Minimalism is gaining much attention day by day as more people contemplate living an uncomplicated, clutter-free, and most importantly financially stable life.
While it’s easier to be influenced by people living in luxury, looking up to celebrities with separate closet rooms just for their shoes, and succumbing to your desire for more, living a minimalist lifestyle is an intentional decision you make.
It is a commitment to live with less, removing everything extra that is only consuming space and focusing on things that matter instead.
Minimalism also paves a route for a sustainable future, especially with our current environmental issues.
It is easy to think of the minimalist lifestyle as a fad or something that is rather unsustainable. People generally join in the bandwagon but give up too soon, thinking they would not keep up with the lifelong commitment.
But is it so hard?
Here I’ll share nine sustainable hacks with you to gradually make a part of your life to get started with a minimalistic lifestyle.
Let’s start with,
What is Minimalist?
Minimalism is a way of living peacefully with less; a minimalist is a person who intentionally decides to stop their selfishness.
A minimalist looks to adopt ways to keep things simple—this gives them a chance to focus on the essential items at the core.
They don’t let themselves be distracted by fancy things around them, and their intentions are clear. They set goals, and their determination is to fly high to live simply but with more valuable experiences.
But is it as easy as it sounds?
Let’s not set false assumptions and say yes.
In truth, it might be a little challenging at the start. But once you start practicing it and getting the result in the form of physical, emotional, and financial ease, the motivation just raises its bar.
Let’s take you through some fantastic hacks not just to live but thoroughly relish a minimalist lifestyle.
How Do I Adopt a Minimalist Lifestyle?
When you plan to embark on the journey of a minimalist lifestyle, naturally, the first question to pop up in your mind is, “How do I adopt a minimalist lifestyle?”
Here are several ways that can make this ride smooth for you.
Let’s see how many of these you can embrace quickly.
1. Write Down Your Lifestyle Goals
Adopting a minimalist lifestyle is not a work of a day. It will take time and several small steps to get there. So it’s better to start with a clear goal in your mind.
Once you write down your lifestyle goals, you can then break down your plan into several big, medium, and small milestones based on the time and effort they would require.
Here’s an example of how to break this down.
Let’s assume your goal is to achieve minimalism and live a simple and peaceful life.
To accomplish this goal, you would need to take many actions, some of which may be easier and quicker, while others are demanding and time-consuming. Let’s call them big and small milestones, simultaneously. You can also add a medium milestone if you find it more suitable.
So, one of your significant milestones to achieve your goal of minimalism can be decluttering all rooms, cupboards, and storage spaces of your house. Decluttering could take a little effort and time, and you can plan for it and allot a specific period to do this, like in a few months.
Similarly, one of your short milestones can be planning and writing down your purchases before going shopping, cutting out everything you find unnecessary.
When you have a goal and all the milestones to reach it on a piece of paper, you see a clear path in front of you. You know what to do, how to manage your time effectively, and what hurdles might come in the way.
It’s like making yourself mentally ready for the big jump.
2. Evaluate Your Space
Once you have your goal set and milestones defined, you can start the actual work by evaluating the space around your house and determining what things are of real value to you.
In other words, have a keen observation at looking at all your possessions through a simplified lens.
Survey your house, your rooms, your belongings, your previous lifestyle, and all your habits that led to you stocking things up.
Do you have an overflowing closet?
Is it getting challenging for you to store things in an already packed space?
Does it take more than five minutes to find the thing you look for in your kitchen?
Is your laundry basket always full?
Do you always have leftover food in your refrigerator?
If even one of these is right for you, you need to re-evaluate your space and come to a conclusion about all the unnecessary things you own.
When you start observing your space and things, you will realize that most of the things you own have no real purpose in your life. They are not serving you in any way but instead are consuming your space.
3. Declutter Unnecessary Items
After evaluating your space, it’s time to declutter unnecessary items that are of no specific use to you and only collect dust.
But how do you know what is necessary and what is not?
Look at one thing you are confused with and ask yourself, if you’ve used this in the last 90 days. Will you use this thing in the coming 90 days? If the answer is “No” for both, you are good to let it go.
Most often, decluttering is an overwhelming process. Some things have no particular use to you but hold immense value and memories, and it becomes emotional to get rid of them.
Once you get started with the process, you start falling in love with the organization it brings into your life, and the whole affair becomes pleasing.
Start with a comfortable area.
Maybe just one drawer a day or a kitchen counter and slowly make your way up toward oversized closets and storerooms.
4. Commit to a Clutter-Free Zone
Like most people, you may have a place in your house where all the clutter ends up.
While this is not intentional, we all have a chair or a countertop or someplace in our entrance where we just put everything that needs sorting.
Your clutter thrives here.
Identify the places at your place that attracts clutter and figure out how to make it a clutter-free zone.
Pick up each thing and put it in the place it belongs. If it does not have a home, evaluate if you need this thing or if you should let it go.
Once you have made your clutter-free zones, it’s time to commit to it. Put extra effort and keep the things where they belong instead of assuming a carefree attitude of, “I am just putting it here for now.”
With this attitude, all your clutter will return without you even realizing it, making you go through this exertion all over again. And trust us, you will regret it later.
5. Be Mindful with All Your Purchases
A minimalist lifestyle can be effortlessly easy or painfully tricky, depending upon how mindful you are with your purchases.
Often we succumb to highly captivating tags like “50% discount”, “Clearance sale, etc., and end up buying more things than we need and, sometimes, something we did not need at all.
Be a judge of your choices.
Before rushing into a sale, pause and ask yourself, “how will this thing help me?” “Am I buying it only out of impulse? Do I already have it back home?”
These are not some fun questions to ask yourself when you are out shopping, but they will prevent you from adding more chaos to your life.
6. Seek High-Quality Items to Require Less
When you have made up your mind to buy something, do your research about the best quality products that will last longer.
While you may be spending more for a while, a high-quality product will save from the repairing and replacing costs in the long run.
This goes for anything, from your personal use items, to furniture, electronics, cutlery, and even clothes.
Investing in high-quality items means having them for a longer time, which means having less clutter to deal with eventually.
For example, buying organic cotton t-shirts may be more expensive but they’ll last you longer. Plus, they’re a better alternative for our planet.
We often think twice before buying a high-quality product because of the price we have to pay. But with minimalism, so many other expenditures are off your back that you can make room in your wallet for expensive but high-quality items.
7. Set Reminders to Declutter Space Often
To ensure that you declutter often and regularly, set reminders for yourself, preferably one for each month.
Setting reminders show your commitment to leading a minimalist lifestyle and ensuring that whatever clutter has managed its way into your house can be trashed, given away, or stored.
You can also declutter your closet at the start of every season. It will ensure that you are not storing anything you did not use and keeping anything you probably would not wear in this new season.
Decluttering is a process that everyone should do at their own pace. Whether it’s a week for you, a month, or even six months, the key is to be consistent at your own pace.
8. Learn To Be Grateful
Minimalist living is seeking happiness and peace in the simple pleasures of life, and one way to do this is to adopt a habit of being grateful.
When you are grateful for all the little things you own and see how they have added comfort, simplicity, and value to your life, your desire to gather more worldly possessions slowly dies.
Being grateful is a splendid way to end a day. While laying in bed, think of how your day was and be thankful for all the things that brought you comfort and joy that day. Our advice would be to keep a gratitude journal, which helps you to appreciate little things and little moments in life a lot more.
9. Detach Yourself From Your Belongings
The key to living and enjoying the minimalist lifestyle is to detach yourself from worldly belongings.
It is imperative to realize that true happiness lies in sincere relationships and thrilling experiences.
Fill your life with memorable experiences, relations, and moments that you no longer feel a need to rely on worldly belongings for joy and bliss.
We all have a favorite mug we like to have our coffee in or those pairs of jeans that fit us just right. Holding on to these items isn’t a problem. However, let go of all other things that hold no emotional and practical value for you.
A life lived in simplicity is a life lived peacefully.
Does Living a Minimalist Lifestyle Makes a Happy Life?
When you opt for a minimalist and straightforward life, happiness naturally finds its way through your doors. This is because you have chosen to focus more on experiences instead of temporary possessions.
With fewer financial burdens and debts lingering on your backs, you enjoy the freedom of a financially stable life and can easily plan your next adventures.
With less clutter to consume your time and clear goals set in mind, you move ahead confidently, enjoying the journey of becoming more efficient and organized in life.
Most significantly, you can invest your time and energy in the relationships that matter to you. They become the ultimate source of joy and peace in life, with all its ups and downs.
Having your priorities defined, you find pleasure in watching what you have dreamt for yourself becoming true.
How Can You Benefit From A Minimalist Lifestyle?
Apart from the fact that the Minimalist lifestyle brings simplicity and peace to your life, you can enjoy many other benefits.
Many people believe that the Minimalist lifestyle is a radical change, and they can never be minimalists.
But the good news is, it’s not.
You can adapt minimalism and still not be radical about it. Don’t think of Minimalism as having bare white walls, sparse furniture with open cabinet tops, and a man in an expensive suit and a briefcase.
This is usually the picture we draw in our heads thinking of Minimalism.
However, this isn’t true.
You can be minimalist and still own a hundred things, especially when you have a family. But the difference is that all those hundred things you own are helpful and add value to your life.
Hence, the eminent advantage of switching to Minimalism is giving importance to things that matter and freeing your mind and space from the things that are not contributing to your comfort, peace, and convenience.
With all the clutter gone, you have ample time to focus on yourself, your hobbies, and activities that bring you harmony. All the time spent cleaning the extra dishes, doing laundry, and doing additional household chores can now be utilized for reading, listening to your favorite podcasts, and even traveling.
How amazing it is to have so much freedom to do whatever you like.
With Minimalism, you slowly come to a realization that true bliss lies in being content with your life, with all the little you own and all the rich experiences of daily life.
This is how you build healthy self-esteem for yourself, not allowing anyone and anything to disturb your inner concord.
Why is Minimalist Bad?
While we would not specifically say that minimalism is terrible, it is a bit more challenging for a few, and it is only fair to discuss minimalism in all aspects.
For people who earn only a small amount each month, the idea of making one-time high-quality and expensive purchases would not be entirely feasible. While it saves up in the longer run, it is hard to pay its cost at once.
Similarly, it’s a little problematic to rely on single items if a replacement is required instantly.
Another mantra with minimalism is to rely on experiences to elevate your quality of life. Instead of physical possessions, focus on traveling and doing outdoor activities.
But this is subjective and depends on how you define an “enriching experience” for yourself.
Should You Become a Minimalist?
Like with anything, there’s no one size fits all.
Ultimately, living with less has many benefits but it will depend on what you’re comfortable with.
The key is to start slow.
You can not get rid of all the clutter, be mindful of your purchases, switch to high-quality items, and learn to detach yourself from your belongings all at once.
It is a slow process. Keep it gradual and enjoy the tiny victories along to make this change more sustainable.
Figure out what ways work out best for you. Your minimalism lifestyle can look opposite to someone else’s and it’s quite okay.
You can begin by being partially minimalist instead of being a diehard minimalist and see how that works out for you.
Here are a few minimalist living examples that’ll help inspire you:
Meal delivery to avoid food waste (home chef)
If you have a large family and prepare big meals or your children waste a lot of food, you can make use of all the available ingredients to prepare meals for deliveries. Home chef is becoming a successful small venture, especially in times of COVID.
Donate clothes you don’t wear anymore
We all have clothes we don’t wear anymore either because they don’t fit or you have worn them too much and simply want to buy new ones now. Simply donate these clothing items to anyone who will use them better than you.
It will make a lot of new space for you and make you feel content.
Sell unused items that have been in your house for more than six months
If you have things lying around the house that has not been of any use to you for the past six months, you might as well use them for some cash. Sell them and add the money to your savings.
Keep all surfaces clear in your home
If you vow to keep all your surfaces clean at all times, you will eventually never have to deal with clutter.
We know this is an extremely meticulous job but think of all the work you would not have to do later.
Meditate daily to practice gratefulness
Include meditation in your lifestyle to practice gratefulness and bring control and steadiness to your life. This will shift your perspective from the happiness of temporary good to higher purposes in life.
Buy recyclable materials
Either buy recyclable materials or recycle the materials already present in your house and use them for other purposes. Either way, you are helping with clutter management.
Minimalist Lifestyle Blogs
If you need constant encouragement and new ideas to apply in your journey with Minimalism, we would highly recommend following some Minimalist lifestyle blogs.
Be More With Less is one fantastic blog by Courtney Carver. She has incredible ideas for you to declutter your house, closet, and most importantly, your mind.
She is known for her famous Project333, the minimalist fashion challenge that will alter your closet and life.
Black Minimalists is another influential platform, particularly for the Black people struggling to declutter their family, work, spiritual and emotional life.
It calls upon Black minimalists to share their stories and get inspired by others. It is like a safe place they have created for themselves to connect, empathize and grow together and you can be a part of this fantastic community if you are Black and trying your luck with Minimalism.
Lastly, Reading My Tea Leaves is one of the most inspiring blogs run by Erin Boyle, a practicing minimalist herself. Her ideal ways of life, hacks, and, minimalist lifestyle tips will prove fruitful in your attempt at Minimalism.
Going through these blogs on Minimalism keeps the motivation up at all times. It makes you realize that others, along with you, are struggling at some point or another. N Minimalism is perfect, but we can help each other on this road.
Adopt A Minimalist Lifestyle For A Sustainable Future
Minimalism is a deliberate choice you make to live with less. It allows you to focus more on the experiences and relations in life as a source of your happiness and joy, making everything else just background noise.
Decluttering your life, your house, and your closets set you on the road to financial freedom. When you decide to live with less, there is less for you to spend on and more to save.
You can eventually use these savings to explore new business ventures or pay your previous debts.
Minimalism, financial freedom, and a sustainable planet go hand in hand.
With these two aspects being the core of your life, you’ll be on your way to a prosperous, peaceful, and comfortable life journey.
Start slow! Define your goals and gradually work on them.
Evaluate your space and declutter all unnecessary items with timely reminders.
Commit to clutter-free zones and be very conscious of what you bring from stores into your house.
Above all, practice gratitude and have an open heart to various experiences that life has to offer.
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