Much research has been done about how our small daily habits contribute to our life’s success. Practicing minimalism as part of those habits can increase your ability to accomplish your goals with faster speed, greater efficiency, and more ease. Just as our habits make up 40% of our daily routine – meaning that it’s not any one big habit that contributes the majority – minimalism is about simplifying in small ways that really add up over time.

3 ways practicing minimalism increases productivity:

1. Minimalism makes you determine your priorities.

When you are focused on doing and having less, you are naturally forced to determine those things you do want to do and have. Practicing minimalism is often about “cutting the clutter”. What things, either mental or physical, should have your time, energy, and attention? Which items push you toward your goals, and which ones just get in the way? Marie Forleo’s mantra says it best: “Simply to amplify.” Decide what is the most important – and cut the rest. This will provide space for your priorities to grow and flourish.

2. Having less physical stuff saves time and money.

There is the cost of the item. Then, there is the cost of maintaining, storing, cleaning, and upgrading the item. Oftentimes, people only think about the first cost. They don’t even consider the other costs until they are forced to face them in their daily lives. Even the cost of square footage in real estate to store the item in an extra bedroom or garage, for example, can add up monetary costs that often get overlooked. There is a commonly cited statistic that says the average person will waste one year over the span of their entire life looking for misplaced items. Wasting time looking for and maintaining unnecessary items is costly and contributes to enormous losses in productivity. On the flip side, the benefits to practicing minimalism include better organization, a cleaner environment, and increased productivity.

3. Less clutter frees up mental capacity.

Many research studies have shown that a cluttered environment is a reflection of a cluttered mind. Similarly, a disorganized space contributes to a lack of ability to think clearly. To break the cycle, you may need to do a one-time purge or deep clean of your stuff. But it doesn’t stop there. You will also need to have a system moving forward for how to stay organized. Make sure that what you have is serving you and not getting in the way. BossBabe's COO, Danielle Canty, discusses tactical strategies for maintaining organization by building strong systems on BossBabe’s podcast (listen here). With less clutter comes a greater sense of control, increased inspiration, and stronger creativity.

To get started with practicing minimalism, determine what your right amount of physical and digital “stuff” is. Then make a plan for letting go of the rest, as well as for how you will maintain your newfound balance. In no time, you will feel lighter and get to enjoy the benefits of a clear space and mind.

Amber Metoyer

Amber loves to share her passions for business, marketing, and entrepreneurship. Amber has experience growing small businesses, as well as leading the marketing in companies with annual revenues ranging from $35-$100+ million.

Amber is the Marketing Manager for BigRentz in Irvine, California. BigRentz was recognized in the top 10% of the Inc 500 list of fastest-growing U.S. companies, landing at #10 in California, #6 in Los Angeles, and #1 in Orange County in 2016.

Amber has an MBA from Chapman University. Her program was ranked in the World's Top 100 Business Schools and #4 in California by U.S. News and World Report, as well as #73 in the U.S. by Bloomberg Businessweek. She was awarded a three-quarter-ride academic scholarship to the program.

While earning her MBA, Amber worked at the Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship. There she connected entrepreneurs with mentors and investors, coached startup founders, helped plan a business model competition, and guest taught entrepreneurship classes.

Amber strives to be a Proverbs 31 woman, loves living in Los Angeles, and is happily married to her husband of five years.