A Tiny Gift Guide: Ten Alternative Gift Ideas for the Tiny House Residents on Your List
December 1, 2018
Affordable Housing Trends
January 15, 2019In recent years, minimalism has morphed from a niche ideal to a universally accepted lifestyle. From tiny homes to Marie Kondo’s kon mari method of decluttering, we are captivated by the mantra of less, less, less.
Research suggests this is not a bad approach: A recent Princeton University study identified clutter as a factor that inhibits functioning of the visual cortex, the part of the human brain responsible for processing information and focusing on specific tasks. Another study connected clutter to heightened levels of stress and depression,finding that those with cluttered homes released higher levels of the stress hormone, cortisol..
But excess doesn’t just overwhelm us physically and mentally. There is also evidence that it is bad for the environment. Research shows that household consumers have the biggest impact on the environment – especially in the United States, where we consume more than most other nations in terms of food and household goods. Researchers claim that consumers are responsible for more than 60 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions and up to 80 percent of worldwide water usage.
Given the lifestyle and environmental impact of our tendencies to accumulate and consume, as we sit down to devise our New Years’ resolutions, it would be worthwhile to consider how we can reduce our footprints by adopting a minimalistic lifestyle. This does not mean we have to abandon our family homes, sell all of our possessions, or adopt a lifestyle that is entirely foreign to us. Even small steps in a minimalist direction can improve our lives – and our environment.
Here are four small steps you can take this New Year to incorporate healthy minimalist practices in your life.
#1: Evaluate your living situation.
Are you living in too much space? On average, American homes yield approximately 1,000 square feet per family member. If this arrangement is burdensome to you or if your excess space is encouraging additional clutter, consider downsizing.
#2: Purge.
Walk through your home and eliminate any and all excess. Create two piles: a trash pile,and a “donate or sell” pile. In determining how to apportion your items, employ the twelve-month rule: If you haven’t touched the item in twelve months, part with it.Resolve to keep only what you love and what is absolutely essential.
#3: Study your priorities.
While tiny homes and other forms of hyper-efficient living spaces are not for everyone,we can all benefit from a schedule detox. Often, we needlessly overburden our lives by overscheduling our days. In the New Year, take stock of your priorities, arrange them,and excise any nonessential commitments that are crowding out your most important goals.
#4: Set ground rules for the New Year.
Once you’ve decluttered your home and your schedule, commit to an ongoing lifestyle change. Living like a minimalist is about more than just having a garage sale or downsizing your home: It necessitates a true paradigm shift. To help you incorporate minimalistic practices into your life, here are four ground rules to consider adopting: “In with the new, out with the old.”
Resolve not to bring anything new into your home without first purging something old.For instance, if you purchase a new set of stools for your kitchen, don’t just cram the old ones in your attic. If you bought the new ones, the old ones presumably aren’t serving you anymore, so purge them.
Before you introduce something new into your life, ask yourself if it will facilitate the lifestyle you are seeking.
This applies not just to physical items, but also the commitments that fill our schedules.
After all, when we spend our time in meaningful ways, we are likely not out accumulating more useless stuff. When we commit to the mantra less, but better in one area of our lives, it naturally impacts other facets of our lives as well.
Prioritize quality over quantity.
Purchase with intention, if at all. Shift your mindset by considering not if you have enough, but if what you have is truly indispensable.
Don’t buy items you plan to use only once.
One way to avoid accumulating too many material items is to reject the “I many need it someday” justification. Instead of purchasing items that you may use only once, borrow items from friends or family to keep your home free of needless clutter.
It takes time, practice, and commitment to develop healthy new habits. But with these simple steps, you can gradually learn to walk the way of a minimalist, filling your home and schedule only with what you love, what you need, and what is essential.
At Harmony Communities, we feel strongly that each resident has a sense of home. That they come home from work and feel pride in their environment and in their place in the greater community. That families are comfortable raising children in our neighborhoods, and that couples and singles know that they belong to something bigger than their four walls. In other words, we seek to create harmony within each community, making our communities not just passable, but peaceful, safe, functional, and beautiful.
Research suggests this is not a bad approach: A recent Princeton University study identified clutter as a factor that inhibits functioning of the visual cortex, the part of the human brain responsible for processing information and focusing on specific tasks. Another study connected clutter to heightened levels of stress and depression,finding that those with cluttered homes released higher levels of the stress hormone, cortisol..
But excess doesn’t just overwhelm us physically and mentally. There is also evidence that it is bad for the environment. Research shows that household consumers have the biggest impact on the environment – especially in the United States, where we consume more than most other nations in terms of food and household goods. Researchers claim that consumers are responsible for more than 60 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions and up to 80 percent of worldwide water usage.
Given the lifestyle and environmental impact of our tendencies to accumulate and consume, as we sit down to devise our New Years’ resolutions, it would be worthwhile to consider how we can reduce our footprints by adopting a minimalistic lifestyle. This does not mean we have to abandon our family homes, sell all of our possessions, or adopt a lifestyle that is entirely foreign to us. Even small steps in a minimalist direction can improve our lives – and our environment.
Here are four small steps you can take this New Year to incorporate healthy minimalist practices in your life.
#1: Evaluate your living situation.
Are you living in too much space? On average, American homes yield approximately 1,000 square feet per family member. If this arrangement is burdensome to you or if your excess space is encouraging additional clutter, consider downsizing.
#2: Purge.
Walk through your home and eliminate any and all excess. Create two piles: a trash pile,and a “donate or sell” pile. In determining how to apportion your items, employ the twelve-month rule: If you haven’t touched the item in twelve months, part with it.Resolve to keep only what you love and what is absolutely essential.
#3: Study your priorities.
While tiny homes and other forms of hyper-efficient living spaces are not for everyone,we can all benefit from a schedule detox. Often, we needlessly overburden our lives by overscheduling our days. In the New Year, take stock of your priorities, arrange them,and excise any nonessential commitments that are crowding out your most important goals.
#4: Set ground rules for the New Year.
Once you’ve decluttered your home and your schedule, commit to an ongoing lifestyle change. Living like a minimalist is about more than just having a garage sale or downsizing your home: It necessitates a true paradigm shift. To help you incorporate minimalistic practices into your life, here are four ground rules to consider adopting: “In with the new, out with the old.”
Resolve not to bring anything new into your home without first purging something old.For instance, if you purchase a new set of stools for your kitchen, don’t just cram the old ones in your attic. If you bought the new ones, the old ones presumably aren’t serving you anymore, so purge them.
Before you introduce something new into your life, ask yourself if it will facilitate the lifestyle you are seeking.
This applies not just to physical items, but also the commitments that fill our schedules.
After all, when we spend our time in meaningful ways, we are likely not out accumulating more useless stuff. When we commit to the mantra less, but better in one area of our lives, it naturally impacts other facets of our lives as well.
Prioritize quality over quantity.
Purchase with intention, if at all. Shift your mindset by considering not if you have enough, but if what you have is truly indispensable.
Don’t buy items you plan to use only once.
One way to avoid accumulating too many material items is to reject the “I many need it someday” justification. Instead of purchasing items that you may use only once, borrow items from friends or family to keep your home free of needless clutter.
It takes time, practice, and commitment to develop healthy new habits. But with these simple steps, you can gradually learn to walk the way of a minimalist, filling your home and schedule only with what you love, what you need, and what is essential.
At Harmony Communities, we feel strongly that each resident has a sense of home. That they come home from work and feel pride in their environment and in their place in the greater community. That families are comfortable raising children in our neighborhoods, and that couples and singles know that they belong to something bigger than their four walls. In other words, we seek to create harmony within each community, making our communities not just passable, but peaceful, safe, functional, and beautiful.
