4 Steps to Un-F*ck Your Life a Little

We've all had those moments when we feel like we're drowning in our stuff. It's an uncomfortable feeling for two reasons:

1. It is completely and entirely our own doing. A little elf didn't buy a bunch of shit and put it all over your home.
2. It's an unfriendly reminder of the materialistic culture we don't like to associate ourselves with. How can we complain about having so much while others have so little?

Sometimes I'd stumble upon a little inspirational clip about a person that has only one bowl, one plate, one spoon, one fork... you get the picture. And this person is so unbelievably happy. Here's the truth: we aren't all meant to lead that life. That's their happiness, it doesn't have to be yours.

I had just watched about six episodes of The Office when, for reasons unknown, I wandered to the Documentary realm of Netflix-land. There I found Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things and I was what some might call ~*inspired*~ to change my life (a little). I finished the film at about 1 AM and I did three things that made me feel a lot better.

1) I Un-F*cked the shit under my bathroom sink.

If you're anything like me (girls, I'm looking at you), you have between 19 and 7000 bottles of miscellaneous product living under your bathroom sink. I am a self-confessed goo hoarder. This was my mini-minimalism ground zero. Here's what you need to do:

• Take EVERYTHING out.
• (Neatly) replace the products that you use on a weekly basis. I had twelve hair smoothing/repair/whatever products. I just kept buying a new one that caught my eye, even though I hadn't made it through half of the last one. At first, I felt guilty at the thought of throwing out things that I had spent my hard earned money on... but trust me, once it's in the garbage it feels a hell of a lot better.
• Keep the things that you need, use, or LOVE.

I threw out 27 things.

If you're feeling ambitious, repeat with your makeup.

I threw out 11 things.

2) I Un-F*cked my shoe situation.

I'll admit, I thought this was going to be easier than it was. I've never identified as a "shoe person," but I was shocked at how many pairs (and even some lone shoes??!!?) sat in my closet.

My shoe reformation was minor compared to my bathroom situation. But it was better than nothing.

My biggest problem was running shoes. I had six pairs. How they accumulated, I don't know. I cut it down to three: one for the gym, one for outdoor activities, one for dirty activities.

To avoid going through every type of shoe a girl might own, here's a guide:

1. If they hurt your feet or give you blisters, BYE.
2. If you have another pair you wear in similar situations and like better, BYE.
3. If you've never worn them and they are 12+ months old, BYE.

This is, again, where it hurt to think about the money wasted. When it comes to things like shoes/clothes/furniture, you have more options than the garbage.

I sold four pairs of shoes that were in good condition on a local yardsale page and made $45. I also sold two pairs of Frye boots that were just too big for me on eBay. I made $200. I donated six pairs.

In total, I got rid of 12 things and made $245.

3) I Un-F*cked my phone.

This was hard and is a work in progress.

There are two kinds of people: people who are dependant on their phones and people who are in denial.

This is how we live now, but this is not a social commentary on the culture of technology, so I won't go there.

But I will go here:

Turn off the push notification feature of your phone. I know... radical.

At first, this made me check my phone more because I was like "WHAT IF I'M MISSING IMPORTANT STUFF?" Turns out, I didn't have that much important stuff. Now, I only check my phone when I want to. It makes me feel more in control and I think it helps me stay aware of my surroundings.

Bonus: Try not to scroll on your phone while you're waiting. This is my Everest.

In total, I got rid of 50 items and damn it felt good. Seriously, try it.