RULES OF MINIMALISM
1. OWN FEWER THINGS.
Ever since I used Project 333 to curate a capsule wardrobe and applied the same principles in other areas of my home, I have delighted in having fewer things. Just like old friends, my clothes are dear to me now that I have chosen to keep only what fits and looks good on me.
In the kitchen too, I delight to greet my pots and pans, containers, crockery and cutlery, curated to fit the recesses of my cabinets and sitting pretty on shelves. I still am not fully done purging yet but, after four years, I am proud to say the joy is getting sparked more often. I choose not to welcome more gadgets, especially expensive electrical ones that reach the landfill sooner because of planned obsolescence.
2. USE THE 24 HOUR RULE.
This rule simply says that before actually making ANY purchase, let a breathing space of a day go by. Do your research thoroughly during this precious time and only if you are ABSOLUTELY sure you need it, then go ahead and buy. Remember, every gadget needs maintenance, every edible item needs to be eaten before it expires, every piece of clothing needs to be worn often to give value for money.
3. PURGE OFTEN.
I do a half yearly purge of kitchen cabinets and cupboards, a monthly purge of the pantry and an annual purge of my medicine cabinets. I clean out my freezer and refrigerator twice a month, but I will check almost daily for leftovers and bring them up to the front. Keep expiry dates intact so you know when your sauces and spices could go bad. If you do a monthly purge, you will be able to use these more often. Out of sight, out of mind is the adage I keep in my mind especially with regards to food items.
4. HAVE A DONATION BIN.
I never had a donation bin till the started practicing the KONMARI METHOD. In fact, when you declutter, you should have three bins: KEEP, DISCARD, DONATE. All items in the first go back into your cabinets and cupboards to be enjoyed. All that land up in the second need to be recycled if possible or sent to landfill. Hopefully after a few years of minimalism, that bin will be almost empty when you declutter.
5. EMBRACE THE JUNK DRAWER.
There's this one place where you just keep pushing anything you haven't made a permanent place for. This infamous rabbit hole is your junk drawer/cupboard shelf. Identify these areas in your home and spend an evening, sipping chai while you reunite with old friends. Are they your friends any more? No? Then get rid of them. Put them in your DONATE box or if they are broken, rusty, outdated, or simply too yucky to give away to someone then chuck them into the DISCARD bin.
6. TIDY UP DAILY.
I used to be too lazy to clean my countertops and the gas stove every day before going to bed till one day, a neighbor hinted at the horror of it all. Today, thanks to minimal things on my countertops, I am constantly cleaning as I cook.
Keeping footwear on the stand and clothes inside the cupboard, folding laundry and putting it away promptly, teaching the children to pack away their toys as soon as they are done playing, all these small tiny tidying up practices will go a long way to keep your sanity at the end of the day when you need to reset your home for a fresh start the next morning. Believe me, there's nothing more annoying to wake up to a chaotic house instead of that warm cuppa early morning.
7. KEEP MINIMAL AMOUNT ON COUNTERTOPS.
This, my friends, is my mantra.
And it is so true! I allow myself only three items on every countertop, just so I do not forget this. The things you leave out should be easy to lift and wipe under.
8. GO PAPERLESS.
As far as you safely can, use online payment options to pay bills. I have only one file for all my paper bills. Every year, I check and discard some backdated ones. Also, check for expired warranties and throw them away.
9. GO THROUGH MAIL IMMEDIATELY - delete/dispose unwanted items.
Thankfully, we only get a few magazines which I regularly discard keeping only those I need in a box, so I can use the pictures for creative activities. You could recycle paper easily or even use it to line your bins instead of plastic trash bags. Just saying!
10. HAVE A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING.
I used to struggle a lot and get into a fuming frenzy when I couldn't find place for the endless containers I had. Till I decluttered and kept only those that fitted the space. The same with clothes. It is a joy to see each and every outfit I possess hanging neatly in the cupboard, some of the inner wear and accessories in the organiser drawers, and the extras and out of season clothes in one transparent box and one suitcase.
11. HAVE FEWER SURFACES.
This is something I haven't paid attention to but I know that the rule of three should ideally apply to all surfaces. If you need to keep more than three items on any given surface, just corral them in a tray. That way the surfaces will be a joy to wipe down DAILY or if you are lazy, like me, weekly.
12. USE TRAYS SPARINGLY.
Yes, I know this contradicts the previous rule but sometimes too much of a good thing is a BAD thing. People keep trays on all their surfaces and these become 'open' junk drawers. They are an eyesore and cause stress just looking at them. After a while, they are like a woman's handbag - if you know what I mean.
13. SAY NO TO HAND-ME-DOWNS (if you don't want them).
I used to take so much from well-meaning friends and neighbors and it would get so frustrating to find place for them. I thought I would need these clothes, toys, etc but how much do we really need? So, now if I do accept, I decide how many to keep and give the rest away to other friends or I donate them. If you can say NO without feeling anxious that you could be offending the giver or that niggling feeling that you are going miss out on some free stuff, that is GREAT.
14. MAKE YOUR BED EVERY MORNING.
How did this get in here? Minimalism and making your bed?
I was watching a vlog that a guy made when he was training as a monk. He said that the newbie monks were allowed just two sets of clothing, a food pot to beg with and a yoga mat to sleep on. Their house consisted of a small semi-transparent tent, just big enough to sleep in. Every night, they had to wrap up one set of clothing to make a pillow and use the shawl of the other set as a blanket. In the morning, they would use the pillow set as their clothing and wash the one they slept in the night before. They had to fold the mat and keep it in the tent. Then they did some spiritual exercises before heading down to the village to beg.
Making your bed is a discipline that resets your day. When you see your bed so neat and tidy, it sparks JOY and this transcends to all the activities that follow. It is seen that people who make their bed first thing in the morning even before they leave the bedroom are highly efficient at work. They prioritize the important and urgent. They optimize their time and their systems work.
I did not believe in all this till I started doing it myself. I discovered another plus point - the aesthetics of a bed done to perfection, every corner tucked in beautifully and every crease caressed away. All this sounds so silly but it makes you feel so good. You must try it once and let me know how you feel too. It reminds me of how Jesus calmed the storm. The storm is like the crumpled sheets and the calm is like a made up bed.
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