8 Lessons Learned in 8-Months

Baby June is now 8-months!

She has been a little wonder baby. She is turning out to be very smiley and observant. She is just learning to wave and will wave at literally anyone passing by, even animals, even people quite far away who would never see it (lol, so cute).

Keeping our home simple and clutter-free has been another journey.

…let's just say it ebbs and flows.

8 LESSONS learned, thus far

1. We only need 3 bottles

A reader actually told me she only used 3 bottles (thank you!), which gave me the confidence to try it out right away. We have not looked back. It’s kinda like our dog leash. We have 1 dog leash, it hangs on a hook near the door. We always know where it is because we have to. I find when I have fewer of an essential item, I keep better track of it.

2. skip the bottle sanitizer + bottle warmer

We don’t have either. What we have instead: an electric kettle with temp. gauge, and a small, separate drying rack we use for bottles 

Note - We rented a bottle sanitizer from LOOP for the first 5 months of breast feeding / pumping, and that was helpful with all the pumping parts, but honestly these are huge and ugly and highly-specific. Borrow or rent if you can!

3. on that note, Rent / Borrow ANYTHING POSSIBLE

For short-term items we rented from LOOP, a baby gear rental service for the Bay Area (highly recommend!). Items like a baby Bjorn Bouncer, a Boba baby wrap, and Hatch changing table with built-in scale (good for the early days of worrying about baby’s weight).

4. Footed P.J.'s or bust

For the first 6 months, the only clothes she needed were footed-PJs and a baby hat. Literally! Pants ride up the calf and make her little legs cold, and socks fall off unless they are on-top of footed PJs. (You could also do footed pants, plus a onesie that snaps at the crotch, but I found PJs to be the best)

• Cold out? Add a thicker hat, booties/socks, and/or a sweater on top of the footed-PJs

• Super hot? She can just be in a diaper (or naked!) in the shade.

• Want to look cute? If I desired a "cute outfit" for a party / family event, I would add a matching bow or other accessory.

5. Cloth diapering is not that hard

Esp. if you have easy access to a washer/dryer. We use cloth during the day and single-use at night (so she can sleep through the night without waking up wet in the middle of the night). Yea, the poops are gross, but honestly it's still gross with a single-use diaper, so highly recommend cloth!

Cloth diapers are more prone to diaper rash, so you have to change often, and we use a hair dryer on the changing table to ensure June gets dry between changes. Also time without a diaper on is really great for them, too!

6. Hand-me-downs have hidden benefits

We are so grateful for our community for their thoughtfulness and generosity. For our bassinet, rather than spend forever researching which one to use, we just used the one Will’s cousin handed-down to us. Let some things be easy, and let the decision be made for you. Same with our bottle “system”. We use NUK bottle because that’s what a friend handed down to us. AND you don't  have to accept everything. I found a local donation center (Postpartum Support Center), and a friend with a baby a few months behind me, so I just take all hand-me-downs and pass on the ones I won’t use.

7. Get the “travel” version

Firstly, I must admit - I was reluctant to get a stroller at all, and now we have two (face palm, head scratch, all the things). When I was initially having my stroller stand-off, Will decided he was going to get his own stroller despite what I wanted (why I married him), so he got a Thule jogger from Craigslist, which admittedly works great for the bumpy country roads around our neighborhood, and I love that it is second-hand. When I finally came to believe a stroller was actually a good idea, I wanted one that was more portable, lighter weight and easier to throw in the car, take up stairs and compact to use in the city. After some research we purchased the MINU travel stroller from UppaBaby (pictured w/ yoga mat for scale). If you live in a city with a walk-up apartment, or lots of stairs look into all things travel! They are lighter, more compact and still have all the functionality. We also exclusively use a travel sound machine, which has been seamless.

8. Trust your gut … And Don’t be too hard on yourself

Baby stuff is tricky because as a first-time parent you don’t know what you will need, and there is a lot of marketing out there to make you believe you need a LOT. I suggest to err on the side of less. Check in with your gut. If you are unsure, abstain. Exhibit A - I reluctantly took a motorized baby swing by Munchkin and it stayed mostly unused in our loft until I re-homed it to a better suited family. And even though I try to not buy anything from Amazon ever, the reality is sometimes I need to, and that’s ok.

Travel with a 3-Month Old - 7 Tips We Learned

As I was preparing for maternity leave, I got the advice to travel early, as it is much easier to travel when a baby is not yet crawling or walking. That planted a seed and I began to scheme a month-long trip to BCS Baja, Mexico during our combined maternity and paternity leave.

It was definitely a leap of faith - I booked the accommodations when I was only 4 months pregnant. I was assuming she would be about 3 months at that time, when we would have a 1-month window between pediatrician appointments.

Then, once baby June was born, we had to immediately procure her physical birth certificate and apply for a passport as early as possible (the passport photo of a 1-month old is pretty hilarious).

While it required a lot of preparation and uncertainty right up until we were on our flight, in the air, it turned out to be such a special time for our little family unit. We were able to bond and really focus on each other without the distractions of day-to-day life at home (it also reassuring the remember that if we ever felt too uncomfortable or ill at ease, we could simply return early from our trip).

Here are a few things we learned:

1. Ditch the stroller.

   Think about your destination and what you will be doing day-to-day. Do you really need a stroller? Our destination did not have sidewalks or even many paved roads, so we opted to leave the stroller at home. It was so liberating! We carried June in her baby carrier, or we were driving and had her in a car seat. I used a back brace with the baby carrier since my core wasn’t fully healed yet and that improved my endurance immensely. Side note - it’s not recommended that your baby to be in the car seat for more than 2 hours / day, so plan accordingly.

2. Airport stuff: Arrive early and check all bags

   Arrive extra early to the airport: we arrived 3 hours early for our international flight. Between baby, dog and feeding ourselves, it was just enough time. And check all your bags. Gone are the days of walking out of the airport with just your carry-on. 

3. For accommodations, stay put.

   It was much easier to settle in and find a routine when staying in 1 place rather than hop around to different hotels or rentals. We stayed in 1 rental for the entire month.

4. Breastfeed in public.

   If you can breastfeed/feed on-the-go, your life is going to be way easier. Practice using a cover up at home before your trip.  Tip — crop tops make feeding access that much easier. Paired with a high waisted flowy skirt, I was super comfortable. We also rented a car during our stay, so that became a home away from home and a good distraction-free place to feed, when necessary.

5. Shade is your friend.

   Know your shade options before you go. We knew we would be at the beach and wanted to be self-sufficient with our own shade and not rely on finding shade where we went. Babies under 6 months shouldn’t get direct sun, so they just need to be in the shade 😎 Baby sun hats easily fall off and kind of block the baby’s view. So having overhead shade was key. For walking around, it felt most efficient for June to wear a classic cotton baby cap and then we would use our own wide-brimmed hats to shade her face. 

6. Lower expectations of what you do in a given day.

   This is the not carefree spontaneous travel you may have grown accustomed to in the past. Your days revolve around the needs of your babe, and the healing mother, and that might mean you stay inside for an entire day, and that’s ok. We got into a rhythm of one day out and about, and the next day staying close to home, to rest, limit sun and wind exposure, and not feel like a constant hustle.

7. Pack a few luxuries

   This is important so that you can be content hanging close to home, when it’s what the family needs. That meant bringing a good book, a yoga mat, yoga block, swim fins and a wet suit for Will. 

"But I'm an artist!" - 7 tips for how even the most creative people can embrace minimalism

How does an artist embrace minimalism, while still collecting all the materials that are an integral part of inspiring new designs?  This question spawned a list of tips for how artists can embrace minimalism without hampering the creative process. This post was inspired by a conversation with Mariele Ivy, the genius behind the jewelry brand, Young in the Mountains which creates the most beautiful rings out there. Be sure to check out her work, all handmade and conscious of the environment from which her jewels are drawn.

First, let’s understand the artist’s narrative: 

“Random, collected materials inspire the art and that I can't predict when inspiration will strike, or with what material. So I need to keep everything that inspires me, despite the clutter it creates.”

So even while working within the artist narrative, at New Minimalism we have found that it is possible to set boundaries in order to maintain a studio space that supports your highest work.

Image of Mariele of Young in the Mountains in her studio, by Kim Branagan.

7 TIPS TO EMBRACE MINIMALISM, Even AS AN ARTIST

1. Give yourself physical boundaries –

   • Designate a bin (or 3) for all the "inspiration" materials that you are not actively using in a project. When the lid to said container(s) starts to become hard to close, it's time to purge.

2. Remember, there are only 24 hours in a day

   • it’s common for us to hear from a creative that they have "time management" issues. It's a helpful reminder that there are only 24 hours in a day, and time is finite. Be realistic with how much time you have to root around, inspiring new designs, vs. create the items that are already in the queue...aka the "to-do" list. Use a timer to help strengthen the time management muscle (we could all use this). We often don't realize exactly how long a task will take, especially when you are in that ideal flow state, so it's helpful to have the electronic-assist. For example, if you have just 1 hour to create/do/play with item x, set the timer for 1-hour and get busy. You'll be surprised at how quickly that timer will ding. This starts to train your brain to know how long certain things take, you can start to be more realistic with your time.

3. Give yourself date boundaries

   • Using that same container method, slap a label on the container that says something like (use by Oct 2022). If Oct 2022, comes and goes you haven't opened that box or looked at those items, those items should be removed to make space for new inspiration. Pro tip, remove the items blindly. If you open the container and start to rummage, you are sure to decide that everything needs to stay.

4. Honor the ebb and flow of materials

   • Rather than cling to any and everything that comes your way, honor that things comes and things go from your life. There is a bit of trust involved in this. But when you open up in this way, you allow space for new items to come in with regularity that can provide a fresh perspective, rather than be stuck in old thought patterns and familiarity.

5. What is your ideal "creation state"?

   • Some artists love having a messy studio and are most alive sifting through tons of materials in the creation process. Others need to start with a blank slate, and an orderly space in order to generate new ideas. I personally, am a little bit of both -- I need to start with a clean slate, during my creation process it gets super wild and messy, and at the end, I need to clean up. If I don’t clean up and put things away, I feel like the creation is not complete, or never-ending, and that is a drain for me, mentally and creatively.  If you like to cook, the kitchen is a great test bed for your creative process. 

6. There is always a reason to keep something.

   • We have heard the most creative reasoning behind why an item should be kept. And while it's a fun mental exercise of finding a use out of something that looks, well useless, it's also a surefire way to keep your space cluttered.

7. Yes, it’s true…

   • You may miss something after you've gotten rid of it. And if that happens, it’s ok. It's the fear of even encountering that emotion of missing something that prohibits us from letting go in the first place. Walk your edge and move out of your comfort zone. That's where the growth is.

For all the artists out there who struggle with creating order in the studio, write down a few of these tips that resonate most with you, in your own hand and own words, and post them somewhere visible in your studio. 

Thank you, Mariele, for inspiring this post! 

And don't’ forget, creativity thrives within constraints.

A Wedding fit for a minimalist: Tips for Planning Your Own Intentionally Simple Union

All photos: ginaandryan.com

We did it! Will and I were married on the sunny coast of southern California.

We learned a lot while planning for an intimate, intentional gathering, and my hope is that these tips will help you or someone you know who is planning (or, manifesting) their own wedding celebration.

1. Selecting Your Ceremony Location

Utilize the State Parks

In picking a ceremony location, Will and I were able to narrow our scope to southern California pretty quickly because we wanted to make it easy for Will’s grandmother to attend. As Will and I imagined what our ideal southern California ceremony would look like, we had visions of being married on a cliff overlooking the Pacific ocean. While visiting down south, we decided to dedicate one Saturday to “cliff hunt” by driving up and down Highway 1. We started south, near San Clemente and drove north, stopping at every cliff-like chance we got. Having pretty flexible and optimistic personalities, we both imagined we could just “take over” a random cliff for an afternoon for our wedding. Right? But as we were driving, we quickly came to realize that most of the cliff locations were either privately-owned, occupied by a hotel or a fancy AF home, or there were mere inches between the cliff and side of the freeway.

As we worked our way north, we finally came to Crystal Cove, a beautiful CA State Park where Will spent many a summer afternoon as a kid. Here were the expansive, quintessential California views we had been looking for. So we hurried home to do some permit research. Online we learned that Crystal Cove had several locations within the park to hold an event, and they even had a Special Events manager we could coordinate with.

The next day we returned to Crystal Cove to scope out all the different event sites. Enter: Pelican Point #2 — the dreamiest wedding location we could have hoped for. A long, winding boardwalk leads out to a magnificent vista point, overlooking the beach with birds and waves as the soundtrack. It was perfect. And because it was through the State Park, it cost a fraction of the price of a traditional venue and the money was going to support the State Park! Win win.

2. The Guest List

Keep it small, and everything else becomes more manageable.

We had 16 people attend our wedding. Yes, you read that right, 16! There are so many benefits of having a small wedding, but it’s really, really hard to put into practice. We were planning in the thick of Covid, with no vaccine in sight, so those limitations pretty much made the decision for us. But, you don’t need to be in a pandemic to force a smaller guest list. You could find your own “forcing function” to keep your wedding small. Maybe you fall in love with a venue that only accommodates 30 people. Or you want to take over a small, boutique hotel that only sleeps 50 guests. You can start with some sort of limiting factor, something that is true to your vision and values, as a couple, and helps you make the tough choices of a whittling-down a guest list.

In attendance, we had our immediate families, Grandma, a cousin from both sides, and the friends/couple who introduced us. It was really intimate, and it was amazing for this group to spend so much time together; everyone really got to know one another. While the ceremony location was in Will’s hometown, we still had everyone stay at the same cute hotel, so that we could roll out of bed to have coffee together, lounge by the pool, or share a night cap at the end of the night. As the bride, having such a small wedding allowed me to really sink into the weekend with everyone. I could actually relax by the pool, and hang out with everyone. I even had time to take an incredible 5-mile hike on the morning of our wedding.

3. Travel To / From

Air travel makes the biggest impact on the carbon footprint of your event.

If a main goal for your wedding is to have less impact on the planet, pick a location where most guests can avoid air travel. Picking a location where guests can drive to and from will emit far fewer carbon emissions than traveling by air.

So what about those far-flung destination weddings that have become so popular? Here’s something wild — sweetly suggest that guests offset their carbon emissions by purchasing carbon credits. Find a way to tactfully slip it into your wedding invitation, your wedding website, or both. For your guests, it may be a surprising suggestion, but it brings an important point to light as we reconsider how our actions, and the events we throw, have an impact on the planet. Buying carbon credits doesn’t immediately negate the green-house gases that have been emitted into the atmosphere, but it does put resources towards the effort of reducing greenhouse gases. The biggest impact on greenhouse gas emissions will come from policy at the government level, so be informed on the voting history of your elected officials on this vital topic.

a note re: Photography / Video

Because we had such a minimal guest list, we wanted to have the ceremony really well-documented so that we could share the event with our greater family and friends. We chose to spend most of our budget on photography and videographers whose work really resonated with us (Gina & Ryan Photo and Grimace Films). We also searched for professionals who lived and worked locally in southern California, so that they did not have to travel far for the event (Bonus - watch our wedding video here! I swear it’s not a Patagonia commercial - wait for it…)

4. The Dress

Vintage or pre-owned are guaranteed ways to wear a dress that is more unique, earth friendly, and probably 50%+ less expensive than retail.

The biggest consideration here is that buying vintage or second-hand requires time, so start searching early. On the website Still White you can search by designers and silhouettes that you like. Because we had a quick turnaround for the wedding, I started by selecting a new, ready-to-wear option from BHLDN, but was keeping an eye on vintage sites to see if something came up in the meantime. With the added challenge of consignment shops being closed due to COVID, I ended up going with a new dress. But if I were to have a wedding with more a traditional lead-time of 6-12 months, I would have definitely loved the hunt of finding my perfect vintage dress. To turn buying something new into a more earth-friendly action, I will “catch and release” my dress back into the ecosystem of beautiful wedding dresses.

Note - The vintage fur stole was an improved, in-the-moment addition to stave off the nighttime chill. A guest had it for herself and lent it to me when I got cold. In retrospect I would have removed the stole from being included in so many photos.

5. Gifts for Guests

Chose one thing that is well-made and useful.

And if you really want your guests to use it forever, avoid engraving the gift with your names/initials/the date of your wedding.

Since our wedding was beachside, I had the idea to gift quality Turkish towels made by my friends over at Anywhere Outpost. My vision was that guests would arrive to their hotel room with two towels tied together with twine on the bed, paired with a printout of the weekend itinerary. That was it. But I soon learned that my mother was very excited at the prospect of creating gift baskets for our guests, so I let her run with that. She understood that I was adamant about having a waste-free event, and so she thoughtfully took the effort the pack bulk snacks in mason jars and selected woven baskets that would live beyond the duration of the weekend. While, it wasn’t 100% waste-free, in the end it was a sweet addition that my mom had a lot of fun doing, and I was happy to hand off.

6. Wedding Registry

Choose fewer, better-made things.

If choosing only “fewer, better things” means that your registry is chock full of $100+ items, add a “cash fund” option so your guests may contribute an amount they are comfortable with.

Tip: create multiple cash funds towards a specific goal/fund so that people who love to give physical gifts have a sense of what you will use the money for. And don’t forget thank you cards!!!!

For honeymoon goers, some websites allow cash funds to go towards certain honeymoon activities, which is a really sweet idea that friends have used and enjoyed for their wedding registries (for our honeymoon we sailed to Catalina, just the two of us, and mostly hiked around the island, so we opted against any honeymoon-related funds for our registry).

And my biggest registry advice — at all costs, avoid the lists of your “Registry Essentials”! When you sign up for a registry website, they often direct you to a list of “essentials” (with affiliate links that they get paid for, btw). It will bring you down a rabbit hole of “essentials” you never knew you needed (much like the SkyMall catalog), and soon your registry will be bloated and your kitchen cabinets will be overflowing. For the love of God, ignore these lists.

7. Decorations

Rent rather than buy.

Search for local events rental businesses and you might be surprised with what you find. Rather than purchase, we rented things like bench cushions, rugs and signage. I found this awesome rental company called Archive Rentals that had cute cushions for guests to sit on during our ceremony. While I could have found the similar cushions online for around the same price, I opted to utilize a local (female-owned) business. This ensured the cushions would continue to be used for years to come, rather than be packed away in a garage to never be seen again.

For the reception location, we selected a restaurant with a gorgeous space that matched the “look and feel” we were after, so the space didn’t need much else in terms of decor. We did paid a premium for a location like this, but we saved time, effort and money avoiding the need to decorate a blank space. In a similar vein, we wanted to highlight the natural beauty of the ceremony point, and didn’t want flowers to take away from the vista views. We had small bouquets at the ceremony site, and reused them for the reception.

In conclusion ;)

Planning a wedding is an exciting, albeit daunting time.

I hope these tips are useful in helping you plan a simple and sustainable event.

Cheers!

Save Water — 5 Simple Hacks to reduce your water consumption

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Hello readers, Kyle here to share some of my favorite water-saving tips.

Back in my undergrad days, I traveled to Nicaragua on a service trip. While there, digging holes in the ground to install smoke-free stoves, I learned about water wars. Disputes over water rights in rural areas had led to young men sleeping with machetes (!) next to wells in order to protect their water sources. That mental image has stuck with me ever since and I am eternally grateful to live in a place where with the mere twist of a faucet, clean drinking water fills my glass.

Here in much of the United States, we have grown accustomed to plentiful and clean sources of water. But with climate change and a series of very dry winters, 74% of California is in an “exceptional” drought, the worst condition on the drought scale. It’s time to get serious about water usage. Here are 5 hacks to reduce your consumption.

Image Via

1. If you have a dishwasher — use it

   The NRDC writes that you can save up to 24 gallons (!) of water with each round of dishes if you use an Energy Star dishwasher versus hand-washing your dishes. As minimalists living in a small home, we actually don’t have enough dishes to support a dishwasher lifestyle, so it may not apply to all readers. But for the household out there with plenty of dishes, put down the sponge and utilize the dishwasher. Experiment to see if your dishes still get clean by a.) just scraping food off your plate and avoiding the rinse or b.) try using the “short wash” setting and see if it works for your regular cleaning needs.

   When hand-washing pots and pans — soap and scrub all at once (with water off!) then rinse. Before “closing up” the kitchen for the night, use a bowl to catch water from rinsing your last dishes, and use that water to dip and rinse your sponge to wipe down your surfaces. This rinse water then gets reused to rinse the sponge, rather than turning on the faucet.

2. shower power, throttle back

   Do you have a shower head that uses a ton of water? There’s good news — you don’t need to replace the entire head. You can simply install a flow control device that sits between the shower head and the neck. Keep your flow on medium for your shower, and turn it off entirely while you soap and shave (military-shower-style). The benefit of the restrictor means that the hot water is still there, ready for you as soon as you want to rinse (rather than turning off the shower completely and having to reboot the hot water heater).

   My husband Will and I live in a rental with a shower head that used sooooo much water that it felt wrong, not to mention it ran through our hot water supply super quickly. We installed one of these flow control devices last fall and now we use a much more reasonable amount of water for each shower, and as a bonus, we never run out of hot water.

3. shampoo weekly, Rinse daily

   Embrace the no-shampoo movement and experiment with shampooing your hair less frequently. Doing so requires a bit of a transition period, and you’ll have to embrace the natural texture and oil of your hair, rather than the squeaky clean feeling that conventional shampoo has conditioned us to think is “clean”. If you need that daily shower, skip washing your hair, and keep your rinse extra short. I like to turn it into a game — I put on my favorite 4-min song and race to finish showering before the song ends.

4. DIY water-efficient toilet

   To use less water with each flush the age-old advice was to place a brick in your toilet tank. But the brick can actually crumble over time and damage your plumbing. Instead, grab a medium plastic container (ideally from your recycling pile….hello old oat milk jug), fill it with water, cap it, and place in your toilet tank. So easy! And this is an alternative approach to teaching your entire household a “yellow-let-it-mellow” strategy. You are automatically granting less water to each flush, and since more likely it is yellow, it should work great. In the case it’s a brown-flush-it-down situation, you may have to give it a double flush.

5. Let your garden grow … wild.

   What happens if you let the land take back parts of your garden? There are some beautifully landscaped yards out there that utilize native plants and require less water and general maintenance. Maybe this year is the year to transition to a native garden. Let your non-natives perish in the heat, and see what naturally takes hold in your space. One of my favorite quotes from Richard Powers’ The Overstory, “Civilized yards are all alike. Every wild yard is wild in its own way.” It never hurts to post a sign, letting your neighbors know that the garden atrophy is intentional. Maybe you will inspire some neighbors to do the same!

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New Minimalism Journal: Create Your Plan for a Less Cluttered Life

Today Kyle and I are welcoming our second New Minimalism baby into the world—the New Minimalism Journal!

We’re immensely proud and incredibly grateful to you, our NM community, for supporting us and our work and helping us earn the tremendous privilege of bringing another book into the world.

While today is the Journal’s official birthday, it’s actually been several months since we handed in our final edits on our manuscript, since we approved layouts and covers and design elements. Book making is a lot like baby making in that way: a whole lot of excitement and then a whole lot of waiting.

In fact, in the time between turning in the final draft to our publisher and this book making its way into the world, my second (human) baby was also born. (See evidence of preciousness below.)

As a mom to two small kiddos, I’ve realized just how much living simply is not a natural tendency of mine, but a choice I have to choose and act on consistently. When time is tight, emotions are high, and sleep is lacking, I return to a default of holding onto things because they are tiny and adorable or useful or expensive or just in case.

When time is tight, emotions are high, and sleep is lacking, I return to a default of holding onto things because they are tiny and adorable or useful or expensive or just in case.

So when our publisher sent me one sneak peak copy of our book in my early, chaotic postpartum days this Fall, I went through the exercises and journal prompts less as the author reviewing her work and more as a new mom hungry for practical, actionable tips.

By the time I finished the exercises in the Journal, I looked at my home, my days, my kids with different eyes.

I worried less about holding onto cute newborn onesies and more about being a calm, energetic presence in my newborn’s life. I felt confident in purging toys, knowing my toddler would vastly prefer me jump on the couch and hug her as we save ourselves from imaginary snakes than have me constantly tidying her play area. I felt liberated to let go of gifts, advice, clothes, and commitments that didn’t serve the way I wanted to feel in my home with my family: present, joyful, unflappable. Which is to say, most of them had to go.

And now? I feel clear headed, light hearted, and ready to be the parent, partner, and person I most want to become.

What might the journal do for you?

Share your takeaways by tagging @newminimal.ism or #newminimalismjournal on Instagram.

The New Minimalism Decluttering Process

HURRAY, IT’S DECLUTTERING DAY!

It’s finally here, the day you’ve been waiting for — it’s time to declutter (insert household category) of your home! We couldn’t be more excited for you. We recommend starting first thing in the morning, right after a hearty breakfast and a little caffeine. Don’t neglect the setting: turn on the lights, open the blinds, crack the windows to circulate fresh air, perhaps turn on some background music. And drink water! A couple of hours into sorting, these little tips will massively help your productivity and focus. 

Staging

The importance of staging cannot be stressed enough. By removing items from the context of where they have been living in your home, it is easier to view them with an objective eye. 

1.  Gather all the items in the category (or subcategory) from every part of your home. 

2. Stage items by placing like with like. (all t-shirts are piled together, all pants piled together).  

3. Pause and take it all in. Did you realize that you had six pairs of nearly identical black boots? This is your reality check.

4. Clean. Return to the now-empty spaces in your home and give them a thorough sweep and wipe down. Strategize. With everything now removed from the space, try viewing it with fresh eyes. Use this time to consider your over- all organization strategy. 

5. Set a goal for yourself. As you appreciate the beauty of your now-empty space, consider what percentage of items needs to be donated so that the room can breathe again. Select your favorites. cherry-pick your five favorite pieces and place them on display . These items epitomize your aesthetic or personal style and will subsequently act as your guiding light.

6. Designate piles. Write the following categories on sticky notes or directly on the bags you will use to sort your belongings:

1. Keep

2. Donate

3. Maybe—this includes clothing items to be tried on. Refrain from pausing the process every time you need to try something on. Save this for the end.

4. Recycle

5. Trash

6. To-do. This includes all the items that:

   • belong to someone else and need to be returned,

   • need repair or special cleaning,

   • need to be returned to a store, or

   • you want to sell at a consignment shop.

Sorting 

This is where all the decision making comes in. 

1. First, reference your favorites pile. Use your favorites to guide your decisions. Everything you keep should be able to hold its own next to these items.

2. Pick up each individual object, one at a time. (Yes, every single item.) As you hold each item, tap into your gut reactions, your first impulse. Notice what excites you. On the other hand, notice if you repeatedly validate why something should stay.

3. Decide where the item belongs and place it in corresponding piles )keep, donate, etc). until you are finished with the category or subcategory.

The Maybe Pile: The truth about the maybe pile is that if an item made its way there to begin with, it’s safe to say you can donate it. When in doubt during the decision-making process, reference your favorite items. This allows you to focus on the items that best serve you in the present day, making it easier to release old items related to outdated ideas about yourself.

WRAP IT UP

Build at least one hour into the end of the day to wrap up all loose ends. At this time you will undoubtedly be tempted to kick off your shoes, grab a mug of tea (or something stronger), and relax on the couch, but finishing your session with your home clear of items to be dealt with is worth the effort. Complete the following steps to wrap up your day:

1. Examine your to-do pile. Does it feel exciting or daunting? Be assertive and discerning, because it’s entirely counterproductive for you to be left with hours of projects to deal with at the end of the day! Use your newfound ruthlessness to donate the items that you are wavering over.

2. Return the borrowed items to their original owners.

3. Bring your donation pile to your local donation center. If you don’t already have a go-to donation locale, check the Resources section at the end of the New Minimalism: Declutter + Design book for tips.

4. Schedule a time in your calendar for any remaining tasks. Really! Take out your calendar, sit down, and find a day to complete these tasks.

5. Kick back and unwind. We recommend commemorating a job well done by savoring a quiet, easy evening, whether that means taking a shower, going out for a casual dinner, or cuddling up with a cup of tea or a glass of wine. Treat yourself!

This excerpt has been taken from New Minimalism Journal - Create Your Plan for a Less Cluttered Life.

Boise Donation Resources

Image Via

Hi all, Cary here!

Today I wanted to share some of my top resources for where to drop your post-decluttering donations in Boise.

I’ve been working on growing this list for the past few years, but I also know that it took us the better part of a decade to secure our dozens of donation partners in the Bay, so please email me if you have additional suggestions.

The impetus for this post was the recent gathering of over 800 brilliant, accomplished, and civic minded folks at the 2019 Women and Leadership Conference here in Boise over the past week.

Two of the keynote speakers were none other than Obama’s Director of Communication, Jennifer Palmieri, and the former Secretary of the Interior and current CEO of The Nature Conservancy, Sally Jewell. It was basically a trifecta of three of my favorite things: Obama, communications, and the environment. To say I was fangirling hardcore would be an understatement:)

I also had the immense honor of speaking to over two hundred of the attendees at two different sessions on Thursday.

I was just blown away by how open, wise, and curious both audiences were, not to mention how thoughtful their questions were. One question that I received several times (as I shared just how crucial Kyle and I believe donating to be to the decluttering process) was, “This sounds amazing. Where can I bring ______ here in Boise?”

So, as promised to my beautiful attendees, I’m excited to share my current list below!

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BOISE DONATION RESOURCES

The ARC: Clothing, accessories, books + media, housewares, and toys.

BabySteps: Infant and young child clothing, diapers, wipes, kid cups/plates/bottles/bibs, baby toys, young child furniture.

Book It Forward!: New or gently used children’s books and text books.

Big Brothers, Big Sisters: Sports equipment, board games, and craft supplies.

Dress for Success: Women’s professional clothing such as blouses, dress slacks, skirts, suits, dress shoes and accessories in petite, regular, and plus sizes.

Habitat for Humanity: Appliances, building materials, cabinets and furniture, décor and flooring, decorative hardware, electrical, lawn and garden, millwork and doors, paint sundries, plumbing fixtures & hardware, tools & accessories, and windows.

Idaho Youth Ranch: Sports equipment, clothing, appliances, electronics, toys, yard equipment, decorations, houseware, furniture. In short, almost everything.

Interfaith Sanctuary: dental hygiene, razors, diapers, toilet paper and more.

The Library!: books, records, DVDs, CDs, audiobooks, software, and magazines in good, sellable condition.

The Reuse Market: Paper, fabric and notions, artist’s mediums, mat board, framing, sign making, architecture/design materials, office/school supplies, media/tech, metal, and wood.

The Reuseum: Computers, consumer electronics, industrial machinery, spare parts, robots, spacecraft, and flux capacitors.

Women’s and Children’s Alliance: generally, WCA is in need of bedding, towels, toiletries, and toys, but please check here for their current wishlist, which is updated weekly.

5 Questions to Help You Declutter all. those. Kids. Toys.

This article was originally published on mindbodygreen.

Parenthood is wonderful and joyful and exhausting and hard.

As soon as you think you've got it figured out, something—your kid, your body, your schedule, your home, your child care—shifts. Parenthood for me has also been about embracing seemingly contradictory ideas, like: Clear rules and guidelines make for resilient parenting, and flexibility is key as our family continually evolves. Parenthood is a sea of grays: It's about making and then breaking rules as you and your child grow and change.

And yet, I've found that there is an enormous benefit to developing ground rules, even when you know they will be bent. So when it comes to my home's play space, rather than saying "we can only have so many toys" or "they can only be made by this brand," I've instead created questions I consider before purchasing a (new or used) toy or accepting a hand-me-down. Please take any that suit you, alter as needed, and add your own as you see fit!

1. Will it last?

This first question helps me weed out the majority of toys I'm not certain about. The big winners are well-made toys in natural and durable materials like wood, wool, silk, or food-safe silicone. These materials make for sturdier toys that are often much safer than flimsy, plastic, disposable ones. When your child can drop, step on, "accidentally" throw, and chew on toys without fear of breaking them or getting sick, it's a win.

2. Do we—the parents and caretakers—enjoy it?

This might be controversial to some parents, but I refuse to have toys that I don't like in my house! Our main play area for my child Lark is essentially half of our family room, so its contents are constantly on display. I believe that like adults, like children, enjoy looking at beautiful, charming toys.

For me personally, this rule eliminates:

• Items that are ugly, garishly painted, excessively large, or just plain unattractive.

• Battery-powered toys. This includes anything that lights up, moves, or makes noise on its own. It's nothing against the "beep beep" sound—I just want the director of the action to be my kiddos and not a battery. So things like maracas and xylophones are A-OK with me. Also, if my kids are like me, they'll quickly become overstimulated and overwhelmed by all the commotion, so I'm protecting the attention span of all family members with this rule.

• Things that are overly or excessively gendered. This doesn't mean that pink is forbidden in our home but that all ranges of colors and interests are represented. This currently includes dinosaur puzzles and a purple dump truck, a blue baby doll and rainbow blocks, books and farm animal figurines.

• Items that contribute to clutter or might be unsafe. Until my kids are able to clean up fully after themselves (and maybe not even then), we have nothing with teeny, tiny pieces, glitter, or poorly affixed accessories in our home.

3. Does it support open-ended play?

It's important to me that my kids can engage with their toys in a variety of ways—that they can assert their imagination and creativity. For example, consider two different baby dolls: one in a nightdress who has a smiling mouth shaped to accept a bottle and whose eyes close when lying down, another without a mouth or expression on their face dressed in plain clothes.

The first doll is easier to engage with right away, but it's hard to imagine a context where this same baby is sad, or is a father, or is eating a delicious meal because of how she is dressed and her expression. It has a predetermined type of play it fits into. The second doll is a blank slate onto which any story or role or emotion can be projected. In general, objects that aren't overly specific in role or intention free up the child to be more creative and imaginative. Other examples of open-ended objects include blocks and curved pieces of wood, fabric squares or scarves, molding clay, and dirt, sand, or just about anything else you can find outside. 

4. Is it worth the trade-off?

One principle I come back to a lot in my work as a professional declutterer is that not having an item does not automatically represent an absence or a lack. It represents space—which, as a mom, I have a whole new appreciation for. I find that a few moments of downtime, an empty shelf, a cozy nook—these little things make my days sane. 

Is this item more valuable that the empty space it will fill?

We don't often consider that the alternative of not having something isn't necessarily a glaring absence but is open space. Which to me is very valuable. So consider: Is this item more valuable that the empty space it will fill?

5. Does it align with our values?

This question requires a bit more digging and intentionality. What are the values that you believe in as a family? What are the values that you are hoping to pass on to your kids? In our family, I try to find toys that encourage cooperation, kindness, curiosity, and nonviolent play. In considering books for our little library, for example, I look for stories that share those aforementioned values and that highlight a wide range of people and experiences. (Some of my favorites are Julian is a Mermaid, Mommy, Mama and Me, Little Feminist, All Are Welcome, Susan Laughs, Dreamers, Be Kind, If You’re Going to a March, and My Princess Boy, but I'm always looking for other suggestions!)

What to do with toys you're phasing out? Donate!

I'm not sure how this became such a popular myth, but kids toys can absolutely be donated. There are exceptions to the rule, of course: Broken toys and toys that cannot be cleaned (think a very well-loved stuffed animal) are generally not able to be passed on. That being said, wooden and plastic toys, dollhouses and baby dolls, cars, trucks, and art supplies are joyfully accepted by a number of organizations locally and nationwide, including: Goodwill and Salvation Army; local child care facilities or schools; SAFE (stuffed animals for emergency); local churches, temples, mosques and associated charities; and local children's and family organizations and shelters.

These five questions give me enough structure to make good choices in the moment and simultaneously provide room to adjust based on feedback from my kids and my own evolution as a parent. I hope they do the same for you! 

6 Tips to Travel Like a Minimalist this Summer!

Lake Atitlan - Paul Castello

Proud mom moment, making a stranger take a photo of me and my babies, I mean luggage.

Travel is the perfect (set amount) of time to experiment with using less.

While it is my tendency to pack more than those “extreme” minimalists out there, I have engrained the habit to only pack in a carry-on (no bag checking here), so that automatically means I have to fit everything in a carry-on size. I’ve also found that I’m simply not a fan of wheeling around a hard case with wheels. I know!  They look so chic!  But it’s so much easier to navigate stairs and subways and buses with everything strapped to my back. So instead of a rolling bag, I hack my duffle bag into a backpack by using the carrying straps as shoulder straps. It’s not the most comfortable option but as long as I can carry it on both shoulders, my chiropractor says it isn’t terrible for my spine. For me, at this point in my life, the added mobility is more important than being uncomfortable here and there (talk to me in 5 years and it might be a different story). So while I’m “young” and able-bodied, I’ll carry my stuff.  For this trip, I’m traveling to Mexico and Guatemala for 3 weeks, and packed in a small duffle bag and small backpack!  I’m was pretty proud of myself when I was all finished and ready to go.

Packing light isn’t something that comes super naturally to me, but the more I practice, the easier it becomes.

Every time that I need to creatively pair items together from a streamlined selection, I experience the lightness that comes from having to manage less stuff. It also dismantles the myth that I need a certain variety to be comfortable or feel self-expressed. That’s the thing about striving for a simpler, sustainable lifestyle — it has always been a practice for Cary and myself. We were not natural-born minimalists; we don’t claim to have been space-optimizing, life-hacking little toddlers. I think it’s important to remember that. New Minimalism is a philosophy and a practice that comes from a slowing down and a paying attention.  It takes an iterative approach and is a muscle that you strengthen over time. 

How can you fit all your items into a small carry-on bag? 

Outlined here for you are 6 tips to help you achieve your minimalist packing goals (and relish in the subsequent freedoms):

1. Assess your activities and adjust your wardrobe accordingly:

Notice the duffle isn’t stuffed to the brim which allows for some goodies to come home with me!

This particular trip includes exploring Mexico City for 10 days, Antigua for 4, and then some quiet time at a yoga retreat in the mountains of Guatemala. I opted for Converse sneakers over running shoes since I’ll be mostly in cities. If I go for a hike or two in the mountains, I’ll just wear the Converse. Normally I would only bring one pair of yoga leggings on a trip. In this case, I packed two knowing I would be practicing everyday for 6 days. I also plan to buy a pair of huaraches (leather sandals) while traveling so I didn’t bring any sandals with me to avoid carrying duplicates.

2. Check the weather:

You may find that unusual weather means you need more, or less layers than expected, which also means you can slim down on the types of clothing you were initially expecting to wear. In doing so, I realized that I needed one thin, cashmere sweater and a light shell for rain, and less hot weather, summery garb.

3. Plan to hand-wash:

I will be gone for 23 days and packed 5 pairs of underwear and 4 pairs of socks! Hand washing can easily be done in a hotel sink and hung to dry. Select underwear made from quick-drying fabric to ensure drying is a breeze (hehe, get it?). My favorite, everyday underwear is made by Lululemon. It is tissue thin and will dry overnight even in colder, damp climes. For socks, if I were going to a colder climate I would probably bring 1-2 more pairs, but I imagine this will suffice.

4. Slim down your reusable/zero-waste arsenal:

Just one (insulated) water bottle can be used for both hot tea and cold drinks. Toting around a metal fork sounds crazy but it’s super handy and I seem to get by without a spoon. Chopsticks are a nice alternative, too. A cloth napkin doesn’t have to be used exclusively while eating, and can be used for all sorts of things. An extra tote bag that folds flat will allow for flexibility when you need more capacity (say you want to pick up some groceries as you pass a market).

5. Multi-purpose, non-toxic soap is your new BFF:

Did you know you can wash your water bottle, your clothes and your face with JUST ONE soap?! My favorite is Follain’s Everything Soap, which Cary first turned me onto. I must admit that while at home I love my capsule fleet of face products for my morning routine, but while traveling I channel Tim Gunn and make it work.

6. Lighten your mental load:

Jet planes emit a LOT of carbon into the atmosphere. Feeling the weight of guilt knowing that you are contributing to carbon emissions? Offset your carbon impact by purchasing carbon credits, or donate to a cause that is directly addressing climate change and remediation. As a member of 1% for the Planet, New Minimalism chose this year to donate to the San Francisco Bike Coalition because the safer the streets, the more people riding bikes and walking, and the less carbon emissions in our beautiful city.

What are your travel-light tips?

Please jump over to Instagram to leave your comment!

As you know, we are continually optimizing and would love to hear them!

Antigua - Paul Castello