Helping you tidy up & live better with less | Once a month inspiration for home organisation, decluttering and lighter living π§Ί | Sign up below! π«
Share
10/25 Minimal Monthly β When Your Stuff Holds You Hostage
Published 5 days agoΒ β’Β 3 min read
October 2025
Minimal Monthly
Hello, hello!
I need to repaint my condo and put in new baseboards. I've needed to do this for awhile already. But every time I think about it, I'm paralysed by the sheer logistics of clearing out every room, moving furniture, protecting surfaces, and acting as project manager for the whole thing...
The dread is so real that I've actually caught myself browsing real estate listings lately, thinking 'Maybe it would be easier to just move?' (I know. I KNOW. π )
Then I stumbled across this decluttering method called house hushing that's been making the rounds. The idea is to completely clear a space of all non-essential items, let it sit empty for 24 hours, and then mindfully reintroduce only what you need. It's meant to help you see your space with fresh eyes.
And I thought: well, if I have to clear everything out for the painters anyway, maybe that'd be the perfect opportunity to house-hush my entire flat? Or vice-versa: I could trick myself into getting the painters in by house-hushing.
Am I actually going to do it? Ask me next summer. No way in heck do I want to deal with paint fumes in the winter...
Affiliate Corner
I've tried every social media scheduler under the sun. They always either lack a substantial feature, or they have such a badly designed interface that I loathed using them. Or they're just absurdly priced for what they do.
Well, I finally found one that doesn't suck: Publer! I love it! And it's affordable! It has a media library to make repurposing content easy. Plus excellent discovery and insight tools built right in. The interface is a joy to work with. And they have a super active team that just keeps rolling out great new features all the time.
βοΈβοΈβοΈβοΈβοΈ from me for Publer!
Publer is staying in my toolbox and I wholeheartedly recommend it if you do content marketing or run a bunch of different socials.
Mixed Bag 'o Links
Here's a roundup of what caught my eye across the web this month. A little bit of craftiness, intentional spending, home robotics and a few things to ponder:
Flora Collingwood-Norrisβs creative mending is worth checking out for anyone interested in sustainability and giving their clothes a longer life. Her skillful darning on knitwear is a true art form!
Something to chew on: a new study found that 12% of US adults aged 50-80 meet the criteria for ultra-processed food addiction. This is a sobering study testifying how our food environment has changed over the decades.
If you're looking for a way to concentrate better, I stumbled on a fab app called Endel, which creates personalised soundscapes backed by science to help you focus, relax, or sleep. I am not affiliated, Iβve just found it incredibly effective for blocking out distractions during the workday. Little tip: if you love it during the free trial, wait a few days for a pop-up with a 50% discount to appear before you subscribe. π
This video from an ex-shopaholic unpacking 10 purchases she regrets is a thoughtful look at the difference between what we want and what we'll actually use. A great reminder to shop more intentionally.
An off-topic but very interesting take on why, in the age of AI, "the penalty for being average has never been so severe, but the payout for being extraordinary has never been higher."
Last, but certainly not least:
β
Have a safe and fun Halloween! π
Thank you for reading. If you have any comments, feedback, or would like to be featured in an upcoming issue, hit reply and drop me a line.
No-spend challenges are trending. This post looks at what they entail, how they differ from low-buying, and the type of rules to define to make it a success.
Helping you tidy up & live better with less | Once a month inspiration for home organisation, decluttering and lighter living π§Ί | Sign up below! π«
Read more from The Minimal Monthly from Tidymalism π±
September 2025 Minimal Monthly Hello, hello! This month I kept circling the idea of control and release. One big spark came from a cult classic film that critics call one of the greatest movies ever made, though few people outside cinephile circles may have heard of it: Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975). It follows a widowed mother through three and a half hours of painfully quiet domestic routine: peeling potatoes, running errands, polishing spoons, and switching...
August 2025 Minimal Monthly Hello, hello! I had such grand plans to tackle the cellar this summer. Spoiler alert: it didn't happen. But you know what did? I finally got around to photographing a few more handbags from my ridiculous collection for consignment. It's one of those tasks that takes 20 minutes but somehow lives on the to-do list for months. Sometimes 'good enough' progress is exactly that: good enough. That theme continued for the rest of the month. With my day job being busy, all...
July 2025 Minimal Monthly Hello, hello! It's funny how a pleasant three-second interaction can sweeten your whole day. I recently read about a professional who had a simple but powerful approach to her workplace relationships: she ended every interaction, no matter how challenging, with a genuine, positive note about the other person. You can already guess the outcome. People felt good after speaking to her. And because people remember feelings, she was highly regarded across her entire...
β