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Have you adopted a minimalist lifestyle? Want to keep it that way? Creating habits is the way to go but keep in mind that it is very easy to slip back into old ways if you are not paying close attention. It’s happened to me and luckily I caught it quickly but it is through creating new habits that I keep on track.
inimalist habits are the same as any creating any new habit – they will take time. It generally takes two to three weeks for a DAILY habit to become entrenched in our daily lifestyle. If the new habit you are working on isn’t something that you are doing on a daily basis, it could take longer for this new habit to hold.
For example, I love clean counter tops in my kitchen. By this I mean there is nothing except for the coffee pot and the knives on my counters at any time. My husband? That’s a whole other story. He used to like EVERYTHING on the counter tops yet when they are clear, he tells me how nice it is to have room to work. Every day when I wipe down the counter tops, I put the small appliances that may have been used the the day before away in the lower cupboards. My husband knows where the toaster is so now he just gets it out and about half the time will put it back. We both like the clear counters and we are both working toward keeping them clear BUT occasionally things will be left out. The key is to make sure that you put the items in their designated place and that you do not continually pile more and more stuff on to the counters or you will end up right where you originally started your journey.
Another thing I’m always working on is the mail. If I did not have to have a physical mailing address for one reason or another, I would just use the business PO Box. At our local post office, they have installed a recycling can for mail. What a great concept and one that should have been implemented sooner. Could you imagine all the catalogs that could have been recycled? At the post office I walk right from the box to the can and whatever I don’t take with me (advertisements, garbage mail, catalogs) I put right into the recycle can. At home I do the same thing and although I’m not recycling as they do at the post office, I do handle the mail immediately. The mail I do not want is put into a box that will go into our burn pit for the next time we have a bonfire. The issue? It is very easy to let the mail accumulate on the counters instead of putting it directly into the burn box. This is one habit that I continually work on because it sneaks up on you when you’re not watching – trust me. All of the sudden I have two or three days worth of mail sitting on my counter!
Remember why you are on your minimalist journey. Your reason may be totally different than another person’s reason but it is yours. Keep on track with it so that you don’t take backward steps.
Blessings,
Denise
For tips on how to begin your decluttering journey, you can Start Here, or snag a copy of the 30 Day Challenge (our Minimalism and Decluttering eBook).
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