Tag: minimalist home

How to Declutter — Negative VS Positive Value

Posted on by Katie Coughran

Sometimes it’s really difficult to evaluate our possessions and determine whether something has earned its place in our home. I hope my take helps!

Watch by hitting the play button or read the recap by scrolling down.

There was a time when I didn’t understand when or why I should keep or ditch something. As soon as I realized that each item I own has both positive and negative value and vibes, it became so much more clear what I wanted to have around me. Things with bad vibes? Absolutely not! Beautiful, space-efficient things I love? Heck yes!

Here are just a couple of tips for determining negative and positive value:

How much space does it take? Items can be useful and wonderful but still have a lot of negative value if they take up too much space. This is where you have to decide if an item is worth the space or not. If it’s not worth the space but you still want that type of functional tool in your life, look for a similar item that is space-efficient.

Do negative memories surround an item? I’ve used this example many times in my books and podcast, but it’s the example that cemented negative value in for me. I had a blouse that was beautiful and looked great on me…but when I purchased it, somebody said something incredibly rude to me. I kept the shirt but hated wearing it and I tried to avert my eyes when I opened the closet because every time I saw the blouse, I couldn’t help but remember that comment. Ditching that shirt was like ditching that comment. Now when I use it as an example and remember it, I see that comment as that person’s character issue and not mine. Even though it stung at the time, I’m grateful for the lesson I—eventually—learned.

If you have items that bring back terrible memories and make you feel bad about yourself, why are you keeping them? Is there enough negative value there that you can let those items go?

The same goes for the opposite—if you have something functional and to your taste with great memories attached, try to make space for it in your home.

Is it adding to the style you want to achieve in your home/wardrobe? If you have something that doesn’t add to the vibes you’re trying to achieve in your space, why are you keeping it? The negative value is that you have something that isn’t making your home/wardrobe feel the way you want, therefore taking up space you could be using for something that would make your home exactly the way you want it to be.

When I bring something into my home/wardrobe now, I’m hyper aware of style, quality, and space. I never want something that won’t be well-loved and used in our home again. Of course, I know I’ll fail at this task at many points, but I find myself succeeding more and more often.

Whatever you need to declutter, I hope these tips help you make decisions about what earns a place in your home and what needs to find a home elsewhere. After all, if you have to spend your precious time and resources housing it, shouldn’t you make sure it’s truly worth the effort?

Good luck with your ditching and declutter and remember, it’s all about the experiences, not the stuff.

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Minimalist Tips for Beginners

Posted on by Katie Coughran

There are so many reasons to practice minimalism, but sometimes it’s easy to get lost when we begin to simplify our lives. Here are some tips to help you out.

Click the play button below or scroll down to read the article.

There are so many tips that can aid you in your minimalistic practices, but these are a few of my favorites that keep me going time and time again. I hope they help you, too!

1. Define your “Whys.” Sounds kind of cheesy, but it actually works. If you don’t know why you’re doing something, when times get tough, it’s easy to give up. However, if you know what you want to get out of minimalism and you’re either going to continue practicing minimalism or give up your goals and dreams, it’s a lot harder to throw in the towel than when you don’t realize what you’re giving up. Define your “Whys” — those wants and dreams. It’ll be a lot harder to quit and will ensure you get closer to what you want.

2. Declutter one micro space at a time. If you’re just starting out, I usually recommend starting small. Start with a drawer in one piece of furniture, then work on the next drawer in that piece, and the next until the entire piece is decluttered from top to bottom. You’re much more likely to feel really good about that piece, it’s easier to see progress than if you grabbed random stuff from around your home, and you’ll probably want to put in a little effort to keep the space clean. Grabbing random stuff from around the house isn’t quite as noticeable.

3. Don’t stop progressing—set aside items you’re stuck on and continue moving. Lots of times people stop their forward motion while decluttering because they get stuck on an item/set of items. Instead of setting them aside and continuing to ditch and declutter items they CAN make decisions about, lots of people simply stop their progress. Some even quit.

If you’re stuck on an item or space, move on. Set that item aside in a box or even empty the drawers of a particular piece of furniture (use a couple of boxes), then tuck those boxes away into a space labeled, “Still deciding.” Once you’re done decluttering and ditching stuff in the rest of your home or after several months, come back to the box and see if you’re ready to decide.

Call yourself a minimalist, practice minimalism, and don’t worry about whether your home has been decluttered 100%. We’re all works in progress and honestly, I don’t think it’s ever done. Minimalism isn’t about one massive overhaul, but about living mindfully about what you choose to allow into your life. The massive overhaul is just an initial clearing out that gives you more opportunities to make those choices about what you really want in your life.

4. Minimalism is about more than physical possessions. Check out your schedule—what’s cluttering it up? Or what ISN’T on your schedule that really should be? What about your budget—what’s on there that’s keeping you from experiences or isn’t on there that would enhance your life? What’s cluttering up your mind or not taking up enough space in your thoughts? My commitment to minimalism truly began once I realized it wasn’t only to be practiced with my kitchen gadgets.

5. Find YOUR kind of minimalism. This is pretty much the heart of everything I talk about when it comes to minimalism. It’s great to gather information about how to practice something, but the way you actually make it functional in your life is by trying it out and seeing what works for you and your home. Learn from others, but in the end, don’t worry about how they’re implementing minimalism—do it your way or it’ll never be all it can for you.

I hope these tips help! Remember, it’s all about the experiences, not the stuff.

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5 Daily Habits that can Improve Your Life

Posted on by Katie Coughran

There are so many habits I’ve developed—good and bad— that have changed my life. While I can’t control everything (let’s face it—it’s nice to have control of even a few things), there are several actions I try to do each day so that I can live my life to the fullest, enjoy those people that are most important to me, and work on goals and skills, which has become a huge part of my life. I still have bad habits, but I’m happy to slowly see the good ones winning more and more often.

Listen to the podcast by clicking the play button below, CLICK HERE to watch my YouTube video on the topic, or scroll down to read on.

They say that small things make the biggest difference and I’m noticing that to be more and more true in my daily life. This comes in many forms for me, but I find that the most personal growth comes from healthy, positive actions taken on almost-daily repeat. Below are five of my favorite high-impact habits.

1. I drink plenty of water each day, including a good 32 oz. soon after waking. You might question how this can have that much of an impact on anything other than giving my body one of the few essentials, and I get it. The thing is, when I wake up and drink water first thing in the morning, I tend to have more energy, I’m alert much more quickly, and I feel more athletic throughout the day. All of these things lead to me feeling generally happier and more capable of getting things accomplished. And it feels great.

2. Take a quiet moment to myself. I try to do this daily, even if it means reading a single chapter of a book, resting for 10 minutes, or going on a short walk alone. I find that putting my phone away is incredibly important during this time as social media and various apps can be some of the loudest things on earth. When I make the time to do this, I feel more whole, content, and focused.

3. Making time to get into nature has always been important to me. It’s inspiring, helps me to feel grounded, and I tend to feel healthier and energized from getting out on a walk or hike. I even try to bring nature to me by having a little tiny RV garden, which brings me joy and brightens our house on wheels.

4. Practicing joyful gratitude isn’t about an attitude adjustment—it’s all about noting, enjoying, and being happy in the abundance in life. Sometimes life is tough, but learning to see the good things has helped me through the bad times.

5. Each day I try to have a meaningful conversation with a family-member or friend. I especially focus on my husband and children. They’re my people, I love them, and I want them to know it. Taking time to laugh and talk with them, smile at them, and look into their eyes—instead of at a screen—while we chat has improved the connection I feel with my loved ones. If I can’t make time for that each day, something has gone terribly wrong and it’s time to re-assess.

What about you? What habits have improved your life? I’d love to hear all about it in the comments.

Remember, it’s all about the experiences, not the stuff.

Want to follow along and see if I can reach my goal of publishing 46 more YouTube videos by December 31st, 2020? Click one of my YouTube videos below and be sure to subscribe.

How to be a Minimalist YouTube Videos:
4. Five Daily Habits that can Improve Your Life
3. Creamy Butternut Squash Soup (Plant-Based/Dairy-Free)
2. Soft and Fluffy Dinner Rolls (Plant-Based, Oil-Free, Dairy-Free)
1. Chocolate Cream Pie (Plant-Based with Oil-Free Crust)

Hal Elrod’s Book—The Miracle Morning

You can now purchase my book, How to be a Minimalist — A Beginner’s Guide! Click HERE to see the details. I sincerely hope you enjoy the book and thanks for supporting me/my family/my work! The ebook is out now and the paperback will be out in the next month or two.

Your support of the show is so very appreciated! Ratings, reviews, and Patreon patronage all sustain this show. Don’t forget that Patrons now get bonus episodes! Thanks so much!

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How to Declutter: 5 Minimalist Tips — Ep. 49

Posted on by Katie Coughran

Minimalism encompasses a lot of things—often issues that come and go. Whether we’re talking about the physical or not-so-physical stuff, minimalism always seems to include decluttering and ditching things we don’t want in our lives. Here are some tips and questions you can ask yourself to make ditching and decluttering just a little easier.

Listen to the episode by hitting the play button or read the highlights below:

Women of the Woods—the anthology that includes my story, “Alina’s Well”

You can now purchase my book, How to be a Minimalist — A Beginner’s Guide! Click HERE to see the details. I sincerely hope you enjoy the book and thanks for supporting me/my family/my work! The ebook is out now and the paperback will be out in the next month or two.

Letting go of stuff and decluttering feels great…usually. Sometimes the thought of it is downright terrifying. Here are some questions that will hopefully help you to be confident as you say adios to those things that are holding you back.

1. Is this item helping me to have the home I want? A lot of times, the answer is no. When we think about the way we want our lives to function and the important role our homes have in that, we usually don’t imagine clutter and useless objects filling a lot of our space. If the answer to the question is no, it’s time to consider saying goodbye.

2. What is the positive vs. negative value of the item? Positive value can include things like beauty, functionality, usefulness. Negative value can include things like the amount of space an item takes, bad vibes it brings, and not being to your taste. If you don’t like the way something works for you and it also happens to have come from your ex you broke up with on bad terms, it has a LOT of negative value and little to no positive value. This tip comes with a bonus question—why on earth is it still in your home?

3. Is there another item you own that can fill this item’s purpose? If you look around—especially in the kitchen—it’s likely you’ll find a lot of single-purpose items. Multi-purpose items are often our friends. Open your cabinets and drawers; you’ll likely find you don’t need various items. Others can work just as well for the intended purpose as well as function as the item you’re considering ditching.

4. How difficult is it to replace this item? Usually, it’s pretty easy to replace the items we’d like to ditch and declutter. Assuring ourselves that if we REALLY need the item we can get it again is absolutely OK and often helps us to continue progressing on our minimalist journeys. Saying goodbye doesn’t have to be forever, but if we give ourselves the freedom to bring an item back into our life, we often don’t want to.

5. How often do I use this? If you can’t remember the last time you used something, it’s likely it’s been months or years and can probably be let go of. Sometimes I wish items like this would just disappear from my possessions because it’s likely I’d never miss them and would forget I ever owned them.

I hope these tips help you! I’m always decluttering and these questions have helped me more than once. What helps you to declutter? I’d love to read in the comments below.

Remember, it’s all about the experiences, not the stuff.

Your support of the show is so very appreciated! Ratings, reviews, and Patreon patronage all sustain this show. Don’t forget that Patrons now get bonus episodes! Thanks so much!

Want to leave a tip in my virtual tip jar? You can Venmo me @HowtobeaMinimalist Thank you so much for your support!

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My book, How to be a Minimalist with Kids: Finding YOUR Kind of Minimalism

Broden and the Shark-Toothed Chicken — Book 1 of this chapter book series (should be marked as free)

My latest videos on YouTube:
Simple Crunchy Granola Recipe
Vegan Cheesy Fry Sauce
How to Make Cashew Yogurt
Sushi Bowl Salad

My Website: KatieCoughran.com — check here for my free books and to keep up to date