Minimalism is a popular lifestyle that seems to concern all areas of life. Whether shopping, eating, or home décor, minimalism plays a role in how some individuals choose to live. With all of the discussion surrounding what this is, many are left wondering what this lifestyle is all about, how they can start it, and what the benefits of the transition might be.
The things that we purchase and the way that we live will directly affect our quality of life. In a world where we are prone to high-stress situations and environments, you might be thinking to yourself, “Is it worth it to become a minimalist?” Minimalism is a lifestyle that focuses on helping you live with the bare minimum of what is needed. The goal is to live with as few things as possible in order to focus on what is most important in life. The idea of having to throw things away can be scary for some people. They might start to fear that they’ll lose a piece of themselves when they give up material objects, but minimalism is a lifestyle which can combat this mentality.
Minimalism started as a movement in response to the elitist art industry present in the early 1900s. The industry had become too academic-focused and artists who had not been given the privilege of the right education were struggling. Since then, it has become a style adopted through clothing and furniture, and eventually, a way of life. In modern times, minimalism is a way to strip ourselves of the toxic side of consumerism which leaves many stressed out with empty pockets. In this post, we’re going to be discussing the benefits of minimalism and how you can start to incorporate these aspects into your life.
#1: Your Stress Levels Will Reduce
Minimalism can help reduce your stress levels. We don’t realize it, but material objects can often be a frequent form of stress. In our society, we are often taught that good comes from material things. There is often an emphasis on having ‘nice things’ – the nicest car, the biggest house, the most stylish clothes, and so on. It can encourage us to spend money that could be better spent elsewhere, and we will start to create stress around not having certain material objects.
To get started with this lifestyle, identify the things in your life that stress you out. What’s the number one thing? For many individuals, it will be money. Are you stressed because you don’t have certain material objects? Do you want more clothes? More furniture? A nicer car? A bigger home? Do you envy people that seem to have more than you do? When you become aware of what a life with less stuff could be like, it can help you recognize just how attached you might be to material possessions.
#2: Minimalism Gives You More Time
When you aren’t so focused on what you could be purchasing, you’ll discover that you have far more time to get things done that matter to you. We spend a lot of time shopping, cleaning, being stressed out over material things, and fantasizing about the things we don’t have. If you really want to reorganize your life and free up your schedule, it’s important you make the right choices about what you do with your time. Rather than spending hours a week doing laundry, folding, and putting away clothes, you might discover it only takes an hour to wash a small load at the end of each week when you limit the size of your closet.
To get a feel of how minimalism can give you more time, keep track of everything that you do which concerns material objects. You might discover that since you are buying less, you can even cut down the hours that you work as you might require less of an income. This could give you more time to spend on the things that you actually want to be doing. Rather than focusing on having more things, you will start to focus on having more time.
#3: You Will Save Money
Minimalism emphasizes not purchasing anything that isn’t absolutely necessary. The basic things are only what is bought by those adopting this lifestyle. That includes food, clothing, shelter, and utilities. You could go even further as to grow your own food, live in a small home, and not use any electricity or running water. Of course, not all minimalists do this, but the basic idea is to live as simply as you can. In the end, this will save people thousands of dollars a year. To start adopting a minimalist lifestyle, you have to recognize how much money you are spending on things that you don’t actually need. First, quit purchasing things other than food and the bare necessities. Necessities would be things like soap, toilet paper, and certain items of clothing, like a winter coat and boots.
Not only will you save money, but you could end up making money in the end. In order to transition into this lifestyle, pick an area in your home that really needs cleaning out. Don’t think you have to tackle the entire house in a day. Give yourself a period of time to transition into things. Choose a closet, a storage room, or a garage to clean out. Make a pile of things you want to keep, things that need to be thrown away or recycled, and things that you could potentially sell. If you forgot you had an item, if you aren’t 100% positive that you need to keep it, or if you haven’t used it in the past three months, it’s important to consider letting it go.
#4: More Opportunities Will Arise
If you’re focusing on only doing what is necessary, you will have a better chance of participating in different opportunities. When you have to constantly work to keep up with your need to purchase certain items, you might discover that you don’t have time to do other things you would rather be enjoying. In this same instance, you might find that when a fulfilling opportunity does arise, you don’t have the money to follow through with it.
As you transition more and more into this lifestyle, create a savings account and make a payment on it every month like it is a bill. This will help to control your spending so that you can better discover what you actually need to purchase and what you don’t really need to spend your money on. Most banks will give you the option to have an auto-transfer on the same day every month. You can set aside $20 a month automatically and eventually have a few hundred dollars in there at the end of the year you could spend on whatever you want! It will allow you an emergency fund for smaller opportunities as well. Did a friend randomly text you to go out to a show that night? Is there a deal on flights you just can’t pass up? Do you know something worth investing in that you wouldn’t have money for otherwise? If you start to set money aside instead of spending it on what you don’t need, you will discover that you can take advantage of the opportunities that come your way.
#5: You Can Have Nicer Things
Minimalism is a focus on quality over quantity. There is an emphasis in our society on purchasing things that are cheap or on sale, and as many of these things as possible. Marketers and expert companies understand that we want the most possible for the least amount of money. Some of us spend 40 or more hours a week behind a desk or working hard for that paycheck to come at the end of the week. Rather than purchasing something expensive, we’d rather get a bunch of stuff so that it feels like we have more. What ends up happening is that we buy things that break, tear, and fall apart rather quickly.
In this next step to help you become a minimalist, decide what you might have a lot of which you could cut down to just one or two. Do you have 12 pairs of jeans, most with holes or tears in them? Could you cut this down to just one or two pairs? Do you have 12 pairs of shoes, but not one has a sole free from damage? Next time you have to buy something new, save up your money to buy one quality item that will last you a long time rather than trying to get as many things as you can. Next time you go to the store, identify all the tricks around that try to get you to buy more. You will notice signs that say, “Buy multiple and save,” rather than giving you an individual discount on an item.
#6: It Becomes Easier to Clean
If you have fewer things, you will have less to clean as well. Minimalists will keep their items as neat as possible, and it won’t be hard because they won’t have as many things. If you have a lot of things but nowhere to put it, then it’s a good sign that it’s time to cut down on the items that you have. If you’re always cleaning things up, finding useless junk, and burning through garbage bags and making trips to the dumpster, you probably have a lot more than you need.
Next time you clean the house, rather than finding random spots for things you don’t know where to put, choose to give them away instead. If it’s something you really need to keep, what can you get rid of in storage instead? For example, think of the last time you went to hang clothing up to find you don’t have a hanger to put it on or put a book on the shelf only to discover you’re out of space? Rather than increasing your collection, give yourself a limit on that particular set of items so that you are swapping items out rather than adding on. It is best to maintain your material items rather than grow your collection.
#7: You Will Stop Comparing Yourself
The comparisons you might be making to yourself and other people aren’t always fair. We often think about what others have that we don’t rather than focus on what we have that others don’t. In the constant desperation for more, we end up losing ourselves along the way. In order to ensure that you stop this toxic mentality, you can adopt a minimalist lifestyle. Minimalism isn’t all about getting rid of physical things.
There is an emphasis on making sure that your mentality gets cleared up as well. Next time you find yourself feeling envious while scrolling through social media or wishing that you had something others do, remind yourself of what you already have. Pick out something in your life that no one else can say they have. It will make it easier to be appreciative and practice gratitude when you incorporate methods of minimalism.
#8: Life Becomes More Peaceful
Rather than being concerned only with things that cause you stress, you will realize that each day becomes a little more peaceful than the day before. When we have clutter around us physically, it can cause the same kind of clutter mentally. Even though you might not actively think of something across the room, your brain still picks up on it when it sees it, taking up energy that could be used on something else.
In order to discover how this is going to help give you more peace, declutter your workspace. Separate the place that you work from your other spaces and clean it up as much as possible. Use neutral and cool colors to help give off a peaceful vibe. Pay attention to the next time you work and how much easier it is to focus. Rather than being stressed and overwhelmed by all that you have to do, it can be a lot easier to go with the flow and get work done as it comes in.
#9: You Can Move on From the Past
Some of the objects that we keep around for a long time can actually keep us stuck in the past! You might have old pictures, clippings, tickets, clothing, and much more that you don’t really use anymore. Maybe you just keep it around for novelty’s sake and the thought of having to let it go means that you might have to let go of a part of you as well. If you discover that you frequently hold onto things which need to be let go, then you could be holding onto your past. If you can’t let go of a material object, that’s a good sign it’s probably a challenge for you to let go of the emotions that you had in the past as well.
It’s good to be able to reflect on our past and remember the good times. Though it’s not always so healthy to ruminate over things and hang onto feelings we used to have. To incorporate this part of minimalism in your life, go through your memory box, or any other storage that you might have with certain past items in them. Get rid of as many things as possible and remember that letting them go doesn’t mean that you have to let that part of you go. You are simply recognizing that you are a different person now and it’s ok to move on! For things you don’t want to part with, take pictures instead. If it is a large object, maybe you could just keep a piece of it rather than the whole thing. Keep your memory box around the size of an average shoebox.
#10: Your Relationships Will Improve
It can be easy to fight, especially over material things. Maybe you and a significant other fight over the mess in your home. Perhaps you and a child fight over picking things up. The stress of all the stuff and all the money spent on material objects could also weigh heavily on your relationships. You might also not spend enough time with other people because you’re working too often to buy things that you don’t need. Minimalism can reduce stress that might help a relationship you’re currently suffering in.
In order to see this part of your life improve, identify the biggest issues that you’re having with your relationship. If any of it relates to money, then you can be certain that minimalism will help reduce this area of agony in your life. Have a discussion with a partner or someone else that you’re having issues with about minimalism. What do they think? Are they interested in reducing the amount of ‘stuff’ at all? Will you be able to work through a long-lived problem if you could just save some money? Rather than fight over things that don’t matter, you might discover that a new lifestyle could actually bring you closer in the end.
#11: You Will Discover What’s Most Important in Life
After realizing all of these benefits and adopting a life of minimalism, it’s easier to discover that your quality of life will start to improve. When you can go through all the steps that we discussed, you will be able to discover the true meaning of your life.
Finally, to help you become a minimalist, identify the things in your life that matter the most. Ask yourself these questions:
- What do you enjoy doing more than anything in the world?
- Who are the most important people in your life?
- What activities bring you more joy than anything else?
- If you had unlimited money and time, how would you choose to spend your day?
It can be hard to really know what we want in life because we become so obsessed with ideas from other people. We’re taught to emphasize money, wealth, fame, and fortune. We obsess over the smallest things and spend way too much on items simply for their brand name or label. Remember the important steps you’ll go through in this process:
- Identify the way that material possession has been causing you stress.
- Cut down on your expenses and come up with a plan for saving.
- Reflect on what is most important in your life so you can focus only on spending time and money on that.
- Reduce your stuff one section at a time. Don’t feel the need to overwhelm yourself with an immediate purge.
- Cut back in other areas of your life that might cause stress – food, entertainment, vacations, and so on until you fully embrace minimalism.
Related Questions
Do I have to get rid of my collections to be a minimalist?
The first thought some people have is that they need to get rid of all their books, movies, records, and other collections as soon as someone discusses minimalism. You can keep anything that brings you joy. Even if you have a large collection, as long as it provides fulfillment in your life, you can keep it. The important aspect is differentiating between things that actually bring you joy and what simply represents a filler for something you’re unaware of. If you like your book collection because you love reading and sharing books, by all means, keep these things around! If you have a bunch of books because you feel guilty about throwing them away but never actually read them, it might be time to let them go.
What is the 100 things challenge?
The 100 things challenge was created by Dave Bruno to live a more simpler, meaningful life by reducing his possessions to 100 things or less. Will you take the challenge? This challenge may motivate yourself and really question what things are of value.