We all do it. We make up excuses for not doing what we need to do or should do or would like to do maybe if we had more energy. Right? You tell yourself that you cannot donate that old, purple sweater that was a gift from your great aunt because you “might need it someday” or because “it’s sentimental.” You don’t like it; it fits funny, but you hang on to it. You know that you’d like to declutter, purge, donate stuff, and organize what’s left, but you’re just not motivated and you have all of these reasons in your head as to why you should keep your stuff. And then each time you move, your moving truck gets bigger and bigger.
In this post, I’d like to share some of my favorite websites, books, and other resources for decluttering, minimizing, and living a life with less so that you can focus on what you love and what makes you truly happy and in turn giving you MORE out of life.
Books
- Marie Kondo, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
- Joshua Becker, The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own
- Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project
Websites
- Marie Kondo’s site
- http://becomingminimalist.com – Joshua Becker’s site
- http://gretchenrubin.com – Gretchen Rubin’s site
- http://theminimalists.com – Your source for all things minimal; these guys are great!
- http://zenhabits.net – Leo Babauta’s site; he is a minimalist with a wife and six children
- http://bemorewithless.com – Courtney Carver’s site; she created Project 333, which describes how to pare down your wardrobe to 33 items to reduce stress and decision fatigue
- http://unclutterer.com – A site with useful articles and tips on decluttering
- http://apartmenttherapy.com – A site with articles on minimal living, living in a small space, using space wisely and efficiently, and decorating for tiny homes
- http://nosidebar.com – A site with lots of articles about how to live in the moment, be less busy, live without stress, and more; a great-looking site as well
- http://storyofstuff.org – This site explains why we buy and buy and cannot let go of our stuff.
- http://minimalwellness.com – This site has useful info about eating healthy and living with fewer distractions.
- http://napo-newengland.com – National Association of Professional Organizers of New England; check out the blog for lots of great tips for decluttering, organizing, and more!
- http://sarahannehayes.com – An inspirational and educational website that encourages you to live with less in an effort to create your own path to simplicity and peace
- http://dailyconnoisseur.blogspot.com – Jennifer L. Scott’s website and blog; check out The 10-item Wardrobe post (she also has a TEDx St. George talk on this topic).
Documentaries and Videos
- http://minimalismfilm.com/watch/ The Minimalists documentary, A Documentary About the Important Things
- https://youtu.be/GgBpyNsS-jU TEDx Whitefish, The Minimalists, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, A Rich Life with Less Stuff
- https://youtu.be/w7rewjFNiys TEDx Fargo, The Minimalists, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, The Art of Letting Go
- https://youtu.be/9XRPbFIN4lk TEDx Asheville, Adam Baker, Sell your crap. Pay your debt. Do what you love.
- https://youtu.be/L8YJtvHGeUU TED Long Beach, Graham Hill, Less Stuff, More Happiness
- https://youtu.be/CyKmpyYy14k TEDx Cape Town, Angela Horn, The Less you Own, the More you Have
Many of the above mentioned amazing people are also on social media. Look them up and follow them!
Thank you! And happy decluttering and minimizing! 🙂
Cheryl Russo
March 2017