The quintessence of minimalism is the practice of living with only bare necessities. This movement advocates nothing grand but only minimalistic idealism at its core. It elicits owning only less material possession and belongings, allowing people to ameliorate their time and life.
With minimalism, you will have more flexibility since you won’t need to commit yourself to many things. Think about it this way: If you only have a few clothes, you will significantly save time because you will only need to wash and dry a few pieces of clothes.
Today’s world offers innumerable material items, distracting and driving people away from things that really matter. Although there’s nothing wrong in thriving to own and commit yourself to myriad things, focusing and enjoying little things in life with less material possession won’t hurt. It could lead to a simple life that is truly worth living.
Studies have shown that minimalists tend to be happier since they have fewer commitments, less worry, less chaos, and less stress in their lives. Sometimes, it is the simple pleasures in life that ultimately matters. Minimalists believe that material possessions are way too meaningless compared to what they value.
Here are the 10 simple steps to living a minimalist lifestyle:
One-last-buy syndrome
Have you tried binge eating before starting your diet? You eat like there’s tomorrow since you will not be allowed to do such a thing once you start dieting. The sequence of events is kind of similar to one-last-buy syndrome— you are ready to dive into something, however, certain things must be acquired first before actually starting.
Don’t deny it. You had set a certain condition once in your life. Perhaps, you keep telling yourself that once you build the perfect house, or once you acquired all things you badly want, you will be ready to kick off your journey as a minimalist.
However, human desire doesn’t end and the list you need to check before actually starting could go on forever. In reality, you will never be able to start if you set your mind to get the “few more” things that you need.
Many people have this idea of improving or replacing a few things in their houses, or any possession, as a part of their shift to minimalist. Yet, getting a little extra is surely not the first step in living less. Avoid using perfectionism as a means of delaying living a minimalist lifestyle.
For instance, the condition you set before diving into minimalism is to have your house renovated. Instead of focusing on having everything perfect, focus your energy on what you have and begin with decluttering unnecessary items.
What you need to do is to familiarize yourself with requiring and owning less.
Have only a few clothes in your closet
Minimalism has its own way of telling the clothing industry to slow down and stop overproducing. Instead of hoarding clothes in your closet, make a one-time purchase of good quality clothes that you could enjoy long-term.
People interested in minimalism often take on the fashion challenge called Project 333, wherein the challengers need to pick 33 items (clothing, jewelry, accessories, and shoes) from their wardrobe. And for 3 months, challengers are only allowed to wear things from the selected 33.
While many individuals think that having fewer clothes is difficult, having limited fashion items to wear actually makes life easier.
Get rid of duplicate items
Walk into your house and look for items which you own two sets or more. Put the extra items on a box, label them “Duplicates” and stow it away for a month.
Flip or donate whatever is in the box that you didn’t use or can’t recall in the whole month and keep the ones you think you really need.
Sort objects according to their function
An organized and simplified home will be a big leap in your minimalism journey, so you need to sort things out in your house. Preferably, based on their geographical area.
If you want to clean your room first, make sure to put everything in order before proceeding to the next area, for instance, the living room.
You could also utilize the famous cleaning, organizing, and decluttering technique among minimalists right now— the KonMari Method. This technique suggests the disposal of items that no longer “spark joy” in you while keeping those that are meaningful and purposeful.
The KonMari approach also proposes sorting out things based on category or function, instead of the location. This approach will help you to eliminate unnecessary items.
Throw things you don’t use
The main purpose of minimalism is to adopt the “less is more” philosophy, so you need to get rid of the “once upon a time items” you haven’t used for a long time.
To identify the products, you should get rid of, you can apply the Six Month Use It or Lose It rule. All items you haven’t used in the last six months should be thrown away. Don’t look far in the future, only keep the things you can’t live without now, not the things you could use later.
Ask yourself difficult questions
Sometimes, we tend to be attached to our personal possessions. To concentrate on essentials, you should drive yourself away from such sentimental feelings.
When you are having a hard time deciding to let go, ask yourself these questions: Is it a source of affection or joy or me? What is its purpose? Is it irreplaceable? If yes, you can keep that item.
Maximize the space you have
Are you having a hard time keeping your possessions to the minimum? Downsizing the space your possessions occupy can be a pretty decent solution.
For instance, instead of keeping all of your photos in an old photo album, you can scan them, then save the images on your computer. Or to maximize the spaces in your cabinet, you could invest in wire shelving so you can hang cups or paper towel rolls behind it.
Ensure that the things you have serve more than one purpose
Since you are trying to live less, it makes sense to prefer having goods that serve multiple purposes. It is better to pick items that have various uses when it comes to kitchen tools and equipment.
For example, a four-in-one grater. Avoid buying single-purpose kitchen tools. It’s also good to pick apartment-friendly furniture options like a sofa bed.
Have cash reserves
When you have cash reserves for unexpected events, disasters and stress are reduced. Everything will be less difficult since you won’t need to trouble yourself, for instance, in case, you get sick.
Minimalists live less, so necessity expenses are cut down, making room for some extra pennies. Set aside money every day or every week and make it your goal to save $1000 for emergencies.
Take it easy when you are traveling
Minimalism can make your life easier, especially during travel. Avoid bringing too much baggage that will only stress you out during your trip. Next time you go out for a trip, keep in mind to pack for half the time you’ll spend at your destination.
If you will be away for six days, pack clothes god for three days. Pack for two days if you will be traveling for four days. Wearing the same outfit twice during your trip is not bad at all since you can savor how grand it feels to be lighter on your feet. Wash and wear your clothes if necessary.
