How Living with Less Stuff means Living with Less Stress (featuring The Art of Simple Living)

​The Detox Series is a project that focuses on detoxing a different aspect of life each month of 2017. It was born out of a desire to actually follow through on my resolutions this year by aligning around one goal- Detox. January’s topic? Detoxing your mind.

I have a lot of stuff. It’s no secret. My closet is overflowing, and I have a really hard time getting rid of kitchen and beauty products that I’m honestly never going to use – the “just in case” mindset. Since switching toward a sustainable lifestyle last year, I’ve found I am incorporating more and more minimalist approaches and mindset into my routines.
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That’s why I was super excited when I got the opportunity to review “The Art of Simple Living,” Minimalist Lifestyle Blogger Olivia Young’s brainchild. It’s a course on simple living- aka minimalism.  I love that Liv focuses on the benefits simplicity has brought to her own life. It makes minimalism seem much more approachable and attainable.

Instagram // @earlgreystyle

First Impressions

The Art of Simple Living is an online class that can be completed at your own pace. It has been carefully and tirelessly curated by Liv, who began to realize the power of minimalism almost three years ago. The course has four chapters, including an introduction and conclusion. Each chapter is divided into several sections, allowing you to complete small parts of the course at your convenience. This helped me a ton with busy days! At the same time, I would say you could definitely get through it in a weekend - since it's a lot of fun, you may just breeze through it. 

Once you sign up for the course, you receive login info and a link that gives you access. First, I love that the course is visually pleasing. It’s designed with pretty pink and coral, and classic black and grey colors- I’m a sucker for design, so I loved this!
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On the left, the course shows you a “percent complete” bar and a table of contents. This lets you track your progress and be able to jump back to sections you want to refer to as you’re going through it. Plus, the course is jam packed with useful printables, worksheets, and charts that you can go back and fill out or print when your schedule allows.

Content

Intro
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The introduction starts with “Hello friend!” and the course is written in Olivia’s trademark friendly, welcoming, and calming voice. (That you can also see on her blog). Right away it put me at ease and let me focus on the excitement of what I was going to learn, rather than the (false) notion that minimalism was at odds with my personality and lifestyle. 

“Through this short course, my goal is to inspire you to simplify every aspect of your life.”
​– Olivia Youngs, The Art of Simple Living

​​Heart
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The course then reveals that rather than jumping into transforming your home into Pinterest-worthy minimal and modern décor (the popular aspect of minimalism), incorporating minimalism into your life starts with your heart. 

“I believe that minimalism is first and foremost a HEART change, and not a physical change – though you’ll likely make many physical changes as well as a natural consequence of your new mindset.”
– Olivia Youngs, The Art of Simple Living

This section was my favorite in the course. It made me realize the impact of our society and the overabundance of things, choices, and more available at our fingertips has on our wellbeing. Whether it leads to clutter, shopaholic tendencies, or high stress levels, it definitely makes a strong case for incorporating- at least some- aspects of minimalism into our lives. 

“Minimalism will help you focus on the little things in life.” – Olivia Youngs, The Art of Simple Living

By removing clutter from our lives- whether digital, in the home, in the closet, in the mind- we allow more time to focus on mindfulness. We get to experience more sunsets. We remember to look up at the stars from time to time. We detox.

I love that the course focuses on these very important benefits of a minimalist lifestyle and on self-care. Plus, there are worksheets and homework to help bring self-care and detox to live in your life!

Home

Of course, it wouldn’t be a minimalist course without offering real ways to de-clutter your home. Whether your motivation is to realize the benefits of minimalism, or to reach your ideal vision of your home (mine are both!), The Art of Simple Living lets you tackle each room in your house and discover your personalized minimalism approach. It gives you realistic steps and ways to achieve them. And of course, more worksheets! Making lists and crossing things off helps me SO much in achieving goals.
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I love this section and the notion of having purposeful belongings in the home. I’ve already started to apply Olivia’s techniques!

"Your home should only contain that which is useful and beautiful - anything else isn't really necessary." 
– Olivia Youngs, The Art of Simple Living

​Closet

Ahh…the closet. The course talks about the importance of a capsule wardrobe. Liv shares that just a few years ago, her own closet was far from minimal. She talks about something I hear a ton from my styling clients- their closets are full of piles of clothes that no longer fit their personal styles or needs.

I loved this section because I am so passionate about sustainable fashion and style. And buying less, reusing- that’s sustainable. Chasing the latest trend, buying things that you’ll never wear or use- not sustainable and has a huge impact on the environment and more. Some accounts say you shouldn’t buy anything you won’t wear 30 or more times. Liv says to keep things you’ll be able to make three outfits or more.

You likely have heard of capsule wardrobes before. You may have heard they always follow a certain number, but this course shows us how we can curate our own personalized number and wardrobe, which is extremely helpful.

Of course, you may have guessed that creating a capsule wardrobe first starts with attacking your closet, which can be overwhelming. I love that the class includes 4 simple steps to detox your closet (and in turn, detox your mind).
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I totally agree that creating a capsule wardrobe offers peace of mind. Less clutter, less to think about and spend time on in the mornings, and more representing your personal style. But disclaimer- My wardrobe doesn’t fit into the traditional idea of a capsule wardrobe. I love the variety of my style, and don’t struggle with using the different pieces in my wardrobe. Though I have many clothes, accessories, and shoes- most fit my style in some way.

"A capsule wardrobe is an intentionally curated closet with pieces that are practical for your lifestyle and exciting for you to wear." 
– Olivia Youngs, The Art of Simple Living

Does this still make me an aspiring minimalist? The recent hit documentary on Netflix, Minimalism, Ryan Nicodemus talks about a situation they often hear on tour. A reader comes up to them, praises their lifestyle, but says “I could never do it though because I absolutely love books. I don’t want to get rid of my books.” Ryan then explains that if there’s something you love and use- keep it! If you read your books, they’re not clutter and they can be a part of your minimalist lifestyle. This is what I think about my closet. Fashion is my art. Decluttering always helps, but I love using my pieces like paint to create different looks that match the day’s events or my mood or my current favorite TV show.

Still, Olivia’s tips for detoxing your closet were incredibly helpful to me! Everyone’s closet can use detoxing. Mine definitely did! My clients love detoxing their closets and feel refreshed. I think capsule wardrobes could truly benefit most people. I would recommend giving it a shot- and seeing what works for you. Because one size fits all is kind of a myth in real life. 

​“My struggles with contentment aren’t solved, but minimalism gives me the tools to be content.”
– Olivia Youngs, The Art of Simple Living

I’m so, so glad I took this course. It’s got me start on a path to declutter, detox, and live more simply. In the ultimate goal to detox my mind, I am now confident minimalism will play a huge part. Just going through my day, I find myself thinking more “do I really need this?” or “how will I use this over and over?”
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At the end of the day, we constantly get new “stuff” to be happy. But that happiness is not long lasting. And honestly, businesses don’t want it to be- so that you can buy the next thing that will make you happy. Instead, what if we were happy and content from immaterial things? From our worth, families, experiences, goals, faith? From the travels we aspire to, from the thoughts and philosophy we digest? From the art we appreciate and create? 

​The last thing I truly love about this course is that it recognizes minimalism, like any other beneficial change is not an overnight overhaul. We’ve had overconsumption ingrained into our minds, bodies, souls. It takes time to change that. I love that this course is also about acceptance. Plus, Liv’s blog Simply Liv & Co has its own Facebook group and uses the hashtag #InspiringSimplicity to keep up with the community on Instagram. It’s a journey, but we aren’t alone. :)

“Sometimes I shop more than I should, sometimes life gets complicated. And it’s totally ok.”
– Olivia Youngs, The Art of Simple Living

​Check out the course for yourself here, I know I got a ton out of it. Here’s to more detox and more contentment- and less stuff! Here’s to simple living.

What are your thoughts on minimalism? Let me know in the comments below!
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Thanks for reading!
XO
Sameena

I was provided this course free of charge to review. All opinions and experiences are my own- as always! :) I do not receive sponsorship from Simply Liv & Co or commission from purchases on the course.