Once your home has been cleared of the procrastination clutter that we are all so fond of, you are free to move on to the next step of modern minimalism.

Pick one room, one that is the least cluttered.

Go through that room systematically; start with one corner and go around the room completely. Each item you own must have a purpose, and if each item you pick up does not have a place in your everyday life, then it needs to either be a) donated or b) discarded.

Start each pile in a section of the room that is not in the main through way and if after two weeks (fourteen days), you have not needed to use any of the items in either pile, then pack up the car and bring them to their destination.

Once you see that one room looking beautiful, orderly, and clean, it will be that much easier to move onto the next most cluttered room and so on.

Each room can take one day or it can take a few weeks, depending on the complexity of the room, the size of the room, and the amount of clutter.

Take your time and work through it. It may seem difficult to let go of things that remind you of times in your life that you may have enjoyed greatly, but there are ways to keep those memories and still get rid of the “stuff.”

1. Photographs can be digitally scanned into your computer (a scanner can be purchased for less than $100 or you can hire a service to do this for you) which can then either be backed up in the internet cloud or on a second external hard drive.

2. CDs can be ripped to your computer using iTunes or various other programs to turn them into mp3s which can then be uploaded to a player.

3. Books can be donated or given away and you can use an ebook reader (I have the Kindle) instead.

4. Childrens’ toys can be donated to those less fortunate, only holding onto the toys/items that the child uses the most and gets the most enjoyment from.

5. Home movies or movies in general can also be made digital so they can be stored on your home computer/laptop and then they can easily be uploaded to an mp3 player with video capabilities for movies on the go. This can also replace the need for a portable DVD player.
[Note: Your home computer or laptop can be hooked up to a larger television set for easy family viewing with just a cable or two.]

6. Clothing should only stick around if you wear it on a weekly basis and if it is transcendent of time and trend so that you can get the most out of each article that you own. Invest the money to buy quality pieces that will withstand years of washing and pay attention to the labels so that you can optimize the wear and tear that the clothes will receive.

This post is small but it says so much. There are a lot of action items and it can seem inundating, but if you take your time and systematically go through your clutter, you will have an easier time actually seeing the value in it.

Do NOT make rash decisions and purge everything as much as you may want to. There may be something mixed in with those items that you truly intended to keep and I don’t want you to regret the Modern Minimalism process.

This process is intended to clear your environment, as well as your mind, so that you may live light in heart and in step and devote more time to your true passions in life. This will inevitably add more contentment and love to your life without having to make huge life changes.