Category: Minimalism

DIGITAL DECLUTTER

Published on by Amy D Lux1 Comment

Can you relate? 🤪

Lately I’m not sure I can even call myself a minimalist anymore because my physical clutter has transmuted to digital declutter. 😅 I am going to schedule a weekend soon to deep clean and organize my digital space.

Getting a new computer last year gave me the illusion that my digital space was pretty clean and organized, but the truth is I have a backup hard drive that needs to be decluttered and downsized. It has been sitting around just collecting dust for too long. I have 2 backup drives but neither is close to full, so the goal is to consolidate into one and then sell the extra terabyte drive once emptied.

Alot of this mess is simply redundant pictures – you know when you take 15 of the same shot to get the perfect crop, lighting, and frame – but you never deleted the ones that were less than par? I have more than I can count. oopsie.

When it comes to internet tabs – I am so guilty of this! If I keep a tab open it is because I still need to complete an action with that page. I have a set for work, a set for personal, and a set for my side hustle. I am a very productive go-getter type so I am often juggling multiple projects, both industrious and creative varieties. At a certain point I tend to just consolidate the links into a list or calendar recurring to-do “event”, and revisit them as needed, otherwise I feel like I just lose efficiency. It has gotten a little out of hand lately so I am working on getting a hold of my tabs TODAY.

Since 2016 I made a goal to simplify my life as a New Years Resolution, which set me on the unbeknownst journey of downsizing and becoming a minimalist in the first place. That entailed closing out so many things that no longer served me that I spent a year and a half “closing shop”, and learning how complex things had really become before I even got started with the original goal of “simplifying”. 😳 I have done a great job since then of evaluating what is worth my time and attention. Still,occasionally, it comes in waves, where I need to check in on my priorities and make sure I am not giving too much time and attention to items that aren’t serving a greater purpose for my goals, health, or well being.

I am looking forward to the day when I’ve overcome the clutter waves to the point that they no longer demand attention to wrangle them back down to manageable bites. With intention and mindfulness, I know it is right around the corner. 😉

What tips and tricks do you have to keep digital clutter at bay? Let us know in the comments! ✍🏼

MINIMALIST DAD GIFTS

Published on by Amy D LuxLeave a comment

If you’re lucky enough to have a father figure in your life, you may have heard the old adage that Dad’s are notoriously difficult to shop for. How many ties or wallets can you really give a fella? Plus, many people are getting burnt out on our incessant capitalist materialism, and people are beginning to crave, both as givers and receivers, something more meaningful than a forced token.

Let’s also not make the mistake of assuming all Dads are cis men. Gender is fluid so let’s celebrate all of our Trans and Non-Binary Dads too. Plus some Moms are taking the responsibility of both parents so let’s shout out to the Mom-Dads as well! Whomever the “Dad” in your life, blood or chosen, here are some minimalist and low waste gifts to consider on Father’s Day.

  1. Consumables
    Consider a bag of fancy coffee beans with that delicious aroma pouring out, or a gift card to their favorite cafe or eatery. Don’t forget to be a good consumer and shop Black Businesses. Check out MBG’s 19 Black-Owned Coffee Brands & Roasters You Can Order From Online to purchase your delish coffee gifts.
  2. GoldBelly Delivery
    Oh My Gaga. Did you know you can literally get the best most authentic food from anywhere delivered with this incredible delivery service. Order a favorite dish without having to travel to a different state to get famous, mouth watering, delicacies delivered to the doorstep.
  3. Handmade Art
    It doesn’t matter now old you are, parents love gifts made by their kids. Spruce up a drawing or abstract painting with a custom frame. Or take a pottery or sculpture class and make something unique. Better yet, gift the class to your parent. Michael’s has all the creative supplies you can dream of, custom framing, and regular boasts sales of at least 20% off for both new and returning customers.
  4. Tickets to a Game, Theatre, or Concert
    Let’s be real, we’ve been cooped up for a long time. If it’s safe and you’re family is vaccinated and comfortable with the idea of venturing out, it may be a decent time to consider going to a show or a game. You can often buy tickets months out of you need more time to adjust (like me), or pick a venue with ample exterior seating options. Eventbrite is a great place to shop for events while supporting local and independent creators and LGBTQIA + BIPOC businesses.
  5. Spa Day or Massage
    Who doesn’t love to be pampered. Whether it’s a massage or a trip to the sauna and hot tub, this is a gift anyone would love to get some well deserved R+R. Groupon is always an easy place to find a sweet local deal.

I’m ready to celebrate with a list like that! Don’t forget, these gift ideas can extend beyond father’s day to birthdays, holidays, or no-reason-at-all day. What is a favorite minimalist gift you’ve given or received? Tell us in the comments below!

For those of us without Dads, or for the moms that are shouldering the responsibility of both parents, I commend you. I don’t have a dad and I turned out pretty great. Remember, you are strong, amazing, worthy, and full of love. I believe in you!

This blog is not sponsored and these are not affiliate links. These are just brands that I like and support personally.

Swiffer Hack

Published on by Amy D LuxLeave a comment

I’ve never been so excited to mop my floor.

As a minimalist, environmentalist, and old school DIY cleaner, I’ve been using dollar store mops pretty much my whole life. From my former life in the restaurant industry, I grew to prefer the big spaghetti head mops for their ability to “catch” dirt as opposed to pushing it around like the rectangle sponge heads seem to do. If there are real terms for these mop heads forgive my ignorance, I’m not a professional. 🧹

When I was moving out of my last apartment in Oakland, I caved at the last minute and bought a swiffer. It was just one of the moments where I didn’t have enough time, I ran out of my DIY supplies, was moving during a pandemic germfest, and I just collapsed into a lazy American supply sweep at my local Walgreens. #facepalm. Now, I say I caved because I know Swiffer WetJet has been everyone’s dream mop for probably a decade for reasons I mostly totally disagree with. I don’t use one time products. I don’t buy plastic anymore. I don’t use chemical cleaning supplies. I am appalled that the majority of Americans seem to be totally ok throwing away the head (made of microplastics) after one use, and throwing away the thick plastic bottle of cleaner that it comes with when it runs out, and then pay a premium for refills. Huh?! The amount of production and clean water and waste water and shipping and petroleum that goes into making these single use plastics is mind boggling. Imagine if they let you screw off the top and just buy bulk refill cleaner? 🤯

It would be an environmental milestone for Swiffer to allow refills on that bottle. Not only would it save the environment, but they could easily still make profit by selling bulk cleanser. Unless they know about people like me I suppose. As I mentioned, I don’t like chemical cleansers because they are full of toxic ingredients that are terrible for the environment, and I especially don’t want that in my home where I am breathing them in and making contact with my skin when I walk around barefoot. So I guess Proctor + Gamble Inc is SOL until they make cleanser that isn’t contributing en masse to environmental waste. Clean up your culture already, P&G. 💩

SO I am beyond pleased to share with you this HACK that lets you REFILL the plastic jug that comes with your swiffer! It’s incredibly fast and easy and I literally yelled out loud “Oh My Gaga It Worked!” I was just as shocked as you. 📣

STEP 1
Boil Water in a small pot on your stove.

STEP 2
Once water comes to a boil, turn off heat and hold the bottle cap down in the hot water for 90 seconds.

STEP 3
Now that the plastic has softened, twist off the cap. I have tiny baby hands so I used a rubber jar opener to assist but I was also thinking there was no way it could be that easy and expected more resistance.

STEP 4
Shout, “Oh My Gaga It Worked!”

STEP 5
Cut off the tiny plastic prongs with scissors, nail clippers, or similar. I tried the ones in the pic just to see which I liked best and the clippers with the handle were easiest for my tiny baby fingers to keep a grip on but they all work fine so it’s totally up to you.

The whole project took less than 5 minutes to complete. Now you can use any cleanser you like whether it’s DIY solutions like Vinegar and Water, or homemade Pine Sol, or something else, you can now refill to your heart’s content and never buy another plastic bottle again. ♻️

Don’t forget to buy reusable Mop Pads. I like this Amazon’s Choice Recommendation.
1 Mop Pad is equivalent to 100 throw away Swiffer Pad “Refills”. 🧽

Shout out to Instructables for providing the OG directions. BRILLIANT. 👏🏼

…I HAVE THE OPPOSITE OBSESSION…

Published on by Amy D LuxLeave a comment

“The physical as a symbol of the spiritual world. The people who keep old rags, old useless objects, who hoard, accumulate: are they also keepers and hoarders of old ideas, useless information, lovers of the past only, even in its form of detritus?…I have the opposite obsession. In order to change skins, evolve into new cycles, I feel one has to learn to discard. If one changes internally, one should not continue to live with the same objects. They reflect one’s mind and psyche of yesterday. I throw away what has no dynamic, living use. I keep nothing to remind me of the passage of time, deterioration, loss, shriveling.”

― Anaïs Nin, The Diary of Anaïs Nin, Vol. 4: 1944-1947

Anaïs Nin

Minimalism Is A Process

Published on by Amy D LuxLeave a comment

In December 2015 my New Year’s Intention was to simplify my life. This sentiment was my only resolution that year. Well, let me tell you, simplifying was not simple at all. In fact, it got much more complicated before it simplified.
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Almost 5 years later and it is still my main objective, to simplify. 5 years ago I would have never have believed it would take me this long to shift my lifestyle. I didn’t realize my whole lifestyle would become scrutinized to such an extent in the process, but I am so happy it did.
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You see, my innate call to simplification was due to oversaturation and overstimulation. I had to first observe, then identify, then evaluate, in order to successfully eliminate. This began a process of unfolding, and of deep work yearned for by my soul.
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Now, I regularly re-prioritize. Choose what to delegate, what to let go, and what is worth holding onto. These are all practices, because they take practice. We don’t always get it right on the first try.
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Everytime I declutter it feels like such a release that it seems like there couldn’t possibly be any more to let go of. But every 4-6 weeks I evaluate what of my possessions has not been utilized, and I release them to someone that will actually use them.
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The best part of the journey is that it isn’t just belongings that are being evaluated. It’s relationships that don’t reciprocate. It’s ideologies that do more harm than good. It’s negative self talk that has long since expired. It’s committing to profound authenticity and refusing to hold a veil between you and your truest nature.
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Minimalism is a process. Enjoy the ride. ❤