These minimalism rules I’ve learned over the years have helped me radically declutter, unlock the power of simplicity, and ultimately make more room for peace & joy as I pursue more slow living. I hope these rules help you do the same.
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00:00 intro
01:00 5 min rule
02:50 the “mug” question
04:05 1 in 1 out
04:38 no single use items
05:03 if it’s not for your season, there isn’t a reason
06:10 90/90 rule
06:45 stop being other people’s storage facility
If you’re new here, hi! I’m Jess, a former over-achieving restless soul that is passionate about helping women cultivate contentment exactly where they are, especially amidst motherhood. I post about slow living, minimalism, my faith, and honest motherhood. If you’re into that, join me and a tribe of women looking to reject restlessness and step into joyful fullness by subscribing and joining the community. I’m glad you’re here:)
#decluttering #minimalism #slowliving
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Which of these are you planning on trying out?
Curious if you have any “keepsake” items? Either for you, your spouse, or daughter!
Love your advices. Use a lot of them already myself. But started to laugh when you mentioned the apple slicer when you where talking about single use items, I really get your point here but for me I use my apple slicer literally EVERY single day. I know I just could use a knife just wouldn't want to life without my apple slicer😂.
You got me hooked just from the beginning. Thank you. I needed this today
I used to hold on to tens of items of clothing that I thought I would eventually sell online. The amount of sorting, folding, hiding away, moving that pile in various bags around my small home finally reached the tipping point when I realised that I just don’t have the willingness, patience, or time to play eBay games any more. I think anything you don’t sell within 30 days of intending to sell should be the sign to get rid of immediately. I donated everything as was to charity and at first regretted losing the hypothetical money I could get, but then the enormous relief came through – I could now do all those other things that I was mentally postponing until I got rid of that pile! Now my regret is much more theoretical rather than practical, and diminishing every day, because I know I will still have some stuff even if I got rid if 90% of it (which I don’t wish to do as I like the feeling of having some of the items that bring joy around me, and I have hundreds of balls and skeins of yarn organised by colour that bring joy and are being continuously used for projects)
Rule 1 is soooo cooool !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!❤🎉
Do you have a video on your 10 item wardrobe?
A light bulb went off when a home organizer said “you don’t have to keep gifts you’ve received forever”. In fact you don’t have to keep them at all…it’s a gift. Did I think the giver was going to come to my house and ask where it was? Noooo. Donate.
I’ve never heard about this study regarding the mug before, but it’s funny because I actually use a similar method when deciding on a purchase. If I’m considering an impulse buy or something I’m on the fence about, I ask my sister, “How much would you spend on this?” If the item’s price is lower than what she estimates, I buy it. If it’s higher, I put it back.
Sometimes, I’ll mention the brand so she has a better sense of the price range, but I try not to—though that can be tricky since we’re in different tax brackets. If she were buying a mug, she’d go to Kohl’s, whereas I might go to Crate & Barrel, which means a $10 mug for her could be a $30 mug for me. That’s where brand names help for context. And sometimes, she just looks at the item and says, “I don’t like it,” which immediately settles it—I’m not getting it.
I trust her opinion, but when I ask my mom, I often end up regretting the purchase. The other day, I called my mom to ask if I should buy a Smeg espresso machine. I love Smeg and already own a few of their products, so I wasn’t really asking about the brand—I was asking if I actually needed an espresso machine. Her response? “Well, you like coffee, and it’ll last a long time, so yes.”
It’s a $400 machine, and she just says, “The price isn’t bad.” So, of course, I say, okay and buy it. But once I get it home and place it next to my other appliances (because I needed to check if I liked the color – they don't make this machine in the chrome which is what I currently own so instead I got black) and I realize I don't like it. My mom says "I like it" so I grab one of my non-smeg stainless steel appliances and put it next to the three and… i don't like it. It's too shinny and too contrasted. And then it hits me: I don’t even make a lot of coffee, I don’t know how to use this machine (i can barely make a nespresso and that just uses pods, this is manual), I’m super lazy, and I prefer tea. So why did i buy this? Thankfully it was in the return window so i took it back.
This has happened multiple times with my mom. Off the top of my head, here are a few things she convinced me to buy—all still brand new and in their original packaging:
1. Expensive art from an art auction
2. Two wooden screens/room dividers
3. A sewing machine
And then there’s one I actually loved but, unfortunately, didn’t work for my lifestyle (thanks to my clawed cats):
4. A white braided wool rug.
And let me tell you—this one really pisses me off. The second we got it home, it hit me: This looks exactly like a cat scratching post. I even said, “I think this is a bad idea. Should we return it? It looks like a scratcher.” My mom’s response? “It was cheap, so I think it’ll be fine.”
Well, spoiler alert—it was not fine. Not only did they scratch it, but they also threw up on it at least 20 times. And let me tell you, cleaning vomit out of a braided wool rug is a nightmare. The throw up left orange stains all over it and ontop of that when they scratched the rug they pulled out the braids and its not easy to put back in.
I finally gave up and replaced it with a washable rug—which, by the way, was what I wanted to get in the first place.
No shade, but when my kids started walking, they were taught to put their toys away. I'm not a maid 😏
Thank you for sharing ✌🏾. The older I get, the less stuff I want. And the less money I spend 😉👍🏾
If you haven't worn it but fits you should start wearing it. What about this logic?
I love the mug question! The only room that takes longer than 5 minutes to clean is my 5 year old room. 1. She has too much stuff and 2. It's all in her room because I don't let kids things out all over the house. But it's time for her to purge again because I have to do the floors in her room, so I have to move everything out. Great video, thanks!
Nothing would induce me to get rid of the dress I wore to my daughter’s wedding. It’s designer, cost a bomb, and every time I look at it my heart lifts, remembering that wonderful day. Another dress I wouldn’t part with is the one I wore when my husband and I renewed our vows, on our 25th wedding anniversary. Again, the sight of it brings joy. But that’s only two dresses. The rest of my wardrobe I’m pretty ruthless with, and recently made quite a bit of money on eBay selling off some items. In fact eBay has helped me a lot in my decluttering generally; I now look at items and think “would I sell this?”. Of course, not everything is saleable, but the point is, if I would be prepared to sell an item, that proves it doesn’t have sentimental value for me.
I think it’s that we are programmed to constantly buy more and more to the point that it becomes automatic. When we are awakened to this reality of brainwashing to constantly consume then we can take on a consciousness of what and why we are buying more things. Stop and think before we buy. Thousands of commercials to convince us to shop, shop, shop while watching the minimalist videos.
Love this content. The amount of YouTube adds was made nauseating though. So annoying.
This is a great video! Thank you for all the great ideas. I enjoy The Minimal mom as well.
@Jess! Can you give me a reading list! I loved your recommendation for the Ruthless Elimination of Hurry and am know you have mentioned other books. Do you have a list or a video that lists out your favorite? Please and thank you!!!
Don't be a storage facility…my sister has generations of stuff, family heirlooms, and her children still have stuff at mom's house.
Wow!! Thank you!!! I long to start. I know I need to listen to your video many times under the process that I start. ❤️
I am doing the third purge of stuff in 5 years. Already somewhere between minimalism and extreme minimalism. The 5 min rule spoke to me nevertheless. Thank you so much ❤❤❤❤
To add to #7 I was guilty of saving things for someone else’s someday!! Like the maternity clothes and baby gear & toys for when my sister has kids…someday. Obviously she (like me) would’ve wanted her own style for her baby, and that’s exactly what happened! That’s just one example. We give more value to things we already own, because of this I felt like I had a responsibility to find the perfect home for items I was decluttering, bc I had spent money on it and bc I felt it was more valuable than it may have been, I didn’t want my stuff sitting on a shelf in a consignment store. As crazy as that may seem, bc our stuff doesn’t have feelings, it was a hard truth for me to realize!! Made it way easier to let go
It just took me 1 hr to clean up the living room. My wife orders a bunch of toy for my two year old and it just creates more problems.