It’s easy to over-complicate things but quite challenging to simplify them back.
Following practical minimalist tips can make a big difference and save us time for our family and passions.
Distinguishing our wants and needs unchains us from mindless consumerism and breaks the cycle of instant gratification and always wanting more.
It helps us to live smarter and opens new doors for possibilities in so many areas of life.
Living a minimalist lifestyle should be simple, practical, healthy, and fun.
So here’s a list of my top 50 super simple minimalist life hacks with a huge impact to help you on your journey to simplicity.
CONTENT
Everyday Minimalist Life Hacks
1. Mind Your Own Business
Focus on your life instead of putting your nose into other’s.
Don’t compare yourself with your friends, family, or acquaintances – be it in or out of social media.
2. Build A Minimalist Daily Routine
Start your days early and build powerful habits that prepare you for the day.
The feeling of taking care of yourself first develops a positive mindset and strengthens your will power.
Win the first hour, win the whole day.
3. Do One Thing At A Time
Want to be productive? Focus (follow one course until success) on the task you are doing right now, and then move on to the next.
Beat the habit of doing too many things at once and practice being present.
Say no to stress and yes to less.
4. Do A Digital Detox
The urge to continually stay online has become a concerning problem for young and old.
Apply digital minimalism on your devices and limit your time online – especially on social media.
5. Reduce Your Goals
Never got enough time?
Limit your to-do list and schedules in your calendar.
You’ll recognize that many of your chores were useless anyway.
Less decisions to make also means less stress.
6. Think Before You Buy
In our fast driven and commercial world, it can be very enticing to purchase things that you don’t need.
Take your time to evaluate if that next item is essential or useless.
It will save you from impulse buying and improve your ability of late gratification.
7. Kill Complications
Be intentional and mindful about your actions every day.
You aim to avoid complications and simplify life for more freedom.
It doesn’t mean that you have to be lazy. But killing unwanted complications frees up time for the tasks you love.
8. Go Slow
Society wants us to be productive citizens who aim for more: more work, more money, more stuff, more lifestyle inflation, then repeat.
For many people, there seems to be no end in sight – which is wrong!
You can choose to break this vicious cycle by asking what matters to you, breathing deep and long, and slowing down everything you do.
9. Work Less
All my minimalist tips aim for the ultimate goal of gaining more freedom. And simplicity helps to reduce stress tremendously.
After cutting down your wants and focusing on your essentials, you can decide to work less and make a life instead of a living.
TRUTH IS EVER TO BE FOUND IN
SIMPLICITY
AND NOT IN THE
MULTIPLICITY AND CONFUSION
OF THINGS
– Isaac Newton
Minimalist Organization Hacks
10. Tidy Up Your Digital Devices
Apart from mental and physical clutter, digital clutter can also drain and overwhelm us.
Declutter your inbox daily, unsubscribe from never-read email newsletters, delete unused apps, and turn off annoying notification alerts.
11. Reduce Paperwork
Paper mails, magazines, and books can rapidly pile up to overwhelming mountains.
Go paperless instead. Buy a kindle and ebooks, subscribe to your favorite magazine online, and save your important documents in a folder after scanning them.
12. Minimize Your Wallet Or Bag
Reduce the weight of your daily companions. Have a look into your backpack and remove all things you don’t need.
Replace your bulky clamshell wallet with a slim and minimal wallet and keep your items organized.
13. Get Rid Of Credit Cards
How many credit cards do you need?
We often open up more bank accounts than necessary, increase the number of our plastic cards, and end up using only one.
Time to cut the useless once into half and reduce your accounts.
14. Reduce Duplicates
Look around your rooms and find those items you have more than once.
Got too many pens in your drawer, chairs you sat on, lamps that never lit up, and use up space?
Time to let them go. And yeah, those duplicate pants, shirts, jackets, and skirts you never liked and used – they are ready to go, too!
Minimalist Health Hacks
15. Exercise Everyday
Our bodies need to move. Strengthen your power and stamina for daily physical challenges and include a minimalist training program into your routine.
Keep your training simple, and use minimal training equipment.
16. Meditate Daily For 10 Minutes
It is a proven fact that calming your mind improves the overall well being.
Don’t hesitate to practice mindfulness and meditate. Experience peace and positivity by sitting down and letting go.
Headspace and Calm will help you get started.
17. Practice Deep Gratitude
Whenever you feel anxiety, worry, or fear, replace it with gratitude.
You will instantly experience lightness, joy, and control.
Being gracious for what you have and what you are is one of the most powerful ways to be healthy and happy.
18. Eat Less But Better
The minimalist way is to eat less processed food and more plant-based to make sure that you get various sources of the essential macronutrients and micronutrients.
Don’t throw artificial junk into your belly. It wants to get nourished with fresh and healthy food.
Don’t over-eat just for the sake of eating – listen to your body. Eat when hungry and stop when full.
19. Drink A Lot of Water And Breathe Correctly
Hydration and oxygenation are part of the life forces for a healthy life.
Drink enough water (2-4 liters a day, depending on your size). When you feel thirsty, it’s a sign of a lack of hydration.
Breathe deep, slow, and more. You want to use the full lung capacity and feed all your cells with fresh air.
I love Darin Olin’s explanation of our life forces in his outstanding book Superlife – highly recommended!
20. Avoid Long Sitting And Standing
As mentioned, our bodies don’t profit from sitting or standing the whole day.
That alone can make us miserable. Apart from exercising, go for a walk daily.
Skip the commute, stretch your body, and get those steps while inhaling fresh air.
Your heart will love you back.
21. Connect With Nature
Never forget where you come from – yep, from natural elements.
Express your gratitude and connect with nature as much as possible.
There are far more beautiful you can see outdoors than at home or on a glooming screen.
Minimalist Money Hacks
22. Live Frugally
Don’t overspend, live within your means, and don’t be shy to get thrifty.
When you work for money, you give up your valuable time.
Don’t waste your hard-earned dollars on useless stuff and live frugally.
23. Stick to A Budget
Set up a simple budget to keep track of your earnings and expenses.
Since money is one of our most essential assets, handle it with care and responsibility.
Plus, a budget will give you control over your spendings and keep you away from being a victim of mindless consumerism.
24. Donate If You Can
Once you get off your bad money habits, consider helping others in need.
We often forget how good life is to us, that we oversee the struggles of the ones lacking clean water, food, and clothes.
Every small amount counts, and somehow, the universe will reward you for your good deed.
25. Invest For Your Freedom
Build an emergency fund for rainy days. And if you have more, invest for your future self.
Invest in a business, stock market, or real estate – whatever suits you best. But don’t let your hard-earned money sit in your bank account.
That pocket has a hole that slowly eats up your savings – also called inflation.
Minimalist Home Hacks
26. One Item In, One Out
Cultivate the habit of keeping the numbers of your items steady.
If you want something new, apply the rule of ‘one in and one out’.
Find an item that you can replace. If you can’t, then wait till you find one.
27. Maximize Storage Space
A clutter-free space does not only please your eyes but also optimizes the way you use your storage.
Less stuff means more storage, which keeps your home tidy and fresh looking.
28. Choose Multifunctional Furniture
If you have limited space, help yourself by opting for multi-purpose items, such as expandable or foldable desks that can be used for dining or as an office desk.
Or a bed with drawers that provides space for clothes.
29. Use Bright Colors
Make your home functional, cozy, and visually appealing by following a minimalist aesthetic style.
Make your rooms appear more spacious and organized with bright colors, natural light, and subtle accents like plants or minimal artworks.
30. Fix Before Replacing
You can repair many things using your creative and logical thinking.
Why not give it a try and save some broken things from landing in the trash.
Sometimes all they need are new screws, a squirt of glue, or some stitches.
31. Save Resources
Don’t take our planet for granted and use water, electricity, and heating wisely.
Further, try to keep out as much plastic and reduce your overall waste output to live greener and with a smaller footprint.
Minimalist Cleaning Hacks
32. Clear Your Bed
First thing in the morning, make your bed – it’s a winner’s thing to do and an excellent part of a daily mourning routine.
Get yourself a positive dopamine hit every morning and enjoy the beauty of an organized bedroom.
33. DIY Cleaning Products
In my quest to diminish chemicals in life, I started making my very own detergents, soaps, and other cleaning products.
It’s surprisingly easy, effective, and cheap.
Combine baking soda with vinegar, and you get a multi-purpose cleaning detergent.
Buy an natural soap base, mix it with essential oils and natural ingredients, and voila – a wonderful body soap.
Goodbye toxins!
34. Evening Decluttering Routine
When questioning how I can simplify my daily life, I never thought that clearing up every evening would be a part of it.
But after minimizing my possessions, it became a part of my evening routine – and it truly is fun.
After all, it takes only 5 minutes.
The best thing: I wake up in a tidy home and enjoy it every time.
Minimalist Kitchen Hacks
35. Buy Groceries Once A Week
Set a time for your groceries and try to go shopping in bulk, once in a week.
That will save time and keep you away from impulsive buying every time you enter a store.
36. Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle
Don’t simply throw away bottles, jars, plastic containers, or bottles.
Most of the time, you can discover new uses from old items.
37. Avoid Toxins
Make kitchen detergents yourself(see DIY cleaning products) and reduce your plastic in the kitchen.
After all, you want your food to stay clean and away from toxins.
Plus, stay away from too much alcohol, caffeine, and sugary or processed food.
Your body needs nutrition, not junk.
Minimalist Clothing Hacks
38. Clear Your Wardrobe
How to declutter like a minimalist? Your over-stuffed closet is a perfect place to start.
When you can hardly close its doors or find what you need, it shouts for a cleanse.
Reduce your wardrobe and relieve yourself from suffocating in your clothes.
39. Keep Your Favorites
Discard everything you don’t love and keep your favorite items.
You get to wear your darling peaces more often and simultaneously reduce the time finding and deciding what to wear.
40. Shop Online
It’s not the most sustainable way to shop, but if your buying habits are out of control, shopping online can help avoiding impulse spending in a walk-in shop.
You can look at the items, and after an evaluation, you can easily decide later if you want to hit the buy-button or not.
41. Buy High-Quality Clothes
Say no to fast fashion and pick high-quality and organic clothes that last longer and carry fewer toxins that can enter your body through your skin.
42. Scout For Timeless Clothing
Optimize your closet with a capsule wardrobe that contains a concise, curated selection of timeless clothing.
Pick items that can be worn for any occasion and fit with the rest of your collection.
You will never again have the feeling of having nothing to wear.
43. Donate, Sell, Exchange
To save the environment, choose finding a new home for your unused clothes.
Either donate them to your near and dear charity, exchange them with friends or family members, or sell them online.
Try to keep them away from the over-stuffed landfills.
Minimalist Travel Hacks
44. Travel Light
If there’s something that helps to ease the way of traveling, then it is packing less.
You mostly have the chance to wash your clothes if needed, so why carry additional baggage?
45. Stay In Minimalist Homes
When choosing the right Airbnb or hotel, find places that match your minimalist style.
Scout for practical spaces with bright rooms and subtle accents that please your eyes.
You want to feel at home, no matter where you’re at.
46. Pack Things That Match
Make use of your capsule wardrobe and pick only clothes that you can combine.
That way, you won’t feel the urge to buy new things when realizing that colors or styles don’t match.
47. Simplify And Organize
Pack smart by using packing cubes to separate your socks, underwear, laundry bag, and other items.
Roll your clothes instead of folding to save space and avoid creases – simple but effective ways to find things easily and stay organized.
48. Don’t Buy When Traveling
Traveling light prevents you from buying new clothes or souvenirs.
If you insist on purchasing that one item, follow the rule: one item in, one out 😉
49. Use A Filtered Water Bottle
A must-have while traveling, especially when you travel longer and to different countries.
I used a Lifestraw Water Bottle during my whole world tour – it saved plastic and granted me drinking water from anywhere.
50. Avoid Overdoing With Photos And Videos
Same as with duplicate things, avoid overdoing with pics and vids, unless you’re planning something big.
You’ll only come back with a full hard disk to then let your memories untouched because of the sheer amount of footage.
Final Thoughts
I hope this post was helpful and that you can begin simplifying your life by cutting back on unnecessary activities and things, starting today.
It will take some time to adopt some of the habits.
But once you get used to them, you’ll be surprised how much time, money, and energy you can save.
So give my super simple minimalist hacks a shot and enjoy the journey!
It’s absolutely for everyone who pursues a more hassle-free and happier life.
Any minimalist hacks you want to add below?
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