Who is starting their minimalism journey? Let me know in the comments below! And don't forget to sign up to Skillshare, as the first 500 people to sign up get 2 months membership for free: skl.sh/MadeleineOlivia2 As always, I have listed all the information and tips on my website: www.madeleineolivia.co.uk/blog/beginners-guide-to-minimalism

MY PHILOSOPHY since a kid from my dad was: SPEND on quality food, on experience, ON TRAVELLING AND KNOWLEDGE and not too much on things as they get lost, break, tear etc...

1. take it easy 2. start somewhere- identify weaknesses and start there 3. make piles of what you want and don't want 4. things are just things- they won't bring you true fulfillment 5. time to get serious about decluttering- nothing happens til you make it happen 6. don't compare- find what style of minimalism works for you. 7. don't stop decluttering- we're constantly collecting stuff so this is necessary 8. what do you want?- live the life you actually want to live 9. get thrifty- borrow, borrow, borrow 10. have fun- once you start, everything falls into place and rewards happen quickly. play music, invite friends and save up! Just in case you wanted the quick 10 points

The best tip anyone gave me with regards to decluttering your wardrobe: turn everything in your wardrobe round so the hanger is backwards. When you wear it, put it back in the right way round. Every 6 months take a look at what you haven’t worn and see if it’s worth keeping.

What is minimalism 0:38 Why become a minimalist 1:33 Where to begin 3:35 What to do with the stuff 4:00 Tips 1. Take it easy 4:40 2. Start somewhere 5:12 3. Make piles 5:57 4. Things are just things 7:02 5. Time to get serious 7:48 6. Don't compare 8:38 7. Don't stop decluttering 9:28 8. What do you want 10:32 9. Get thrifty 11:30 10. Have fun 12:14

How did u fit ur boyfriend in ur backpack??

I started minimalism at the beginning of the month & I feel so much better! I used to hoard so many sentimental clothing items & a month ago, I couldn’t bare to get rid of anything I owned! This month when I revisited my drawer full of clothes, I was able to get rid of 98% of them! I only kept about 3-5 pieces of clothing out of probably about 50+. I was so proud to finally see myself let go of unnecessary items! (I donated to my local thrift store in which I personally shop at!) Minimalism has definitely changed my life & just as little as getting rid of unused items has made me stress free. It all helped from watching your videos along w/ other minimalist youtubers! So thank you so much!

This has been my personal year of physical and mental decluttering and it’s always enlightening to see other people’s stories and progress! 😊💗 thanks for sharing!!

i have started recently donated alot of my stuff away. I even took two weeks off work to declutter

I've been watching a lot of these "declutering" videos but this one really got me. My motivation are: travel more, save more money and focus more on quality not quantity Thanks great video xxx

Your beginner’s guide to veganism was the final little push I needed to become vegan. I’m a week and 4 days into veganism and I’m loving it 💕

Also had a mental breakdown at 18! 2 years ago, and since then I’ve been on a similar journey of self-improvement. Finally moving out June 1st and I plan on taking this step of minimalism! Great video and you earned a subscriber!

You are so wise. Thank you for this video. I became a minimalist a year ago. I feel so free.

I particularly liked your comment about how organizing and decluttering scratches the same itch that shopping used to for you. I suspect that both actions tie into the human urge to "feather our nests", so to speak. It's just that organizing and decluttering scratches that itch using things that you already have instead of things you'd need to buy.

I’ve been working on decluttering my life lately. It’s a bit easier since I’m a teenager. So far I’ve already reduced my makeup collection. I’ve gotten my bookshelf in order, with a bin of old toys and art supplies and of course books to donate. My biggest struggle will be my closet, I’m saving that for last (I’m gonna need winter break for that). But basically my goal is to declutter my room, donate, trash, and gift all of my stuff by Christmas. Then do a mini declutter of my clothes and books after Christmas, just to adjust to what I bought. It’ll probably take five minutes lol. Then I’m doing a low buy on makeup, only allowing myself 3 items a month. So in 2019 I can only buy 36 things. Which includes restocks and stuff. It’s going to be a lot of work but I’m excited for the change.

I've been practising minimalism for about 2 months now and it is a total journey, I'm finding that I'm always going through things, refining my possessions getting rid of things. But its so fun, i love doing it. I now have 34 items of clothes that i own specifically, including shoes which means any other clothes that i wear i borrow from my sister, mum or friends. Minimalism really is a bug, and im so glad i caught it.

it‘s crazy, I found your channel when I had just started my minimalism journey and was looking for inspiration, and back then you had like 2.000 subscribers. and now you‘re nearly at 200.000! I‘m so happy for you and you deserve it so much!

I've been following you since your journey started and I've been decluttering with you these past few years. I own so much less now and even though I'm still decluttering every day I feel so much better not stressing about stuff!.. I actually look forward to moving in a few months because I have so much less to pack and move. Thank you!

me: *it’s literally 2am and i’m drinking lots of caffeine* also me: i’m a minimalist now

yay another minimalism video , in my school, I finally told everyone in my year level that I'm passionate about this , it felt amazing

I still have too many clothes compared to my end goal (I love them all so I think I just have to wear some out until I get down to my goal.) but I've recently donated 6 bags of clothes to goodwill and I'm feeling so good about it! :D Recently I've been struggling with little items. Things that are useful but still cluttering. Small things like nail clippers, art supplies, lighters for my candles, spray bottle for my houseplants etc. I hope to get even better though.

Something I love about how you go about this is that you treat it as a tool, a part of your life not your whole identity. Many 'Minimalists' I've seen on the internet become obsessed with the idea of becoming a perfect minimalist, and forgetting other aspects of their personality and hobbies. Oh, I'm pretty early in my decluttering journey myself.

I need to minimize, but my mother is possessive of certain items which are mine. She’s quite angry too!

Ohhhhh I only just laid down to go to sleep here in Australia... next minute my phone lit up with this notification and I just had to watch... because it’s you! Any of your videos just make me feel calm and happy. Okay I’m going to watch now 😁💜

Although I have seen many of these you seem so genuine about this lifestyle that it is as though I was learning about minimalism for the first time. Your videos are inspiring! So glad I found your channel! 😊

Thank you! I've been a minimalist since mid 2016. I've slowly gotten rid of a lot of my stuff. As a huge video gamer, I literally have TWO video games -- Horizon Zero Dawn & Last of Us Remastered (favorite!!) and ONE console. I rent games or if I buy them new, I sell them almost immediately after playing if I don't LOVE them or if there's no replay value. If I feel the need to replay them (no) I can rent or purchase them used. I occasionally watch minimalism videos as a minimalist. It really drives home the reason for everyone why they do it and the enjoyment they get out of it. I started watching your videos when I began minimalism and I love revisiting you!

First things first: I am so proud of you for giving up alcohol! It takes a lot of determination and perseverance to say no, and I applaud you for that. One thing I love about decluttering is that it sends a signal to my brain that says, 'hold on, you have enough stuff! Stop already.' I am content with the things I have. I do not need anything else. I am becoming thriftier by making my own diy products. I have started making lotion and moisturizer, and working on toothpaste, lip balm, and deodorant. Thank you and everyone who has made videos to help us on our journey to self love, minimalism, and being better stewards of this planet.

Thank you for the video... i was thinking of starting minimalism since our house burned down 3 months ago, living with only the things I need to survivea make me appreciate life.. Just recently resigned from work.. all i need is a guitar, my family and the essential items to be happy

Starting my minimalist journey ! excited and can’t wait to go through all my clothes (so many items). Trying to live more purposefully and realize that everything i do has intention!!!

So far this is the best video about minimalism for me. At first I know about this term I start with many things at a time and it's very overwhelming. LIke you said, not all people fit in one style of minimalism, it's not about having the least amount of stuff but live purposely and make life better.

I started decluttering my life 6 months ago and it makes me feel really good. For the first time ever I enjoy decluttering and organising stuff :). This video motivated me to finally start organising the two gigantic boxes of photos pur family collected in the last 15 years. They are just sitting in their box and no one ever sees them, so I will start decluttering them, putting them in books and hanging some of them up :)

I genuinely never thought of minimalism in terms of hobbies & interests & non physical things, but it makes so much sense. There's a lot of stuff I'm interested in so I end up doing lots of things every once in a while but I feel like really sitting down & figuring out which I enjoy most or want to prioritise would be so beneficial. Thanks for the great tips!

This video was the perfect minimalist video. Especially when you spoke about not comparing yourself. I’ve been in love with minimalism but have hesitated on fully committing to it because I compared myself to other people who were on the “extreme” end of it. This was amazing. I feel so much better about starting ♥️ thank you.

I made a KZfaq video talking about my journey which is being vlogged and updated constantly throughout the weeks. You're one of the people who inspired me. Thanm you.

My best part......."Wow I feel like Tony Robbins" hahaha. You may not be Robbins but your words are definitely rubbing on the best parts of our lives.

We're vegan also, and we've started our minimalist journey this year!

I have decided to become a minimalist. I’ve started reducing everything I own I’ve donated 4 bags of clothes so far to charity + some books and I need to do more. Clear out my storage shed and let go of some things. I use to hoard things big time because it connected to some memory.

I will be starting college soon, and minimalist living is definitely a helpful way to live in constrained spaces; especially in cluttered dorms.

This was so helpful! With my depression relapse I've fallen into a ridiculous "thing collecting" cycle for the past 5 yrs..smh. I will be using these techniques, thank you ❤❤

I’m literally doing all of my tailoring of clothes that I’ve put off forever right now. Been on the minimalism journey for a bit. I agree that “easy does it”!

I love this video! Finally a video on how to start minimalism that isn’t just “get rid of your stuff”! Your video gives me inspiration and reminds people that there is a purpose behind minimalism! Keep up the great work :) ♥️

I started minimalism after a break up, i left "my" house with 26 big black bags, keep 3'5, put 2 into a luggage and a backpack and moved around the world for a couple years. Now im watching this because i feel i need to declutter again, just moved to a bigger apartment with my hubby, but i feel i cant bcz im pregnant and idk which size ill have in 1 year... So, your take It easy helped me a lot, ill declutter when the stress of this virus, work, shiftment and pregnancy is over ❤️🥳

A good time to declutter (again) is when moving. I am glad, that currently all of my books, dvds and cds fit into one reuseable bag (and I no longer need big shelves to store them). I get my books from the library, friends and as e-books. Streaming makes cds and dvds unnecessary.

Hope more and more young people do this, I have 2 little daughters and this is the way of life and life I want for them Less is more 💞 Bravo to you!

Started my minimalism journey this week and I’m very passionate about it! Experiencing a change already!!😁

I began decluttering after college, when I moved into my new apartment and I sold everything I didn’t need - I made over $6000 by selling unused household items, clothing, furniture and electronics. Most of these were items that I got for free - I either had passed down by friends or that I found in those college dumpster dives. I ended up a much similar life, real estate to enjoy clutter free in my apartment and money!

To decluter is a big part of my lifestyle, thus, I am living a harmoniously & happy life.

You are so genuine and well spoken! Thank you for this. 😊

I started 3 days ago. It was hard at first and got emotional on “things”. When I cleaned up, donated a bunch of clothes and stuff. I felt the relief. I could say, my happiness was achieved by feeling lighter. Now I am able to move on with my life and achieve other things.

Sorting & getting rid of my things is harder than shopping. I got sick & tired of that circle. Having too much stuff to take care of only burdens me!!!! so ya I totally support this lifestyle & I hate that I’m promoting plastic pollution in our planet. Earth is the only liveable planet. Pls. unite in helping in taking care of it ours ❤️

I love that you're stressing that minimalism doesn't have to look the same for everyone - I think a lot of us maybe are a bit afraid to start because we have this image of what minimalism "should" look like. For me, who's just at the beginning of my journey, it's all about being conscious of what I buy, and think twice before I buy anything (if anything at all).

Thank you. Nice video... Years ago I read an interview with a psychologist, she said she had a patient who was very anxious and a horder.. They started small, throwing those really unnecessary objects....... and it ended up with her leaving her unfulfilling marriage and living fully... It might be not that drastic for most of us, but... I know I have a lot stuff to "de-clutter" in the region of emotions... As you said... Fears, worries, guilt... What´s great about this minimalism "wave" is- it starts with objects... Which is the easiest thing.. We clutter our homes because we are not emotionally ok, and it´s super difficult to face your fears... When you get in through the back door- starting with objects, it gets easier and it influences your mental state as well... Big thanks.. I really liked you described the process and how it affects not only the environment but the psyche as well..

That comment about things always being on a 'maybe' pile? I relate to that. This is such a good place to start, thank you! :)

I truly believe that with minimalism there is a spectrum. And no 2 minimalist look the same really. Minimalism to me probably looks different than it does to others

I have been decluttering for years now, and I've been helping my coworker and his kids to do so as well. It's nice to see the kids are also on board to declutter, donate, recycle, and even be healthier through their diet, self improvement (reading/HW), and more physical activity.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!! As soon as I get home from work (I saw the video during my lunch break) I’m going to start decluttering! You made me so motivated and excited to do this!

This is an amazing video! I wouldn't call myself a minimalist yet, but I'm definitely on my journey to becoming one. A year ago I was obsessed with clothes. Shopping was like a hobby to me. In January I sold my whole wardrobe and build a capsule wardrobe. I've never felt more free and more in love with the clothes I own than right now.

Hannah Baker has very good points on this subject

Loved this video! Such a great resource for people who are just starting out. I've been doing this for about a year and a half now and am nowhere near "done" with decluttering, though I know that both my physical and mental space is so much better than it was.

I decided 2021 was going to be my year to become a minimalist. I started by cleaning out my clothes closet and filled a 39 gallon trash bag full of clothes and donated it. So on from there. Still have more areas to clean out. If I could just get my husband to do the same. I was somewhat of a minimalist when I first met him. I had such a clean place with no clutter. Now 13 years later and all that has changed. Another change I have already started this year , even though we are only 6 days in to the year, is "deciding whether I really need something or not before buying it." I work at WalMart and I have talked myself out of buying things on clearance several times already. "Nah, I really don't need that."

I’m about two years into our minimalism journey, we just finished getting rid of all our things and sold our house, and moved to a little island on the coast ! It has been life changing

Taking it easy is so important in embracing minimalism. I have been embracing minimalism for three years and going slowly has made it such a stress free process. At this point I have three bins worth of stuff left in the maybe pile and it feels so good.

I have a question to all of you... when you start to declutter your things, how do you deal with this guilt of throwing away or donating the stuff that is still useful and you just don't want it? I think it's my biggest obstacle. Most of my things were bought with my parents' money, and although my mum is a big supporter of me finally decluttering my space I still have this guilt like 'oh, my mum paid for that... maybe I will use it someday... so much money went for this one...etc.'. It really stops me! Any tips? :(

I really appreciate how down to earth and real ur content is! It’s so easy to get caught up in wanting things and losing sight of all the yuck things that come along with consuming, simplicity is the key to living well :)

I’m 13 and I am starting minimalism thank you for being a inspiration ❤️❤️❤️

Your story about having a mental breakdown, quitting your job, and moving back home is way too relatable. I moved out when I was 16 and just this past month (a month before my 19th birthday) I had a mental breakdown, quit my amazing job, and last week I moved back home with my mom and step dad who i haven't lived with in 6 years

I'm currently moving in with my partner and let me tell you all... it is shocking, how much stuff gathered in my small one room flat ! I never had a problem with declutteringg, especially clothes because I have to younger sisters who are more than happy to receive a back full of stuff to go through and wear, but all the other things I never thought of decluttering as often as my wardrobe - they build up so quickly! I love stuff, and I love shopping, but I also like to own only the things I need and I love, so this is very inspiring, Madeleine!

I love this video! Today I've sorted through some "maybe clothes". I ended up donating it all and added some books and notebooks that I just had at home that I never use. The more you declutter the more you want to declutter its amazing! It has truly changed my life :)

Take a shot every time Madeline says 'minimalism'

Great inspirational video thanks! I’ve been off and on vegan / minimalist for a while but this year I’m going all in!

I’m close to 18 months and have made serious progress but now I’m ready for a next step or reducing more.

i have been trying to become a minimalist for like a year now and even tho i have improve so much i felt stuck at the moment but this really inspires me

I started in 2018 and you really don’t need much when you are in your 60’s and you Accumulate so much. I am doing well with my wardrobe to I think I’m down to 30 or 40 items. My house looks very minimal and comfortable.

When you said u had an unhealthy addiction and obsession of fashion omg i can relate to that. Honestly i started watching fashion vlogs until i viewed project 333 and 10×10 challenge, all about capsule wardrobe then boom tnx to that i just discovered minimalism last dec2020. Oh yes im a newbie. Now i can say that im on my journey to mininalism and i know i had a lot of things ahead of me. I had so much to learn

so inspiring as always!! i found your channel about a year or more ago and ever since then i have been doing regular small declutters. as a former shopaholic like you its definitely changed my life and mentality so i can't thank you enough for inspiring me to do this and making people realise it is something attainable and simple and not all about owning as little as possible but living with meaning. me and my boyfriend are now saving up to go travelling and i'm sure that this would be way harder if i didn't have this new found minimalist mindset!

I’m just at the point of feeling good to throw things away and giving it away. I’ve kinda stopped but, from a couple months ago to now, it’s so much better even though everything is still a mess. I have 2 kids so, it’s important for me to have them in a space where they can be free and play without clutter.

Totally agree that it's super addictive once you start decluttering!

I really appreciated this video and what you say. I consider myself to be an impulsive buyer especially because I see products promoted by youtubers, beauty bloggers especially. I am more concious about it now and also I summed up all the money I've spent for those beauty products.... the amount of money I wasted because I thought I was treating myself is insane. And it's not happiness. happiness is a dinner with my friends, seeing my family and spending quality time with people I love or with myself. It's insane how much time it took for me to realise it. And the amount of money spent for absolutely unuseful stuff! Thank you for your video.

I started found your channel from your minimalist videos, I love them! It's something I think I've always leaned towards, I like things simple, and stuff stresses me out. But then about five months ago, I got my first job (in retail!), and I started shopping so much. At first it was just filling my empty, and boring wardrobe. Then, I started getting stuff that isn't even my style. I think I forgot my values for a while, because along with working, I've had my mind on so much more and I kinda lost myself. T_T Love the video. I definitely needed it!

Thanks a lot for this video..I've been having Mental breakdown & Depression and that feeling of being overwhelmed by the the outside world , the Anxiety of dealing with people ; And Idk how but the Positivity & purpose of your video made me feel loads Better ,less paranoid .

this is so inspirational!!! thank you so much! at the moment I feel like I'm constantly standing in my own way… I want to do so many things like become a minimalist, go vegan, become more open-minded, travel the world… but somehow I feel trapped within myself. But right now I feel so motivated because you said that it's only us who can change something if we want to, and that we shouldn't wait for something to change but get serious about it. I hope I can keep this motivation up! Thanks again for this totally helpful video! Lots of love from Switzerland :)

I’ve been wanting to start living a more meaningful, healthy lifestyle for a while and stumbled upon this video by chance and am so excited watch more! Thank you!

My boyfriend and I got a new place. Our appartment now is sooo messy and loaded with stuff that actually don't serve us in any way. It gives us this uncomfortable feeling. So we've decided that we're starting our minimalist journey. Since we're moving, it's the perfect oppertunity to start decluttering. :) I really want to thank you for your video's, they're so helpful! We also really enjoy your recipes haha

What a lovely guide

I guess I’ve kind of always been a “minimalist” and just never heard the term! I always get anxious/depressed if my home is cluttered or if things are not a certain way, or I wasn’t taking care of myself the way I should be like diet, or routine. Crazy how small changes like this can change your mental health and lifestyle!

This video is so powerful that Ive decluttered all of my belts! Im not really a "belt" person but why Ive kept belts all these years!

I think this video is such a great idea! I'm super lucky and my boyfriend LOVES doing closet and item purges. We do closet and full house clear outs a few times a year and are even in the middle of one right now, largely inspired by you! So thank you!

I love your videos/lifestyle. For long I been searching for more simple ways of living and be happy, I convinced my husband and we are buying a bag for each one of us including our 8 & 6 year old, to start educating ourselves more about minimalism. We purchased a Sailboat but are not traveling yet because we are saving up money, on the meantime we want to travel all US states and doing it as a minimalist I think is a great idea. It is not what you have/own is how you feel about life 😊 We love you Madeline, continue inspiring and educating us💙 Also we are going to start a daily vlog to compromise our self to this change on our lifestyle and share with other who might be thinking about it. Our Vlog is going our next week 😊

Hi Madeleine, thank you for this video. I am starting my minimalism journey this week and I am excited and nervous. I cannot wait for the freedom and peace I will feel.

I love this concept of discarding anything that doesn't bring you joy and happiness.

My best way to declutter and be a minimalist is STOP BUYIN UNNECESSARY THINGS. Once I started a new good payin job I wanted to buy everything I could.. that has stopped this yr and hopefully others will do the same.

Thank you for your excellent tips. I have reached a point in my life where I realise I have a number of addictions which have come home to roost! Clothes, food, alcohol and books mainly, so that I am feeling overwhelmed with the quantity of my things and overweight from the eating excesses. I have to change but I know it is not going to be easy. So I am relieved to have found your channel and your Community to help me along the way.

Wow!!! Thank You !!! I feel so much better about my decision to begin a minimalist lifestyle. I was concerned that it was only about being more organized in my physical life, but I am glad that someone agrees that its so much more. Truly decluttering every aspect of ones life from physical to mental, spiritual to personal . Also, thank you for helping me to decide where to start I have really enjoyed your channel. Good Luck and God Bless

Here’s my critique on the “take it easy” bit... I don’t know if this goes for a lot of people, but a big reason I’m wanting to try minimalism is because I’m trying to distance myself from who I used to be and the life I used to live; I want to live more purposefully. In past attempts, “taking it easy” in general has only made me begin to associate changes with the past that I don’t want to be and then I begin to discard all the change for something else I would much rather do a full ‘refresh and restart’ if I can in all facets of my life, and although that is probably much more difficult, I won’t end up feeling regretful for the time wasted taking too long, and the changes that I know associate with negativity

I started decluttering in June. It started as a very scary process. My room has always been full of stuff - since middle/high school), especially shoes and clothes, as well as things I just hold on to (notes from high school, gifts/freebies I receive but don't use, etc.). In the past year or so I'd thought about making changes but work was so stressful and I developed anxiety. Even my summer off last I was full of anxiety. I couldn't even think about working on my room. Once school was over thus year, I could finally relax and working on my room seemed more possible (therapy helped). So far, I've purchased a new shelveing unit and lamp. I plan to purchase a bookshelf, vanity table, dresser, and headboard. I carefully chose the furniture so that it would prevent me from cluttering up my room again. Instead of shopping for cosmetics I'm working on reading more (almost met my summer goal of five books!) spending more time with friends just hanging out and watching movies and playing games. My goal is to finish my room by the end of summer before school starts and I become more stressed. I've never really had a problem with my room being so cluttered (despite people making comments) but once I got the shelving unit and lamp I began to see that there are things I really need to let go of and I need to work hard on making sure that I keep a peaceful and open space. Watching this video was very encouraging. It will be a long process, but I'm willing to learn how to focus less on consuming and more on maintaining healthy space and connections.

My parents passed away within a year of one another. We had to clean out the house and get it ready for sale. It was heartbreaking sending so much stuff to donation but what could we do? We all lived so far away. At the end of the road, that’s what all the “stuff” becomes. Donations. I would rather do this now while I am alive so I can breathe in my current space and not leave those heart aching decisions to my kids. ❤️❤️

I love your vulnerability and openness! You’re so kind 🤍

This is probably the best video I've ever seen on minimalism. Minimalism is something I have wanted to try for a long time and this video is so inspirational that I think I might finally do it. Thank you so much.

I'm gonna watch this again tomorrow bc it's too late to do something tonight. I just really want my mind to stop being a mess

Small tip for anyone: I was obssessed with buying makeup and I found it useful to follow accounts on Instagram where people are emptying and panning their makeup. Helps to buy less makeup or use up/declutter makeup you already own.