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I’m assuming if you’ve stumbled on this page, then you’re interested in figuring out how to organize your home. But more specifically, how to organize your home the minimalist way.

I have a confession. I once was a sentimental hoarder and saved everything. My biggest fear at the time was regret and I tried my best to avoid it.

In order to do that, I had to be prepared for everything. Which meant keeping everything. I didn’t want to regret ever throwing something away because I might need it someday.

Then, my passion for being organized surpassed my fear of regret. I had to learn how to change my mindset about what items to keep, learn how to mentally handle the feeling of regret, and create rules to apply my priorities.

I’m sure if you’re reading this, you’ve probably felt this same way. Maybe you’ve experienced this in either a small way or slightly different way, but I think all humans struggle at times with keeping things we don’t need to.

You can’t be a hoarder and be organized. You have to choose one or the other.

I have a few rules that I mentally tell myself as I’m organizing things and trying to figure out what to keep or throw away and I want to share them with you!

My hope is that I’ll be able to help you transition from the mindset of feeling like you have to keep everything to feeling confident of what to keep and what to throw away in order to organize your home.

WHAT IS A MINIMALIST?

First off, a minimalist is someone who lives off of less. They focus less on the value of items and more on the value of life itself.

I wouldn’t say I’m a hardcore minimalist, but my house is fairly organized. There are definitely things I could get rid of if I had to, but I for sure have less items than most people.

I’m not the type of minimalist that lives in an RV or a tiny house. I salute those who do. That is minimalist living for sure! So I’m not to that extreme, but I don’t have a lot of clutter in my home and everything has its designated “home”, so I consider myself to be a moderate minimalist.

ORGANIZE YOUR HOME THE MINIMALIST WAY

THINGS TO CONSIDER AS YOU ORGANIZE YOUR HOME

This list I’m about to share are things to consider as you organize your home. These tips and thought-provoking questions will help you decide what you need to throw away and what you should keep.

These are designed to make you think. I’m not directly telling you what you should or should not have in your home. You need to make that decision. But if you’re really trying to purge and throw a lot out, then you need to really consider these mindsets and throw some stuff out!

1. If you don’t use it, lose it.

This pretty much goes for all storage that gets untouched. We all need storage. Christmas decorations have to go somewhere for the rest of the year.

But why are you holding on to items that sit there all year. Maybe you might use them at some point? NO. You won’t.

I had some decor items that were given to me that I was hoping I could work into my decor in some way. However, they just sat there for a long time so I gave them away.

If you haven’t found a way to use it yet, get rid of it.

That sweater that sits in your closet year after year that you love but never feel like wearing, get rid of it.

Stop holding on to things with the hope that you might use them someday. If you don’t actively use them and frequently, then they’re just wasting space in your home.

2. Do you NEED this?

Need and want are two very different things. You need food and water. You want that trendy shirt.

If you’re finding that you’re holding on to a lot of things, go through items and ask yourself if this is something you need or something you want.

I’m not saying empty out your whole closet. But learn to limit yourself in a realistic sense. Keep what you can live with. You don’t need twenty pairs of the same style jeans or five sweaters of the same color.

Do you really need 300 movies? Limit the amount you have. Keep your favorites and give the rest away.

Do you need all those books that you won’t read or will never read again? Give them to someone who will.

Do your kids really need so many toys that you can’t see the floor of their bedroom? NO.

3. If it doesn’t have a “home” then it doesn’t need to be in yours.

This is a big rule in my house. Everything has its own spot and if I can’t find or make space for something, then it goes.

That item’s “home” shouldn’t be the floor or the coffee table. It needs to have a valued spot in your home.

Things not having a home is what creates clutter.

I get that clutter happens now and then. That’s why I go by these 7 Tips to Organize Your Home – And Stay Organized! These tips help my lazy self stay organized and gives every item in our home a “home” even if they don’t have one.

Need a place for your mail besides your kitchen table? Need a place for those clothes that are too dirty to put back in the drawer but not quite dirty enough to wash yet? Then checkout those 7 tips and give everything in your home a “home”.

4. How do you decide what kind of or how much memorabilia to save?

This one is hard. I can’t tell you to throw away sentimental things like a drawing you made for your mom when you were 5 because I don’t know how much it actually means to you. You’ll have to determine that one on your own.

There are still some things to consider when going through items from your past that you save.

Did you remember that you kept this? Had you thought of it in the last year or two? My rule is if you didn’t know it was there before you found it, you won’t know it’s gone.

Would you be absolutely crushed if it was gone? Could you live without it? If your house was on fire, would you try to save this item before you rushed out?

Could you still remember it even if it was in the trash? I had trophies from high school and every certificate from every event I participated in growing up and I recently decided to throw them away.

I remember what sports I played in school, what trophies I won and the grades I had. There wasn’t a need for me to pull them out every five years to look at them again.

This is personal preference. I’m just not the type that is sentimental with those things and they held absolutely no purpose by sitting in a box upstairs. I was once proud to have those things as symbols of my accomplishments. But I’ve moved on and they will just serve as memories that I can remember.

Are there things that you’ve moved past that can be thrown away? You don’t always need the symbol if you have the memory.

Again, I can’t tell you what to keep and throw away. You have to be able to decide that for yourself. I decided to limit my childhood memory items into just one box. Anything that didn’t fit in that box didn’t stay in my home.

TIPS TO LIMIT CLUTTER AND STAY ORGANIZED

There are certain things you can do to stay organized and focus on simplifying the amount of stuff in your home. Try these tips to reduce the clutter and keep a smaller amount of items!

1. Shop smarter.

Stop buying things on impulse or just because it’s a good deal.

Before you buy something ask yourself a few questions:

Am I going to use this?

Do I need this?

Do I know exactly where it will go in my home?

If you don’t have a good plan for an item, then it doesn’t need to go in your home. Sure, that faux plant is cute and a good price, but if you don’t have an empty spot already planned for it, then DON’T BUY IT.

I get that your kid will enjoy that $1 toy that you bring home. For a minute.

Stop adding to the collection if you don’t need to.

2. Organize items together and set rules for how much you can store.

Limiting yourself to a certain amount of items per category is a great way for you to organize your home and stay organized.

So if you want all your movies in a basket next to the TV, have a rule that you can only keep the amount of movies that fit in the basket and have to choose other ones to give away.

Only keep a certain number of hangers in your closet. If you buy a new article of clothing, give another one away.

This keeps the amount of stuff you have to a minimum and helps you stay organized.

3. Only have one collection.

This one is me being generous. I understand that some people are collectors and have a hard time not collecting things. It’s kind of like their hobby and they can’t seem to escape that mindset.

If this is you, try to limit yourself to only collecting one thing. For some people it’s clothes, movies, kid’s toys, books… whatever it is, limit it to one collection and reduce all the other collections.

Ideally, you’d reduce all the collections. And maybe you can eventually get to that point. But, I know some people truly struggle with not collecting things. It can be an addiction for some people. Take baby steps to get yourself out of your addiction.

4. Keep multipurpose items.

Be practical about the things you buy and save and find ways to use things in more than one way.

For example, I like to buy clothes that I can use for several different outfits. If I can only think of one thing that I could pair an article of clothing to, that article of clothing doesn’t come home with me. However, this plain, white shirt will look great with jeans, khaki shorts, a skirt, under a cardigan, under a jean jacket, or by itself!

This is completely personal preference and I’m not telling you to throw away all your printed shirts, but it is a good example of how you can be versatile with items.

When you’re out shopping for things, try to come up with multiple uses for whatever item it is. Is this going to be helpful in your life in multiple ways? Do you already have something at home that could do this job just as easily?

CONCLUSION

The main goal of this post is to make you think. Consider what you’re buying. Think about why you’re saving certain items. Do you need them or just want them?

I truly believe that when it comes to taking the time to organize your home, it all breaks down to your mindset. Stop telling yourself that you need certain items. Stop saving things you’ll never use.

I’m not sure who needs to hear this, but that pile of Amazon boxes that you’re saving, GET RID OF THEM.

Stop wasting the space in your home with things you don’t need. Organize your home. Learn to live with what you need rather than what you want.

I promise you, you’ll be helping out more than just the space in your home. Having this clearer headspace relieves stress and can change how you look at life. What’s stopping you from organizing your home and your mind today?