Minimal Home Habits
11 home habits to help you and your family simplify & thrive
Here’s the thing, we’ve all got plenty going on in life already, our home doesn’t need to add to that burden. If anything our home should be our safe place, one where we can recharge, heal and rejuvenate before we awaken to meet our next set of obstacles.
I want to share few things I do to help make our home our safe place. A few words that I uses to guide my homemaking process:
minimal
intentional
character
cozy
I doubt that people walk in to our home and say “ah a minimalist family lives here”, but I’m sure that once you get to know us, you’ll start to figure it out. It’s taken years to get to where we are, our home will continue to evolve as we do, but it is our safe place.
So, if you’re stressed, overwhelmed, constantly cleaning and playing catch up, here are a few things that will help you simplify. Take one or two of these tips, see how they work. If they do, come back and try some more. It’s the small habits that change your life after all.
Let’s get to it.
A simple bedroom.
I want the all of the rooms in my home to be simple, comfortable, easy to clean and my bedroom easily has the highest standards. It is a place for deep relaxation, and sleep. Not to mention it’s the area where my husband and I spend most of our time together. Any time my room is messy, I feel messy. A few ways I keep it tidy and clean:
Minimal bed decor: We don’t need excess throw pillows. Sure they are pretty when properly puffed, but in the stage of life where we had them, they just added excess and clutter to our routine.
Laundry: I can’t claim to be an expert in this area, but I pour our laundry on our dining room table rather than our bedroom floor. It forces me to put it away quicker, my children can take part and there’s less likely that it will live on my bedroom floor for days…yes that’s happened many times in our home.
Decor: We don’t have the funds for furniture or artwork right now, so our bedroom looks pretty bare. I may be minimal, but I believe in decorating with beautiful pieces that add character and life to your home. Here’s the thing, I also believe in being content, grateful and living in the present. So that is exactly what we’re doing. If we get the chance to decorate down the road, wonderful. If not, we will continue to be content, joyful and grateful.
A Clear WorkSpace.
What I have on my desk right now: my laptop and a picture frame. I’d love to add a lamp to the mix…light would be nice, haha. All jokes aside, when I come to the workspace I need a clean and organized space. There are many studies on how visual clutter can stunt your efficiency and ability to focus, which is why I keep my space as tidy and as free-of-stuff as possible. Working and mothering is already super challenging, I don’t need to add more stress on myself by adding unnecessary things.
Minimal Closets.
Don’t get me wrong, I love beautiful clothing. But I also love my minimal closet. Can they be one in the same? Absolutely. Having a minimal closet not only has made my mornings easier, it’s also helped me appreciate and live in the pieces I currently own. It’s a mindset shift I never knew I needed.
No Shoes In the House.
We have a no-shoes-in-the-house policy. Not only do they add excess clutter, but the grime and toxins they carry with them just gross me out. You might ask: “Margaret, how do we ask guests to take off their shoes too when they don’t know the policy?”
My answer:
Donation Bags.
We keep a trash bag in our coat closet and this is where all of our random donation items go. It easy, effective and solves the problem of keeping the clutter simply because you don’t know where else to put them. It’s a tiny habit that will absolutely change the game for you.
Timeless Jewlery.
I chose to have very simple, meaningful jewelry pieces that go with everything in my closet. Fast fashion and jewelry industries make it tempting to buy the newest and cheapest styles, but every time I do that, I regret it. Clearly, I had to stop doing that and over time, I’m hoping to build a collection of quality pieces that will last me a lifetime. I mean, the pieces that have been handed down to me from generations prior are so special to me. I hope to share things like that with my children and grandchildren as well.
One Laundry BAsket.
Our next habit and I KNOW this one might not work for everyone since currently its only 2 adults and 2 kids in our apartment but we have only 1 laundry basket in our apartment. Full transparency: laundry is a weak spot for me. I’m not the best at staying on top of it but I’m getting better and having only 1 laundry basket in our home is definitely helping. It’s all we need and it can only get so full before it’s a necessity to do a load or 2 of laundry.
No technology + Information Overload
Technology is clutter?? I asked the same question. But consider the amount of information you’re gathering within just a few minutes of scrolling or watching TV. That’s a huge amount of excess entering your brain after a full day of excess info already!
If we want to make room for what matters, then spending our time on our phones or watching TV probably isn’t the best way to do it. We’re certainly not a family that says no all technology, it’s a huge part of life and work these days, but we are very careful to not overuse it.
I don’t like restrictions, never have, never will. So rather than saying “no TV or technology, etc”, I choose to say “let’s go do something life-giving”. Switching the narrative to something positive has gotta be beneficial for them in the long run right? I hope so.
Intentional Decor…and there’s no rush
Our decor is SUPER minimal right now, but it’s simply because of the stage of life we’re in. There’s no rush to have the pieces all put together in your home right away. I know the culture and social media like to make it seem like that’s normal…it’s not.
Another thing to note, you can be minimally minded and own a home full of color, character and decor. We’re all different, have different tastes and every home tells a story. Ours, even with bare walls, tells our story.
Every item you own has a home
Everything in our house has a home. Ah, this is one of the greatest tips I’ve got when it comes to keeping your home tidy. When you use an item, you don’t have to think, make a decision or move it from room to room, it just goes back to its home. Done and done.
A minimal and emotionally healthy home
So I’ve talked a lot about the physical things that I do to help create a home that is clean, clutter-free, comfortable, and cozy. However, I think it’s also worth mentioning that the emotions that run through the home should also be handled with intention too.
Serving without expecting anything in return.
Welcome others into our home regardless of tidiness.
Allowing each other to feel emotions.