I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, decluttering and minimalism are about so much more than just your stuff. You can transform your entire life, mind, body, and home. That’s why I took the time to compile this list of different ways you can declutter and simplify all areas of your life!

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Start with mindfulness

The mind is a beautiful thing and these days it seems like so many people are struggling big time! Stress and anxiety are taking over and it totally stinks.

So, if you are ready to do some mental decluttering, Envogue said it best, “Free your mind…and the rest will follow...”

Sure, they were a little known group from the ’90s but they were on to something! Our mind is an incredibly powerful tool that has the power to change our bodies, our health, and our life.

Here are some simple ways to simplify your mind.

10 Mind Declutter Ideas

Here are 10 areas to work on decluttering your mind.

Turn off social media

…said the blogger. But seriously, do it and do it more often! Social media is strongly believed to be aiding in the increase in depression in our society. Do yourself a favor and scroll the views of the world around you and give the screen scrolling a break.

Airplane mode

Turning your phone to airplane mode not only saves you from too much social media but it also reduces the amount of radiation you pick up on which aids in a better night’s sleep.

Try meditation

It doesn’t have to belong or as Buddhist as you imagine it to be, just find 10 minutes in the day to be silent. You could color, use, use a guided meditation. Here are two of the top meditation apps I recommend:

• Aaptiv (Fitness app plus meditations. Get the first month free!)
• Headspace
• Calm

Hit the hay one hour earlier

We all know sleep is important, but sometimes it’s hard to get enough of it. In fact, the world is so sleep-deprived, they have fitness workout classes where you take a nap! Here are some ideas on increasing your sleep and improve the quality of it.

• Meditation app before bed
• No TV before bed
• Read 6 minutes before you sleep
• Keep your phone away from you at night

Read less

Reading dramatically improves the function of your brain and also helps you slow down. The more you can use that amazing brain of yours the better! However, trying to carve out time to read can just make us more stressed out! Instead, try downloading an Audible audiobook! You can listen while you get ready in the morning or in the car on a drive. It helps you absorb some of the goodness of reading without feeling stressed about making time.

Walk outside

More and more research shows just how helpful animals are to us! Children read to dogs, and therapy dogs are becoming more and more widely recognized as a serious source help when it comes to things like PTSD, anxiety and depression.

Brain dump

Got a lot on your mind? Get a notebook and just let those thoughts pour out into words! You don’t even have to read them or look at them ever again. Sometimes it just helps to get it all out! Sometimes using a gratitude journal helps, other times all you need is a scratch piece of paper or an open Google Doc! I know when I was younger, I would get up in the middle of the night and just type all my thoughts out then just erase them. It helped me get my thoughts out of my brain and get back to sleep.

Journaling

If you have more to say, and writing is (maybe) a passion of yours, consider starting a journal. Rather than just dumping it onto paper, find creative ways to get it all out. If writing is a passion of yours, it might be time to consider starting a blog or look into making money from writing.

Try time blocking

If you’re not naturally good at living life on a schedule, try a simple time–blocking schedule. Time blocking is a great way to simplify and organize your daily schedule. Instead of breaking your life into 30 minute or hour-long increments, it breaks it down into 3 hour (or so) chunks. Like this:

• 6-9: Get kids ready for school
• 9-12: Run errands
• 12-3: Work
• 3-6: Afterschool rush
• 6-9: Bedtime and chill

Do one thing on your to-do list

Do you know how we tend to let those to-do lists in our heads pile up? We start to obsess over the time they will take or how hard they will be? Instead of letting one more thing gets added to that list, take 15 minutes and do one. Maybe you’re the most dreaded one. Call the phone company, clean the fridge or whatever nasty thing you might have stuck on a loophole in your brain.

The power of your body

It’s funny how closely our mind and boy work together! If you want to get less-stressed, then taking the time to take care of your body may be just the thing to help you out!

Exercise increases your memory, brain function, serotonin, and productivity levels!

This doesn’t have to mean endless hours on the treadmill either! In fact, if you’re already stressed out, running or intense physical workouts make increase cortisol levels.

7 Body Declutter Ideas

Move

Walking, gardening, cleaning, jumping jacks, dancing naked in your living room…you really get to choose just make sure to get that body in motion.

Stretch

Taking some time each day to stretch your muscles can all around improve your physical health and increase your blood flow. This can also be a great time to declutter your mind a little. Just a 10-minute stretch session combined with a meditation app or some of your audiobook could do wonders for you! The Aaptiv app also has great at-home yoga/stretching routines you can try free for 30 days.

Water

Increasing your water intake will help your body naturally detox and clean itself a little better. It’s recommended that you drink between 9 and 13 cups per day depending on your size and sex.

Ditch 1 bad habit

We all have bad eating and drinking habits. One great way to declutter your body is to pick one of these habits and ditch it for at least 30 days. Things like:

• Soda
• Alcohol
• Sugar
• Dairy
• Gluten

Could have a significant impact on your overall health and wellness.

Get a massage

Massages can be a great way to release muscle tension and stress in your body. Plus, you should always drink an abundance of water before and after a massage which will help the detox process. If you can’t afford a pricey massage, try some of these DIY massage products.

Smooth move tea

If you haven’t heard of Smooth Move tea, it does exactly what you probably think it would. This can be a great way to detox and clean your system especially if you are backed up.

Wash your face

So rumor has it, detoxing products don’t do much for your skin. The best thing to do is to wash your face twice per day! It’s a simple method that can do some of the best detoxing for your skin.

Related Posts

• Morning Mindfulness. How to Reduce Stress Before Getting Out of Bed
• 18 Practical Ways to Downsize and Simplify in 2018

A clutter-free home

I always thought it was just me that felt anxious every time I’d see new clutter piled on the kitchen counter. Turns out, clutter is known to increase anxiety, especially in women!

Taking the time to create a home with less clutter can be one of the best things you do for yourself and your family. Less visual clutter can also help improve your mental health. So, it’s a win/win.

Here are some small steps you can take to start decluttering your space right now.

8 ways to declutter your home

One room challenge

Some people have more baggage than others. I’m not talking emotionally anymore. I mean you have let stuff pile up over the years and now you are just way too overwhelmed to even begin to tackle it! Instead of getting down on yourself or expecting to be able to buckle down and declutter an entire house in one week, why not start one room at a time?

Toss bulky furniture

If you have big furniture items that are instantly taking up a lot of your visual space, why not toss, donate or sell them!

I’m a big fan of clearing away big stuff right away. Doing it this way helps you feel like you’ve done a lot of work with less effort and can keep you motivated to continue.

Say goodbye to bathroom products

Have a ton of half-full bathroom products? Expired stuff? Things you don’t use anymore but hang onto in case of apocalypse? Take 20 minutes to go through all of your old bathroom products and toss anything that isn’t being used.

Sell stuff with purpose

Sure, you can put your efforts into a garage sale. In my neck of the woods, there are often city-wide garage sale days. If you are in an area that partakes in something like this, I say jump on it! This is oftentimes something shoppers wait for and save for. If you don’t want to wait around, try selling on Facebook Marketplace, Mercari, or Decluttr.

To make things even more fun, make a point of allowing yourself to enjoy the money you make from selling! Treat yourself to a night out or a spa day! Something fun that you wouldn’t normally do.

Store half your clothes

Maybe you’re not totally ready to part with your clothes? But, have you ever thought of cycling through them to simplify you’re getting ready process and declutter your closet space a little bit? You can try creating a capsule wardrobe or attempt Project 333 if you’re feeling daring.

Clear kitchen doubles

You know how most people have multiple spatulas and spoons? The same size pots and pans? Instead of keeping your kitchen cluttered-up with these doubled up items, take a few minutes to discard your least-favorites! This will also create less dishes for you to do as well!

Create a donate bin

Have a bin in your home that anyone in the family is allowed to put items into. At the end of the month, scoop up the bin and donate whatever has made it’s way in there.

This is a simple way to declutter consistently and right in the moment when we no longer feel the need to own something.

A donate bin can also fit in with your home decor and style. It doesn’t have to be a big plastic tote!

Opt for large photos

So there is that wall of photos that almost every home has. There are 800 different pictures of family, school photos and maybe a few randoms from you in high school? How about instead of all of that visual clutter, you take a few of your favorites (even if they are the ones from high school), turn them into a canvas and really enjoy just the ones that make you the happiest?

Take action

No matter what your focus or where you need to do a little tidying up, all you have to do is just get started! Each new day is a chance for a fresh start. Don’t get hung up on the things that went wrong yesterday, or the month before yesterday…it won’t help you with today!

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