Minimalism is promoting what you value most and removing whatever distracts from it.
On this definition minimalism has no item count and no style; it starts from your values. Name what you want more room for before you pull anything off a shelf.
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Simplify: 7 Guiding Principles to Help Anyone Declutter Their Home and Life
8 memorable lines from Simplify: 7 Guiding Principles to Help Anyone Declutter Their Home and Life by Joshua Becker, each with the idea behind it.
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Lines labelled “HourLife takeaway” are our wording of the book’s ideas and may paraphrase it. Only lines in quotation marks are the author’s own words, with where they appear. Check the book for exact wording before you quote it. Spot an error?
Lasting change starts with being convinced, not with a weekend purge.
Becker's first principle is that actions follow what we truly want. List the benefits you care about, such as less cleaning, less spending and more time, and keep the list where you declutter.
Make minimalism fit your life instead of copying someone else’s.
A family with small children, a renter and a keen hobbyist will land in different places. Decide what enough looks like for your household.
Jump in small: one drawer, not the whole house.
Like training for a marathon, easy early wins build the habit. Pick the area you see most often and finish it in one sitting.
Moving clutter is levelling; removing it is minimising.
Shifting things into bins or the garage looks tidy but changes nothing. If it isn't essential, let it leave the house.
Stop the trend by changing what comes in, not just what goes out.
Consumer culture refills every space you clear. Put a pause before purchases and turn down free things you will not use.
Clutter gathers in predictable collection sites, so watch those first.
Counters, entryways and the chair in the bedroom fill up again and again. Persevering mostly means clearing those few spots often.
Clear the little rocks so the big rocks fit.
Becker's last principle takes simplicity beyond the house to time and commitments: family, friends, faith and goals first, then remove what crowds them. Ask the same question of your calendar as of your closet.
Keep this going in the app.
HourLife turns these ideas into a daily system — goals, habits, focus, and reflection in one private place.
