Three habits to continue a simple minimal lifestyle

Easy to follow three habits to continue a simple minimal lifestyle.

I started my simple minimal journey out of desperation. We had moved again, the third time in two years, we had a busy toddler, and I was pregnant with our second child. I was overwhelmed and needed to quickly simplify our life.

The amount of stuff we had stressed me out!

I started on this journey for a more simple minimal life and have not looked back since.

What is a simple minimal lifestyle?

There are so many ways to look at a simple minimal life. But my definition is to keep only what you use and love on a regular basis.

I also aimed to have clutter-free surfaces and clutter-free storage spaces. What is your definition of a simple minimal life?

How long does it take to have a simple minimal lifestyle?

It took around one year for my family and I to pair down our stuff to a more manageable level. It might take you a shorter amount of time or a longer amount of time than that.

Take your time as you need with your process. After all, it is a journey not a destination for a more simple minimal life.

What is a habit?

A habit is a routine or practice that you complete without thinking about it. An example of a habit is brushing your teeth. Most of us will do this daily task without having to think about it.

Three habits to continue a simple minimal lifestyle

Clutter-free Surfaces

Clutter brings on more clutter. I have found that if I keep the surfaces in our home clutter-free then I’m able to maintain a more minimal life.

At the beginning of my journey, I knew that I had worked hard at declutter all the stuff. About a year in I still felt overwhelmed at times.

But then I took a picture of our surfaces and realized that we still had too much out.

Luckily this problem was simple to solve. I was able to move everything that was on top of the surfaces to other locations of the house, like a closet or drawer.

How was that possible? There was space inside of the cabinets and closets because I had decluttered so much previously.

Now I try and keep our surfaces as clutter-free as possible.

Place items in their home right away

A few years ago this was a daily occurrence of chaos.

The children and I had arrived back home from a fun playtime at the park. We dumped everything on the floor and carried on with our day.

I started to make lunch but the mess of jackets was getting in my way. The children were hungry, the diaper bag was a mess because the baby had gotten into it, and my keys were missing.

Several hours later, I was confronted by the mess we let strewn about the house. And I didn’t want to pick up the mess.

However, if left the leave the mess, then tomorrow morning would be even more chaotic.

So I grumpily pick up the mess and told myself that tomorrow would be better.

Chaos used to describe my life after an outing. But now we enjoy a much more peaceful and calm experience ever since adding in this one habit.

Place all items back where they belong RIGHT A WAY!

I recommend placing items back as soon as you enter the house. Making sure everything in your home has a “home” helps.

My children, husband, and I make it a habit to place the jackets back in the coat closet, the car keys away, and all other going-out items back where they belong.

If you place all items back, right away then it is so much easier to maintain a simple minimal life.

Do the dishes every day

If you hand wash or use a dishwasher, make sure you wash, dry, and store your dishes away every day.

For many, kitchens are the heart of the home. As a family, we are no different.

Cluttered surfaces and a sink full of dishes stress me out to the max! A messy sink makes me feel like our life is out of control.

I have found that if I am able to keep a clutter-free sink, then it is so much easier to continue a simple minimal life.

New to minimalism? I share the first 3 steps to jump-start a simple minimal life.

Of the three habits to continue a simple minimal lifestyle, what habit(s) are you going to start today? Or what habit(s) do you already do?

Thank you so much for stopping by! I love sharing about simple routines for simple living.

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