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" When you've got your devices down to the ideal number, use these tips to minimize them and prevent distractions:
- Remove as many icons from your desktop as possible.
- Uninstall software you don't need.
- Delete unneeded files from your Documents folder. (If you don't want to delete them completely, at least move them to an archive folder so they don't clutter your most-used folder anymore.)
- Develop a simple but logical folder structure so that you can find documents you want easily.
- Unsubscribe to blogs, email newsletters, and advertisements that no longer serve your interests.
- Delete internet bookmarks, cookies, and temporary internet files you no longer need.
- Delete apps you don't need, remembering that if you need them later, you can always download them again. Put only your most crucial apps (such as your calendar and your phone) on your home screen. Put the rest in folders on your second screen.
- Turn off notifications, including social media push notifications and email audio alerts.
- Make sure your spam filters are working.
- Delete photos that are of poor quality or that you don't need.
- Delete unused music and movies.
- Subscribe to a password manager so that you don't have to keep track of a bunch of passwords. "
― Joshua Becker , The Minimalist Home: A Room-By-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life
37
" Approach the spaces in your home this way:
First, your living room and family room.
Second, your own bedroom and the other bedrooms in the house.
Third, all the clothes closets.
Fourth, your home's bathrooms and the laundry room.
Fifth, your kitchen and dining areas.
Sixth, your home office.
Seventh, your storage areas, including your toy room and craft work spaces.
Eighth, your garage and yard.
...this represents the easier-to-harder progression. "
― Joshua Becker , The Minimalist Home: A Room-By-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life
38
" The bathroom and the laundry room may be humble, utilitarian spaces, but let me point out a simple fact you may have overlooked: they can also be noble places.
If you're cleaning yourself and attending to your own grooming regularly, you're making an effort to present yourself well to the world.
If you're taking the time to relax in a bubble bath periodically, you're recognizing that life is not all about activity and achievement and that there are suitable times to de-stress and meditate.
If you're monitoring your weight on a scale or taking vitamin supplements kept in your bathroom, you're pursuing the value of health.
If you're storing medical supplies that you can grab when a child wakes up sick in the night, you're prepared to bring relief.
If you're bathing an infant, or perhaps a disabled spouse or elderly parent, you're giving comfort while serving a basic human need.
If you're teaching and modeling a simple approach to health and beauty for your kids, you're helping to start them out well in life.
If you're going through the routine of washing your family's clothes week in and week out, they may not thank you but they owe you.
Let me say it: thank you for caring and thank you for making the most of these spaces in your house by keeping them tidy and uncluttered. "
― Joshua Becker , The Minimalist Home: A Room-By-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life