Top 15 'Mental-Inventory' Minimalist Tips to adopt at home for Quieting the 'I Should...' Inner Monologue - Goh Ling Yong
That little voice in your head. It’s a constant companion, isn’t it? It sounds a lot like, "I should fix that chair." Or, "I should finally use that pasta maker I bought." Or maybe, "I should read all those books I’ve collected." This relentless inner monologue, the "I should..." chorus, is often fueled by the very environment we create for ourselves. Our homes, meant to be sanctuaries, can become sprawling, physical to-do lists that whisper obligations from every corner.
This is what I call our 'mental-inventory'—the cognitive load we carry for every single item we own. Each object, from a broken mug to an aspirational paintbrush set, occupies a sliver of our mental real estate. It requires a decision, a plan, or it sits there, radiating a low-grade hum of guilt and unfinished business. The more cluttered our space, the louder the noise in our minds. Adopting minimalist tips isn't just about having a tidy house; it's a profound act of mental decluttering designed to quiet that inner monologue.
The goal is to transform your relationship with your belongings so that your home supports your peace, rather than demanding your energy. It’s about intentionally curating a space that allows your mind to rest. Here are 15 'mental-inventory' minimalist tips to help you declutter your home and, more importantly, quiet the "I should..." nagging at your soul.
1. Confront the "Someday" Piles
Every home has them: the pile of magazines you’ll "someday" read, the craft supplies for a hobby you’ll "someday" start, the clothes you’ll wear "someday" when you lose ten pounds. These piles are monuments to a hypothetical future version of you, and they create a constant, subtle pressure to become that person. Every time you see them, your brain registers an unfulfilled intention, adding another "I should..." to the list.
The first step is radical honesty. Ask yourself: how long has it been "someday"? If it's been more than a year, it's time to re-evaluate. The person you are right now deserves a home that serves them, not a home that’s a storage unit for a fantasy life. Start with one pile. Don't think about the whole room, just that one stack of magazines from 2019. Recycle them and feel the immediate lightness. You aren't giving up on your dreams; you're making space for the ones that are relevant today.
Action Tip: Designate a single box for "Someday" items. Go through your home and put anything that falls into this category inside. Seal the box and write a date on it six months from now. If you haven't opened it by that date, donate the entire box without looking inside.
2. Release Aspirational Clutter
Aspirational clutter is different from "someday" clutter. It represents a skill or identity you aspired to have. The dusty guitar in the corner whispers, "I should learn to play." The expensive juicer in the cabinet sighs, "I should be healthier." These items aren't just objects; they are symbols of failed or forgotten ambitions, and their presence can be a source of quiet shame.
Letting go of these things is not an admission of failure. It's an act of self-acceptance. It’s okay that you didn't become a master baker or a marathon runner. Releasing the unused bread machine doesn't mean you'll never bake; it just means you're freeing yourself from the pressure associated with that specific, unused tool. Your worth is not tied to your hobbies, and your home shouldn’t be a museum of what-ifs.
Action Tip: Pick one aspirational item. Thank it for the dream it represented. Then, either sell it or give it to someone who will actually use it. Use the newfound space (and mental energy) to do something you genuinely enjoy right now.
3. Give Everything a Designated 'Home'
This is a classic organizing principle for a reason: it's a powerful antidote to mental clutter. When items don't have a defined place, they become 'homeless.' They float from the counter to the dining table to the coffee table, creating visual chaos. Each time you see a homeless item, your brain fires off a micro-task: "I should put that away." But where is 'away'?
By assigning a specific, logical home to every single thing you own—from keys to scissors to phone chargers—you eliminate the guesswork. The mental energy previously spent searching for things or deciding where to put them is freed up. Tidying up is no longer a complex project but a simple, almost meditative act of returning things to their homes. Your environment becomes predictable and calm, which in turn calms your mind.
Action Tip: Start with one small, high-traffic area, like your entryway table. Find logical homes for everything that tends to pile up there. Get a small bowl for keys, install a hook for your bag, and place a small tray for mail. Experience the peace this brings before moving to the next area.
4. Implement the 'One In, One Out' Rule
The "I should..." monologue isn't just about the stuff you already have; it's also about the potential for future clutter. The 'one in, one out' rule is a simple but transformative habit that stops clutter before it can even begin. The premise is straightforward: for every new item you bring into your home, a similar item must leave.
This rule forces you to be a conscious consumer. Before buying a new sweater, you have to mentally scan your closet and decide which one you're willing to part with. This simple pause can be enough to stop an impulse purchase in its tracks. It shifts your mindset from passive accumulation to active curation, ensuring your home only contains items that have truly earned their place. This practice minimizes future decluttering projects and the mental load that comes with them.
Action Tip: Make it visual. If you buy a new pair of shoes, place the new box next to your shoe rack. You can't put the new pair away until you've selected an old pair to place in a donation bag.
5. Digitize Sentimental Paperwork
Piles of your children's artwork, stacks of old letters, and boxes of greeting cards can take up an immense amount of physical space. The "I should organize these" thought can hang over you for years. While these items are precious, you don't need to keep the physical object to preserve the memory. Technology offers a brilliant minimalist solution.
Digitizing these items allows you to keep the sentiment without the physical burden. A high-quality photo or scan of a drawing can be saved to a cloud service, preserving it perfectly forever. You can create digital albums for each child or for different eras of your life. This process honors the memory while freeing up significant physical and mental space. You're no longer the reluctant curator of a dusty archive.
Action Tip: Set a small, achievable goal. Spend 15 minutes one afternoon scanning or photographing one folder of old papers. Use a free app like Scannable or the notes app on your phone. Once digitized and backed up, you can ceremoniously recycle the originals.
6. Curate Your Bookshelf Like a Gallery
Books are beautiful, but they can also be a significant source of "I should..." pressure. A bookshelf overflowing with unread classics, dense non-fiction, and gifts you never wanted can feel like a literary guilt trip. You look at them and think, "I should be more well-read. I should finish that." A minimalist approach to books isn't about not reading; it's about being intentional.
Treat your bookshelf like a personal gallery. It should only display books that you truly love, that have shaped you, or that you realistically plan to read in the near future. Let go of the books you think you should have read. If you truly want to read one later, the library or an e-book is always an option. A curated bookshelf is a reflection of who you are, not who you think you ought to be.
Action Tip: Pull every single book off one shelf. Handle each one and ask: "Will I read this again, or realistically read it for the first time in the next year?" If the answer is no, put it in a donation box. Keep only your absolute favorites and your 'to-read-next' stack.
7. Streamline Your Wardrobe
Decision fatigue is real, and a cluttered closet is one of its primary causes. Staring into an abyss of clothes you don't like, that don't fit, or that are for a lifestyle you don't have, is mentally draining. Each ill-fitting shirt and pair of "maybe" jeans whispers, "I should get rid of you... but what if?" This daily indecision saps your energy before you've even had your morning coffee.
Creating a simplified, curated wardrobe is one of the most impactful minimalist changes you can make. This doesn't mean you have to wear the same black t-shirt every day (unless you want to!). It means filling your closet only with pieces you love, that fit you well, and that make you feel confident. When everything in your closet is something you'd be happy to wear, getting dressed becomes a simple, joyful act instead of a stressful chore.
Action Tip: Try the 'hanger trick.' Turn all the hangers in your closet to face one direction. After you wear an item, turn its hanger the other way. In six months, you'll have a clear visual of what you actually wear. It becomes much easier to donate the items on the hangers that were never turned.
8. Let Go of 'Guilt' Items
We all have them. The expensive appliance that was a bad purchase. The sweater from a relative that is absolutely not your style. These items don't spark joy; they spark guilt. Guilt over the money wasted, or guilt over the sentiment of a gift-giver. They hold your mental space hostage, constantly reminding you of a perceived mistake or obligation.
Here's a truth I've come to embrace in my own journey, a philosophy I share often with clients at Goh Ling Yong: an item's purpose can be fulfilled even if you never use it. The purpose of a gift is to be given and received, to convey love. That transaction is complete. The purpose of the expensive purchase may have been to teach you a lesson about your buying habits. You don't have to force yourself to use something out of guilt. Giving yourself permission to let it go is a powerful act of self-compassion.
Action Tip: Gather all your guilt items in one place. For each one, say out loud, "Thank you for the lesson," or "Thank you for the thought behind the gift." Then, firmly place it in your donation box. You are not throwing away the love or the lesson; you are only releasing the object.
9. Establish a Perpetual 'Donation Station'
Decluttering isn't a one-time event; it's an ongoing practice. One of the biggest hurdles to letting things go is the friction of the process itself. Finding a box, filling it, and figuring out where and when to drop it off can feel like a big project. A 'donation station' removes that friction and integrates decluttering into your daily life.
Designate a permanent, out-of-the-way spot in your home—a corner of a closet, a spot in the garage—with an open box or a sturdy bag. This is your Donation Station. As you go about your week and notice something you no longer need, love, or use, don't just put it back. Walk it directly to the Donation Station. Once the box is full, you simply take it to a donation center. It turns a massive project into a simple, continuous habit.
Action Tip: Choose your spot and label a box "For Donation." For the next week, challenge yourself to find one item each day to add to it. It could be a mug, a t-shirt, a book, or a knick-knack.
10. Practice the 5-Minute 'Surface Reset'
Flat surfaces—kitchen counters, coffee tables, nightstands—are magnets for clutter. Throughout the day, they accumulate mail, keys, mugs, and miscellaneous items. This visual noise creates a sense of chaos and an unspoken to-do list. Going to bed with this clutter in your line of sight can lead to a restless mind, and waking up to it starts your day with immediate, low-level stress.
The 'surface reset' is a simple nightly ritual. Before you wind down for the evening, set a timer for just five minutes and blitz through your main living areas, clearing only the flat surfaces. Put things back in their designated homes. Wipe the counter. Stack the mail in its tray. It’s not about deep cleaning; it’s about restoring order. This small act signals to your brain that the day is complete, quieting the "I should clean up" voice and creating a peaceful environment to wake up to.
Action Tip: Tie this new habit to an existing one. For example, right after you brush your teeth at night, start your 5-minute timer. Stacking habits makes them much more likely to stick.
11. Unsubscribe from the Influx
You can't win a battle against clutter if the enemy is constantly re-supplying. A significant source of the "I should..." monologue comes from the constant stream of stuff entering our homes, particularly paper. Junk mail, catalogs, flyers, and magazines create immediate "decision piles" that need to be sorted, filed, or recycled. The best way to manage this is to stop it at the source.
Take a proactive approach to stemming the tide. Use services to opt out of junk mail lists. Go through your email and unsubscribe from retail newsletters that tempt you with impulse buys. When you're at a store, politely decline a catalog or a flyer. Each piece of paper you prevent from entering your home is one less decision you have to make and one less piece of mental-inventory to manage.
Action Tip: For one week, collect all the unwanted physical mail you receive in a single pile. At the end of the week, go through it and actively unsubscribe from each sender, either by calling the number on the catalog or using a website like DMAchoice.org.
12. Master the 'Maybe' Box
Indecision can be paralyzing during the decluttering process. You hold up an object and your brain gets stuck in a loop: "I don't love it, but what if I need it someday?" This is where the 'Maybe' Box (or Purgatory Box) becomes your best friend. It’s a tool for outsourcing the decision to your future self.
When you're truly stuck on an item, place it in the Maybe Box. Seal the box, label it with the contents and the date, and put it away in a storage area like the attic or the back of a closet. Set a calendar reminder for 3, 6, or 12 months. If you have not once thought about, needed, or missed any of the items in that box by the time the reminder goes off, you have your answer. Donate the entire box without re-opening it. This bypasses your current anxiety and lets your actual life experience make the decision for you.
Action Tip: Don't let the Maybe Box become a hoarding tool. Limit yourself to one box at a time. You must deal with the old one before starting a new one.
13. Reframe 'Just in Case' Thinking
"I should keep this, just in case." This phrase is responsible for more clutter than almost any other. It’s a thought rooted in a scarcity mindset and fear of an imagined future. We keep dozens of extra glass jars, old cables for non-existent electronics, and ill-fitting clothes "just in case." But this thinking comes at a high cost: the peace and space of our present-day lives.
Challenge this thinking with logic. Ask yourself three questions: 1) What is the worst-case scenario if I didn't have this? 2) How likely is that scenario to happen? 3) In that unlikely event, how easily could I solve the problem without this specific item (e.g., borrow it, buy it for less than $20, or find an alternative)? Often, you'll find the "just in case" item is easily replaceable, and the cost of keeping it (in terms of mental and physical space) is far greater than the risk of needing it.
Action Tip: Identify your biggest "just in case" category (for many people, it's cables, containers, or craft supplies). Set a reasonable limit. Decide to keep only five extra glass jars, or one small, organized box of cables. Let the rest go.
14. Audit Your Single-Use Kitchen Gadgets
The kitchen is a hotspot for aspirational clutter and "I should..." thinking. The panini press, the ice cream maker, the spiralizer—these gadgets promise a more exciting culinary life but often end up as cabinet-clogging sources of guilt. Every time you open the cupboard and see them, they whisper, "I should be making fancy sandwiches. I should be making homemade sorbet."
Be ruthless in your kitchen audit. A minimalist kitchen is not an empty one; it’s an efficient one, filled with high-quality, multi-purpose tools. Ask yourself if a simpler tool could do the same job. Can a good knife do the work of the avocado slicer? Can you use your oven broiler instead of the panini press? Eliminating these unitaskers frees up incredible amounts of valuable cabinet space and silences the voices of culinary obligation.
Action Tip: If you're unsure about a gadget, move it to an inconvenient location (like the garage or a high shelf) for a month. If you don't find yourself motivated enough to go get it during that time, you have your answer. It's time to donate it.
15. Designate and Contain a 'Project' Corner
Life is messy, and creativity and hobbies often require a bit of temporary chaos. The problem arises when an ongoing project—like sorting old photos, mending clothes, or building a model—spills out and takes over a common area like the dining table. This creates a constant, stressful visual reminder of an unfinished task. The entire room becomes a "to-do," making it impossible to relax.
The solution isn't to stop doing projects; it's to contain them. Designate one specific, contained area for your active project. It could be a small desk in a spare room, a tray on a side table, or even just a large, lidded box. At the end of the day, all project materials must go back into that designated space. This respects your creative process while protecting the calm of the rest of your home. It frames the project as a choice you engage with, not a mess that is happening to you. As I often say in my workshops with Goh Ling Yong, a calm home is a foundational pillar for a calm mind.
Action Tip: Find a beautiful tray or shallow basket. This will be your 'Project Pod.' Any small, ongoing projects must fit within the confines of that tray. This visual boundary helps keep the mental and physical clutter contained.
Quieting the "I should..." inner monologue is a practice, not a destination. It begins with the conscious choice to align your physical environment with the mental peace you want to cultivate. By systematically addressing the sources of clutter in your home, you're not just organizing your stuff—you're decluttering your mind. You're giving yourself permission to live in the now, free from the weight of past obligations and future anxieties.
Your home should be the one place on earth where you are free from pressure. It should be a source of comfort, restoration, and joy.
So, where will you start? Pick just one of these tips—the one that resonated most deeply—and try it this week. Don't overwhelm yourself by trying to do everything at once. Small, intentional changes are what lead to lasting peace. Share your first step in the comments below; we'd love to cheer you on
About the Author
Goh Ling Yong is a content creator and digital strategist sharing insights across various topics. Connect and follow for more content:
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