From Tightrope to Balance Beam: Minimalism and My Mental Health Journey
Yesterday before I dropped off my sons at school, my oldest asked me to hold his hand as he walked along the playground border that separated the sidewalk from the playground’s wood chips. I steadied him as he carefully walked across. “I want to go to the end,” he said. I looked ahead of us. […]
Instead of “Does It Spark Joy?”, Ask This Question When Decluttering
If there was such a thing as a decluttering guru, Marie Kondo would be it. Her book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up was, in a word, life-changing for many. In fact, I believe it caused a global paradigm shift when it came to our relationship with our stuff. Kondo encouraged us to take everything […]
My Ten Favorite Definitions of Minimalism
I define myself as a minimalist, yet in conversations with others I often get the question, “What does minimalism mean, anyway?” I pause, smile and take a deep breath because it’s difficult to define a lifestyle like minimalism succinctly. To someone new to minimalism, the word seems very restrictive. It has the word “minimal” in […]
Digital Minimalism: 10 Ways to Limit Distractions and Reclaim Your Time
The following is a guest post from Julia Ubbenga of Rich In What Matters. A few weeks ago, I sat watching our kids play, baby on my lap. It was a beautiful spring Sunday—one we chose to fill with quality family time at a nearby park. Resting on the park bench, I was feeling grateful […]
Five Mindset Shifts to Help You Let Go of Clutter (Plus 15 Questions to Help You Figure Out Which Ones You Need the Most!)
When I read Marie Kondo’s book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, the following quote struck me: “Until you have completed the once-in-a-lifetime event of putting your house in order, any attempt to tidy on a daily basis is doomed to failure. Conversely, once you have put your house in order, tidying will be reduced […]
Three Common Misconceptions About Minimalism
I’ll be honest – I don’t like the word minimalism. “Minimal” implies the least possible amount, and therefore can raise quite a few eyebrows if someone isn’t familiar with what it actually means- a lifestyle that gives you more– more time, energy, money, and freedom just to name a few. Imagine if your girlfriend told […]
Subscriber Q&A with Willow Nature Wood: “I saw that I was on the path to becoming just as bad of a hoarder as he was.”
Willow Nature Wood is a self-described “rustic poet”, full-time author, and recovering hoarder who has been exploring minimalism since 2018. She is also a Simple by Emmy subscriber who has a fascinating story about her minimalism journey I just had to share with you all! If you would like to be featured in an upcoming […]
5 Reasons Why I Love Buy Nothing Groups (and You Will, Too!)
One of the hardest parts about decluttering is the guilt associated with letting go of excess belongings. We are psychologically predisposed to hold onto our stuff because of what we paid for it, because we own it, or even merely because we are exposed to it day-to-day. We also feel guilty about parting with items […]
My Ten Favorite Quotes from The Minimalists’ Documentary Less Is Now
After watching The Minimalists’ documentary Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things on Netflix in 2016, I was excited to watch their most recent film Less Is Now which premiered January 1, 2021. Although there is some overlap in the topics covered in both films, including consumerism, the role of advertising and the media in […]
A Sensory Approach to Decluttering Sentimental Items
I don’t own a lot of sentimental items, but the largest by far is the upright piano in our family room. My dad gave it to my mom when I was a baby, and when my mom played I was instantly calm. It was the piano she taught me to play on many years ago. […]