Want to learn how to be a minimalist mom? I have some quick tips for beginners! They are easy principles to apply that don’t need a huge commitment.
Minimalism has been a craze for many years now, and it continues to gain new subscribers. Many people argue over the meaning of the term “minimalism”. Some advocate that it means you only own a certain number of items. Some say it’s a principle you can apply as strictly or loosely as you’d like.
We’re going to go with the second one. To be clear, we’re not going to Marie Kondo the crap out of your house… just apply it where it helps.
I think of minimalism as clearing away the unnecessary in both our physical and inner worlds to help us find clarity and peace when we’re feeling overwhelmed.
I’m a work at home mom, so productivity is a huge priority to me. These principles help me save time and earn money.
How to Be a Minimalist Mom, and How it can Skyrocket Your Success!
Pack away some of your stuff
Not all of it! 😉 You just want to have enough that you don’t get huge piles of stuff all over the house. It will help you stay organized, and help you feel like you can invite people over more often!
This is the number one sanity-saving trick I have. I’ve brought out things several times over the years, only to become frustrated and pack away a bunch of my stuff again. I only get things out when I REALLY need them!
Minimize Dishes
This was huge for me. We don’t have a dishwasher, and dishes are just so time-consuming. Because I hate dishes so much, I would use clean dishes until every single dish was dirty.
Seriously, if we didn’t have any clean bowls, I would eat soup out of a glass measuring cup. We would have no counter space left.
I know, gross. That’s NOT healthy.
But I found an easy solution:
Don’t have as many dishes!
I packed away all but 2 plates, 2 bowls, a couple spoons, forks, and 1 butter knife. My husband even made a joke about it in our wedding vows!
BUT, our counters were a lot cleaner! Because we didn’t have the clean dishes available to use, we had to wash our dishes! And the amount of time it took was exponentially less.
Put the excess items in a box and put them in storage until you need to use them (like for a dinner party.) If you find your NEVER using after a year? It’s probably time to find that item another home.
Minimize clothes
Less clothes, less laundry?
Sort of.
If you own fewer clothes, you need less space. I hate rummaging through my closet looking for something to wear, I just want the perfect outfit to be visible immediately.
This is huge for women especially, who are more likely than men to change outfits 3 times.
For this I recommend Marie Kondo. I’m sure you know who she is, but if you haven’t read her book, do it!
If you use it for nothing else, use it for your wardrobe.
Take out all the clothes that don’t fit you, are old, or don’t bring you joy. What’s left is a good foundation for a capsule wardrobe. You may have to fill in the gaps, but overall, your wardrobe will be much more streamlined.
Check out this video for a great explanation on how to clear away the closet clutter.
The same principles can be applied to your children’s wardrobe. Have you ever went looking for an outfit and realized that many of the items in the drawers were ones your child had outgrown months ago?
Weeding through clutter takes time, so clean up those kids’ wardrobes while you’re at it. And don’t forget that you’ll have to declutter the kids’ clothes on a much more frequent basis than your own wardrobe.
Minimize toys
This should be a given. Well-meaning grandparents load our children up with toys and books, and well, sometimes it can really accumulate!
Round up all the toys your child has and weed them out, one by one.
Does your child need 42 cars? Probably not. (I’m looking at you, M!)
How long has it been since they even looked at this item?
Is there anything broken on this toy, or something that makes it not safe for your child to be playing with? (Throw these away.)
If you don’t want to donate them or toss them out, put them in a box and stash it away, then bring it out later and magically, you have new toys to offer your child again!
You don’t have to throw away ALL your toys. It’s about finding the balance that works for you.
RELATED READING: 10 Minimalist Toddler Toys That Kids and Parents Will Love!
Look for Time-Saving Opportunities
Another way to be a minimalist mom is to maximize your time.
If you prioritize and know exactly what it is that you need to do, you can minimize wasted time.
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Multitasking Cleaning
Learn to clean as you go.
I know a lot of people probably focus on isolated activities, and doing things one at a time, and to be honest, it’s probably better for our brains. But I can’t work that way.
I know that on Mondays, when I shower, I take a couple of minutes before my shower to wipe down the sink and mirror, toilet, and shower.
On Wednesdays, a little before Desmond’s morning nap, both boys get a quick bath. M knows I’m going to nurse Desmond to sleep, so before we head back to the bedroom, we make a pit stop in the bathroom to get clean.
It’s not a perfect system, but it helps to create a kind of flow to my day that I like and appreciate.
I’m not going out of my way to clean things–it just happens naturally. Find spaces in your schedule that you can seamlessly include cleaning so you don’t fall behind.
Learn to Batch-schedule Tasks
Batch scheduling my to-do items has been hands-down one of the best things for my productivity.
If I know I have 5 phone calls to make to various people or companies over the course of the week, I do them all at the same time.
When I’m writing for my blog, I will work on the writing for 4 or 5 posts at a time. Then I’ll do all of their pictures and links, then do all of their pins.
Switching tasks drains my energy, so doing batches at once helps retain my attention and makes me less likely to get distracted.
This is a fairly new technique that I’ve started to use, and I’m still learning about it. If you want more info, check out this article. The Multitasking Mom uses meal prep batching to save herself time, and I’m sure there are many more way you can use batching.
RELATED:
Stay-At-Home Mom Schedule for Infant and Toddler
Your path to success
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is a good routine to maximize productivity. But these ideas can help you weed out the time-wasters, declutter your space and time, and skyrocket your success. Little things add up to huge results. Just keep going, and don’t give into temptation to let the clutter creep back in.
I’m sure there are about 25 different ways to be a minimalist mom, minimize items or maximize your time to allow for a simpler, more streamlined efficiency as a work-at-home mom.
But it’s a good starting place to turn around your productivity and your sanity!
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