Expert Advice for Achieving a Neater and More Organized Home
Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Unsplash
These days, many of us feel overwhelmed by way too much stuff crowding our homes. An entire movement, minimalism, has sprung up around the idea of paring down our stuff to just those we need and cherish.
Minimal living promises tempting benefits like saving money, reducing stress, and focusing on our true priorities. However, beginning the lifelong journey of minimalist living can seem daunting. How does one adopt a simpler life and clear out the clutter of too much stuff? This is where the 12-12-12 decluttering technique comes in handy.
Minimalism’s Roots
Before diving into the details of the 12-12-12 approach, it’s helpful to understand where the minimalist lifestyle originated and how the 12-12-12 system made it more accessible.
The Appeal of “Less is More”
The minimalist lifestyle achieved mainstream popularity in the last decade as people sought ways to save money after the recession. Influential minimalists shared how decluttering and owning less stuff could lead to financial benefits like lower bills. The promise of simplicity also resonated powerfully, as many felt overwhelmed juggling jobs, families, and day-today life. Minimalism offers permission to focus on what’s essential.
Making Minimalist Living Attainable
At first, minimalism seemed extreme, as hardcore devotees aimed to own barely 100 possessions. The 12-12-12 system emerged as a way to take a more gradual, flexible approach to minimalist living that could work for average people. It provided an easy-to-implement technique for clearing clutter and adopting a minimalist mindset without overhauling your entire life overnight.
The 12-12-12 Decluttering System
Joshua Becker, a minimalist expert, outlines the 12-12-12 decluttering method’s straightforward yet effective system: “Take the 12-12-12 challenge. The rules are simple. Locate 12 items to throw away, 12 to donate, and 12 to be returned to their proper homes. That’s it. Repeat if desired.”
Use this bite-sized, non-intimidating system to chip away at clutter. Small victories snowball into massive transformations. “Having a number to follow can keep you focused on the goal and make the decluttering process fun,” says expert Di Ter Avest. Each numerical goal feels readily achievable, while the trifold method covers all decluttering bases.
Let’s explore how the 12-12-12 technique breaks an overwhelming endeavor into swift, manageable action:
Discard 12 Items
Like an archaeologist dusting off fossils, you should rummage through overstuffed drawers, sagging shelves, and mysterious closet corners, seeking throwaways or donateables. Find 12 items to joyfully evict that serve no purpose but to collect dust. The expired foods, broken electronics, worn-out socks with missing partners, and mystery objects make you ask, “Why did I buy this in the first place?” Chuck them without hesitation or remorse. Decluttering is a fresh start, and you will never understand its positive side effects on your mental and physical health until you try it today.
Donate 12 Gently Used Items
Gather up gently used items like slightly worn clothing, beloved books you’ve already read, or unused kitchen appliances that deserve a new home. Choose 12 items to pass along to benefit others now that they no longer serve you, and clear your conscience while you’re at it. These items aren’t ready for the trash but don’t spark daily joy. Donating decluttered items adds meaning by allowing them to transform the lives of others in need.
Return 12 Things to Their Home
This final step eliminates “floating” clutter strewn about your home by properly storing items in their appointed spots. Seek 12 displaced objects like stray shoes, electronics without a charging station, or the TV remote buried between the couch cushions. Gather these vagabonds and return them to their proper places to be easily found again when needed.
Repeat For Continued Decluttering Success
Once you conquer one 12-12-12 cycle, momentum will naturally build, and you’ll continue the clutter-busting hustle. Repeat the process by tossing, donating, and adequately storing another 36 items. Knockdown decluttering tasks in these quick, manageable chunks. Before you know it, you’ll be staring at beautifully organized spaces, wondering why you ever stressed about decluttering in the first place.
With its simplified, step-by-step, miniature goals, the 12-12-12 system kickstarts painless daily decluttering action. “The ’12-12-12′ decluttering method might seem small, but its impact can be huge,” says decluttering expert Elizabeth Shields. Small efforts yield enormous rewards when tackled methodically. With just a few items at a time, you can cultivate a clear, intentional living environment.
The Benefits of Adopting a Minimalist Lifestyle
Now that we’ve covered the method, let’s delve into the numerous benefits you can reap from decluttering your home and embracing minimalism.
Financial Savings
Living a more minimalist lifestyle translates into savings on utilities, maintenance, cleaning services, storage solutions, and more. Reusing excess items also generates more money from selling or donating unused pieces in good condition. This means that your clutter becomes someone else’s treasure. With a minimalist mindset, you’ll also think twice about new purchases and avoid accumulating more unnecessary stuff.
Reduced Stress
An overcrowded, disorganized home contributes to constant low-level stress as the clutter visually and mentally competes for attention. By removing excess items, decluttering clears physical and mental space, creating a sense of calm and relaxation. Studies demonstrate that minimalist living reduces anxiety and stress.
Improved Focus
A chaotic environment makes it difficult to focus our attention. Decluttering removes visual distractions and physical clutter, and living with fewer possessions also eliminates the time spent cleaning and searching for things. With less mental clutter, you can focus on the most important task.
Curating Your Ideal Home Environment Now and For the Future
The 12-12-12 approach and minimalist living allow you to thoughtfully curate your home and possessions, keeping only the most essential and meaningful items. Here are a few things to save while you declutter:
Items that Spark Joy and Inspire You
When decluttering, carefully consider which possessions to keep. Retain the special items that bring you joy, inspire your creativity, or add meaningful memories to your days. Even small joys can be significant. Take time to discern which pieces to keep for the happiness they provide, rather than automatically purging everything.
Keep Items that Serve a Practical Daily Purpose
Retain items that serve an essential practical purpose in your regular home life. This includes multipurpose kitchen tools and appliances, comfortable linens and clothing, and other frequently used items that make daily routines easier. Assess genuine utility when decluttering. It may not be essential if you haven’t used it in the past year.
Display Selected Items Reflecting Your Personality
Thoughtfully display a few special decorative items that reflect your unique personality and interests, such as artwork or a couple of pieces from a collection related to your hobbies. However, avoid cluttering your space with too many decorative trinkets. Focus only on the pieces that mean the most to you.
Invest in Functional Storage and Furniture
To maintain your decluttered spaces long-term, invest in organizational furniture and storage solutions tailored to your needs — e.g., shelving units to neatly store pared-down books, storage-friendly cabinets to contain culinary necessities, baskets for hiding clutter, or a multipurpose coffee table with storage inside that doubles as a place to both display and store items in your living room.
Give Every Item a Home
Be sure every item has a designated spot in your organized, decluttered space. Label storage bins clearly and intentionally. This gives everything a “home” to return to and prevents clutter from accumulating again.
Building Habits to Maintain a Minimalist Lifestyle
The initial work of decluttering and organizing is essential, but the real key to minimalism is ingraining helpful habits to sustain it your whole life. Here are some best practices:
Ongoing Maintenance and Decluttering
Schedule regular maintenance decluttering sessions every month or two to revisit spaces and prevent clutter creep. Set reminders to check closets, drawers, and shelves. This helps you maintain minimalism for the long haul. Quick touch-ups are easier than tackling a huge mess.
Mindful Shopping Habits
Cultivate more conscious shopping habits to avoid undoing your decluttering work. Always question whether any new purchase is beneficial and worth the cost. Minimize impulse buying. When considering an item, ask yourself if you already own something similar and have a designated spot.
Periodic Assessments
Periodically assess your belongings, especially before making any new purchases. Review what you own to identify any excess accumulation. This helps you continue curating possessions intentionally.
Building these intentional habits enables you to live a more minimalistic lifestyle, sustain your progress, avoid clutter relapse, and thoughtfully curate your belongings according to your evolving needs. The 12-12-12 method provides the initial push, while lifelong habits maintain your minimalist home.
Cultivating an Eco-Friendly Minimalist Lifestyle
The 12-12-12 approach marries sustainability and minimalism, allowing you to declutter your home while honoring the environment. Here are a few tips for cultivating a joyful, intentional life that is also in harmony with our planet:
Conscientious Donation and Recycling
When parting with items, avoid tossing usable goods into landfills. Instead, give them new life through donation, recycling, or creative upcycling.
Sharing and Borrowing Infrequently Used Items
Rather than buying specialty gear and appliances yourself that will gather dust most of the time, consider sharing or borrowing from family, neighbors, and friends. This saves space and maintains your minimalist budget.
Wise Purchasing and Reduced Waste
When it comes to making purchases, consider opting for quality over quantity. Invest in well-crafted, durable items built to last, reducing the need for frequent replacements. By focusing on high-quality, long-lasting products, you save money in the long run and minimize waste and environmental impact.
By integrating earth-friendly practices into your 12-12-12 decluttering habits, you benefit both your home and your planet. Every step counts, no matter how small. Knowing all of this now, what other practices could make your minimalist lifestyle more eco-friendly? Let’s work together to clear clutter sustainably.
Embark Upon Your Minimalism Journey
If the sheer amount of clutter overwhelming your home leaves you stressed and unfocused, consider that a serene, intentionally minimalist life awaits, and the 12-12-12 decluttering method is the key to unlocking it.
Beginning the journey to living a minimalist lifestyle may seem daunting, but progress builds momentum. Each daily decluttering session clears space, lightens your load, and breathes life into your environment.
As physical clutter clears out, so does mental fog. Newfound clarity and focus bloom in this new minimalist lifestyle. You regain command of your time and enjoy the fruitless searches for buried items. This process will allow your bills to shrink along with your eliminated possessions.
This is your invitation to curate a home filled only with possessions that bring you joy, enrich your days, and help you fulfill your purpose. Start small and be consistent. Soon, there will be open surfaces and open potential all around you. The focused, intentional life you wish to lead awaits.
Embrace Minimalism Sustainably with Kaiyo
At Kaiyo, we believe a minimalist lifestyle and eco-friendly living go hand in hand. That’s why we’re here to help you curate a home that reflects these values effortlessly.
As a leading online consignment platform for high-quality, secondhand furniture, we offer a vast selection of carefully chosen, durable pieces that align perfectly with a minimalist ethos. Our selection ranges from sleek, modern designs to timeless classics, ensuring that every item adds lasting value to your intentionally designed space.
When you opt for our pre-owned furniture, you also contribute to a more circular economy emphasizing reuse and recycling over throwing things away. Explore Kaiyo’s unique, pre-loved collection today and transform your living environment into a minimalist, eco-friendly sanctuary!
