I used to be so overwhelmed, trying to post three times a week at times, constantly falling behind, and still just not growing. 

For a long time, I felt really stuck with my main YouTube channel until I started doing some tiny tweaks to my strategy. That made it so much easier to stay consistent over the past few years, and my YouTube channel finally grew. And I’m sharing them all in this article.

Keep reading below or watch the video:

8 lessons from growing a YouTube channel to 70,000+ subscribers

1. The one video rule

For a long time, I posted three times a week. Yet I wasn’t sure why I wasn’t growing, though I was putting a lot of effort and time into my videos. 

The truth is, I was just posting randomly whatever I felt like. And a lot of the videos weren’t necessarily high quality. But I just felt like I had to fill in those three slots per week.  

So I was creating a lot, but I wasn’t seeing results. Then I swapped to the one video rule: one video per week, consistently, for a few years. And that’s what actually started growing my channel. I was able to really focus on that one video per week and make it higher quality, tackling a topic that really resonated with my audience. I also had more time to research the topic behind each video. 

These things combined, I think, just made my channel really blow up.

2. Improve the videos

For years, I was making the same type of content and not growing, but I was still expecting different results. And that’s when I realised that just sitting down and talking for 30 minutes to the camera and taking a screenshot of that for a thumbnail isn’t really what works on YouTube these days. At least not in my space.

So I started focusing on really improving my videos. That meant improving the titles, improving the thumbnails – which makes such a huge difference – and improving the intro of my videos, which is also a really big one. There are ways to craft a better intro that make your audience feel like, “Okay, this is the video for me,” and actually want to watch through the whole thing because they feel they will get so much value from it.

There’s also storytelling, and so many other things that can be improved about a video. I think all of these things combined are what also helped my YouTube grow. 

And when you start working on the craft of making better videos, it also motivates you. You start to see results, and that keeps you going for the long run. And with YouTube, if you want results, you really do need to stay consistent.

3. The motivation game

I learned that motivation is very much overrated. So I stopped waiting to feel motivated or ready to film a video. And I realised that some days I just don’t feel like filming. Maybe I had a rough night’s sleep with my baby, or I have other things going on in my life, and I’m not particularly motivated.

But I realised I don’t have to feel motivated. I just have to start. If I begin going through the motions of setting up my camera and doing my makeup, I’m much more likely to just continue and do the thing.

And some days you won’t feel like filming either, and that’s okay. But it doesn’t have to stop you. You don’t need to wait for motivation to start.

What I’ve learned from neuroscience books is that dopamine, the “motivation” chemical, doesn’t really show up before you start. It usually kicks in after you begin. Often, 10 minutes into filming, you start getting into it, enjoying it, and wanting to tell your story more because that dopamine rises.

So I stopped waiting for motivation and just started doing it and getting things off my to-do list.

It also helped that for the longest time, my filming time was just my kids’ nap time, when they were babies or even now in the toddler phase. I might have only an hour to get my video done for the week. So I have to sit down and film right then and there, otherwise it wouldn’t happen.

That time constraint actually became a motivator. And I think being a parent can do that too. It forces you to be more intentional with how you use your time, whether it’s free time or work time, to film for YouTube.

4. The dip

This is another concept I learned about in the business world, this time from Seth Godin’s book, called The Dip. And it’s all about knowing when you are in the dip. 

The dip applies to any business, but more specifically, when we think about YouTube, every channel goes through a dip.

When you start a channel, you’re excited at the prospect of growing on YouTube and creating videos feels really energising. There’s a kind of honeymoon phase where motivation is high. But YouTube takes time. Real growth often comes after months or even years of consistency.

That’s where the dip happens. It’s a period where growth slows down or feels like it’s stagnating. For me, it was a long stretch of posting videos and not seeing much return – just a few views here and there, or very slow growth.

But everyone has to go through the dip to get to the other side, where things really spike up.

This is the stage where growth feels very slow, and quitting starts to feel like the logical choice because you’re not seeing results. But in Seth Godin’s book The Dip, he talks about how naming it helps. When you recognise you’re in the dip, a period that’s difficult but normal, you’re not blindsided by it. You don’t assume something is wrong with your content or your channel. It’s simply part of the process.

Sometimes you just have to keep going through it to reach the point where growth starts to accelerate again, and you see more views, more subscribers, and more momentum overall.

For me, understanding this made it much easier to stay consistent for years before my channel really started to grow.

5. The plan

I also made a plan to post every week. It’s easy to say, “I’m going to be consistent and post once per week.” But without a plan to actually make it happen, it’s just a dream.

I realised I needed a clear system for what video I was filming each week and what I was editing at any given time. For this, I use a Notion page, but any planner will do.

Especially because I have limited time, I need to know exactly what I’m doing when I sit down at my laptop or when I get that one or two hours while my toddler naps. Otherwise, I know I’ll just procrastinate and not get it done, which doesn’t help growth on YouTube.

I talk a lot more about this in my YouTube class. So if you want more help with YouTube growth, I highly recommend watching it. It’s completely free, and I think you’ll find it helpful.

6. Simplify the process

Now, because my work time was and still is during nap times or around school runs, and it used to sometimes be with a baby on my hip, that means I have very limited time to actually work on my business. 

I recently started tracking my time and realised I work about 20 hours per week. And that’s my usual max, sometimes less depending on the week. Of those 20 hours, about 5 hours go into creating my YouTube video for that week, from start to finish. This includes researching the idea, scripting, filming, editing, and uploading.

So I’ve become very aware of how important it is to focus on the tasks that actually make a difference and move the needle on YouTube.

I could easily spend all 20 hours just on one video if I wanted to, but I need to be efficient because there are other parts of my business, too, that I need to do.

This is also something I go into in detail inside my YouTube course. I show exactly how I make my videos, my process for filming and editing, and the thinking behind it, while still keeping it efficient.

So if you’re struggling to find time, my advice is to simplify the process. Reduce the things that aren’t really necessary for growth. Things like constantly redoing playlists or over-focusing on keywords for every small detail aren’t what really move the needle.

Instead, focus on creating one really solid video each week. That will get you much further than spending time on small tweaks and “hacks” you see online.

7. The comparison

I also stopped comparing. I stopped comparing my chapter 1 to someone else’s chapter 10.

And I know this is so common in business, but it can be very easy to compare myself to where other creators are. However, I always remind myself that I have limited time, and I still do. I also don’t have a huge team behind me like some other creators, who might post a YouTube video, a podcast, Instagram Reels, and TikTok all from the same content across multiple platforms.

So I had to stop comparing and focus on the one thing that actually moves the needle in my business: my YouTube channel.

Creating that one video per week became my main focus.

I really like a graph from the book Essentialism, where the author shows that we can either spread our energy across a million different things or focus it on one thing. And that’s where real growth happens.

8. Not perfect

One thing that also helps me stay consistent is allowing it not to be perfect.

The perfectionist in me wants to spend 20–30 hours per week on each video, perfecting every shot, creating detailed B-roll for every part, and refining the edit so the storyline flows perfectly.

And while I do try to include all of those things in my videos, I also have to be mindful of the time I actually have and dedicate to this. So I’ve had to be okay with it not being perfect, or not as perfect as I would like, and just getting it done and out there.

Because at the end of the day, if you have the right message and you know who your audience is, your video will still be really helpful for them, regardless of all the small details.

I still include B-roll, storytelling, and I try to make my videos as engaging as possible because I do want people to watch and stay engaged. But I can do that without being overly perfectionistic or trying to make every video perfect.

If you want more help with your YouTube channel, I go much deeper into all of these things inside my free YouTube class. I think you’ll find it really helpful.

The post I stayed consistent on YouTube for 2 years (and got 70k subscribers) because of this appeared first on Madeline Hegedus.

I’m just a mom of two from the UK, and I’ve built my YouTube channel to over 70,000 subscribers around school runs and nap times. And I grew it to a full-time income, which had been a dream of mine since I gave birth to my first baby 8 years ago.

I don’t have a fancy studio.
I don’t do any of that bro marketing.
And I’ve honestly got no AI tricks. 

I just found a method that actually works even with unlimited time on my hands. So, here are the six things I learned along the way.

Keep reading below or watch the video:

1. Starting from scratch

This is something we all have to go through. And it can be really easy to compare ourselves to people who already have the skills we want – maybe they seem to have all these filmmaking abilities or editing tricks, while we feel like we lack them. 

Know, though, that you can start YouTube from where you are right now. And I think especially these days in the AI era, actually being human and showing mistakes and showing up, being vulnerable, not being perfect, is actually one of the biggest advantages you can have on YouTube. 

In my case, as a mom of two, I’ve been publishing videos on my channel for years now, and for a long time, I filmed them during my baby’s nap times and then edited at night when my baby went to sleep.

I had no strategy and no real plan. I was just posting and hoping for the best. And my videos weren’t ideal or perfect – sometimes the script of my video wasn’t perfect, my filming wasn’t great, or my editing was a bit sloppy, but that’s where we all start. We all have to make those cringy videos in the beginning. 

If I go back to my first YouTube channel and look back at my first videos, posted years ago, when I first started, I cringe so hard at them. But I see that as a good thing. That means I’ve improved. 

If I were to go back to the videos I posted five years ago and not cringe, that would probably mean I hadn’t really improved much. It would mean I haven’t changed much over the last five years. And obviously, my goal is to keep making my videos better and better.

2. The change

There were several little moments along the way that shifted my perspective on my YouTube channel.

When a brand first reached out to me to send me a cream for free, as a PR gift, without asking me to create content for them in exchange, I felt like I had made it.

When I created my first small digital product, which was my Lightroom presets back in the day, and I got around £300 in a month, I felt like that was insane. And it wasn’t the amount in itself, as it wasn’t a huge one, but for me, it was proof that I can make this work. If I made that amount, I could make more than that, and it just made me feel motivated to keep going. 

Another moment that was like a switch flip for me was when I started sharing my decluttering content, and I got the first comment from someone, saying, “I watched one of your videos, and I went and decluttered my house, and I feel like my life has changed because I have more time with my kids. I’m calmer and more present.” 

For me, when I receive comments from people who’ve genuinely been positively impacted by watching my YouTube videos, that’s what this is all about. That’s why I create this content. And honestly, it gives me so much motivation to keep going.

3. What 1,000 subscribers actually meant

To me, the first 1,000 subscribers were proof that people were genuinely enjoying what I was creating and putting out there. And if a small group of a thousand subscribers enjoyed watching my videos, then there could be more people like them who’d want to watch too. It was just a matter of figuring out how to get my content in front of more people.

I think there’s something special about reaching your first thousand subscribers. It’s not necessarily the number itself, and you don’t make much money from AdSense at that stage either. For me, the first payout was around $20 or something like that. But it’s the fact that there are real people out there choosing to watch you over the millions of other YouTube channels.

And reaching that monetisation step felt huge for me because, yes, $20 doesn’t sound like much, but it’s the beginning. 

Once you reach that point, you know that if next month you have a video that does really well, maybe it gets 100,000 views, you could earn real money from it. Maybe $1,000 or $2,000. And that can be life-changing. It can add to your existing monthly income from a full-time job, and it becomes proof that this is a business and that you can make it work. And I think that’s really powerful.

4. The skill build-up

There are so many skills that we learn through YouTube. And a lot of the time, we underestimate how important those skills are, especially in this day and age.

Things like confidence on camera, which can be so hard in the beginning. But the more you do it, the easier it gets. And it feels more and more like you’re chatting to a friend. I always try to imagine I’m talking to my friend just behind the camera. She’s asking me questions about how to start on YouTube or how to declutter her home, and I’m just sharing my story with her, or what I’ve tried and worked or didn’t work. 

This is something that helps with confidence, but there are so many other skills that you learn. Storytelling is another, and it’s a big one on YouTube these days. 

Filming is also a great skill, even though setting up your camera and equipment can feel really intimidating at the beginning. You learn skills like editing and creating YouTube thumbnails, and all of these things can actually be really useful if you want to take them into your current job, or even build a separate career alongside being a YouTuber.

These are skills that so many companies and brands are looking for – people who know how to do these kinds of things. So even if you start YouTube and realise it’s not for you long-term, you can still take those skills and use them on a different journey.

5. The income grew earlier than I expected

In my case, on my second YouTube channel, my income grew much faster than with my first channel, where I talk about decluttering. I earn from both channels, including my second one, which currently has around 5,000 subscribers and gets a few hundred views per video. 

I’m still growing this channel, and I monetise it mainly through affiliate links to services that I use, like Flowesk, ManyChat and other programs that I myself use in my business, and through selling my own digital products, like my YouTuber course and an Instagram course.

I really believe YouTube is one of the best platforms to grow a business like this, especially when you’re educating people on a specific topic. 

On YouTube, people get to see you and connect with you. It’s a different experience, someone watching a 15-minute video versus just scrolling on Instagram or TikTok and catching a few seconds here and there. The connection they can build with you through YouTube is completely different, and I think that’s why the income can grow so much faster on YouTube than on other platforms.

6. The compounding effect

This is something I don’t see happening on any other platform, be it Instagram or TikTok, where the videos are quite fleeting and don’t tend to get many views later on.

But on YouTube, a video I filmed when I had 800 subscribers still brings in views and income to this day. That’s why it’s called evergreen content. It’s like building a portfolio of videos over time.

On my main channel, I have around 400 videos now, and every single one is monetised. So every time someone watches a video I posted five years ago, I still earn from it.

That’s one of the things I really love about YouTube. The work you put in today can continue to pay off months or even years down the line.

So if you’re reading this and feel like you’re at zero – maybe you haven’t posted yet but really want to, or you’ve shared a few videos and aren’t seeing the results you hoped for, and you’re not sure why – I’ve got something for you. 

I’ve been working on a free YouTube class that’s available as a replay. In it, I’m walking you through the exact roadmap I used to grow my channel from zero to over 70,000 subscribers.

Thank you so much for reading this article. Let me know in the comments where you are in your YouTube journey. I’d love to hear from you.

The post How YouTube Changed my Life with 1,000 subscribers appeared first on Madeline Hegedus.

I’m a mom in her 30s, and I grew this whole business with a baby on my hip. I never had dreams of becoming famous. I just wanted to be able to not work a 9-to-5 so that I can be more flexible around my kids.

In this article, I’m sharing the steps I would take if I were starting my YouTube channel today and wanted to make it my full-time focus. Content creation can be hard and sometimes feel like a lonely journey—but it doesn’t have to be. And I think that’s why you’re here.

Keep reading below or watch the video:

4 steps to grow your YouTube business

Step 1. Address the struggles

I think there are three main struggles when we get started as YouTubers. And you might have experienced one or all of them. Let me know in the comments if that’s the case. 

The fear of being cringe

I think this is the first struggle that we have as YouTubers, and I did for sure. I was a lot more of a people pleaser and just worried a lot about what people thought about me. Which is why, in the beginning, I didn’t tell anyone I had a YouTube channel. My husband, who was my boyfriend at the time, was the only one who knew. And he actually helped me with the tech side of my website and things like that. 

We often carry this fear of judgment—what friends or family will think if they find out. And as your channel grows, they probably will. And that can feel terrifying when you’re just getting started, because you worry you’ll be cringe, or that they’ll think this or that about you.

But when people did find out for me, nothing really happened. Most people thought it was a cool or brave thing to do. At least that’s what they said to my face. And honestly, who cares what they actually think? When you’re starting a YouTube channel or a content creation business, there’s usually a bigger goal behind it. It’s not just about making videos.

Maybe you want to quit your 9–5, have more time with your kids, or create more flexibility so you can build a life you genuinely enjoy and work on something you’re passionate about. Those whys have to be bigger than the fear of judgment or the fear of being cringe.

And the truth is, putting videos online feels cringe—until it starts working. It’s a hard fear to move through. But the only way to get to the other side is by doing the thing anyway. Even when you’re scared.

Not having a niche

This is the second struggle most of us face when getting started—and something I battled with for years.

For a long time, I felt like I didn’t have a niche, or that I wasn’t specific enough, or that I needed to narrow it down even more. I spent a lot of time brainstorming what my “perfect” niche might be.

What I eventually realised is that my niche evolved in time. I didn’t wake up one day and say, “Okay, this is my niche, this is what I’m posting,” and then my channel grew. It happened the other way around. I posted a lot of different things. And then I started noticing what actually performed well—what my audience wanted to see. That’s what slowly guided me into my niche.

My main YouTube channel ended up being about my decluttering journey. That’s what snowballed everything and eventually became my niche on Instagram, too. But in the beginning, I posted about motherhood, cleaning, and all kinds of random topics. Then one thing started to stick, and I doubled down on what was working.

Sometimes it really is about putting out a variety of content and seeing what people connect with most. Of course, you can do research and look at what’s performing well for others. And it’s important to create videos on topics you actually enjoy talking about and are passionate about. If one of your videos gets 500,000 views, the people who subscribe because of that video will want more of the same. That’s why they followed you.

If you suddenly switch to posting completely different things, it’s harder to build the kind of engaged community a successful channel needs. But if you’re just starting out and have no idea what your niche is, don’t stress. Just start posting. That will get you much further than overthinking the “perfect” niche.

Trust me—I’ve spent hours trying to come up with the perfect one-line bio. And then I realised… it doesn’t matter nearly as much as we think.

Being discouraged by low views

When you start your YouTube channel, low views can be part of the process for quite a while. This applies to my second channel as well. It’s a newer channel for me, and I’m still growing it.

Remember that a big part of growing a YouTube channel is simply getting better at a skill you might not have yet. This work actually requires a lot of different skills. You have to script the video, film it, edit it, and learn things that probably don’t come naturally at first. They definitely didn’t for me. Feeling confident on camera, crafting a story or script that keeps people engaged—those are all skills that develop over time, and they only come from repeating the process again and again.

If I were starting right now, I wouldn’t focus so much on the view count. I’d focus on improving my videos, making sure they’re genuinely valuable, and putting in the reps. That means creating more and aiming to get just 1% better each time. That’s always my goal—to make my videos a little better each week or month.

I’m constantly learning how to do that. Sometimes it’s improving audio quality, sometimes it’s working on cinematography or storytelling. All of these things help, but I can’t work on everything at once.

Growing a YouTube channel is about small, steady improvements—unless you have a big team supporting you, which most people don’t. Then it’s just about making those small improvements, and that can take time.

If you want support as you start, I have a free YouTube growth checklist you might find helpful.

Step 2. Improve the TTI

For the second part of your YouTube journey, three things matter if you want to get more views on your YouTube videos: the title, the thumbnail, and the intro. Or TTI for short.

And you might think, well, that’s just the packaging of the video, isn’t it? Yes—that’s exactly right. Just like in a shop, where we’re drawn to a product because of its beautiful packaging, the same thing applies on YouTube.

Sometimes we put so much time and effort into creating a video—scripting it, filming it, editing the whole thing. And of course, that’s all part of the process. But these three things make a huge difference in how many views a video gets. The topic itself matters, of course, but the packaging matters just as much.

For me, once I learned how to optimise my titles—making them searchable or intriguing enough that people want to click—and how to improve my thumbnails (which honestly weren’t great in the past), I started to see a real difference. I genuinely feel like I’ve improved a lot, and I think that’s a big reason why my videos are getting more views now.

And the third part of this rule is the intro—the first 30 seconds of the video. Improving that and clearly communicating what the video is about, in a very succinct way, makes a huge difference.

I used to start my videos with, “Hi guys, welcome back to my channel.” But most people stumbling upon my video and watching weren’t actually “back” to my channel—they were seeing me for the first time. Looking back, that was such an unnecessary way to start.

Now I open my videos by sharing the before-and-after transformation I’m going to walk the viewer through. What I used to struggle with, what I’ve achieved, and how I got there. If you look at my decluttering videos or the ones on my second channel, that’s exactly what I do in the intro. People want to quickly understand what’s in the video and how it’s going to help them.

If you can nail those three things, I really think you’ll start to see an improvement in both your views and your subscribers.

If you need extra help with your thumbnails, you can now grab my Thumbnail Templates and guide here.

Step 3. Create a flow

We’re on YouTube to create content. But that doesn’t just happen magically, and it takes a lot of time and effort. 

Make a content creation system

I’m a mom of two little ones, and I grew my entire business with pretty much a baby on my hip. I worked during nap times or after they went to bed at night. Without much time on my hands, I had to create a system that really worked for me.

And the only way I’ve found to do that is by creating a system I can rely on and making a clear plan for the week. Right now, I use Notion. There are so many time-management apps and platforms out there, but Notion is the one that’s worked best for me because it’s so flexible. I can use a calendar view, a table, a list, and really customise it to my needs. This isn’t sponsored, by the way.

Create a weekly schedule

In Notion, I map out my week and decide exactly what I’m doing each day. If I don’t do that, I’m much more likely to procrastinate or get less done. When my kids are at school, and I finally sit down to work, opening my laptop to a blank page with no plan and not knowing what I’m gonna be working on that day is stressful. I end up scrambling instead of actually doing the work.

But when I open my weekly calendar and see, okay, today I’m filming two videos, tomorrow I’m editing, the next day I’m posting on Instagram, everything feels so much easier to follow.

Right now, my main priority is posting one YouTube video per week on my main channel, which goes live every Saturday. I post on Instagram. And I also post on my second channel, but it’s not my main focus. I really believe that having one clear priority helps a lot. I learned this from the book The One Thing, which opened my eyes to how powerful it is to focus my efforts on one thing I want to build and grow instead of spreading myself too thin as a content creator.

So typically, I have one day for scripting, one day for filming, one day for editing—or sending videos to my editor—another day for coming up with future YouTube ideas, and a day for posting and scheduling an email that drives traffic from my email list to my YouTube channel. That’s my basic weekly workflow, and it’s what’s helped me stay consistent over the past year or two.

I’ve posted almost every Saturday, with just a few exceptions, and I really try to stick to that schedule so people know what to expect. I think that consistency plays a big role in growing the viewership as well.

Start with the gear you have

When it comes to gear, I don’t think you need the most professional setup. I definitely didn’t have that when I started. I’ve invested in better gear gradually over the years as my channel grew and made more money, but it’s not something you need right away.

If there’s one thing I’d recommend starting with, it’s a good microphone. I use the DJI Mic Mini, and it’s great—and not overly expensive.

Step 4. Set up to monetise

I think this is why many of us are here. A lot of YouTubers start with passion and a genuine love for creating videos, and that’s one of the things I love most about this community.

But we also want to make money from it, because this takes a huge amount of time. And learning how to monetise your channel—and understanding the different options available—can make a big difference.

I know I wouldn’t be able to do this full-time or create this many videos if I couldn’t earn an income from it. I’d simply have to go back to a traditional 9–5 to support my family. I’m very aware that being able to earn a full-time income from home is a privileged position, and I don’t take it for granted.

YouTube AdSense

One of the first ways to monetise is YouTube AdSense. I recommend signing up as soon as you’re eligible. In the beginning, when you’re only getting a few hundred views, it won’t bring you a lot of money. But as your channel grows, it adds up. On my main channel, AdSense brings in around $1,500 to $2,000 a month. It’s not a full-time income on its own, but it’s a really nice addition.

Brand deals

These are usually the biggest income streams for many creators. When your channel is still small, a good way to get started is through UGC—user-generated content. That means creating content for brands that they use in their own marketing, without you posting it on your channel. It’s more about creating assets than leveraging a large audience you don’t have yet. And it’s a great starting point to pitching yourself to brands and getting known.

Later on, as your channel grows, brands will often come to you directly. Most of my brand deals now come directly to my email.

Digital products

Digital products are another monetisation option I highly recommend—and one of my personal favourites. I wouldn’t call them fully “passive,” because they take a lot of work upfront: creating the product, building the funnel, and driving traffic. They also involve work afterwards in supporting customers or managing a community. But once they’re built, they require less ongoing effort and can be sold repeatedly without starting from scratch each time.

What I did, for example, is I took the areas where I have real experience—things I’ve learned, tested, and refined myself—and turned them into courses and digital products like ebooks.

This not only increases my income but also allows me to help my audience on a deeper level. A YouTube video can be helpful, but a course lets me go much more in-depth as it can cover more and often includes community and support, which makes a big difference. I can really help people on a deeper level, and I think that’s what makes digital products much more helpful than just watching a YouTube video. 

If you can include digital products in your monetisation strategy, it can help you increase your income, provide more value, and build a more sustainable business around your channel.

Affiliate income

For me, this isn’t a major part of my strategy nor the main part of my income—I see it more as a bonus. I do earn affiliate income from tools and services I genuinely use, like Flow Desk, my email provider, or ManyChat, the DM automation tool, as well as gear I mention. Your strategy might look different depending on your content and audience size, but affiliate income can be a helpful addition.

Monetisation doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. It’s about choosing the options that align with your goals, your values, and the kind of business you want to build around your channel.

Where are you in your YouTube journey right now? If there’s something you’re working through or finding challenging, I’d love to hear about it. I wrote this article to be genuinely helpful, and your questions and experiences help shape what I share next. I hope this article was useful, and thank you for reading it.

The post Ultimate guide to start a YouTube channel and make money in 2026 appeared first on Madeline Hegedus.

Just as a comparison, my most viewed video on my main channel, with 60K subscribers, got half a million views but brought me $3,000 in AdSense. 

So, what happened here? 

I’m going to dive into the numbers, show you the behind-the-scenes and look together into what explains this massive difference. I’m also going to share with you the seven strategies that I use for my two YouTube channels to monetise them in slightly different ways. 

At the end of this article, I’m also sharing the one thing I did to boost my income to $7,000. And it’s one thing that I think all YouTubers should do.

Keep reading below or watch the video:

The video that made me $7,000 is called “I posted daily on Instagram and this happened.” In it, I share how I grew my Instagram to 30K followers in a few weeks. It is actually a tutorial behind a product that I’m using, and it got 1,000 views.

Afterwards, I posted another video, which got a similar amount of views. It covered a similar topic, and I shared the same product in it. 

Both videos have a few affiliate links in the description box. So, it’s not just this one product I mention in the videos. But the second video is me sharing basically how I’m using this service to achieve a very specific thing in my business and solve a problem like not having enough views or followers on Instagram or trying to grow online. 

And this is one thing that I do think helped me. When we’re sharing any sort of affiliate links or products that we use, if it comes from a genuine place of, “I use this and it actually helped me,” it really helps. And I think that’s why this did so well for me. 

I didn’t make much from AdSense from this second video because the channel is still quite small. But it continues to get views because it’s a topic that’s evergreen. It’s searchable, and it’s something that people, especially content creators who are trying to grow their platforms, are actually interested in seeing.

Back to the “I posted daily on Instagram and this happened” video, what I did with it is I repurposed it as an article on my website. I took the video’s transcript and turned it into proper, readable text. That means that the content of the article is the video itself. It’s the exact same content that I’m sharing in the video, but in written form. The article also includes the video, embedded in the text.

I do think blogging is a bit up and down these days. We can dive more into this in a future article if that is something of interest to you. But blogging has definitely changed now in the era of AI. It still works, and it still got me these results, as I do think the article helped the video. Blogging is just different from what it used to be 10 years ago when I started. 

However, I really think that posting the video on my YouTube channel, combined with turning it into an article for my website, helped me reach the $7,000. A website can still bring in money by having ads displayed on it.

There are a few strategies that I use behind my content that I think really help me monetise, even on platforms that I might not have a huge following yet. And by the way, if you’re struggling with your YouTube channel and you can’t seem to break that annoying 100 views per video, then I have a free YouTuber growth checklist for you that you might find helpful. Let me know what you think of it if you get it. 

Now, let’s dive into the seven strategies that I have behind this growth and making money.

Strategy #1: Know your audience

This might sound boring, but I think it’s at the core of everything we do as content creators. For me, for the channel we’re talking about here, my audience is content creators. I know it’s very meta, but I have learned so much from growing my main channel to 60K subscribers and my Instagram to 200k followers. 

And it’s not just about the numbers. I do think an important part of it is the business that’s behind the channel. If you’re trying to make money from this, then you do have to have a bit more behind your content creation than just focusing on views or subscriber numbers. 

I think growing your audience comes when you understand it. When you see what their problems are, where they are in their journey, what struggles they have, and where they want to be. This is really important when you’re a content creator. If you get them, then it’s much more likely that you’ll create content that resonates with them. And this is exactly what attracts that ideal audience. 

Nowadays, it’s actually easier for me to know my audience because I get to chat with them more. I get messages from them, and I have more opportunities to learn about them, where they are at and where they want to be. 

However, in the beginning, I used to do a lot of audience research on my own. I was using Facebook groups, Google search, Quora forums and Reddit. And if you’re just starting, I do recommend that you start with any place where you can find the main topic that you want to talk about. Scroll through those forums. Scroll through those threads and comments. See what people are saying, and see what they’re struggling with. That’s going to give you so much insight into where they are, where they want to be, and what kind of content you can create to help them get there. 

Strategy #2: The video needs to show them the before and after 

This doesn’t mean every video has to be a perfect before-and-after snapshot. That’s not what this is about. It’s more about showing the transformation they need or dream of—how you moved from that “before” point to the “after,” and the steps you took. That’s exactly what I’m sharing in my content: specific results and the kind of transformation my audience is looking for.

With the video we’re talking about, being able to show that I was actually using a service—and paying for it myself, still paying for it—mattered. It wasn’t sponsored or anything. This product helped me grow my audience on Instagram to 30K followers at the time. That feels very specific and tangible. Someone in that same position might think, okay, this could help me, too.

When we come from a place of authenticity and real results—and we’re ethical in what we share, not saying “get 100K followers in 20 days” or throwing around random numbers with no substance—we create content that actually resonates. I really do think that when my videos show a tangible before and after, that’s when they perform best.

Strategy #3: Build trust

I think being genuine with my audience is one thing that’s really helped me in my journey. I’ve always aimed to be truthful and honest about where I’m at, what my goals are, and how I’m getting there.

When you build that genuine connection with your audience, and they can trust you because they can see your real journey, that’s when your YouTube channel starts doing better, too. 

And when it comes to sharing affiliate links or products, the more trust you’ve built—and the more you’ve shown that you’re actually using the products you talk about, not just sharing a random list—the more likely people are to click. When they can see real results behind a product, they’re much more likely to go through your affiliate link and sign up for whatever it is.

Strategy #4: Promote something you’ve built or used yourself

If you look under any of my YouTube videos, that’s exactly what I promote: products I’ve used or built myself. And that’s really important to me, because when I create a product, I can make sure it’s genuinely valuable. We want to be ethical content creators here—I know we’re not the kind of people who put out a sloppy product just to get it out there.

When I create a course, an ebook, or anything for my business, I’m always trying to overdeliver. My goal is that when someone buys one of my products, they think, “Wow, I’m getting all of this.” So I aim to maybe undercharge and overdeliver, because I want people to walk away with real value so they get actual results.

And when you build a product yourself, based on your own journey and the steps you followed to get there, you can be genuinely helpful and invite your audience to follow a similar path to get those results. If it’s not a product you’ve created, that’s obviously fine too—that’s where affiliate links come in. But I do think it’s important to promote products you’ve actually used yourself, or ones you would genuinely buy.

For me, the affiliate links that perform best—and what I tend to do—are the ones that promote products I’ve already bought or used. I don’t promote things I wouldn’t buy myself. I want to test a product and see how it works before sharing it with my audience. If someone buys something through my link and has a bad experience, that foundation of trust is broken. And that trust matters far more to me than getting a quick sale.

Strategy #5: Deliver on the promise of the title/thumbnail

There’s a fine line between clickbait and click-worthy. We do want our thumbnails to be clickable and enticing. To open a loop of curiosity and make people think, “Oh, what’s this video about? I need to click and find out.” That element matters.

So yes, we want thumbnails to be eye-catching, but when someone clicks, we also have to deliver. Whatever I put in the title and on the thumbnail has to be something the video actually follows through on. Otherwise, it’s just clickbait—and that’s not something that works on YouTube anymore.

Strategy #6: Have a clear call to action

This is something that’s really important, especially if you’re promoting a product. If you’re monetising with affiliate links—or however you choose to monetise your YouTube videos—it’s important to have a very clear call to action.

That call to action might come at the beginning of the video, or at the end. For me, it really helps when I script my YouTube videos and intentionally include the call to action. I always ask myself: what do I want people to do after watching this video?

Strategy #7: Create an email list today

I think this is the best tip I can give you. And I know it sounds boring to talk about an email list. But it’s one of the most effective things I’ve done for my business. I really do think it’s contributed a lot to the income I’ve been able to make—even with a smaller YouTube channel.

I use my email list to drive traffic to my YouTube, to my website, and sometimes to the products I mention. Creating an email list is so powerful because it can genuinely boost the income. If you look at any major website—H&M, or really any sales-based website—they won’t first ask you to follow them on Instagram. They’ll ask you to sign up for their email list, often offering a discount. And that’s because email has a much higher conversion rate than almost any other platform.

I personally use Flodesk for my email list and have been really happy with it for years. But honestly, whatever provider you use, just start today. Start small. Even if you’re not sure what you’ll send yet, or whether you want a full newsletter, begin collecting email addresses. I think you’ll thank yourself down the line.

Let me know where you’re at in your YouTube journey. And remember to grab the free YouTube growth checklist—it’s a great place to start.

The post How I made $7,000 with one YouTube video on a small channel appeared first on Madeline Hegedus.

I’m so glad more than three of you showed up.

On New Year’s Eve 2013, I bought a domain name on a complete whim. I was living back in Transylvania, Romania, I was 23, I liked coffee, I liked clothes, and I really did not expect a lot of people to ever read what I was about to write. It was just a fun hobby for me.

So I called it Cappuccino & Fashion (cappuccinoandfashion.com), and I hit publish, and then I told absolutely nobody – except my husband (who was my boyfriend at the time).

Well that domain name got me to consistent 100k+ pageviews and was the first brick to building my full-time business online.

That domain just became madelinehegedus.com, and I wanted to tell you why I made this decision.

It started as a secret

I didn’t tell anyone about my blog for years. Not friends. Not family. Just my husband (boyfriend back then). Ok I trusted him not to judge, but also needed some help with my lack of tech skills.

I was honestly a bit afraid of it – afraid of it failing, afraid of people thinking I was being cringe, afraid of caring about something and having it not work out. The name felt like a safe little shield. If nobody read it, it was just a cute hobby with a fun name. Not much to lose.

But then people started reading it. And then more people found it. And gradually, without me fully noticing, what had started as a quiet little secret was turning into an actual business – one I was still telling barely anyone about. I was just building it during nap times and after kids’ bedtimes and in every spare pocket of time I could find.

By the time I accepted that this was genuinely my career, Cappuccino & Fashion had a proper following, a history, and a lot of content sitting under that name. 

Changing it felt risky. 

So I didn’t. 

For thirteen years.

What changed

And then I got pregnant and started throwing things away.

Ok that was abrupt. Let me explain.

In 2022, I was heavily pregnant with my second baby and somehow deep in a decluttering spiral that I had not planned for. Our house looked totally fine from the outside – honestly, if you’d visited, you’d have thought it was tidy. But behind closed wardrobe doors – absolute carnage. 

Bags full of bags. 

Baby things from five years earlier that we weren’t planning on using again. 

Stuff I’d kept “just in case” since roughly 2015. You know the feeling.

I started clearing it all out because I was desperate for a bit of calm, and I decided to start filming it – not because I had a strategy, just because it felt like something worth documenting. 

And those videos took off in a way I really hadn’t expected. My house didn’t look like a Pinterest board, but I think it took off because people recognised the feeling behind it. 

The overwhelm. 

The wanting-a-calmer-home-but-not-knowing-where-to-start. 

The realising that the stuff you’re holding onto isn’t actually making your life better.

The overbuying for things we don’ truly need.

Somewhere in the middle of all of that, I had a moment of realising the domain name cappuccinoandfashion.com wasn’t really fitting anymore.

The name I’d been kinda hiding behind for over a decade had stopped fitting the person I’d become, and I think I’d known it for a while before I admitted it.

Two channels, two sides of the same story

Here’s where it gets a little layered – because my world is split pretty neatly in two right now, and I thought I’ll tell you about it.

@madelinehegedus – this is my main channel. Decluttering, minimalism, intentional living, shopping less and loving your home more. If you’re here because you want a calmer house and a quieter life, this is your corner. It’s where I document the real, ongoing process of simplifying – not as an aesthetic, but as a way of actually being able to enjoy your home instead of managing it.

@madelinehegedustoo – is the behind-the-scenes channel, and it exists because a huge part of my community are women who – like I once was (and still am) – are trying to figure out how to build something of their own around real life. Around kids, around limited time, around the very normal feeling of having something worth sharing but not knowing how to get it out into the world. I grew my main channel past 70k subscribers mostly during nap times and school runs, and this second channel is where I show exactly how that works – and how you can do it too.

Both channels are very much me, just different sides of the same story.

Why the name change matters to me

I’ve been honestly overthinking this change for months now (maybe years).

Because the name Cappuccino & Fashion has some sort of emotional charge for me now, after so many years of creating on it. It had recognition and it had history. SEO-wise, it was probably the safer choice to keep it.

But here’s the thing about hiding behind a random name: at some point it stops feeling like a brand and starts feeling off.

Everything I make now – the YouTube videos, the courses, the emails, the free stuff – it all comes from the same place. My actual experience, my actual family, my actual messy-in-places life. It felt strange to have all of that sitting under a name I’d picked at 23 because I liked lattes and shopping. (I mean I kinda still do, but I’m more intentional in my 30s).

madelinehegedus.com is, very simply, me. In a way that Cappuccino & Fashion just wasn’t fitting anymore.

So here i am simplifying it all.

Simplifying it for you, hopefully, to make it easier to see what pieces of content came from me. And not leave you wondering – uhm, who’s cappuccino and fashion?

All my handles online, youtube, website, course platform – everything under my name. So that you can easily recognise when something is created by me, for you.

What’s here if you want to go deeper

If you’re sticking around,  here’s what I currently create and where to find it:

If you’re here for the home and lifestyle side: My Simply Decluttered ebook and course are a good place to start. Less overwhelm, more clarity, a home that actually works for the life you’re living.

If you’re here because you want to build an online business of your own:

• Thumbnail Templates – the exact Canva templates I use on my own YouTube channel to get it to over 70k subscribers. Plug in your photo, change the text, done. No design degree required.
• Simply YouTuber – my full course on growing a YouTube channel around real life. Strategy, scripting, thumbnails, monetisation – built for people who don’t have unlimited time but want to turn their YouTube into a full time income.

Both are at madelinehegedus.com whenever you’re ready.

_

TLDR:

Nothing changes for you. You can still find everything like you did before, just under a different domain name.

Thirteen years ago I bought a domain because I liked coffee and I thought maybe three people would read it.

I’m so glad more than three of you showed up – and I’m even more glad you’re still here.

– Madeline

The post Goodbye Cappuccino and Fashion. 13 Years Later, I’m Finally Using My Actual Name. appeared first on Madeline Hegedus.

That was until I read the book Atomic Habits by James Clear, which completely changed my perspective.

It made me realise that, actually, it’s the small habits I build and repeat every day that truly move the needle forward in my business. In this article, I’m sharing 10 lessons from Atomic Habits that have genuinely changed my life and my business as a content creator.

Keep reading below or watch the video:

1. The 1% rule

This is such a simple rule that I have taken with me in a lot of areas of both my life and my business. And that’s to simply ask myself, “How can I make this 1% better?” 

When I’m creating content, whether it’s for my YouTube channel or Instagram, I try to ask myself, How can I make this video I’m working on right now 1% better than the videos I filmed a few months ago, or even last week?

We often get stuck in perfectionism, and I used to do this so much. I’d put off creating my ebooks, courses, or content. I thought I had to have everything perfectly figured out before I could even start.

The truth is, we all start with messy action. We all begin by posting content randomly, not knowing what we’re doing, not knowing our niche or our topics. If you look at any YouTuber’s early videos, they’re usually not that great — mine included!

And that’s perfectly fine. But it’s amazing to see everyone’s progress. As long as we start, put ourselves out there, and keep getting 1% better over time, it really adds up after a few months or years. And that’s exactly how we get where we want to be.

I used to compare myself to where really successful content creators or YouTubers are now, thinking I needed to reach that same standard. And while that’s a nice goal to have, everyone starts from the bottom. First getting confident in front of the camera, then improving the editing skills, then getting better at filming and audio quality.

It’s all about getting 1% better every time, over time. It doesn’t happen all at once.

2. The 3.5 rule

There’s this analogy in the book: an aeroplane is on a set trajectory, but if the pilot changes that trajectory by even 3.5 degrees, the plane will land in a completely different town or even a different country.

So, when you look at your business like a journey, what trajectory are you currently on? If you keep going like this for the next five years, where is your business going to end up?

When I used to post very randomly, without much consistency or direction, my content probably wasn’t on the best trajectory. But the more I improved my skills, the more that trajectory shifted for the better.

It’s really about taking those small steps that can change your path towards a much better place.

3. Make it obvious

This is the first step in what’s called “the habit loop” in the book, and the whole idea really changed how I think about content creation. It can feel tough and overwhelming at times, but the habit loop makes building consistency so much easier.

So, make it obvious is the cue, meaning the thing that triggers the behaviour, like creating content, for example. It’s all about building small routines and rituals into your days that help you recognise, Okay, if this is happening, then it’s time for me to film a video.

For instance, I used to struggle with posting on Instagram. I found it hard to fit it into my day, which made me inconsistent for a while. What I started doing was noticing that every day, or most days, my toddler goes for a nap around 12 or 12:30. That’s when I usually sit down with my afternoon coffee. So I began using that as my cue. When my toddler is napping and I’m having my coffee, that’s my time to publish on Instagram. It also happens to be a good time for my audience, since that’s when they’re quite active.

This is a kind of habit stacking. I already have the habit of having coffee in the afternoon, so I might as well add something on top of it. That cue triggers my brain that it’s time to publish on Instagram. It doesn’t take long, but we often procrastinate even on tasks that don’t take much time at all.

This small change has helped me stay consistent on Instagram and grow my account to 200,000 followers, which is just absolutely amazing.

And if you’re struggling with Instagram and need a bit of help, I’ve got a freebie for you. I’ve put together the strategies that helped me grow my account into an Insta Growth Checklist. It’s completely free and will help you get started if you’re unsure what your next step should be.

4. Make it attractive

This is the craving part of the loop. I realised that as a content creator, if I wait to feel motivated or in the mood to film a video or an Instagram Reel, that motivation is very unlikely to come. Or at least, not very often.

Instead, it needs to become part of my habits and routine. One way to do this, rather than waiting for motivation, is to make it a fun process.

For example, this morning I was filming a few YouTube videos, and I had a mini dance party in my living room while setting everything up — just because it makes me feel good and makes the process more enjoyable for me. I’m less likely to procrastinate, and it puts me in a good mood before creating content.

I also find it really helpful to take my time and enjoy the process of filming, because I genuinely love it. But when I’m doing it in a rush, it’s not enjoyable anymore. The more I can make this process an attractive one and something I actually want to do, the more likely I am to stick with it long term.

And in case you didn’t notice, the one thing that really helps you grow online is staying consistent. It doesn’t sound as exciting as “Go viral in 30 days!” — but it’s the truth. If you stay consistent for a few months, or even a couple of years, it’s very likely that you’ll see results.

5. Make it easy

This is the response part of the loop, the point where we actually perform the habit or take the action we want to take. I realised that the easier I can make the process, the more likely I am to do it, and to do it consistently.

What’s super helpful here is reducing friction as much as possible. For example, yes, it would be ideal if every single video I put out were perfectly scripted, thoroughly researched, filled with intricate B-roll, and beautifully cinematic. That would be amazing. But it’s not really realistic to do this consistently, especially as a one-person team like me. I film, I edit, I do pretty much everything in my business.

So yes, I try my best. I aim to improve every time, to make things 1% better. But I also have to set some limits to make the setup easier and the process simpler. This way, I can do this every single week and put out a new video on my main channel.

What really helps in trying to build the habit of content creation is focusing only on the next step. For example, when I wake up, my first step is to do my makeup or hair and get ready for the day. Then the next step is to set up my camera and laptop if I need to. Then comes the filming process.

And this is where Newton’s law is so useful. He said that an object in motion stays in motion. Once I get the ball rolling, once I start setting up and getting everything ready, the brain goes, “Well, I’ve already put all this effort into setting up and getting ready, I might just as well film the video.”

6. Make it satisfying

This is the reward part of the loop. So, either make the process enjoyable or make it rewarding at the end. The reward can be anything you choose. Maybe it’s going out for a coffee to treat yourself, or taking a moment to celebrate the small wins.

All four parts of the habit loop work together to help you build a habit and, more importantly, stick to it in the long run. That’s incredibly helpful when it comes to content creation. 

7. The identity habit

This mindset shift really helped me, because I realised that how I identified myself as a content creator played a big part in how consistent I was.

We often tell ourselves, “I’m the kind of person who…” like, “I’m the kind of person who’s just not very consistent,” or “I’m the kind of person who doesn’t belong here,” — hello, imposter syndrome (which I still struggle with sometimes!).  But whatever we say to ourselves, our brains will always try to find ways to prove those beliefs true.

It happens subconsciously; it’s a kind of cognitive bias.

But when we tell ourselves, “I’m a consistent creator,” or “I’m a creator who’s really working on this business because one or two years from now I want it to be my full-time job. I want to monetise it successfully,” something really interesting happens: we become far more likely to take the actions that will get us there.

So for me, it’s been really helpful to have these mindset check-ins. I’ve realised that how I see myself as a content creator — and how I see myself working in my business — makes a huge difference in how consistent I am and how likely I am to keep creating content.

8. The immediate return

When something like a reward or reaching a level of success seems far into the future, it doesn’t feel very tangible. And with content creation and a social media business especially, the beginning can be a very slow process.

That’s the part where it’s hardest to stay consistent because you’re not yet seeing the rewards. You might not be making money in your business yet. But it’s also the time when consistency is most important. If you can push through that initial phase, the rewards can be incredible.

The truth is, once your social media business starts growing, it kind of snowballs. You might start earning from YouTube ads, or blog ads if you have a blog, but there are also many other income streams that add up. Your affiliate links start making more money, you get more brand deals which pay significantly more. Maybe you sell your own products. Before long, you reach a point where you can hardly believe the income your business is generating when just a few months ago, it might have been very little. That’s just the reality of how an online business works.

In the beginning, when growth is slow and it feels uncertain, I’ve found it really helpful to focus on the small accomplishments. Celebrate staying consistent for the month, or hitting milestones like reaching a thousand YouTube subscribers or a thousand Instagram followers. Focus on those wins, celebrate them, and do what you can to stick with it. That’s what really pays off in the long run.

9. Never miss twice

I love this rule from Atomic Habits because, yes, sometimes life happens and I don’t get a chance to film my video for the week. What James says in the book is that missing a day or missing once is fine. It happens. But missing twice is the start of a different habit that might not help me reach my goals.

For example, on my main YouTube channel, I have a schedule of posting once a week, and I try not to miss that at all. If it happens once, that’s fine. I’ll let it slide because life happens. Sometimes my kids get sick, or I just don’t get the chance to film. I try to pre-film and have everything ready so that if something comes up, I have some flexibility.

But if for some reason I don’t have a video out, that’s okay. I just make a point not to miss two in a row, because once that happens, it tends to snowball in a bad direction. I start getting inconsistent, and that isn’t helpful when I’m trying to grow a business.

However, it’s okay to adjust your schedule. For instance, it’s fine to decide, “This month I’m posting every single day on Instagram,” and then change that next month. The key is to create a schedule and stick to it, making sure you never miss twice in a row on the schedule you’ve set for yourself for this month, for example.

10. Systems over goals

One of the best things I learned from the book is that we used to see these New Year’s resolutions and set them as these amazing goals. But they were often so broad and general that they felt really, really hard to attain.

The truth is, yes, it’s great to set a goal. For example, I have a goal for my main YouTube channel to reach 100,000 subscribers, and that’s great. But what really matters is creating the systems to get there. Simply setting a big goal isn’t helpful unless I actually take the actions that will get me there. And that comes from the small habits I do every day.

That’s through creating checklists, daily to-do lists, and routines like filming a video every week. It’s these systems I created for myself that ensure I stay consistent. That’s what really helps, rather than just writing down big goals and crossing my fingers.

Let me know where you are in building your own online business. Are you on YouTube or Instagram? How’s it going for you? I’d really love to hear from you, so leave a comment below.

The post 10 Lessons from Atomic Habits for Content Creators appeared first on Madeline Hegedus.

I’m not a financial expert, but a mum in her 30s living in the UK while trying to make sense of her finances. Going from being a major shopaholic and in debt to being more of a financially responsible grown-up. 

In this article, I’m sharing some financial decisions we’ve made over the years. They have helped us become more and more financially comfortable. See if any of these are helpful to you too. 

Keep reading below or watch the video:

1. Klarna or payment plans are not your friend. 

When you shop online nowadays, there are so many things you can buy with Klarna or other payment plans. And technically, there’s nothing wrong with spreading out the cost, but I found that it can be such a trap. 

Payment plans can easily lead to buying more than you can actually afford. Over time, that’s unlikely to have a positive impact on your life. It’s so easy to accumulate lots of small credits without even realising it when you keep buying little things on payment plans.

Looking back, I know that a lot of the purchases I used to make weren’t necessary. They were things I convinced myself I needed, but I really didn’t.

So now, when I go to online clothing stores, if I can’t afford to buy that piece of clothing right now with the money I already have saved in my account, then I can’t afford to buy it. Maybe I can look for something else. Or I might just skip the purchase altogether.

2. Don’t avoid looking at your finances. 

This is something I find really tempting, especially when getting into difficult situations or slipping into debt. 

I know that in the past, when I had months where I was shopping a lot and buying aimless things, I’d actually avoid checking my bank account or looking at my finances because I didn’t want to see it. I just didn’t want to know. And there is this saying that ignorance is bliss, but not when it comes to finances. All those decisions and purchases eventually add up.

What I’ve learnt is that sometimes I just need to rip the band-aid off. Open the account, look at my finances, and make a plan. It doesn’t mean I’m never going to shop again; it just means I’ll be more conscious about it. And that actually makes me feel better about the shopping I do because I’m not spending aimlessly or feeling guilty afterwards.

For me, making a list of expenses (yes, that nerdy spreadsheet) has been so helpful to see where our money goes each month and how I can maybe optimise. It helps me spot things we don’t really care about but are still paying for, like forgotten subscriptions (which happens a lot!). 

Looking at the expenses, at the bills, any debts you have — it’s all part of it. The only way to make a change for the future is to really know what your situation is right now.

3. Credit cards are not free money.

As much as it might feel like it, having a credit card doesn’t actually mean you have more money. Even though your balance might appear positive, as if funds have been added to your account. The truth is, if you spend more than you earn each month, you can quickly get into a situation that’s not ideal. And the more credit cards you accumulate, the harder it becomes to pay them off.

In our case, when we used to have debt and a loan, we started by paying off the one with the highest interest rate, even if the amount was smaller. That helped us clear it first, and then we moved on to the next bit of debt.

I think credit cards might work a little differently in Europe compared to the US. However, for us here in the UK, I honestly don’t find them necessary. Yes, there can be perks to using a credit card. But unless you’re extremely disciplined — paying it off in full each month and making sure you never slip into overdraft — it’s just not worth the risk.

Personally, I feel much more comfortable spending the money that’s actually in my account, rather than what I don’t really have yet.

4. People who look rich aren’t always doing well. 

I think especially nowadays, with social media, it’s so easy to scroll and see all these different lifestyles that look so different from yours. You see influencers doing huge shopping hauls, living in massive houses, driving brand-new cars, or showing off the latest phone they’ve bought. There’s nothing wrong with any of those things — but it doesn’t mean those people are doing better than you.

What you often don’t see behind the scenes is that, if they’re influencers, many of those items might have been gifted. They didn’t actually buy them. And for you to go into credit card debt to get those same things just isn’t worth it. Maybe they did buy that car, but it’s on finance, and they now have big monthly payments for the next few years. Or maybe they’ve travelled a lot, but they paid for those holidays with a credit card.

What it really comes down to is not comparing yourself to others. Just because someone looks like they’re doing well doesn’t mean they actually are. 

What’s helped me is reminding myself that I don’t need to do any of those things. I don’t need designer bags, flashy cars, or a brand-new wardrobe every season. I just need to focus on my own goals — like paying off our mortgage early, or travelling with my family in a way that feels sustainable. 

When I stay focused on my own journey and the goals I have for my life and family, it becomes so much easier to step back from all the comparisons.

5. Appreciating and depreciating assets.

It took me a while to realise the difference between these two. 

For example, take a house and a car. When you buy a house, it’s usually an appreciating asset, meaning its value tends to go up over time. It might increase a little or a lot, but it’s unlikely to drop drastically. On the other hand, when you buy a car, it’s almost certain that within five years its value will have gone down quite a bit. So, one is more of an asset, and the other is more of a liability.

This is why we decided not to have any monthly car payments. Having a brand-new car in the driveway doesn’t really add that much value to our lives. Instead of putting that money towards a car payment each month, we’d rather use it to pay off our mortgage early, travel, or do other things that matter more to us. 

When we bought our car, we saved up and paid for it outright. It wasn’t brand new — it was second-hand, just a few years old — but still in great condition. I’m hoping it’ll be a reliable car for a good while. We don’t plan to change it unless something major happens. That’s just what we’ve chosen to do when it comes to cars.

6. Shopping aimlessly doesn’t make life better. 

When I started making money in my twenties, when I got my first proper job, I was so excited to shop. My thought process was, well, I have this money in my account, so I can just buy the item if I really like it.

In the long run, however, that wasn’t very helpful. I ended up with a wardrobe full of clothes that, firstly, I didn’t wear all that much, and secondly, were such a waste of money that I could have used in better ways.

To be honest, I think I got lucky. Back then, growing up in Romania, credit cards and loans weren’t as common or as heavily advertised as they are now. It used to be much harder to get credit or take out a loan. And honestly, that probably saved me from getting into a worse situation in my twenties.

These days, though, it feels like constant bombardment — whether it’s on social media with “buy now, pay later” offers, or even through banking apps, sending notifications saying “you’re pre-qualified for a £17,000 loan.” It can be so tempting to see that as “free money.”

But in the long run, you end up paying far more than you have to. It can easily lead to making purchases you wouldn’t otherwise make. And for me, I decided that’s just not a path I want to go down. I’d much rather use the money I already have. In case you couldn’t tell, I’m quite a risk-averse person.

7. Shopping is not a hobby, and it’s not retail therapy. 

This is what I used to tell myself. And also, this is what I used to do all the time. 

Before having kids, my husband and I would often go on shopping sprees at weekends. Just heading to the mall and buying things. I wouldn’t even have anything specific in mind. It was more of a “go into the shop and wait for inspiration” approach.

And this led to a lot of purchases that didn’t really add much to my life — lots of clothes, shoes, and accessories that I didn’t truly need and hardly wore or used afterwards. In the end, they were a complete waste of money.

I think that when using shopping as retail therapy, thinking it will make you feel better about certain situations in your life, it only gives you a short-term dopamine hit — followed by an almost immediate drop. By the time you get home, that feeling is gone, and you might even feel worse than before. And the problem that made you want to go shopping in the first place is still there.

Even during difficult times, like when I was going through infertility, I did resort to shopping a lot. Did it make me feel better in the long run? No. It actually made my home more cluttered and left me feeling worse over time.

So I’ve learnt that I simply cannot use shopping to deal with my feelings. Instead, I have to find other ways to cope and take care of myself — like looking after my body, spending time in nature, or other forms of self-care. It might sound silly, but these things really do help far more than aimless shopping ever could. 

8. All the stuff in our homes used to be money. 

This is something I heard a lot when I first started my minimalism journey and began decluttering. It was really eye-opening. It made me realise how much money I had wasted on items I didn’t truly need. If I had really thought about it, I could have saved and used that money in other ways — for example, adding to our mortgage, saving for another holiday that year, or just putting it towards something more meaningful than the things cluttering my home.

9. Money doesn’t buy happiness in the way that we think.

Cars, luxury items, and things like that generally don’t add much more happiness than you already have in your life. 

However, I’ve found that money can provide peace of mind. Not through purchasing luxury items, but when it’s used to create a cushion to fall back on if something goes wrong. Which, let’s face it, eventually happens. Having those savings and an emergency fund can actually make you feel far more secure and mentally at ease than buying a new item ever could.

10. I feel like shopping when I’m bored or upset.

I’ve learnt about myself that when I’m bored, or when I have something I’m struggling with in my life, I tend to go online and scroll because it’s a quick dopamine hit. It makes me feel good in the moment. But does it make me feel good after? Absolutely no. 

Some statistics suggest that we tend to shop online on our phones at night — in the evenings after work, or once the kids are in bed. That’s when we’re tired, sometimes upset from the day, and in an emotional state, which often leads to purchases we wouldn’t make otherwise. 

So I try to catch myself when I feel the urge to buy something. I always give myself a bit of a cool-down period. I never buy on impulse. Instead, I put it on my wish list and wait at least a few days, or until the next morning, to make sure the purchase is something I genuinely want and not just an emotional reaction.

11. When we say yes to buying something, we’re saying no to something else. 

If I’m saying yes to buying a lots of new clothes this month, then I’m saying no to saving that money, or using it for a family holiday or to pay off the mortgage. This leads me to ask myself what’s truly most important and to make sure that the purchases I make are aligned with my values and goals.

12. Mortgage versus rent — which is better?

There’s always so much discussion about which is better, buying or renting. And for the longest time, we were also debating this because we’d been renting for quite a while. 

I’ve been listening to a lot of finance podcasts, like one by Nischa, and watching shows about money on Netflix, and they all say that sometimes renting can actually be better. I think, in the end, it really depends on each individual’s situation.

So generally, what they say is that if you rent, then you can invest the rest of the money. For example, if your rent is lower than what a monthly mortgage payment would be — then, in time, that might actually give you more. Technically, it would earn you more interest and add up to a larger sum than having a mortgage and owning a house.

But that only works if you actually invest the extra money you’re not spending on a mortgage while renting. That takes a lot of discipline and self-restraint to make sure you put that money into investments rather than spending it on random things you don’t really need.

That said, for us personally, the reason we decided to get a mortgage was that it’s a payment we have to make anyway. Whether it’s rent or a mortgage, it’s still a monthly payment. We have to pay for housing as we weren’t already owning a home.

Our train of thought was that with a mortgage, yes, we’re making those monthly payments. But at the end of it, the house actually belongs to us. Whereas if we’re renting for 20 years, that home will never be ours.

We also found that renting comes with a lot of uncertainty as a landlord might decide to sell or ask us to move out at any given time, there’s no way of knowing.

Then there’s the catchment area for schools. When we started looking at schools for our kids, we wanted to make sure we were settled near a school we actually wanted them to attend. Here in the UK, there’s a catchment area system, so we need to live close to the school we want our children to go to.

And there’s also the security of having a home that’s truly ours. We can decorate it, make changes, and really make it your own. With renting, we were often limited in what we could do.

That said, we did rent for quite a long time. We wanted to first get a feel for the area and see if it was somewhere we’d actually want to settle before buying. So I definitely think there’s a time and place for both renting and owning.

But what I’ve realised is that having a mortgage forces you to save for the future. When you’re renting and paying a bit less each month, it’s easy for that extra money to just get spent on things that don’t really benefit you long term. With a mortgage, those payments are like a built-in savings plan — they’re going towards something that, eventually, becomes yours.

13. Have an emergency fund.

Having an emergency fund has always been important to us and even more so in the past few years. We’ve always tried to keep at least six months’ worth of living costs saved up, just in case something unexpected happens. And it has definitely come in handy. My husband actually lost his job a few years ago. And while that was a stressful time, knowing we had that safety net made a huge difference. We didn’t have to panic — we knew we could keep things going for a while if we needed to.

It’s also been useful for those annoying surprise expenses that just pop up out of nowhere. Like last year, right before Christmas, our fuse box started melting — literally melting — and we had to replace the entire electrical system. That cost over £1,000. It’s never fun to spend money on things like that, but having those savings set aside made it way less stressful.

Sometimes it does feel like that emergency fund is just sitting there, doing nothing. But it gives us peace of mind when life throws something unexpected our way.

14. Decluttering makes you spend less.

I’ve also learnt that decluttering actually reduces spending — at least it did for me. And I’ve noticed the same thing with so many people I’ve talked to.

Once you start decluttering and you see all the things leaving your home, things that used to be money, it really hits you. You realise how much you’ve spent on items you didn’t truly need.

I think decluttering can feel like such a cleansing process. It brings so much clarity about what really matters to you.

Now, when I go to the shops, I’m not as easily tempted. For example, I decluttered a bunch of décor items that were just sitting around. I gave some away to neighbours and donated the rest. So when I see something similar in a store now, I don’t feel the urge to buy it again. I know it won’t be a good purchase, and it won’t bring real joy or value to my life. It might look cute on the shelf, but I don’t actually need it.

Decluttering has definitely helped me spend far less money than I used to. It’s also made me much more intentional about the things I do bring into my home.

15. Start investing.

We also started investing. And honestly, this is one of those things I feel like no one really teaches us, right? At least not when we were growing up. I’m not sure what it’s like now, but we never learnt about investing, interest rates, or even basic things like taxes at school. Then suddenly, we’re adults, out in the world, and expected to just know how to handle it all.

So, it took us a while to learn what investing actually is, how to do it safely, and what makes sense for us. But what we’ve realised is that it’s really important to just start. Even without thousands to invest, starting small and being consistent each month makes a big difference. Over time, the interest compounds, and the growth builds on itself every year.

These are some of the money lessons I’ve learnt in my 30s. If you’ve learnt something helpful about money along the way, I’d love to hear it so share it in the comments. Maybe we can make this a space where we learn from each other, because honestly, none of us were taught this stuff in school.

The post 15 Minimalist Money Lessons for Personal Finance appeared first on Madeline Hegedus.

That was a bit of a wake-up call for me.

There are some tiny changes I made over the last few years that have actually made a big difference in my life. Now I can do the things that are important to me: being a present mom, running my YouTube channel, an Instagram account, an online business, working out three to four times a week, running, reading, doing the school runs, and being a silly mom who joins in on the fun, all without the burnout. 

Keep reading below or watch the video:

1. Give yourself confidence boosts

I used to think I wasn’t a confident person. And back in my 20s, I think I actually wasn’t. I was lacking confidence. But the problem was that I was, in a way, waiting for it to come so I could do the things I wanted to do. 

I was recently listening to Dr Julie Smith, a psychologist, on Instagram. She was talking about how we can’t get more confidence by thinking or talking about it. We gain confidence only by doing the thing, because our brain learns through evidence. So the more we prove to our brain that we can do something, the more confident it will be next time we try to do that thing. And it just builds up from there. 

For example, that’s how it goes when starting a YouTube channel. The first videos on my channel were so cringe—please don’t look at them, seriously. They weren’t that great, and that’s okay. I wasn’t confident on camera, but the more videos I filmed, the more that confidence built.

Had I just waited for that confidence to come, I never would have actually started or grown my YouTube channel. 

It’s those small things we do that prove a point to ourselves—not to anyone else—that slowly build our confidence.

And in his book Atomic Habits, James Clear discusses the ‘identity shift’: the way we see ourselves actually influences the actions we take. So it’s really important to notice how we talk about ourselves and the self-talk that runs in our heads.

For example, if I keep saying, ‘I’m just not a runner,’ I’ll never go running. I’ll never go on those small runs that help me improve over time, because I’ve already told my brain, ‘That’s not something I do.’

But if I start saying, ‘Actually, I’m a fit person,’ then I’ll begin taking those small actions that build my confidence bit by bit. In a way, it’s a ‘fake it till you make it’ approach, but I guess that’s just how our brains work.

So I started telling myself I’m a fit person, and I began working out more seriously. And I’ve been consistent every single week ever since. I work out three times a week.

I’ve told myself I’m a content creator. So every week I post a video on YouTube and share content on Instagram. It’s because that’s who I am. That’s what I do.

Another thing I tell myself is: I’m a mom I’m proud of. And I find that helps me be less shouty, more calm, and respond differently in situations that I’d otherwise find triggering.

This can apply to so many areas of life. And if you struggle with confidence or with taking action toward the changes you know you want—but you’re not quite sure how to get there—this can be a really good place to start.

2. Chase the good dopamine bubbles

This is something I learned from T.J. Power. Basically, our brain craves being rewarded for hard work. And when we do something like scroll on TikTok, we get just a quick dopamine hit and then a crash. It’s a spike in dopamine because it feels good in the moment. But the second we turn off the phone, that dopamine instantly drops, and we just feel awful. We don’t want to get up, and we feel kind of blah all day. Only because the dopamine we got wasn’t the kind that lasts.

In contrast, doing something that requires effort is rewarding for our brains. It helps create little dopamine ‘bubbles’ that, over time, boost our overall happiness and motivation in life.

For example, one thing I’m doing that’s boosting my dopamine in a really good way is taking a Skillshare class. Thanks to Skillshare for sponsoring this part of the article!

I took Ali Abdaal’s Productivity Masterclass, and it really opened my eyes to how motivation works—or, honestly, how it doesn’t work—when we’re trying to be productive. He points out that we can’t just rely on motivation; we have to get started before motivation even kicks in.

This is actually how I’ve been able to grow my YouTube channel. Over the past few years, I’ve spent a lot of time improving my content, staying consistent every week, and learning these little productivity tricks that actually make a difference.

Since taking the class, I’ve even improved how I use Notion—the app I use to plan my content and pretty much everything else in my life. I go on there, create my board, and make my to-do lists. This has helped me be more productive and get more done without feeling like I’m going to crash.

So, if you’re a creative, a content creator, an entrepreneur, or even just someone who wants to learn or improve a skill, you’d love Skillshare. It’s the largest online learning community, with classes on everything from art and photography to graphic design, habits, and so much more.

And the first 500 people to use this link will get a one-month free trial. I’m telling you, it’s so worth it!

3. The social contract

This is also something I learned in Ali’s class, and it’s really given me some actionable steps I can take to really improve my life and my work. 

For example, I used to be so inconsistent on YouTube. Even though it was something I really wanted to do, for some reason, it was hard to stick with it. But when I committed to posting a video every Saturday, I basically created a social contract with my channel subscribers.

That means I feel accountable to post every Saturday—I know people are expecting it. And if I don’t, I get messages from people saying they missed it, which is really lovely. It actually makes me want to post consistently because I want to be the kind of person who shows up and does what she says she’s going to do.

So, if you’re struggling with productivity or sticking to something, having someone hold you accountable—creating that kind of social contract—can be a really helpful tool. It might just help you follow through and actually do the things you say you’re going to do.

4. Use pockets of time

This is a habit I started after becoming a parent. Before that, I had a lot of time to do whatever I wanted. But once I had kids, my time for actually doing things for myself became really limited.

I noticed that whenever I had a few minutes of downtime—waiting for something, sitting in the car, or whatever—my go-to activity was just picking up my phone and scrolling. It was a mindless activity. I didn’t really have to think about it, and that’s why my screen time was so high back then.

But I also realised that if I wanted to grow my business, my YouTube channel, or do the things that matter to me, I needed to use those little pockets of time better. Instead of scrolling aimlessly, maybe I could open my notes app and draft a script or outline for my next video. Or I could do something on Instagram, like edit a video.

These small moments happen in places like the doctor’s office, in the car before the school run, or other little buffers of time when I’m not really doing anything. I used to always turn to scrolling. Now I try to bring a book with me or have something productive to do on my phone instead of mindlessly scrolling on Instagram or TikTok.

Recently, I’ve even been thinking about getting a Kindle. Sometimes I spend almost an hour in my toddler’s room at bedtime waiting for her to fall asleep. I don’t want to doomscroll, but it’s dark, so I can’t really read a regular book. A Kindle might solve that. I’ve never used one before, so let me know your thoughts if you have one already.

Those little pockets of time can be super helpful for getting things done during moments of downtime. It just takes a bit of planning ahead.

5. Less consuming, more creating

This one was hard for me. I think a lot of us spend so much time online these days. I noticed a direct correlation between the time I spend scrolling on my phone—usually on Instagram—and feeling the urge to shop.

It’s not always intentional, and it’s not always things I really need or even want. But just scrolling, seeing all those things, creates this desire in the brain to buy stuff.

That’s also why, in the past, I used to be a bit of a shopaholic. I’d buy a lot of things, often not intentionally—getting the same item in three different colours, for example, even if it wasn’t that special. I would end up not wearing all of them, so the purchase hadn’t been great for my budget.

So, I’ve been trying to put more of my energy into creating rather than just mindlessly consuming content. Maybe working on a hobby, or creating content for my Instagram or YouTube channel—just shifting the focus from buying, scrolling, and consuming to something a bit more productive for me.

Honestly, it just makes my life better, rather than zapping my budget and making me feel guilty afterwards.

I started doing things like keeping a wish list and being intentional about what I actually want. It’s not that I don’t shop anymore, but the things I do buy are items I really want in my life. I tend to sit on them for a while, think it through, and make sure it’s a considered purchase, rather than impulsively shopping, shoving things in my wardrobe, and then never wearing them again.

6. The 15-minute rule

I think I first heard about it on a podcast with T.J. Power and it’s something that honestly blew my mind. Power also wrote the book The Dose Effect, in which he talks a lot about the different chemicals in our brain—dopamine, oxytocin, endorphins, all of that.

When we start an action—especially something we don’t enjoy that takes a lot of effort, like working out, cleaning the house, or even decluttering—it can take our brain 10 to 15 minutes to start releasing dopamine ‘bubbles’. These are the little motivation bursts that keep us going. And that’s when our brain begins to get into a flow state.

Starting to clean can be really hard sometimes; we often put it off for ages. But once we begin and get into it, it becomes much easier to carry on. We don’t have to think about it too much—maybe we’ve got some music playing in the background—and it’s just easier to keep going because our brain has started releasing those dopamine bubbles. We feel more motivated and able to continue the task.

So now I try to think, okay, I don’t need to wait for motivation to kick in. I just need to start the action and do the thing I know I need to do. The motivation will come once I’m going through the motions.

Even with working out, I notice that when I just start—doing the warm-up and a little bit here and there—I’m not really into it at first. But after a few minutes, I suddenly start enjoying it, and I want to keep going. Finishing the workout doesn’t feel like such a chore once I’ve actually started. I don’t always feel like working out, but once I start, it’s so much easier. 

So this 15-minute rule really makes sense to me.

7. Productive procrastination

Again, this is something I learned from Ali Abdaal. I’ve learned so much from him, and he also has his Feel-Good Productivity book that’s been super helpful.

Basically, I used to procrastinate on things I didn’t really feel like doing. But Ali talks about something called ‘productive procrastination’, where we’re procrastinating, but we still have a project we’re working on in mind. I think it’s especially useful when we’re doing something creative.

For example, when I’m filming my YouTube videos, sometimes I struggle with what I want to say or share. It actually helps if I go and read books on similar topics—like Atomic Habits or Feel-Good Productivity—or watch YouTube videos that are related, or even sometimes unrelated, but that inspire me in a different way. Maybe they spark ideas for my storytelling.

And maybe you’re ‘productive procrastinating’ right now by reading this, and hopefully you’re learning something too. The things we do to procrastinate can sometimes actually help us in life. I know I’ve watched countless YouTube videos on storytelling, filmmaking, and creating content—which can feel like procrastination—but they’ve really helped me in my work.

I’d love to hear from you: what habits help you be more productive? Your comments are always so helpful.

The post 7 Tiny One-Minute Habits to be More Productive appeared first on Madeline Hegedus.

My wardrobe used to have so many clothes that I never wore. We had so many toys that would end up on the floor, but were never played with.

Then one day it hit me: all this clutter is getting in the way of living a calmer life where I can be more present with my kids. 

So, I decluttered.

I started asking myself, ‘Is this something I really want to keep, or can I let it go?’ I’ve learned some easy decluttering habits that have helped me a lot. I hope some of them will be useful to you, too. 

Keep reading below or watch the video:

1. Real life versus social media

I used to buy a lot of things that I saw on social media and I think many of us do the same.

I would sometimes buy an outfit—a piece of clothing or perhaps some shoes. And when I was trying it on, or wearing it outside, I would realise that actually, it wasn’t very practical. Maybe it was too tight or made me sweat a lot. Maybe it wasn’t really weatherproof at all. Or maybe the fit looked great, but it just didn’t feel very comfortable.

Or sometimes I would buy kitchen gadgets that sounded like a great idea. Things like banana holders, grape cutters, avocado holders, and all of these random little items. I used to think they were such a good idea and that they were going to save me so much time. But actually, they weren’t very practical. It would take me so long to clean any of them so I wasn’t even using them. If it wasn’t convenient, if it took extra steps to use or clean, it simply wasn’t worth it for me.

So I started asking myself, when I want to buy something or I see something on social media: ‘Is this made for real life, or is it made for social media aesthetics?‘. Because so many items are promoted by influencers, and they look great online. They sound like such a good idea. But once purchased, they turn out not to be very practical in real life.

Nowadays, when I buy an item, I really try to make sure it’s something that’s actually useful. Or that I am going to use a lot, and not just some gimmicky thing, or something that looks cute but isn’t very functional.

2. The Rightmove check

If you’re not from the UK, Rightmove is a website where people rent, buy, or sell houses. It’s basically where you go to find your next home. 

When we go to see a new place—whether renting or buying—many of us have a vision for it when we first step inside that flat or house. Maybe we imagine how we’ll arrange the living room or set up the bedroom. It looks so spacious, and we make lots of plans for the space. Naturally, we have a really positive vision of what it will look like, and we’re excited to move in.

And I did the same when we moved to our previous house. Then, a few years down the line, I realised that yes, things looked great on the surface. But actually, there were a lot of places that were really cluttered, and I was unhappy with them. So I tried to go back to my initial vision when I saw that house on Rightmove. What did I imagine the space would look or feel like?

So if you’ve fallen out of love with your house, this might be a good place to start. 

Just look around and think about what you initially planned for that space. And if it doesn’t fit that vision, maybe you can start decluttering some items and creating more space. That might help you fall back in love with the home you have.

Improving how we feel in our home isn’t always about having more space or a bigger house. Sometimes it’s just about creating space in the home we already have. Clearing some surfaces and doing little declutters can help us appreciate the space a bit more.

3. The ABC rule

This is a decluttering method that I find really helpful. When I’m going through a space, I can think about the ABCs—categorising items based on how much they actually mean to me. 

A is a top item, an essential thing we really need to keep. B is a nice-to-have item. It’s not something we necessarily love looking at or feel especially excited about. But it is useful and functional—maybe a spare item or a duplicate that we don’t wear a lot, but like having around. C is something we definitely don’t need or want to wear, making it an easy declutter.

I find that if I’m overthinking a declutter and have lots of items I can’t decide on, it’s really helpful to remember these ABCs. If an item fits into the A or B category, it can stay, or go into a ‘decide later’ pile. But if it’s a C, I can easily declutter it and I’m unlikely to miss it.

4. Use a checklist

When I first started decluttering, I had this urge to get rid of so much. It was as if a switch flipped in my head. I was so ready to get rid of all the things that were bugging me—the ones just lying on the floor and all the things in our garage that were piling up and serving as stressful reminders of all those unmade decisions. I was really ready to declutter.

But the thing is, with little kids—I have a two-year-old and an eight-year-old, and they were even younger back then—I didn’t really have a whole weekend to declutter, or a full two weeks to tackle all of these items. 

So, I started doing smaller declutters, and keeping a checklist really helped me. It didn’t mean I had to tackle everything in one go. But having a checklist of little areas of my home and categories I could work through was really useful.

If you do want some help with this, by the way, I have a free checklist you can download. You can grab it below.

5. The 10/10 rule

This rule has helped me keep my home a bit tidier, especially on a daily basis when we’re out and about with the kids. 

If you’re also a parent, you probably know how big a task it can be to pack everything and make sure you’ve got all you need when you go out. Then, when you come home, there’s all this stuff thrown around that you need to unpack and tackle. Sometimes it can stay there for hours or even days. That’s when things start to pile up. And later on, it can be hard to find things when you leave the house again.

So for me, this 10–10 rule has been really helpful. It’s just giving myself 10 minutes before we leave and 10 minutes when we arrive to tackle those items.

For example, before we leave, I’ll pack the things we need. And anything we took out but aren’t taking with us, I try to put back in their place—not leave coats on the floor or scattered around the living room. Just a quick 10-minute spruce and pack before we go.

And then, when we come back, I try to unpack the bottom of the buggy, which tends to collect a lot of things like coats, school artwork, snacks, or half-eaten snacks. 

Giving myself those 10 minutes to unpack and put things back where they belong, or in the bin if needed, has been really helpful. It stops things from piling up. Plus it makes it easier to find what we need the next time we leave the house.

6. The four corner rule

This is something I’ve started doing recently. It’s been really useful in helping me focus a bit more and not get distracted by all the random little things around my home. 

So, if I’m decluttering or just tidying the house, and I start in, let’s say, the living room, I follow the four-corner rule. Starting at the door, I tackle the corner to the left—or I can choose the right, it doesn’t matter. Then I move on to the next, and the next, all the way until I’m back at the door.

It’s just following the four corners and tackling the space in a bit of an order. Otherwise, I can easily get distracted, picking up a mug here, then a blanket there, then some toys, and it all feels scattered and takes longer. But if I focus on one little area at a time, the process is much smoother.

7. Don’t reduce to the bare minimum

I think when we start decluttering, it can be hard to know what the balance is. And we can end up doubting, ‘Are we getting rid of too much? Are we not getting rid of enough when we should get rid of more?’

It’s really hard sometimes to know what’s actually important to us. And there’s no right or wrong answer. It really depends on how much space we have available and also on our capacity to manage all of the stuff in our home.

For me, I’ve found that I’m more minimalist in some areas and less minimalist in others. On my YouTube channel and on Instagram, I’ve been called both—too minimalist, too extreme, and also that I’m not a real minimalist, that I still have too much stuff. And that’s fine. We’re all somewhere in the middle. As long as we find the middle ground that works for us, that’s great.

For example, we probably have more toys in our home than a strict minimalist would. And I’m perfectly okay with that because the toys we do keep, I know my kids play with and enjoy. So I’m not going to get rid of them just for the sake of calling myself an extreme minimalist. It’s a manageable amount, and we’re very okay with that.

But I’m a minimalist when it comes to my clothes. I have far fewer clothes than I used to. I’m also a minimalist with things like makeup and nail polish—for example, I only own two nail polishes.

This isn’t a contest anyway. It’s not about reducing everything to the bare minimum. Some things bring convenience to our lives or are just fun to have, and that’s perfectly okay, too. It’s just about reducing the amount we have to a level that’s manageable for us.

And sometimes people will say, ‘I would love to declutter, but I’m scared to start because I don’t want to get rid of my hobby items or my books.‘ And you don’t have to. You don’t have to get rid of anything that serves you or anything you love. Those aren’t the areas you want to tackle. Keep those items—maybe organise them a bit better—and focus on other areas that you don’t care about as much. Maybe you love your hobbies, but you don’t love clothes, or maybe makeup isn’t your thing. 

I think it’s important to keep the things that mean a lot to us and simplify the areas we don’t really care about.

8. Essential few, trivial many

This is something I learned from the book Essentialism, that there are the essential few and the trivial many. We have a few items that are really important to us, and they are the essentials. And we have a trivial number of other items that are kind of random, that we don’t care about. Focusing on the essential few can help us achieve a better balance in our lives.

9. Slow the inflow

When it comes to shopping, I’ve realised that before I buy anything, I really need to check in with myself: why am I shopping? That’s a question I ask every time I make a purchase. And it’s helped so much to reduce those impulse buys that I end up regretting later.

I also ask myself: is this a need, a want, or an item that’s been on my wish list for a while and I’m ready to purchase? Maybe it’s something I’ve saved up for, or I have the space in my budget for it—then yes, I can buy it. It’s an experience that feels good and adds value to my life, rather than buying something on impulse and instantly feeling guilt and regret.

But if I’m shopping out of boredom, or using shopping to handle stress or other emotions, that’s usually not a good place for me to shop from. That’s when I make impulse purchases I later regret. 

Or if I see something on sale and feel like I’ll definitely miss out if I don’t buy it right now. What I’ve learned is that things always go on sale. So it’s very likely I’ll be able to find the item later if I really want it.

10. The percentage check

I never used to think about this, but lately I’ve started asking myself: ‘What percentage of my wardrobe am I actually wearing?‘ I used to have hundreds of clothes in my wardrobe, and I probably wore maybe 20% of them on a regular basis. After a massive declutter, I’m now wearing around 93% of my clothes regularly.

I’m still keeping track of items and learning what I like and don’t like to wear. If there are items I’m not wearing, it’s probably for a reason—making them good candidates for decluttering. 

I think a lot of us keep items in our wardrobes that we just don’t wear and don’t need. If we’re not wearing something, there’s a cause for that. Clearing those items can free up so much space and help us appreciate the clothes we do have even more. It also makes it easier to find them, simplifies laundry, and just streamlines the whole process.

I have a friend in my Simply Decluttered group. When she moved house, she packed all of her wardrobe into wardrobe boxes. She had a friend helping her, and her friend mentioned, ‘Don’t take this the wrong way, but how come you have so many items in these wardrobe boxes, yet you always wear the same thing every day?’

I was exactly the same. I had so many clothes, but I always wore just leggings and a sweatshirt every single day. Since decluttering, I’ve actually rediscovered my wardrobe—the items I love to wear and the different combinations.

It’s much more fun to get dressed from a decluttered wardrobe than from one that’s stuffed with items.

11. Am I micro-organising? 

This is something I’m trying to ask myself because, for one, I love decluttering. And I also love organising things. But sometimes, if I’m organising too much, like trying to sort a drawer into all these tiny categories, it just feels counterintuitive. It takes up a lot of time that I don’t really need to spend doing that. Plus it doesn’t really stay that way. For us as a family of four with two small children, the drawers just get jumbled again, and having sorted it feels like a waste of time.

So if I find that I have way too many little items in an area and feel the need to micro-organise, I first check if I actually want to keep all of those items. I give it a good declutter, getting rid of anything that’s not needed. And then maybe organise a bit if I really want to.

I find that when I have fewer items, it’s so much quicker to organise. And I don’t feel the need to organise as much. It just makes things easier.

Let me know, in the comments below, what decluttering habits you have. I’d love to hear from you.

The post 11 Decluttering Habits that Changed My Home appeared first on Madeline Hegedus.

I used to shop a lot, and because I posted content on social media, I also got sent a lot of stuff. I know it’s a privileged position to be in. But the truth is I didn’t wear a majority of those items. Not because I didn’t like them, but because it was simply too much.

So, I decluttered about 80% of my closet. I let go of all those clothes I never wore. And with each bag I took out, things felt a bit lighter. I started opening my wardrobe with a smile on my face. I was truly excited to pick an outfit combination for the day. 

In this article, I am sharing with you some simple style habits that got me my clutter-free wardrobe that I truly love. 

Keep reading below or watch the video:

1. Repeat shamelessly

Someone asked me on Instagram the other day if people notice that I repeat outfits a lot or if they comment on that. And I think they meant more in real life rather than online. 

I used to think this a lot too, that people notice or judge what I wear.

I used to struggle a lot with the fear of being judged—whether it was about posting online, what people thought of me, or what I was wearing. Over the years, I’ve realised that most people don’t pay nearly as much attention to our outfits as we think they do. They’re often focused on themselves and how they’re perceived more than on judging us or noticing if we’re wearing the same outfit we did three days ago.

I also realised that actually, there’s nothing wrong with repeating an outfit that I love wearing and I feel comfortable in. Because if I have an outfit that I really love, I am going to repeat it a lot. 

That’s also more sustainable in the long run because I don’t feel a constant need to buy new things. Since I already have pieces I like, I’m okay with people seeing me repeat outfits. I think we really need to shift this idea that we always need something new and that others are constantly judging us for it.

2. Simplify accessories

I like to keep things simple with just a few pieces I genuinely love wearing. And I repeat them often, because there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

And I try to be more mindful when I do shop, looking for jewellery that’s made to last and comes from brands that care about sustainability and ethics. I really appreciate pieces made from quality materials, like sterling silver or recycled gold, rather than the fast fashion jewellery that tarnishes or turns green after a few wears.

I also gravitate towards simple, fine jewellery. They go with so many of my outfits and feels true to my style—minimalist, timeless, and easy to wear day after day. A delicate necklace or small pair of studs can add just the right touch of sparkle without ever feeling too much.

3. Wear my wardrobe

My next style habit that I’ve been working really hard to incorporate is to actually wear my wardrobe, meaning making sure I actually wear the pieces that are in my wardrobe. 

About a year ago, I created my digital wardrobe on the Indyx app. It’s free to use and I’ve been tracking my outfits ever since. And it’s been really interesting for me to see exactly what I’m wearing and what I’m not. 

Keep in mind that we wear 20% of the items in our wardrobes for 80% of the time. This means there’s 80% of our wardrobe that we do not wear and it just stays in there, gathering dust. Those items aren’t serving anyone. And that was me a few years ago. 

So I decided to declutter, because I was done with having so many items that I loved the look of—or had bought on impulse—only to get home and realise I wasn’t that excited to wear them anymore. You know that dopamine rush we get from making a purchase? It fades quite quickly, and then we feel the urge to go find something else to buy.

By tracking my outfits on Indyx, I realised that over the past year I’ve worn 91% of my wardrobe. I think this is a really good step forward in actually wearing what I own. But I can tell there are still a few pieces I don’t wear regularly. So I’m going to keep an eye on those. I’ll see whether I want to try styling them differently or if it’s time to declutter them.

Funnily enough, when I’m putting outfits together in the morning, I actually find it easier with less. The pieces I do have are ones I love—they look good on me and work well together. It’s so much simpler to create outfits and mix things up when most of the pieces complement each other and make me feel good. Who would have thought?

4. One-in, one-out

You knew I was going to say this, didn’t you? This is something I’ve been trying my best to practise over the past year or two. Basically, whenever I buy a new item, I look through my wardrobe and declutter something. Because if I keep buying more without letting anything go, things are just going to pile up. It’s basic maths, really.

However, this is something I didn’t realise for the longest time. I kept buying or receiving new items, but I was not decluttering the old ones. I was holding on to everything. I’m not sure if it came from a bit of a scarcity mindset, feeling like I needed to accumulate more, but it’s actually so much more freeing to let go of what I don’t wear and keep only the pieces I truly love.

The “one-in, one-out” rule has been really helpful for me. It’s helped me stay in check with my wardrobe and stopped it from piling up again.

5. Keep a wishlist

My next style habit is keeping a wishlist—because honestly, I’m like a kid. I started making wishlists with my children for toys. Because you know how it goes: whenever you take them to a shop, they always find something they want. Which is fine, but obviously, I don’t want to buy a toy every single time we go out. So, we started taking photos of the things they liked and keeping them in a “wishlist” album on my phone. And it worked brilliantly.

Then I thought, ‘Why don’t I do the same for myself?’ I used to really struggle with impulse buying. I’d go to the shops and, just like a kid, always find something I liked, something on sale that I had to get because of FOMO. I’d convince myself that I needed it in my wardrobe. But, just like a child with a new toy, once I bought it, the novelty wore off quickly. And the item would end up sitting in my wardrobe unused.

Creating a wishlist has been life-changing. It sounds so simple and basic, but it really works. It gives me a little bit of that dopamine hit—I still get the satisfaction of “having” the item in some way. And it also helps me pause and slow down, which is so important when it comes to fashion.

I either take a picture of the item, like I do with my kids, or add it to a list in the notes app on my phone. Then I give myself time to think about it. It also allows me to check what I already have in my wardrobe and how I’d actually style it.

It’s been so helpful for reducing impulse purchases. If you also struggle with that, I’d highly recommend giving it a try.

6. Timeless over trendy

I’ve found that whenever I’m scrolling on social media—maybe not so much now, since I’ve curated my feed a bit more and unfollowed accounts that were really influencing me to buy things—I would always come across something I wanted. In the past, the moment I saw an item I liked, it became this arbitrary goal in my mind: I need to buy that one trendy jumper, and then I’ll finally feel happy with my wardrobe.

So, I’d buy it and get that quick dopamine hit. But soon after, it would fade and I’d start looking for the next thing. Often, it wasn’t even intentional; just being on Instagram or TikTok meant constantly seeing new items. Every season brings something new, and it becomes this never-ending cycle.

Eventually, I realised I needed to take a step back, because it wasn’t doing me any good—not for my budget, and definitely not for the clutter in my home. Now, I try to focus on more timeless pieces. There’s nothing wrong with a trendy item. But if I do buy one, I make sure it fits my wardrobe, goes with plenty of other things, and is something I can see myself wearing often.

7. Have a colour palette

Having a colour palette has been really helpful. In the past, I’d buy the same item in three different colours, thinking I needed variety and options. And I’d usually end up wearing just one of them—the ones I liked best. The others would just gather dust in my wardrobe.

Now, being more intentional with what I buy and keep, I’ve realised that most of the items in my wardrobe are in simple, plain colours—neutrals. I love a good neutral like black, white, denim, blue, some pink, grey, and beige. Those are the shades I tend to stick to.

So I find it really helpful to have a solid neutral base palette and then a few accent pieces on top of that. Of course, that’s personal preference! You can be as colourful as you like. Being minimal or having a clutter-free wardrobe doesn’t mean you have to banish all colour. It’s just about being intentional with the choices you make.

8.  Have good basics

This habit is something I used to completely ignore because I thought the basics just needed to be cheap. Plus, honestly, they didn’t seem very interesting to shop for. When we go into a shop, those aren’t usually the items that catch our eye; we’re drawn to the colourful, trendy pieces instead.

But when I started curating my wardrobe and making sure I had really good basics—and that doesn’t mean expensive, just well-fitting, good-quality pieces in colours I like, made from fabrics that are easy to care for and comfortable to wear—it was a game changer. No itchy, scratchy, too-tight, or easily wrinkled items.

Having those solid basics really helped me slow down my impulse to shop. I can create outfits I genuinely like and enjoy wearing, so I don’t feel the need to buy as much as I used to. 

I hope my 8 simple habits for a clutter-free closet are helpful or inspiring, and I’d love to hear how your wardrobe declutter is going, so leave a comment below.

The post 8 Simple Habits for a Clutter-Free Closet appeared first on Madeline Hegedus.