100 Terms Every Minimalist Should Know

No.	Term	Definition
1.	Accessory dwelling unit (ADU)	Small secondary home on existing property.
2.	Accountability partner	Person helping you maintain decluttering goals.
3.	Aesthetic minimalism	Minimalism focused on visual simplicity.
4.	Air-drying rack	Alternative to dryer; reduces energy and clutter.
5.	Analog habit tracker	Paper-based system for tracking routines.
6.	Anti-consumption	Reducing unnecessary buying and resource use.
7.	App detox	Removing distracting apps to reduce digital clutter.
8.	Attention residue	Lingering focus loss after task switching.
9.	Batch cooking	Cooking in bulk to simplify meals.
10.	Behavioral design	Shaping environment to support desired habits.
11.	Buy it for life (BIFL)	Choosing durable items meant to last.
12.	Capsule pantry	Small set of versatile staple foods.
13.	Capsule wardrobe	Limited clothing set that mixes well.
14.	Carbon footprint	Total greenhouse emissions from your lifestyle.
15.	Clutter	Excess items that hinder function or peace.
16.	Clutter blindness	Not noticing mess due to habituation.
17.	Cognitive load	Mental effort required to process information.
18.	Cold storage rule	Store items away to test true need.
19.	Consumption trigger	Cue that prompts buying or accumulating.
20.	Core values	Guiding principles for decisions and priorities.
21.	Cost per use (CPU)	Item cost divided by times used.
22.	Decision fatigue	Worsening choices after many decisions.
23.	Declutter	Remove unnecessary possessions from your space.
24.	Deep work	Focused, distraction-free work on demanding tasks.
25.	Default wardrobe	Reliable outfit formula requiring minimal decisions.
26.	Digital minimalism	Intentional, focused use of technology.
27.	Disposable income	Money available after essential expenses.
28.	Donation box	Container for items to give away.
29.	Dovetailing tasks	Linking actions to reduce steps and friction.
30.	Downsizing	Moving to smaller space or fewer possessions.
31.	Dual-purpose item	One object serving two or more functions.
32.	Dwell time	Time spent considering purchases or decisions.
33.	Essentialism	Prioritizing the vital few over the trivial many.
34.	Exit strategy	Plan for removing items you bring in.
35.	Experiential spending	Buying experiences instead of more stuff.
36.	Friction	Small obstacles that prevent desired habits.
37.	Functional minimalism	Minimalism emphasizing usefulness and ease.
38.	Future self	Your later self affected by today’s choices.
39.	Garbage bag test	Imagine losing it; would you replace it?
40.	Gift policy	Rules for receiving gifts without accumulating clutter.
41.	Gray area items	Possessions you keep despite uncertain value.
42.	Habit stacking	Attach new habit to existing routine.
43.	High-utility items	Things used often and serving key needs.
44.	Home reset	Quick daily tidy returning items to places.
45.	Inbox zero	Keeping email and tasks from accumulating.
46.	Intentional living	Aligning actions with chosen priorities.
47.	Inventory	List of what you own and where.
48.	Just-in-case items	Kept for unlikely scenarios, often unused.
49.	Just-in-time buying	Purchase only when truly needed.
50.	Keystone habit	Habit that positively affects many others.
51.	Kitchen minimalism	Streamlined tools and routines for cooking.
52.	KonMari method	Tidying by category; keep what sparks joy.
53.	Labeling	Clear tags that support easy organization.
54.	Landfill diversion	Keeping waste out via reuse and recycling.
55.	Laundry capsule	Small, coordinated set of washable clothes.
56.	Life admin	Routine tasks managing modern responsibilities.
57.	Low-buy	Intentional reduction of nonessential purchases.
58.	Maintenance load	Time and effort required to keep things.
59.	Margin	Extra time or space beyond commitments.
60.	Materialism	Prioritizing possessions as main source of happiness.
61.	Mindful purchasing	Buying with intention, not impulse.
62.	Minimal viable wardrobe	Smallest set meeting your real needs.
63.	Minimalism	Living with less to focus on more.
64.	Monotasking	Doing one task at a time.
65.	Multipurpose cleaner	Single product replacing many cleaning supplies.
66.	No-buy	Period of purchasing only essentials.
67.	One in, one out	Add one item; remove one item.
68.	Open loops	Unfinished tasks that occupy mental bandwidth.
69.	Opportunity cost	What you give up by choosing something.
70.	Organizing	Arranging items for easy access and return.
71.	Packing list	Predefined essentials list to avoid overpacking.
72.	Pantry audit	Reviewing food inventory to reduce waste.
73.	Pareto principle (80/20)	Small inputs often create most results.
74.	Personal uniform	Consistent outfit style that simplifies dressing.
75.	Place for everything	Each item has an assigned home.
76.	Point of performance	Where a habit happens; optimize that location.
77.	Quality over quantity	Fewer, better items chosen intentionally.
78.	Quiet luxury	Understated quality without obvious branding.
79.	Quitting list	Things you stop doing to gain time.
80.	Replacement rule	Replace only when broken or truly needed.
81.	Reusable	Designed for repeated use, reducing disposables.
82.	Room-by-room declutter	Tidying one space at a time.
83.	Routine	Repeatable sequence that reduces daily decisions.
84.	Satisficing	Choosing good-enough option to avoid overthinking.
85.	Seasonal rotation	Storing off-season items to reduce clutter.
86.	Sentimental items	Objects kept for emotional meaning.
87.	Single-task tool	Item serving only one narrow purpose.
88.	Slow living	Pacing life to emphasize presence and quality.
89.	Space audit	Assessing how areas are used and wasted.
90.	Subscription audit	Reviewing recurring payments to cut excess.
91.	Sunk cost fallacy	Keeping things because you already paid.
92.	Sustainable consumption	Buying and using with environmental responsibility.
93.	System	Repeatable process that keeps life organized.
94.	Third place	Non-home, non-work space supporting community.
95.	Time blocking	Scheduling focused time for specific tasks.
96.	Tiny house	Very small home designed for simplicity.
97.	Uniform storage	Matching containers to reduce visual noise.
98.	Unsubscribe	Opt out of marketing to reduce temptation.
99.	Upcycling	Repurposing items into higher-value uses.
100.	Value-based spending	Spending aligned with your priorities and values.