The Ultimate Collection of Minimalism Life-Hacks: 100 Tips and Tricks

1. “100 Clever Minimalist Life-Hacks for a Simplified Life”
2. Sell your useless items to fill your pockets with money.
3. Wear the right sized pants and you won’t need a belt. Pants with a drawstring can also fix this problem.
4. Items with rigid form are harder to compress. Compressible items can be stored and carried easier.
5. Pick one hobby at a time. Additional items are needed per each activity.
6. Minimalism encourages focus on the present. Don’t linger with attachment to the past. Don’t hold items for the future if you don’t know when or if you’ll use them.
7. Smaller and lighter items will make your life easier.
8. The less you carry, the less likely you’ll pull a muscle in your back.
9. Only keep as many pots and pans as can fit on your stovetop at once, there’s no need for more.
10. Minimalism makes moving less stressful.
11. Sunglasses are a minimalists must-have. Once my eyes experienced sunburn. I don’t want that to ever happen again.
12. It’s possible to sell nearly anything you own, locally or online. I sold a used electronic toothbrush for gods sake.
13. A brand new car isn’t going to make you cooler. Well maybe it will… if you can afford to pay it off and not go into debt. Debt isn’t cool.
14. It’s more common to hear people say “I have too much stuff” rather than “I don’t have enough stuff”.
15. Minimalism is about discovering whats truly important to you.
16. Trends die, don’t buy into them. You’ll waste your money.
17. A tattoo is the most weightless memento one can carry.
18. Holiday gifting pressures are usually just a marketing scam designed to force us to spend our money.
19. The item that sits with no purpose could be sold for funds towards this months rent or food. Food is always a worthwhile expense.
20. You can leave your clean dishes stored in the dishwasher, they can be re-washed with the dirty ones. It’s not necessary to remove them every time.
21. There’s no rule that says you need to keep every gift that was ever given to you.
22. The more stuff you have — the more problems to fix.
23. Mahatma Gandhi was a minimalist. He influenced the world.
24. Having many subscriptions and memberships to streaming services, apps, magazines, etc will run your accounts dry.
25. Buying souvenirs while you travel will deplete your funds, shorten your trip, and make your baggage heavier.
26. You may let go of an item and regret it for a while but eventually it wont matter.
27. Not all items are useful in every place in the world. An umbrella isn’t needed in the desert and flip-flops are unwise in the tundra.
28. Receive as little amount of paper mail as possible. We live in a digital world now. Save the trees while we can.
29. Minimalism will help you find your true self.
30. Drastic changes to your lifestyle, job, hobbies, commitments and more may be required to effectively pursue minimalism.
31. A humans to-do list is never ending. Be pleased with accomplishing one task per day.
32. A smaller home will feel less like you need to “fill it” with stuff.
33. Knick knacks don’t really have a purpose other than memory, entertainment, or a story to tell.
34. White clothes are more difficult to maintain than dark clothes.
35. Only one pair of pants is needed for daily use.
36. Buying disposable plastic water bottles is a probably not a good idea.
37. A smaller laptop requires a smaller charger. Therefor both lead to less weight and size.
38. Paper books are beloved but an e-reader can hold them all, its lighter, and you can read it in the dark. Visit and borrow from the library if you love paper books.
39. Minimalism takes time, determination and courage.
40. Clothes can be washed with body soap in the sink or shower then hang dried. You don’t always need detergent, a washer or dryer.
41. Unless you plan to feed a banquet hall, no more than a few dishes and silverware per chair are necessary.
42. Pick a passion and pursue it, if it doesn’t stick, move on and let go of the subsidiaries associated with it. The jack of all trades possesses many items.
43. Throw away or flatten product boxes. Toss out the structured foam that’s inside. There will be few reasons to keep them.
44. Saving product manuals in not necessary. They’re all online nowadays.
45. Shiny object syndrome is real.
46. Carrying coins is a burden and paper money is dirty. Cards or digital money is the preferred option but not always accepted.
47. If you had ten minutes to evacuate your home, what would you pack in a single backpack? Those are the items you need in life.
48. Don’t buy random useless “stuff” on impulse. That money may be useful for emergencies, health, rent, food, loved ones.
49. Want to start your life over? Minimalism is a good route to try.
50. Quality over quantity.
51. Flip-flops don’t require socks or laces.
52. Minimalism is not easy, it takes time and work. But life after will be freer.
53. Possessions lead to disputes, fights, resentments, jealousy, anger, stealing.
54. When a stranger hands you something, a flyer for example. Don’t feel bad for throwing it away.
55. Televisions are big, heavy and often require some kind of surface stand. A computer or a projector could potentially serve better as a viewing device.
56. Photograph an item for the sake of memory. It’s not always the item we feel the need to keep, its the memory associated with it.
57. If your mementos are photographically stored on your mobile device you can always carry them with you.
58. You’ll get further in your goals if you have less possessions distracting you from them.
59. Not everyone wants or needs to become a minimalist.
60. Products with built-in rechargeable batteries are better than those with batteries that need to be replaced.
61. Having a mantra makes the detachment process more meaningful and less painful. Mine was “Goodbye old things. You’ve helped me out, you’ve held me down. Now it’s time to fly.”
62. Life generally improves with minimalism.
63. Possessions can hurt you. The cell phone gives you text-neck, the knife can cut your finger, the backpack can injure your spine and so on.
64. One or two towels are enough per person.
65. At the end of your life you will look back and recall your loved ones, experiences and connections. Not your possessions.
66. Don’t overthink it. If its easy to reacquire and you don’t use it, let it go.
67. CDs, DVDs, Blu-Rays, Disks and such are relatively outdated. They may be obsolete eventually. Streaming or rentals will do you well.
68. A metal water bottle is heavier than a plastic one, but plastic is the worst for the environment.
69. Multi-use items are effective in reducing your carry.
70. One or two thin pillows are all thats really needed for the bed. Your neck shouldn’t be propped up super high anyway. It’s like asking for more text-neck while you sleep.
71. It’s better for items to be off the floor. Don’t forget shelf or wall space.
72. Jack of all trades usually get less recognition than a master of one.
73. Each new sport you join often requires specific shoes to participate.
74. Headphones are bigger, bulkier and heaver than earphones.
75. Keeping every boarding pass to each country you’ve traveled is not necessary to remember your trip. Unless you intend to make a collage or scrapbook, passport stamps and journey photographs are just as good.
76. Having a pet can be good for your health and soul but a challenge to your finances and will require many resources.
77. Most items can be purchased again if really necessary.
78. Many material possessions depreciate in value over time. Make money selling them before its too late.
79. Printed photographs and documents can be damaged in a fire or water accident. Better to digitize them in case they ever need to be reproduced.
80. Minimalism doesn’t have an end. We can continue to reduce our footprint throughout our lifetimes.
81. A healthy person has a thousand wishes, a sick person only has one.
82. You will be less overwhelmed with less stuff.
83. Minimalism becomes addictive.
84. Decision fatigue is real.
85. On hard flooring, a broom and dustpan is just as good if not better than a vacuum. Vacuums are heavy and loud. Sweeping is meditative.
86. Scan or photograph your paper documents, receipts and so forth as long as having the original is not imperative. You can always reprint if necessary.
87. Minimalism is a journey that makes life more simple and present.
88. If you buy something and don’t feel its useful — return it. If it’s too late to return — sell it. Better to cut your losses while you can.
89. You won’t need to organize and clean as often if you own less.
90. Read minimalism books to help get you on the right track.
91. Darth Bezos doesn’t need any more of our money.
92. If you feel uncomfortable when you wear it, you likely never will.
93. If you have plants or pets, travel will be more difficult. Unless you’re well off and can afford a sitter.
94. Steve Jobs was a minimalist. He changed the world.
95. The less technological devices you possess, the better for your mental health.
96. Once you get started with minimalism, its like a snowball rolling down a hill.
97. Thinner clothing fabric = lighter clothes = less to carry, more space and more compressible for packing and travel.
98. Take on one room at a time. Once a room is empty, you won’t have to mentally process it anymore.
99. There are wallets that have a D-ring attached so you can connect your keys. Two items become one.
100. If its not useful, you likely don’t “need” it. You just want it.
101. Duplicates are a good place to start.

Thank you for reading to the end of this list. I write about minimalism to help shift perspectives on the ownership material items. To shed light on the ways life can improve if we practice letting go of these belongings. I don’t expect everyone to agree with me, yet these are all lessons I’ve discovered during my three year journey across the minimalism terrain. I hope that even if you disagree or are unhappy with some of the points listed here, you will at least take them with a grain of salt. My intentions for sharing this list is to assist you in overcoming the difficulty of letting go. Best wishes.

© Artwork by Ilona Chu 2021