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Minimalism is something that feels very trendy right now. Everyone seems to either hate it or love it, but few know what it actually is. Sure someone with a white empty house, a black capsule wardrobe, and a slim wallet might look like a minimalist, but in reality, minimalism is not about having fewer things.
It is a tool that can help you define your priorities, gain clarity on your purpose and understand how and where you want to spend your time and energy. You don’t need to follow a life of deprivation or get rid of all your stuff. That would be unreasonable and ultimately the least minimalist thing you can do, because if you throw everything out but then buy more things you are completely missing the point. Minimalism is about being intentional with the things you bring into your life.
With that being said, we like to consider ourselves minimalist, not because we own very few things but because we consciously think about the things we bring into our lives. That includes the people we surround ourselves with, the food we eat, where we travel to, and our purchases. Minimalism is a state of mind that percolates to every aspect of your life and makes it better. So let’s dive into it and see what minimalism looks like in reality and how it can help you too.
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WHAT MINIMALISM IS NOT
MINIMALISM IS NOT A DESTINATION
It is a constant evolution and it changes as your life changes. Your needs evolve with time and what you might need at a given moment is not the same thing you might need later.
You don’t need to get rid of everything you have at a point in time. Just ask yourself “do I need this?”, “do I use it?”, “does it serve a purpose for me right now?”. Try to answer as honestly as possible. On the other hand, this can also help you brainstorm if there is anything you might need or are missing at this moment.
Something we like to do on new years is turning our hangers so they all face the same direction. Then, when we do our decluttering or a closet cleanup we know exactly what we have and haven’t used, because the used hangers will be facing the other way. If you actually use everything there is no need to throw things out. We do this about 2 times a year, mostly when the season changes and we need different things for that moment.
MINIMALISM IS NOT DECLUTTERING
Yes, this might be the most visual part of the processes, but there is more to it. As mentioned before minimalism is a state of mind that helps you take control over your life, mental clarity, and your physical space.
While decluttering might seem like the best way to start, the first step towards minimalism is being satisfied with what you already have. Once your basic needs are met, the rest will feel like an extra and you are going to appreciate it as such.
Once you realize this, all the media and trends will feel excessive because now you have the ability to choose how you spend your time, energy, and money. Ask yourself “how am I going to spend my time?”, “What am I working so hard for?”, “What is the most important thing in my life?”. These are hard questions but they will help you see what matters to you so you can reduce the noise from all the other things and declutter.
It is important to recognize that decluttering also applies to other aspects of your life. You can declutter your social media by unfollowing or muting certain accounts that don’t serve you any purpose. You can declutter your computer and back up files that you don’t need right now and even declutter your phone from apps, messages, photos, or anything that is just adding noise to your life.
While reducing the noise in your life, you might become more productive since you are focusing on the right things. If you want to learn more about how to become productive don’t forget to read our tips.
MINIMALISM IS NOT A LIFE OF DEPRIVATION
Noone is the same and that applies to the types of minimalism you can practice. There are the ones who own 3 shirts and 2 pants while having a massive library. The ones who have a huge closet and no bed frame and the ones who seem to have everything without any excesses. Just remember that minimalism is about making intentional decisions with the things you bring in your life. Don’t cave in to impulse buying or following a trend unless you actually need whatever it is you are buying. Research your options, see if there is a better suited one, ask/read reviews and ask yourself if it serves a purpose in your life, why you want it, and if you will use it.
HOW MINIMALISM CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE
As previously said, minimalism is a state of mind that will change every aspect. When you start making conscious decisions about the things you bring into your life you will also apply this to everything else without realizing it.
MINIMALISM AND THE PEOPLE YOU ASSOCIATE WITH
Part of reducing the noise in your life and being aware of how you spend your time is knowing who you spend that time with. Being conscious about the people that surround you is important and can change how you see life. As a rule of thumb, we like to be surrounded by people that make us better humans, challenge and inspire us.
This can also be applied to your social media. Not telling you what to do, but don’t follow accounts that make you feel bad or that you find yourself comparing to them in a negative way.
MINIMALISM AND LOW WASTE
As part of your conscious choices try to pick things that not only benefit you but also the planet. At the end of the day, it is our home, and helping it can only benefit us too.
We like the motto: do more, have less. It seems appropriate to the way we live our lives. Use minimalism as a framework to reduce your environmental footprint. If you want to reduce your impact then get the tools that will help you do just that. Your intentional decisions will provide you with the knowledge on how to use them and they will serve a purpose (which is why you brought them into your life).
For example: if you have 20 reusable bags at home but always forget them and end up getting a supermarket bag, that seems counterproductive. Instead have only one but make it a habit to carry it with you. This will make you feel much better about your decisions and it will help the planet.
MINIMALISM AND YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THINGS/”STUFF”
Those things and your stuff do not define who you are as a person. Reevaluate your relationship with those objects, what you buy and why you buy them. If you are just buying things because they are cheap or you saw them at the store, then chances are you won’t appreciate it as much and will probably forget about it in a few days. On the contrary, if you buy things with purpose and ask yourself if you actually need them, then all your purchases are going to feel special and unique.
Free yourself of the consumerism loop and become a conscious consumer.
Being a minimalist is not about having less stuff, it deals with being conscious about the things you bring into your life in every aspect. You don’t need to own fewer things or deprive yourself of buying. It just means that you are aware of why and what you buy. Don’t think about it as a sacrifice, think of it as an opportunity for self-improvement since you will appreciate everything even more.
Thank you for taking some time of your day to read our blog, we truly appreciate it. We hope this brief summary helps you and shows you that minimalism is not about having less. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions and share this with someone who might like it.
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