How Japanese Minimalism Changed My Life: 5 Principles to Declutter Your Life

When there is too much clutter, you can't think. When you can't think, you can't create. When you can't create, your world slows down. What if we only filled our lives with things that had real value and removed everything else.

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Who am I:

[marthaC]

I eat the same breakfast every day. I own very few clothes, I drink coffee in the morning and water the rest of the day. I thrive on same routines, including meals through the week and cleaning chores. Love this life!

[galex]

Thanks for another informative video. I followed Marie Kondo's methods several years ago and I was amazed by how much I decluttered. But this year, I have been on a new declutter focus following some of the Swedish ideas, especially "Death Cleaning", which has been even more effective and less rigid than Japanese methods. I am now living an "intentional" rather than "minimalist" life. It's not about stuff, it's about everything and what meaning it has in your life. It took 6 months of reviewing every single item I own and decluttering what no longer bore purpose in my life. And I cannot believe how much I removed from my home, even though I have been careful and frugal and well organised and tidy. The great thing is I have no urge to buy anything to replace what I decluttered. Second, I follow a Chinese philosophy, "You know you're rich, when you know you have enough". I have less and less but feel richer and richer. Mentally, I feel lighter and lighter and not weighed down by stuff. This also goes for a digital and financial declutter. Finally, a friend of mine, an architect, told me years ago that we look at housing in terms of how much storage space there is. The danger with this is that we fill it with stuff. Hence, the smaller the place, the less storage available, the better. We soon realise how we don't need so many things. My goal is to have as many empty drawers and cupboards and spaces where practicable, without the urge to fill these spaces up. It is amazing how this intentional way of living saves you so much money and my goal is to fill my life with experiences rather than stuff. Humans consume too much and end up throwing most of it away. Look at fast fashion! I have a clothing budget of $15 per month and I often don't even spend that. I realised after my last decluttering purge, that so much stuff I bought was hardly used and now I think of all the money I wasted. I don't want to do that anymore. As a society, we have too much FOMO! This has to stop and we have to realise that we are falling victim to marketing and advertising ploys time after time.

[matthewsanders]

Your point is well-taken about minimalism, but Steve Jobs didn't live without a couch because he was a minimalist. He did so because he was an abusive narcissistic perfectionist who tortured those around him. He would have arguments with the family at the dinner table about the technological features of his washer and dryer. He refused to furnish his living area because nothing was ever "good enough." It's an illustration how any philosophy--taken too far--will become a tyranny of the soul.

[pamelagilmour]

Just got back from Japan. Everything is clean sleek and not cluttered. People are kind and courteous. My friend left iPhone on bullet train. It was returned within an hour. Healthy food. I wanted to stay but language is difficult ❤

[oneheart]

I'm a long time simple living fan. Great video! Funny you mention only drinking water, because that's exactly what I do. I also only eat plant foods. My grocery shopping is VERY easy and simple, as is my food prep. I have home clothes and street wear. The home clothes are all very similar to each other. The street clothes are also same styles so I don't have to think too hard about creating an outfit. I only have a few jewelry pieces and accessories, like a scarf and one bag that match everything else.

This winter I'll complete my goal of digitizing ALL photos, recipes and paperwork, so nothing to store physically. The relief is real!!

[janapeony]

I was in Japan 30 yrs ago, wish I could visit again. The most beautiful country and culture I ever visited.

[krasky]

1. Create space by decluttering your physical possessions. (Does this item give me joy?)
2. Embrace space by having as much physical space as possible where you live. (Organize all the things in your life purposely.)
3. Eliminate choices. (Maybe wear the same outfit every day. Maybe eat the same breakfast every day. Maybe you only drink water.)
4. Everything is transient, nothing is perfect, and that's ok.
5. Can we apply the idea of simple living to our thoughts and our actions?

[acrobaticanna]

I read a book and then sell it or donate it. Even her book!! In the last year I have only kept one book the whole time, my Bible. Life changing when you move house.

[ofkinda]

Japan has a culture of year-end cleaning. I think most Japanese do a bit of decluttering at this time :)

[cdwbkug]

As a japanese who can't clean my room, this video has great meanings for me.Most japanese now should reconsider these types of japanese culture.
Sorry for my poor vocabulary and grammar😢
Thanks for posting this video!

[figtheoryvlog]

Just removed all the strings on my guitar except one and all the frets. Wow, I sound so much better now.

[judyjohnson]

We have all heard about the 'Does it bring me joy?' concept. But I think the way you rephrased it as 'Does this bring value to my life? ' is much more profound. We have plenty of things that we need in our homes that provide purely practical value. No joy there LOL

[Pondapple]

Minimalism is always intriguing but has been born from prosperity. Giving things to charity shops is very noble if you prefer to not deal with selling them. I visit a Habitat for Humanity thrift shop regularly and have seen both the very poor and the very well off shopping there. It's a joy to see a poor older lady happily taking a piece of fine china to the cashier counter. The lady obviously recognized the quality and was able to add it to her house for $2.00. Half my furniture is used and I am happy with it. I don't feel that I am taking from the poorer shoppers there since I have donated many items there myself. God bless Jimmy Carter and his beloved wife.

Thanks Zach, i really enjoyed the video. And thanks for the recap it was helpful.

[jessjenkins]

Thank you for this video and the message you've shared. I was feeling quite anxious just now, until I watched your video. It's put things into perspective 💛

[emmanuelle]

2:03 wow ! Love this clean view of your comfy and tidy place !

[dianne]

Those Rothco prints behind you spark my joy. I used to do art like that but it's been in the back of the closet for years. Time to get out the paints again!

[jandrozd]

Greetings from the Czech Republic, I love your videos. Been watching them for some time. Extremly educating and helpfull. You helped me a lot in productivity, turning your life for better etc. Good idea for some future video: Video focusing solely on meditation, how to practice, how to start, how to keep focus etc. Looking forward to future videos, thank you. Cheers!!!

[jpi]

Thank you for your video, very refreshing. I have been doing minimalism for several years. I usually take time to refresh the minimalism idea (although it's almost always the same), but I like your video, very refreshing and good explanation. Salute!

[june]

Thanks for sharing minimalism tips. In love with minimalist spaces & lifestyle! 🤩