It's a minimalist Monday edition of Optimal Living Daily Episode 2379.

8 simple strategies for when you're struggling to declutter by Claire Wilde with becoming minimalist.com

and I'm Justin Mollick.

Hope you're having a great start to your week if you're listening in real time.

This is where I read to you from some of the best blogs I can find and get permission from.

So that was Get Right to today's minimalist Monday post and start optimizing your life.

8 simple strategies for when you're struggling to declutter by Claire Wilde with becoming minimalist.com

Embracing simplicity. The idea just sounds so good, doesn't it?

Can't you just feel those tense shoulders loosening up the thought?

So many people feel overwhelmed, overworked, and overloaded, often living in homes which are overfilled,

yearning for a simpler way to live.

A couple of years ago, I too was crying out for simplicity in my life, my bank balance, my schedule, my mind, and most definitely my home.

I had somehow accrued a lot of consumer debt through a spending habit which never brought me happiness.

Becoming minimalist and handful of other sites inspired me to make some big changes which in the end came easier than I thought.

First, I stopped buying things I didn't need. It was a transformation.

The stream of gadgets and trinkets coming into my life dried up.

Sure enough, my thirst for new toys soon dried up along with it.

This in turn allowed me to simplify my money.

I began spending less than I made. Whereas once I was drowning in debt, now I am surfacing. Soon I'll be breathing again.

Then, once I had asked myself how I could be a more responsible consumer, I started asking myself how else I might be a better and happier person.

Where I had been prone to envy to often comparing myself with others, my focus gradually began to shift.

Of course, I'm not magically immune from jealousy now, but at least I recognize it when it does rear its ugly head.

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