10 Minimalist Rules That Changed My Life

Here are 10 minimalist rules that changed my life for the better, from decluttering faster to keeping my home clutter-free to saving money. If you want to declutter your home and life, these rules of minimalism are a great place to start because they help you establish a framework to build YOUR ideal minimalist lifestyle upon. I hope you find one or more minimalism rule that helps or inspires you in some way!

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ABOUT A TO ZEN LIFE
Along my journey to let go of 30 years of clutter, I accidentally became a minimalist and it was life-changing.

Before, I was an emotional hoarder with nothing but the clutter from lost loved ones — and $25,000 of debt — to my name. Now I have a beautiful home in Europe, a happy family, live debt-free, and — best of all — wake up to a life that I’m EXCITED to live every day.

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NOTE: This description may contain affiliate links; these links allow you to find the items mentioned in this video at no additional cost to yourself. While this channel may earn a small amount when the viewer uses the links, the viewer is in NO WAY obligated to use these links.

[dawnsullivan]

My daughter-in-law was asked in a job interview, “Give me an example of personal integrity.” She thought a moment and then answered, “Bagging up your dog’s poop when no one is watching.” She got the job! Love all of your content Marissa. Keep up the good work! ❤

[marionosmond]

I have young kids and find it a nice reframe to say “let’s spend some time putting all our things back in their places” rather than “clean your room / tidy up”. The latter always gets a negative response whereas my kids actually enjoy lovingly placing all their toys back where they belong. I wonder if it might be the same for some adults?

[SusanBame]

I did a no-buy January, 2024; I bought only things that needed restocking (hygiene items, food, products I ran out of). In other words, no shopping for hours online for stuff I didn't really need. If I saw something that looked interesting, I put it on my wishlist. When February came, I pulled up that list and sorted through it -- and bought two items, totaling less than $20. Yay!

[robertneville]

I spent 6 months cleaning out my moms house so i could sell it : i inherited the house
I finally couldn't take it anymore
I got only what I wanted then hired someone to empty the house out for me
After the nightmare was over i realized i need to empty my house out
I got rid of all sentimental feelings
Made 12 dump runs and i was done
I only have only what I need to live because i be dammed if my kids are going to go through what i did cleaning out my moms house when i croak

[rqqhlzh]

As a dog-owner I am always very disappointed to find poop lying around in private or public places. This is how some people even could start to dislike dogs in general, and that’s not their fault. It also puts a bad reputation on everyone who owns a dog. I always pick up!

[poodlegirl]

This tip might help seniors who have downsized. I had the most trouble with sentimental things, it was taking me forever. I filled one of my dresser drawers with what was left and every day when I was getting dressed I would look through it and find one thing I could let go of or do something with. Eventually I was down to a small amount of things that would fit in a wooden box on my dresser. Now I can just look in there and see my things and know I did a good job and is miuch more enjoyable than having a big bin of sentimental stuff in your basement.

[RoScoHutch]

I followed the poop rule with my kids, and I'm glad I did. They were definitely worth keeping. 😄

[elizabethasmith]

My “Wednesday” rule is for Amazon - I can only order on Wednesday. Amazing how much your “need” changes over a few days.

[downtherabbithole]

The poop question 🤣 As a wheelchair user, I couldn’t agree more about ppl not picking up poop, especially on footpaths. If I get poop on my wheels & don’t notice in time then I have poop on my carpet!!! 🤢 … & cleaning floors & carpets from a wheelchair? Yeah, no. That’s not a thing.
Needless to say I watch where I go very carefully!!!
Thanks for another great video.

[jmsl_]

i have a bday tradition...
i deep dive into my "sentimental stuff" & decide if i still want to keep it

[TG]

My version of the 💩 rule was when we had a long-distance move. If I didn’t want to pack, move, unpack, and then find a place for the item in our new house, then it didn’t come with me. 😊 I still use this criteria when deciding whether to keep or declutter items!

[hoodie]

Came here for decluttering tips, left with a therapy session and life advice 😅 this is why I love your videos 😂💕

[MyFocusVaries]

My sister broke up.with a guy after going for a walk with him and his dog and discovering he didn't pick up his dog's poop AND in 2022 still had a massive stock of toilet paper he had hoarded during the pandemic. Imagine how much he'd bought that he still had a huge stock more than 2 years later!

[KristiBranstetter]

My goal is not minimalism. I am pretty excited about where I am at in my decluttering journey. I am at the maintenance stage after three years of decluttering and organizing. I find keeping my apartment clean so much easier!

[tracybishop]

Similar to the poop rule I’ve recently started asking myself “If this item fell on the floor and broke, would I care?”

In recent months I’ve found myself almost glad when something breaks, because then I felt like I could throw it away without guilt. Or more importantly, I no longer had to find a place for it.
A sign I have TOO MUCH STUFF! 🙃

[bmhrsnk]

I overheard a woman say she taught her kids that if their rooms weren’t clean, they would attract spiders.

[katsybo]

Love your practical channel. Love the poop rule! You’re so right about the 90/10 situation. I am clean out my house they had sat for 10-years since my husband died. It’s a lot of heavy lifting more mental than physically.

[adzbneweng]

An acronym I love for the one-touch rule is O.H.I.O. - Only Handle It Once.

[wendygricken]

You've helped me a lot today. I don't procrastinate but I have a chronic illness that doesn't allow me to do much. It's been bothering me so much when I can't get to my normal "chores". I will take your advise and start with 5 minutes at a time. Thank you

[ColleenMarble]

I threw away a full set of sheets from my son's room once. He had an stomach bug and, well, you can guess what happened. It was epic, and not in a good way. The sheets were old and worn. I headed to the laundry room to do the awful clean-up tasks, and at the last second, I diverted to the trash. It just wasn't worth the effort when 1) we had other sheets to use and 2) we could replace the sheets for less money than my time was worth. It's a great way to decide whether to keep stuff.