%PDF-1.7 1 0 obj << /Type /Catalog /Outlines 2 0 R /Pages 3 0 R >> endobj 2 0 obj << /Type /Outlines /Count 0 >> endobj 3 0 obj << /Type /Pages /Kids [6 0 R 24 0 R 38 0 R ] /Count 3 /Resources << /ProcSet 4 0 R /Font << /F1 8 0 R /F2 9 0 R /F3 10 0 R /F4 11 0 R /F5 26 0 R >> /XObject << /I1 13 0 R >> /ExtGState << /GS1 21 0 R /GS2 22 0 R /GS3 27 0 R /GS4 28 0 R /GS5 50 0 R >> >> /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] >> endobj 4 0 obj [/PDF /Text /ImageC ] endobj 5 0 obj << /Producer (dompdf 3.1.0 + CPDF) /CreationDate (D:20250904133248+00'00') /ModDate (D:20250904133248+00'00') >> endobj 6 0 obj << /Type /Page /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] /Parent 3 0 R /Annots [ 14 0 R 17 0 R 19 0 R ] /Contents 7 0 R >> endobj 7 0 obj << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 1616 >> stream xXn6}WHQ7}) ZnhD"?S{HIvhqxf朙a K_eE\.YVTt9%t!ūA $F Kΐubpԩ$Ȫ~ I{Zꤵxjl7[H˔t>g<ޫIJuOs,5:1^%:N<=k'`d6t>kkuuUl>cOgKáWYOIXL'JYtnT:.>qɚQ7 H YE>{,Y,#_wRߐkr7# }+^67$eF{_,Y1|Fn@<ِs^< 0k?ɐwZ4QyVi,±{_Yws`V{IR1 gi عYTY3j#-q1sh䱴қجGۋ{D:AF_#Zn-Ve4m$= 9GIEf.#}/>xeZOT<yGȽ"6Uɒ*SFw銕ݏ?DюM#u)V*XBWrL 7WG/Bv(Q '@HjڍÙA+Ǭ˨ԿC݉P:psBA810E.c *H"ӴBJFvkcCI^H%>G?jնEֵ 1]1h9"lƮ F@GѪx`k% xvmhşo#׳lP7l#޾ɉaq lkvPˡ^M_X4ͱ\Gc-:=x+]ky=+AΘoD5[/561<J#i"@?±4ƺp]%' !Fs%1.Xʟ1QZڧf3&O[!2WV^VO>y\(Kε0(_BmoMXۑgŊvrXl90&!NEnO9G8ЫV P ۽X_dB)\/>@t 7@iW G0q<䲈U7 &dI 'UJ^t7X:eԱUи# \#t/dg7'kg۵\G-?UhJAΛF g.- 1%\I؊JұA"[^/[v:f& :yYyRP8U-[ *M_~ԿG.oa3ʟ/6;#\zqy endstream endobj 8 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F1 /BaseFont /Helvetica /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 9 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F2 /BaseFont /Times-Bold /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 10 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F3 /BaseFont /Times-Roman /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 11 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F4 /BaseFont /Helvetica-Bold /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 12 0 obj [6 0 R /Fit] endobj 13 0 obj << /Type /XObject /Subtype /Image /Width 125 /Height 125 /ColorSpace /DeviceRGB /Filter /DCTDecode /BitsPerComponent 8 /Length 5896>> stream JFIFC    !'"#%%%),($+!$%$C   $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$}}" 4`7ys䪦MP)a9+OOjO 2ڎS&}nP'8.ozw&0QgD;sOs6#&CY;gV N1,@'-N-.҆見"6]zF{"OSwW tDuHy,ii8mB7cE k^Q[ S"F/8}6s{ݸܟ>֕EAJUֆ{e Fe_r+\ÒGchT,zB do݈f*-)"Ԟ.E?*!1"#$234AC/Mj,FRY\mi2{YKbC$Pkow6G!P9 W "VsTƱqC#*-\P?|"Fi׆ʽEFRmZ,4@]2̵sLLYc𫉪^W(8q1e;hHHm;Ng:%Y5$Y>)잖3ɵ)M3<Ве^WjbYV>1ekW;Irl~ewWeyfK2 pRAu`* WQ$hKG.qdj6.Ӫ<)cnqM yԪ f*UMވc*1'?z&$y/쩇2wXg .pʸL(I [(D9OMѦ[*f#3;T`Um&)@J' 9i). #EZIFs Ue;juUPʚQ}ơ ]Д;@׾w qJ[2Tn].l"4@\$4RvڬRy!a4:''9@A.BJaHm BAaDޖn֬>v@Ţxp.HpB%ӧ Nugv՝[ ODYTCۂȄ91 PQM9 C< {UK+>HtO)5;6Z֨ւ:­Lo PHpc*snǒN|"7k,&;j/ɂeEpߙjށdžMPV4(TF?ui\z!G蝹liġz Q6:Ѳ{>V- #S}=T'!1AQaq ?!LiM7#O ז'DP.:Gm!hD ;qI0 /O?L0ZITu&<6͍*4Pݵ*TV Nj%gaًMZwѦFStz3_aկ\k;ā zzKJs(qf6(nW < fljFhEGb7mn%ѿhEo R8X=J\Z8z+Qϼ.W *.1;:Ȕ[ok^Dzep>̳26,`=5z@Jq1f]S"1Dl/#ATe@7u/N\]];s09s^s_̢ Ъ}|71 u6 y)>v|G<Fi?Y^@'5(p׼< w3\%6MTpdaDg&#&;n[=̄&fAa`koC6u) Ѕo{p˩f;q6/>, UUkU[Bz'5jnރnol@Y`3c;o𐃂վ/KV^&fPN3.jc [8cL v&!bGLj%q(HI)BeƲ,]hKEh7ˬ]>lLp Xk?ScDt.u`y[ bER_D䖡c`s~)1<%UpXU +ERHv:_딪6l'TRzΣ⾐FA6ĿK֟2D+`&Pf '{e׼ _h KԪ)$1GEWZ z`T <77E+|D?QZ툊3 HVZXuw˟iJ}U:_^ϦUb<DߚylW `,pK뮡*lǟ31G f8k2]o׺儬밮5 c5hK 1)Gmf%i>#!1AQaq?pq0.V)h-É~!Ё}FާzƮ)-2D!1AQa?u6<ןi8mr=;]pL`!!m0#8C v!G}Y`ܰ M<7a.g/&!1AQaq?$2dDNˎpɌ/}Ȗ(6g%D0|.pe` UOg>3ؗX&:#?^?5&s]6+X)8Qœ!}3E bd& mN?K6OxtU!{ܲ eN3MLxHq LGG3 {GŸԻ 0Of% :77j6`eM%"h;y/^.2aDrG+=`?8 5i(פ[4$/)TCBO.D 2wv-CbFlys@2z(Fl+#0òkTɬE|`]hv`G'Bi`\_XZя3C#j'Ac0E>7in[̌*~r}f.ppm>9ʱ<:cF v@/=bQc^}"mJp-לS(ƨi#pT-8^1֠"X?T?lpxmP͛DS1f:z>ἌtXh8 ojz!6 a`T<8&ehȳK@7zO[J2j> T[@ C[J^ βH@z+k 60`A,͉19d'{ݨ.% SAYzYݐ <!m0:ȣ NX9%85y$Ra ONpYPc&j mf49u03ȸ.5e7v2˭,7 Qfȇ0T]zȯrbri&tPB~OkW+bLbM}`>~f%ТGFu2R$!qKx]*y4h:~;5 Vt"Cq1ѡya o 458B0*) ~\dvhNO` ( H}`8w,hS5r"(gьm47]J)7'dCqrPR~1O>!7ʟ]s1gh>xp"ǽ̔"q;.ti<h{e3BH$͆XE.U6yV;T~ SMt4\RD1KLDHH&T,hO;LA 7`!NDJ<`y;#c{$x7;N9ÍbvzuŘQ 4ztbn<2^w@4|^ P+i?}̖eTu4`P䖝PYZ;޵Tr/<<&DjJg.ErjV :mu+_X9J(ܷ!@+|hr,Ux8W&Ws5*sdЅߨqQi P"Zp@ l0yb,,ۆs%#t?&X@K\U0b 6=8oh$p৥^ьi{{2x(<"Bm-/u/xlN0G%ÁӖ&x*| U~ endstream endobj 14 0 obj << /Type /Annot /Subtype /Link /F 28 /A 15 0 R /Border [0 0 0] /H /I /Rect [ 98.3720 611.4710 192.3920 623.6810 ] >> endobj 15 0 obj << /Type /Action /S /URI /URI (https://www.becomingminimalist.com/simpler/) >> endobj 16 0 obj [6 0 R /Fit] endobj 17 0 obj << /Type /Annot /Subtype /Link /F 28 /A 18 0 R /Border [0 0 0] /H /I /Rect [ 67.0040 129.2510 166.3640 141.4610 ] >> endobj 18 0 obj << /Type /Action /S /URI /URI (https://www.becomingminimalist.com/financial-freedom/) >> endobj 19 0 obj << /Type /Annot /Subtype /Link /F 28 /A 20 0 R /Border [0 0 0] /H /I /Rect [ 150.3920 114.5990 322.4600 126.8090 ] >> endobj 20 0 obj << /Type /Action /S /URI /URI (https://content.schwab.com/web/retail/public/about-schwab/Charles-Schwab-2019-Modern-Wealth-Survey-findings-0519-9JBP.pdf) >> endobj 21 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /CA 0.3 >> endobj 22 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /ca 0.3 >> endobj 23 0 obj [6 0 R /Fit] endobj 24 0 obj << /Type /Page /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] /Parent 3 0 R /Annots [ 29 0 R 32 0 R 34 0 R 36 0 R ] /Contents 25 0 R >> endobj 25 0 obj << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 3522 >> stream xZ[4~ϯRuXlR[gF3clO&ޯu@!ijZM՛;$MS<\%OQV~^}1.o bW퇑=Fjٹv规}}~OLEQ&iQ-|d&Sh}7m: ;;ְmuX-Vo/ޞf|T=GӬ:#Y.3J'XJVz5) <]=Ac*[ Շv95J؜ϭ?_o0X+K~?v/e"c'&<)t}VdMiyH!VM@:yKکmwg5 ڽc-:5<؞jGwy$fk:)tEwj|dz?_.lףƚ`1ݎFk:I5}Fj):>}{V8帔,[3$omi;z`.`S#)uz aK@ul"7j>w &T!^/IU ɤI !)-.ryޤin@ '3Sϫ, ZB_fԵ` s&g&kQ틼Ԗg" I$>/I^daur=Kʪg<-n`U-[ Rf:ȋ9@HvK꣊xޞܭ ܭVNl&ڊ,N@-ݸ1ÚS-NL;^-V-^ěK `V|9[9HzCh 8 .^pkN+'\V9b*o,d22G. o +d0G7o ­[r[ssn M2w8"9b@7Gr jije[*2g~CYXsETQVkA<洴E LlT|%B|'t`jF$CI3jjKL˒țְ:IzcFca8ioNXEV%)o%(v ad/ (3ykN[dH(y{m)YQ!ȢvVP^HQyH?o կ6q7w70W l+&2"HgkӀL&2e7w'f$b 1+ݐnޝܮvܝNVok _v !0(+ xOx= kwCF; lOgdfdž4iJ}T|$AvY[B\>VvS88xdzU3o;2f𺝶͸{ZbZyd{U<\F԰=2&RL#H%RɨKgDy"+Q9)ٜ#=^XXtXHaAp"y^h@"9@HvKzy{rj&ps;ZٖYIZ :_Qa׳CNĠn%'ۤL9T&f#r:zGkKӭfk>{Tg ӭcU`K Q"Op$:ʜ@dGёGGCGGy71pxu[4;,ih@}tYTe2HiPoE[2ۓV3՜=hZ˶T )*֢=5f)RpRBS"K2IKD?)5%F4r8W]8!_GcA7#0$Q͗7@%,o@8+ M"WhDC$%YTȲU#%yk nڒZ͑F`WhyJ^ yUh0y$%%y{rj&psMkٖDhVUhi5MBFюjyx!k*^~#" ĺA8 l2}Nm!Z_2i4P3+b MD'MܼPpoխ{;4im&Q#Ƚ''Jԑ'*Б?~X_m,Y¾~QJ)z>jVْ{XRȄ.鎚JŎS<{27j>KxdLh3W&ꚍtcpg ޔJdwQ e-&%48-ܞ;gB h@]7\)XhZОW\}04=~@>M~j}o\z+yb[ G)>]B>\Ih7l~fOwoOO}f;cN.GP`|Қ`Է,sQ,OC{4~iͯmOa!NR2Z;;WɲIPx.`n#LN_q,ujN[>n'on~x6j>6p?x%/? endstream endobj 26 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F5 /BaseFont /Helvetica-Oblique /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 27 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /CA 1 >> endobj 28 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /ca 1 >> endobj 29 0 obj << /Type /Annot /Subtype /Link /F 28 /A 30 0 R /Border [0 0 0] /H /I /Rect [ 210.3800 679.2650 305.7560 691.4750 ] >> endobj 30 0 obj << /Type /Action /S /URI /URI (https://www.becomingminimalist.com/how-to-be-happy/) >> endobj 31 0 obj [24 0 R /Fit] endobj 32 0 obj << /Type /Annot /Subtype /Link /F 28 /A 33 0 R /Border [0 0 0] /H /I /Rect [ 423.8480 447.5210 550.5920 459.7310 ] >> endobj 33 0 obj << /Type /Action /S /URI /URI (https://www.satruck.org/) >> endobj 34 0 obj << /Type /Annot /Subtype /Link /F 28 /A 35 0 R /Border [0 0 0] /H /I /Rect [ 65.0000 432.8690 92.9960 445.0790 ] >> endobj 35 0 obj << /Type /Action /S /URI /URI (https://www.satruck.org/) >> endobj 36 0 obj << /Type /Annot /Subtype /Link /F 28 /A 37 0 R /Border [0 0 0] /H /I /Rect [ 393.8600 359.6090 525.9080 371.8190 ] >> endobj 37 0 obj << /Type /Action /S /URI /URI (https://www.becomingminimalist.com/101-physical-things-that-can-be-reduced-in-your-home/) >> endobj 38 0 obj << /Type /Page /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] /Parent 3 0 R /Annots [ 40 0 R 42 0 R 44 0 R 46 0 R 48 0 R 51 0 R 53 0 R 55 0 R 57 0 R 59 0 R ] /Contents 39 0 R >> endobj 39 0 obj << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 2092 >> stream xXr+Ll>fTl)nM1#SsAJ얒B{Aps{wpe1F7$QV8"Îܾ Þ𷎜q=y&;]'#7큌͙<,I ESnSuS;0~or#i,?iROM?X4:l;~l<6cMU3nMu1݊*iɍ6PNc;zםH ^p\7;s:H\|yV8JDpBsuwMgS!6M3a=V!K?|EkXɗf;JkQïwwFeTF0FeUoE.t>xf}؊v`e@näPaK-Mc3z7S3 Mbݰk⺣Q"ɩCnʔ<F>n}N3IT9%Z n Tot D_s:,!S|RJreRET͸0}6+dljY"V%0xzet{I]U[.m7%:ڶ}NbyCj(4vqd-G ^*T` ;#/_Lԟ/F *#ncL8>K,(U좆MJF4ɍf_OL=G d*3$鈜t~CI$Iސc1Iy͗/~=)c&j0"nT$Sk["aǥwg\v ۋ\4BȜSrD5;Ml뉴bTqɄTX#L̩DgVLaOa(帢ؚlEy.i;vel^{c :Ϭu=+h+c(;Ѧ*.s?W&XscmlWdO鼰}'m+Fݚc}z".{GPNrJN+4 I5B5 uPғxl^ sg8遾@rG94&@̒bG,y#sC=E'>~Cz:{w}c{S r.-}EG2Y}}nL+օG7>u{Q]) ? ާ[soكy0κ>ajlk ·µTw4s*ZDf?n τm]Uqk<C -EO}S{#Id$\1Xh%#]f0eE.dh%LqJ~܁v`]3xU|l^d<0wu3B-Z e}c+q+96u_A6t򷠷\yӰ>+1>vǾzMV)xs4*nbEeR |b/ǾE*1)"qbĭwu<EQ,CP2R)-4K*JA؝q]~L+օ[Ñ-fhR&yԠd}; %<K?\`0-p{ Asm^ 4}xI}M|ێN2] ;)7̳¼>Ffh0mJ0l#fŀ0>c+̞>c3xb|@Q"#a_X# */cŀ03w}eu_9=Vƶ.K0upO Bn1ܻ}_yr$5熁`ck ^Œ}sGmyNmƧ+@) L/[ ,si/ y?vWwed|xVəY5Y)n*cCn#i R-ۼo/nGb~yTs`c!<$&!› 8 endstream endobj 40 0 obj << /Type /Annot /Subtype /Link /F 28 /A 41 0 R /Border [0 0 0] /H /I /Rect [ 238.4000 572.6570 303.0920 584.8670 ] >> endobj 41 0 obj << /Type /Action /S /URI /URI (https://www.becomingminimalist.com/creative-ways-to-declutter/) >> endobj 42 0 obj << /Type /Annot /Subtype /Link /F 28 /A 43 0 R /Border [0 0 0] /H /I /Rect [ 488.5040 572.6570 541.8560 584.8670 ] >> endobj 43 0 obj << /Type /Action /S /URI /URI (https://www.becomingminimalist.com/) >> endobj 44 0 obj << /Type /Annot /Subtype /Link /F 28 /A 45 0 R /Border [0 0 0] /H /I /Rect [ 35.0000 558.0050 88.3280 570.2150 ] >> endobj 45 0 obj << /Type /Action /S /URI /URI (https://www.becomingminimalist.com/) >> endobj 46 0 obj << /Type /Annot /Subtype /Link /F 28 /A 47 0 R /Border [0 0 0] /H /I /Rect [ 527.9000 558.0050 564.5960 570.2150 ] >> endobj 47 0 obj << /Type /Action /S /URI /URI (https://satruck.org/) >> endobj 48 0 obj << /Type /Annot /Subtype /Link /F 28 /A 49 0 R /Border [0 0 0] /H /I /Rect [ 35.0000 543.3530 159.7160 555.5630 ] >> endobj 49 0 obj << /Type /Action /S /URI /URI (https://satruck.org/) >> endobj 50 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /CA 0.67 >> endobj 51 0 obj << /Type /Annot /Subtype /Link /F 28 /A 52 0 R /Border [0 0 0] /H /I /Rect [ 196.4000 476.5490 411.8360 488.7590 ] >> endobj 52 0 obj << /Type /Action /S /URI /URI (https://caringmagazine.org/40-a-tip-for-decluttering-and-refocusing-every-room-in-your-house-with-joshua-becker/) >> endobj 53 0 obj << /Type /Annot /Subtype /Link /F 28 /A 54 0 R /Border [0 0 0] /H /I /Rect [ 84.3440 447.2450 359.7920 459.4550 ] >> endobj 54 0 obj << /Type /Action /S /URI /URI (https://caringmagazine.org/arc/) >> endobj 55 0 obj << /Type /Annot /Subtype /Link /F 28 /A 56 0 R /Border [0 0 0] /H /I /Rect [ 323.1320 417.9410 519.8840 430.1510 ] >> endobj 56 0 obj << /Type /Action /S /URI /URI (https://satruck.org/) >> endobj 57 0 obj << /Type /Annot /Subtype /Link /F 28 /A 58 0 R /Border [0 0 0] /H /I /Rect [ 91.0040 403.2890 250.3880 415.4990 ] >> endobj 58 0 obj << /Type /Action /S /URI /URI (https://westernusa.salvationarmy.org/usw_thq/location_search/) >> endobj 59 0 obj << /Type /Annot /Subtype /Link /F 28 /A 60 0 R /Border [0 0 0] /H /I /Rect [ 65.0000 388.6370 146.3720 400.8470 ] >> endobj 60 0 obj << /Type /Action /S /URI /URI (https://give-usw.salvationarmy.org/give/229662/#!/donation/checkout) >> endobj xref 0 61 0000000000 65535 f 0000000009 00000 n 0000000074 00000 n 0000000120 00000 n 0000000436 00000 n 0000000473 00000 n 0000000622 00000 n 0000000758 00000 n 0000002447 00000 n 0000002554 00000 n 0000002662 00000 n 0000002772 00000 n 0000002885 00000 n 0000002914 00000 n 0000008978 00000 n 0000009111 00000 n 0000009206 00000 n 0000009235 00000 n 0000009368 00000 n 0000009473 00000 n 0000009607 00000 n 0000009780 00000 n 0000009839 00000 n 0000009898 00000 n 0000009927 00000 n 0000010072 00000 n 0000013668 00000 n 0000013784 00000 n 0000013841 00000 n 0000013898 00000 n 0000014032 00000 n 0000014135 00000 n 0000014165 00000 n 0000014299 00000 n 0000014375 00000 n 0000014507 00000 n 0000014583 00000 n 0000014717 00000 n 0000014857 00000 n 0000015044 00000 n 0000017210 00000 n 0000017344 00000 n 0000017458 00000 n 0000017592 00000 n 0000017679 00000 n 0000017811 00000 n 0000017898 00000 n 0000018032 00000 n 0000018104 00000 n 0000018237 00000 n 0000018309 00000 n 0000018369 00000 n 0000018503 00000 n 0000018667 00000 n 0000018800 00000 n 0000018883 00000 n 0000019017 00000 n 0000019089 00000 n 0000019222 00000 n 0000019335 00000 n 0000019468 00000 n trailer << /Size 61 /Root 1 0 R /Info 5 0 R /ID[<3d7a75176b86fa4cb95ceddfb525e0f0><3d7a75176b86fa4cb95ceddfb525e0f0>] >> startxref 19587 %%EOF Creative ideas to start living a simpler life with less stuff  | Caring Magazine
Read Caring Magazine Volume 29

Vol. #29

Hope in Action

Read Issue

Latest Impact StoriesView All

Popular Topics

PopularView All

Messy room with a lot of clutter

Creative ideas to start living a simpler life with less stuff 

byJoshua Becker
February 18, 2020
4 minute read
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0
Listen to this article

The idea of living a simple life with less stuff sounds attractive to many.

But often, they begin to feel overwhelmed, anxious, and defeated around the idea of owning less. That’s too bad.

Learning how to declutter your home and (and as a result, decluttering your life) doesn’t need to be as painful as some make it out to be. And the benefits are numerous.

The Benefits of Decluttering Your Life

There are many benefits to owning fewer possessions. Even then, it’s tough to move into action. That is…until the many benefits of getting rid of clutter reveal themselves:

Less to clean. Cleaning is already enough of a chore, but having to clean around things you have zero emotional attachment to (or worse, actively dislike) makes cleaning the house much more stressful.

Less to organize. Finding things suddenly becomes easier. Things don’t just “disappear” anymore. You can actually move around your home and enjoy the space, instead of moving around things that are in the way.

Less stress. Looking around at the clutter is a nausea-inducing sight once your home becomes cluttered enough. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to look around and see a home you love?

Less debt. Spending less time shopping for material possessions and adding to the clutter means your wallet and bank accounts remain fuller, your credit cards’ statements are lower, and your home doesn’t get filled with costly things you don’t need.

More financial freedom. Most American households live paycheck to paycheck (59 percent according to a recent survey done by Charles Schwab back in May 2019.) Nearly half of those surveyed carry credit card debt. Decluttering, paired with minimalism, will help you build up savings to keep you protected in case of unexpected emergencies.

More energy for your greatest passions. With less debt, more financial freedom, and a clean home, you can now focus your energy on the things you enjoy instead of worrying about “Keeping up with the Joneses.” This will ultimately make you happier.

Ok, so now you know the benefits of decluttering your life, but you may be getting tripped up by the very next question…where in the world do you begin?

10 Creative Decluttering Tips

If you’re struggling and need guidance on how to declutter, you’ll need to get creative with your plans. Here are several interesting decluttering tips to get you started on decluttering your home:

  • Start with 5 minutes at a time. If you’re new to decluttering, you can slowly build momentum with just five minutes a day.
  • Give one item away each day. This would remove 365 items every single year from your home. If you increased this to two per day, you would have given away 730 items you no longer needed. Increase this number once it gets too easy.
  • Fill an entire trash bag. Get a trash bag and fill it as fast as you can with things you can donate. (Find a location near you or schedule an in-home pickup to donate to The Salvation Army.)
  • Donate clothes you never wear. To identify them, simply hang all your clothes with hangers in the reverse direction. After wearing an item, face the hanger in the correct direction. Discard the clothes you never touched after a few months.
  • Create a decluttering checklist. It’s a lot easier to declutter when you have a visual representation of where you need to get started. You can use our decluttering checklist.
  • Take the 12-12-12 challenge. Locate 12 items to throw away, 12 to donate, and 12 to be returned to their proper home.
  • View your home as a first-time visitor. It’s easy to “forget” what your home looks like to a new visitor. Enter your home as if you’re visiting the home of a friend. Write down your first impression on how clean and organized the home is and make changes.
  • Take before and after photos of a small area. Choose one part of your home, like your kitchen counter, and take a photo of a small area. Quickly clean off the items in the photo and take an after photo. Once you see how your home could look, it becomes easier to start decluttering more of your home.
  • Get help from a friend. Have a friend or family member go through your home and suggest a handful of big items to throw away or give to someone else. If you defend the item and want to keep it, your friend has to agree with your reason. If they don’t agree, it’s time to get rid of it.
  • Use the Four-Box Method. Get four boxes and label them: trash, give away, keep, or re-locate. Enter any room in your home and place each item into one of the following boxes. Don’t skip a single item, no matter how insignificant you may think it is. This may take days, weeks or months, but it will help you see how many items you really own and you’ll know exactly what to do with each item.

No matter which decluttering tip you choose to get started—whether it be one of these 10 or one of countless others—the goal is to take your first step in decluttering your life with excitement behind it.

There is a beautiful world of freedom and fresh breath hiding behind that clutter. Deciding how to declutter your home is up to you.

For more decluttering tips, watch this short video. In it, I provide 10 quick decluttering projects, each completable in just 5 minutes or less:

Republished with permission from the original post. See more from Joshua Becker at Becoming Minimalist and find a location near you or schedule an in-home pickup of your used goods to donate to The Salvation Army. 

Do Good: 

Download this page as a PDF

You May Also Like