Most conventionally, people prefer bigger homes. However, in recent years, the trend has changed. People are preferring to downsize for plenty of reasons – budget issues, the irrelevance of a bigger home, and most importantly hassling of organization. Taking up the last, it’s a given that big homes come with big challenges. It’s much more difficult to keep a large house organized, it’s harder to clean and there’s unnecessary clutter that keeps adding because of a big space.
But, if you like open spaces and don’t want to move in order to downsize or you just find the process of moving chaotic and don’t like to start over, don’t worry, you can still downsize.
Wondering how? Read on!
8 practical ways to downsize without moving
1. Minimize storage space
More storage space means more space to add clutter. However, when you minimize storage spaces, it will be at the back of your mind that you don’t have cabinets to keep things, so you think twice before buying something.
Therefore, cut down on your storage spaces. Eliminate things like cabinets, tables, drawers, wherever you use to store things. The same goes for containers and shelves. They can be the storehouse for a number of things. You don’t want that.
I prefer a kitchen with a feature wall of tile or pretty shelving. I don’t like upper cabinetry so I did as little as possible in our kitchen and bathrooms when our designer and my husband insisted we have it. So I compromised and did short cabinets and a feature wall above and below the cabinets. I also don’t have a single cabinet with anything on the top shelf, which further proves the point that I don’t like upper cabinets.
2. Sell things
Did you intend to downsize because you were struggling financially? If that’s the reason, think again. Downsizing itself comes with additional stress and extra costs of packing, moving, transporting, setting up, and many more. Therefore, what you can do is sell out things you don’t need anymore.
If you have a heavy financial crunch, then you can start with selling your car. If not you can sell out storage spaces and other things you don’t need and the ones that you can cash out for a higher value.
3. Clear paper clutter
From piles of newspapers to drawers full of old bills, our homes are full of paper clutters. They can make a mess of your house, and make it look untidy even when it is clean. Therefore, eliminate them from time to time. You can go for e-newspapers and kindle to reduce your paper clutter. And as for the bills, throw them away when they are unnecessary, or if keeping them is important, arrange them in a file properly.
If you want to keep your kids’ drawings, or school work, or other things, you can download certain apps like Keepsy and keep their drawings and important things but not the clutter. I believe you can find apps that will email the photos or mementos to an email and keep it for later as well. Another idea is to create an email address specifically for mementos, drawings, or other paper clutter.
4. Clear out heavy furniture
There would be tons of furniture pieces that you don’t even use, and they’ll still obstruct the free space. Therefore, consider eliminating them.
For instance, if you have a table that you do not use other than to keep things on, consider selling it off.
People often come to our house and wonder if we recently moved in because it appears our home isn’t fully furnished. In reality, our house is fully furnished, but not cluttered. We have seating for our family and a few other people, but we also have floorspace and no clutter. It feels light and airy and free not tight and stuffy.
5. Own fewer clothes
Trivia time! Have you ever wondered how we are all alike? Well, most of us are individuals whose closets are filled with clothes. And interestingly, most of them are those that we do not even wear.
So, why give them space? Let’s guess, you think, “It’s a good top, I can use it someday.”. The truth is, that “Someday” never comes. If you haven’t worn a piece of clothing in a long time, you are not going to wear it anytime soon. So throw them away, even better donate them!
A tip I found helpful a few years ago — When you wash clothes and hang them up, put the hanger the opposite direction so you know you wore it. Go through a season and continue this process and figure out the hangers that didn’t get turned around are the ones you can donate or sell.
6. Cut electronics
In this technologically savvy world, electronics have become our lifeline. We are so dependent on them that we have forgotten what life was like without these technologies. Yes, it makes our work easy, but at the same time, it adds to our electrical bills. So be smart, and consider going traditional where you can. For instance, you can discard your dryer and opt for air-drying the clothes.
An option we went for when building our home was solar. This helps us take advantage of the sun we experience almost 365 days a year and helps convert it to energy for our home. I know in the Midwest where my parents live, wind power is big. There are so many options these days to help conserve and save money.
7. Lock extra rooms
For a family of four, you would not need a home with five rooms. Yes, it does make sense, however, if you don’t live on rent, how about locking your extra rooms instead of moving out? If you own houses, you can always consider big homes as profit generation assets in the future, hold onto them.
In the past year or so, having more space or an escape, from your family every once in a while might have been nice while we were stuck at home. Now that things are starting to shift, see if that extra space is still necessary, or if you can lock it up again.
8. Consider changing or selling vehicles
Vehicles are not anymore a thing of luxury thanks to growing consumerism. Nonetheless, if you think you have an extra vehicle that you don’t use much. Consider selling it off for extra cash.
We all go through seasons in life either with kids, pets, or other adventures where we may need a bigger vehicle. When those seasons end, it’s not always necessary to keep the same sized vehicle. Plus, it’s nice to have a change every once in a while and maybe a little cash in your pocket!
Downsizing your living space doesn’t have to mean moving. There are plenty of practical ways you can downsize without packing up and leaving your home town. We’ve outlined some tips for you to get started, but we want to hear from you. How are you going to simplify your life without downsizing your home? Tell us in the comments below or on our social media pages. We can’t wait to hear how you plan to declutter and streamline your life!
You might have heard plenty about minimalism, as to how it changes lives for the better. Being parents who only want the best for their kids, I bet you would wonder if it can help your kids in some ways.
Good news! It can, it can do some amazing things for your kids! Read along and find out.
Amazing Things Minimalism Can Do for Kids
Here are 5 amazing things minimalism can do for your kids:
1. Help them differentiate between wants and needs
Wants and needs are not the same things even when they sound similar. A need is something you cannot do without. For instance, if you have a few assignments to submit, and you don’t have a laptop for the same. In this case, you would NEED a laptop. As for wants, they usually are desires; you can do without those things but you want them because you like them.
When your kids learn the difference between the two, they will be in control of their shopping instincts. They would not point fingers at things and demand that you buy them. They will think through and avoid unnecessary expenditures.
2. Helps them be grateful
Not just kids, but we all have to be grateful for things we already have. As adults, we are mature, but kids in their innocence and stubbornness can stop being grateful for things they already have.
Being minimalists, your kids won’t desire more, they would be satisfied and grateful for what they have. They would not look at other kids and feel sorry for themselves for not having the things others have.
3. They would not be materialists
Our world is cursed by materialism so much so that we don’t value experiences and memories until they are gone. The reason we do not value them while we have them is that we are all materialists who find happiness in things and objects, forgetting it’s just temporary happiness. Real happiness comes with family, friends, and other people who love you.
Minimalism can combat materialism since it emphasizes on having fewer possessions. It can teach your kids that their world should be beyond tangible things; it should be all about memories and experiences that make life beautiful and worth living.
4. They make better decisions in life
When you are practicing minimalism, you are deciding what to discard, and what to keep. At the same time, you are deciding what to buy and what to not. You compare things, and the values they hold in your present and your near future. In a nutshell, you think through things before making a purchasing decision, and that harnesses your decision-making skills.
When your kids grow up and transform into independent adults, they have to exercise their decision-making skills. They have to make decisions that affect not only their lives but others as well. Being decisive right from their foundation years can help them in this light. They would not overthink, they would be mature and pragmatic in their approach. In the end, they will make better and wiser decisions in life.
5. It will help them be organized
Amazing Things Minimalism can do for Kids
Organization is necessary if you have to live your life smoothly. But let’s skip the bigger picture and narrow down our focus to how organization can help your kids’ day-to-day affairs.
For starters, organizations can drastically reduce obstacles. Your kids would not have to find their socks in a closet full of clothes and everything else. When they would have a fixed place for socks, they’ll find it easily. Moreover, they would not have to look for hours for their books they are supposed to study if they are organized about their possessions. In addition to that, they would not have to spend another hour cleaning the mess they created in between looking for things.
Phew, in a nutshell, organizations can save a lot of time for them to be more productive and dedicated towards their work.
It’s been so great sharing all of this information with you! I truly believe that minimalism can change your life – and your child’s life, too. If you’re on the fence about trying it out, I urge you to take the plunge. It may be hard at first, but it’s so worth it in the end.
One of the best things about minimalism is that it can be tailored to fit your family’s needs. If your kids are young, you may want to start by decluttering your home and creating a capsule wardrobe. This will make getting ready for school and playtime much simpler. You can also start practicing mindful spending, so your children learn how to value what they have.
If your kids are a little older, you can introduce them to the concepts of minimalism and see if they’re interested in adopting a minimalist lifestyle themselves. This can be a great way to teach them about responsibility and living within their means. And who knows – they may even inspire you to take your journey into minimalism!
You can have them read books by Joshua Becker and Marie Kondo to help them understand on their own, which I felt helped Leila get it instead of me trying to drill it in by yelling!
Whatever stage your family is at, I hope you’ll give minimalism a try. It is life-changing magic.
There are a million perks of having a gadget with vast internal memory. You can store a gazillion files without encountering ‘Memory Full’ pop-ups from time to time. You can take as many pictures and videos as you can think. But even that is inevitable because there always comes a day when you begin to have storage issues.
But even if you are sorted, and think there’s ample free space left you must clear digital clutter to work smoothly and keep your gadgets healthy. They are bound to slow down, lag for hours otherwise.
All this makes you frustrated and overwhelmed at some point. You can’t work efficiently if your computer is cluttered with files and keeps lagging now and then. Hence, it’s necessary to declutter your digital space from time to time.
But, if you don’t know where to begin, Read on!
Here’s how to proceed for a de-cluttered digital space.
Digital Clutter Areas to get Organized
Here are 7 Digital Clutter Areas to Get Organized:
1. Mails
Deleting emails is a hassle. However, it is something you have to do. You can make your task easier by selecting multiple messages, or, you can pick one subscription that your mailbox is full of. Supposedly, if you happen to use Amazon a lot, then your inbox might be full of amazon mails. So start with searching Amazon in the email search bar, and select all to delete them.
While you are at it, do consider unsubscribing from platforms and websites that are irrelevant. It will avoid accumulating clutter in the future. Secondly, if you happen to have important emails, then always ensure that you mark them important, to prevent them from going down the trash.
The easiest way to do this is to pick one day or a few days a week to do it a few at a time. I like to spend about 30 minutes at a time and unsubscribe and mark as spam, especially if I know I didn’t subscribe to the list at all. I do as much as possible in that timeframe, and then I wait until the next week or day to do the next list. Hot tip — do this when you have your favorite beverage of choice and it will make it go faster and your wallet will have more money left!
2. Screenshots
Your screenshots are most likely to contain things you haven’t seen in a gazillion years. Even then they just sit there somewhere in your disk creating storage issues. Time to clear them up. You can start by deleting older ones, and retaining some recent ones that you might need.
I always take screenshots which sometimes are meaningful while most are meaningless. In the moment, I usually think I will remember the importance or use the information, however it sits and I forget about it.
3. Delete cookies
You have to do literally nothing here. If you happen to have windows, then you can simply press Windows + R, and type %temp%, and delete the files that show up.
For iPhone, go to settings – Safari – clear history and website data. Likewise, some apps like Amazon and Tumblr allow you to clear cache internally within the app. Make use of the features.
On Android, the process is easy. You can use some third-party applications to clean cache and cookies.
4. Your music library
In the era of music streaming, why would you still keep music stored in your gadget’s library? Rather get a subscription, or listen to music free on YouTube without creating a strain on your storage.
5. Old programs and apps
Our gadgets come installed with apps and programs that are of no use to us. Therefore clean them up. Here’s how.
To do that, search programs in the Windows search bar, click add or remove programs. Find the one that you don’t need in the list, and uninstall it.
On Mac, Open Finders – Applications – Click the program you want to delete – click move to trash.
On iPhones and android, it’s really easy. Just long-press the app, and click uninstall to remove it.
This happens to all of us, we download something because it’s the new thing or next productivity tool but we never open it past the download. These take up valuable space on the device and can cause increased anxiety or stress especially if notifications are on.
6. Photos and Videos
Photos are memories; you would not like to delete them. We understand the sentiment. However, even in the photo albums, you can find numerous pictures that are identical or multiple shots of the same moment. You can start by deleting them. If you are like me, and your kids get on your phone, you very likely have multiples of the same photo. You can look through and decide which one or few you’d like to keep and delete the rest.
Once you are done, then head to the video section, and do the same.
7. Conversations and sent media
Did you know even if you delete media from your phones, they still remain in the media compartment of apps through which you shared them with others? Both WhatsApp and iMessage store media that you send, creating a digital burden on your memory.
Here’s how you can delete them.
Whatsapp – Go to WhatsApp settings – storage and data – manage storage -and select the media you want to delete.
On iMessage, you have to delete the media files conversation by conversations.
Here’s a hack – You do not have to click one image or one message one by one, instead, click select, and swipe vertically, to select multiple without having to click on them.
Well, here are the major areas you can declutter, but there would be many, so look close. Have a happy decluttering. Trust us, it will only make your life easier.
Hey, have some tricks and hacks to share? Feel free to drop them in the comments section.
We all have been told to swear by one mantra – be positive. You can look anywhere, on social media or in books, and even the people you talk to; all will always suggest the same thing.
You might find yourself wondering why? Because you might have tried to be positive, but it did not work out for you. And you somehow ended up believing that being positive is to run away from reality. It is to deceive oneself and give false hopes.
Positivity while being embraced by millions, has been slammed by many people for being misleading. But those who attack it might not even know what positivity is about, or perhaps they have been misled or mistaken. They might have been fed with wrong definitions of positivity.
They might have been told that to be positive is to give yourself reaffirmation that everything will be fine when instead everything is going downhill. We understand, when times are tough, one may refuse to have hope of better times.
But being positive is neither deceiving oneself nor giving false hopes. In this article, we would tell you what it really means to have a positive mindset.
What it Really Means to Have a Positive Mindset
The true meaning of positivity:
1. It is not being in denial
What it Really Means to Have a Positive Mindset
Optimists have often been accused of being in denial. They are labeled as cowards who are too afraid to come to terms with their reality. But it is not true. Positivity recognizes both the negative and positive aspects.
They are familiar with the negative aspects; they are not blind to it. Yet they choose to focus on the positive ones because they can control their thoughts. It’s a simple choice they make – to be positive. And the reason they choose it all over again is that they have reaped the benefits of being positive in the past. Being positive helps them stay sane and more controlled about their thoughts and emotions.
2. A positive mindset helps avoid panic and allows to focus on the solution
What would pessimists do in a chaotic situation? They would walk here and there panicking, rather than focusing on the solution. They would waste their energy thinking negative things when they can invest that time to think of a constructive solution. Consequently, they will not be able to think through and make wise decisions.
But only if they had a positive mindset, they would believe more in themselves, and eventually, that would allow them to focus on the solution in times of crisis.
3. A positive mindset is all about consistency
If you don’t believe in the power of a positive mindset, chances are that you haven’t tried hard enough to be positive. A positive mindset is not something you can switch on and off. When you have a positive mindset, it means you have to be consistent with it all your life. You have to overpower your negative thoughts with positive ones every step of the way.
For instance, every time you find yourself thinking that you would not manage to crack the interview, tell yourself that you will. You have to do it all your life to finally develop a positive mindset.
So, if you have given up on optimism believing it does not work, then you did not start in the first place. It’s a good day to start though.
4. A positive mindset is not shutting off your emotions
Emotions are the essence of our being. No one can avoid having emotions and that includes positive people as well. Like everyone else, positive people too have their occasional breakdowns; they experience all the negative emotions such as sadness, sorrow, wrath, fear, vulnerability. That does not make them a negative person, but just humans.
However, they approach such situations a bit differently. Even though they feel negative emotions, they don’t let it become a phase. For them, they are just a few bad days, nothing else. They have a hope that this too shall pass. This is the magic of a positive mindset. It brings them back from the depths of despair until they go back to it again. (As everyone does)
I hope we maneuvered you to believe in positivity. I so wish that you witness the power of a powerful mindset. It’s worth developing because it makes your life easier.
Hey there. Have something to say? Don’t hold yourself back from reaching us. We are waiting for you in the comment section.
It’s super easy to start a blog of your own. However, driving organic traffic to the website is another story altogether. There are many marketing hacks to drive traffic to your blog, and this is precisely why sometimes, it can get confusing as to which techniques would work for you.
If you have a blog that isn’t doing so well in terms of traffic, worry not, for you have landed in the right place.
Here are 30 tips on how you can double the blog traffic in 2021
1.Invest time in SEO and optimize your blog for search engines.
Make use of keyword research tools to pick relevant keywords, and use them on your website to optimize it for search engines like Google and Bing.
2. Try to write longer blog posts
Long-form posts generate more traffic than shorter posts, so try to write posts that are at least 1000 words in length.
3. Submit your website for indexing to search engines like Google and Yahoo.
4. Try to write listicles and how-to posts as these posts generally do very well in terms of traffic.
Think of common problems your audience faces and write about the solutions to those problems.
5. Divide your content into catchy headlines, subheadings, and bullet lists.
This makes your content reader-friendly and intriguing to read. Blocks of text jumbled up together look tedious to read.
6. Write posts about trending and evergreen topics in your niche.
7. Stress on using long-tail keywords.
It is important to use a mix of shorter and longer keywords. Longer keywords help increase domain authority and rank higher in search results.
8. Interlink your blog posts.
Include links to other relevant blog posts as interlinking helps to rank on search engines.
9. Include social share buttons at the top or bottom of your posts.
10. Add click-to-tweets
Things to do to Double Blog Traffic
11. Use Pinterest to drive blog traffic.
Pinterest is still the number one way to promote your blog. Pin your blog posts and products multiple times a week, and pin all the images within a blog post, as this increases your chances of your pins going viral.
12. Make use of Tailwind.
If you don’t want to use Tailwind, you can always use Pinterest and schedule directly. They have implemented many new features for both options.
13. Join Facebook groups and interact with other bloggers
Search for relevant Facebook groups within your niche and promote your blog posts there. However, remember that shamelessly promoting your posts in groups just won’t work. You have to interact with other posts and members in the groups, comment on their posts and build a network.
14. Participate in guest posting for others
Guest posting allows you to reach a broader audience with your blog. Have other bloggers guest post on your site, and write guest posts for other blogs to cross-promote your content to their audience as well as yours.
15. Build your email list
Focus on building a strong email list. Send out mailers once every week, and engage with your email subscribers. Give them sneak peeks of exclusive content and products, and build strong relationships with your audience.
16. Post regularly, but pay attention to quality over quantity
It is not imperative for you to post daily, but it is important to post consistently. You can post only twice a week instead of posting daily, but make your content the king, and stick to your schedule of posting twice a week.
17. Streamline your website to make it user-friendly and super-fast to load.
18. Host contests and giveaways
Only those which are relevant to your account and followers will help grow and cultivate the community you want. Don’t overexert yourself here on the wrong audience or products.
19. Invest time in YouTube marketing
This goes for any and all video marketing as video is a great way to get eyes over to your content in a different way not just traditional words.
20. Master Instagram marketing
If your audience is on Instagram, it’s best to learn it. If not, no need to sweat it!
21. Use Twitter to market your blog posts
Twitter is another great way to market your blog posts. Write a catchy text, include a good image and the link to your blog post, and click the Tweet button.
22. Invest in influencer marketing
Influencers are other bloggers within your niche with high domain authority and reach. Reach out to influencers for collaborations and ask them to post about your website and products on their social media sites.
23. Engage in forums like Quora, Reddit, and Yahoo Answers.
24. Reach out to affiliates.
25. Advertise via digital ads.
26. Partner up with other bloggers and brands.
27. Partner with local businesses
This helps not only build your local following, but it also helps the local business, and we all know how bad local businesses could use the support these days.
28. Invest in a good theme for your blog website.
29. Use pictures and GIFs in your blog posts.
30. Promote your blog in LinkedIn groups.
That’s all from my side. Hope these tips help you to skyrocket your blog’s traffic. Have any suggestions or ideas? Feel free to drop them in the comments below.
Therefore, consider eliminating them.
are filled with clothes. And interestingly, most of them are those that we do not even wear.
don’t live on rent, how about locking your extra rooms instead of moving out? If you own houses, you can always consider big homes as profit generation assets in the future, hold onto them.
do without. For instance, if you have a few assignments to submit, and you don’t have a laptop for the same. In this case, you would NEED a laptop. As for wants, they usually are desires; you can do without those things but you want them because you like them. 
are gone. The reason we do not value them while we have them is that we are all materialists who find happiness in things and objects, forgetting it’s just temporary happiness. Real happiness comes with family, friends, and other people who love you. 
you happen to use Amazon a lot, then your inbox might be full of amazon mails. So start with searching Amazon in the email search bar, and select all to delete them. 
the photo albums, you can find numerous pictures that are identical or multiple shots of the same moment. You can start by deleting them. If you are like me, and your kids get on your phone, you very likely have multiples of the same photo. You can look through and decide which one or few you’d like to keep and delete the rest. 
who attack it might not even know what positivity is about, or perhaps they have been misled or mistaken. They might have been fed with wrong definitions of positivity. 
positive. A positive mindset is not something you can switch on and off. When you have a positive mindset, it means you have to be consistent with it all your life. You have to 
become a phase. For them, they are just a few bad days, nothing else. They have a hope that 
2021
eyes over to your content in a different way not just traditional words.
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