How To Start Minimalism
How to start Minimalism. If you are looking to enjoy the benefits of living a Minimalist Lifestyle I can help you.
I hope your life is going ok and you are doing well but there are some things you don’t know we need to know. How to start minimalism may be one of them.
What Is Minimalism?
Minimalism is the practice of living with intentionality as it relates to what we own and allow into our lives. The fact there are only 168 hours in a week speaks to how important these decisions can be to the level of overall happiness in our lives.
If you have questions about how to start Minimalism and enjoy the many benefits of living a Minimalist Lifestyle I have the answers.
I love this concept because it empowers you to change anything you don’t like about your life. It seems simple on the surface but deep down inside how many people hesitate to instantly change things in their lives they don’t like?
If you don’t like your job? Change it! Don’t like where you live? Change it! Don’t like all of the junk in your closets, garage, basement, attic, and storage unit? Do something about it.
This almost never happens for people but it is almost a prerequisite of Minimalism
Minimalism empowers you to make changes in portions of your life that do not serve you well. There is a limited amount of time in a day so stack the deck with the best possibilities.
You can actually strive to live the life you constantly dream about and don’t feel the need to project something different (faking it) on Social Media.
It can actually be a reality.
Pros
Living with less
Living with less makes life simple and less stressful. Walking through your home and experiencing cleared counters, tabletops, near-empty closets, garages, and basements with no junk on the floors can be magical.
Close your eyes and just imagine the feeling.
Nothing to do. Nothing to clean, organize or manage. You already have everything you need at your fingertips.
More Space
The concept of only owning items you truly love, that add value to your life creates a lot of free space. The need for less space can create a positive domino effect.
It could lead to moving to a smaller less expensive home and much lower living expenses.
As a result, you could take a lower-paying job and do something you really like or just grow your bank account.
The choices will be many.
There are obviously benefits to having more physical space. The benefits of having more mental space and freedom are tenfold.
Less Stress
Everyone knows existing in a dirty cluttered home or workspace can automatically induce stress. This usually is accompanied by a level of guilt. We subconsciously start building a to-do list in our minds to remedy the problem. You may not realize it but you feel it.
Living with less stuff and more clear space can promote peaceful and tranquil thoughts, combined with less stress leads to better overall health.
Freedom
Living with less stuff, more space, and less stress usually leads to more freedom. Freedom is not doing whatever you want whenever you want. That would be boring. Think about it.
The freedom I am referring to is the freedom that comes with knowing what’s truly important, what you value, and consciously filling your life with it.
For most people that list is short and does not consist of a lot of useless stuff and the things, you have to do to get it.
Like working overtime doing something you hate. Or spend years studying a subject that does not stimulate your heart.
I guess freedom can be doing what you want whenever you want and far from boring.
More Intentional
People who live a Minimalist Lifestyle live more intentionally. They no longer dream of purchasing things or doing what pop culture considers popular.
Instead, they have already pre-designed their lives for more happiness and success. They subject those urges to a predetermined test. Almost everything that enters their life has to serve a purpose or add value.
Those rules are constantly changing to better reach successful results.
No Need To Impress
Discarding the need to flaunt your possessions and lifestyle to others releases a heavy burden on most people. For example, Social Media.
Social Media is notorious for promoting someone’s life Highlight films instead of showing the real-life drudgery of their full documentary. This invites comparison.
President Theodore Roosevelt said, “comparison is the thief of joy“. Your social media will just look different.
As a result, living a Minimalist Lifestyle saves you a tremendous amount of time, money, and heartache in that regard. This extra level of power and financial freedom can be empowering.
Cons
Getting Started
Starting a Minimalist Lifestyle can become difficult. It can even seem overwhelming. It can be if you make it so.
The problem comes from overthinking it. There is no right or wrong way. Getting started is as simple as that but for some it’s difficult.
The best time to start was yesterday and the second-best time to start is now!
Relationship Deal Breaker
Living a Minimalist Lifestyle can be a deal-breaker for relationships. It’s probably will not be a problem when initially dating. It could even be a conversation piece.
If you are my kind of Minimalist problems could arise in the future. For example, I don’t have much in the way of a furniture. I like things simple and I like for things to have multiple uses.
I am by no means a neat freak (sadly far from it). In that regard, Minimalism brings order to the crazy chaos I call my life.
Cluttered Clothes drawers, cabinets, basements, and attics elevate my stress levels. I hate doing things just because it’s popular or to fight boredom.
This can be seen as odd behavior to many and intentionally living with the bare essentials can be a deal-breaker for a potential mate.
Discuss your life’s philosophy early.
Limited Social Life
living a Minimalist Lifestyle will limit your social life not because people will think you are weird and avoid you but because you will intentionally limit relationships to those you truly love and enjoy spending time with.
Annoying, toxic people slowly disappearing from your life is a byproduct of living a Minimalist Lifestyle. This will seem like a negative at first glance but you will slowly enjoy the value being added to your life over time.
You, Will Be Criticized
I will say it again, you will be criticized! It’s just as simple as that. In popular society anytime you move away from the herd you will be criticized. Whether it’s your family or friends, some people will probably disagree with your choice.
Most of us live in a world where bigger is better and more is best. I am always surprised at the crazy looks I get from cashiers when I turn down the buy one and get one for half price.
When I truly don’t need the second item I refused to be tricked into buying it. Even if I may need the second item in the future I do not want to spend the energy, time, and space managing hundreds of items as that pile up over the years.
Yeah. That extra stuff piles up and sometimes you forget you have it and make the second purchase at the later date anyway. You need a spreadsheet to keep up with the buy one get one at half-price items you have purchased.
I would rather spend a few extra cents in the future for that peace of mind but trust me some people will criticize you for that train of thought.
My time and peace of mind are invaluable.
How To Start Minimalism
There is no right or wrong way to practice Minimalist Living. It’s up to you to decide or create the form of Minimalist Living that will work best for you.
There is extreme Minimalist Living like living with only a certain number of items, there is the capsule wardrobe approach and last but not least the financial approach of frugal living.
Create A Basic Game Plan
There are no rules so you can create whatever you believe will work for you but you need to follow a few basic rules. Of course, you will be changing them as time goes on and you learn more but you need something to start.
Don’t create basic rules with the sole purpose of owning less stuff or decluttering your possessions. Keep the end game present in mind to better your life.
Create basic rules that focus on helping you save money or get out of debt. Also, create basic rules that help you reach some of your goals by eliminating distractions and clearing a bunch of crap out of your way.
Create your living space
This sounds simple but it is very important. To begin creating your living space should start off in one room. It will usually be the bedroom or `living room.
Pretend you just moved in and this space will be your new home. Treat it like a clean slate. Take a little time and do a superficial declutter.
Nothing heavy just begin getting rid of things you believe you no longer need. Low-hanging fruit. Things that require little to no effort or thought. Allow it to be second nature without too much intention.
Give it some time.
The Important
Being honest with yourself here will save you a lot of grief. Decide what is truly important to you. What you would like more of in your life?
I believe quality time with friends and family, financial freedom, more free time, better productivity, and eliminating distractions and unpleasant elements of life are some of the most common goals many would like to achieve.
Start Decluttering
Decluttering can be difficult if you overthink it. Don’t begin this process in judgment. There is no right or wrong in the thousands of items you own or the way you acquired them.
No, you were not stupid for buying some of those things. No, you did not waste money buying others. More importantly, you are not obligated to keep those items or the items you received as gifts. Just decide if they are useful and or provide value in your life.
I found the best way to begin decluttering your living and working spaces is in sweeps. No heavy thought just instinct to begin. As you go about your day just begin getting rid of stuff you no longer use, need or provide value in your life.
Temporarily place those things in a box or an area just in case you may need them at a later date. Do this for a few weeks. After a few weeks, you will find you have removed all that can be removed.
If within those weeks you find you had a change of heart and need an item you have removed just go get it and put it back into play. No mess, no stress. You will be surprised how much stuff cluttered the living spaces you could do without.
Again, please don’t get caught up in the process of decluttering because Minimalism is not all about decluttering. The number of items, bags, or boxes of stuff you get rid of is not the point.
Reclaiming Your Time
Learn to become hyper-intentional who you spend your time with. If you are invited to go somewhere or you believe you would like to do something and your brain does not say “Hell Yes”, then it’s no.
If you are not tickled pink about doing something and you have a choice say “NO”. The keyword is “Choice”.
This works great for me because once you say yes to something in the heat of the moment you feel obligated to attend. Many times you feel different days or even hours later.
When you say “NO” it leaves the door open to change your mind later. Saying no is better because if your brain did not say “Hell Yes”, nothing will be lost.
Learn to get comfortable saying “No”. Channel your inner two-year-old child. Get comfortable with saying “NO” all day long. You will be surprised how freeing up time from work and your social calendar by saying no will enhance your life.
I am sure you are aware doing the things you really would like to do leads to more happiness but no one expects to do it. Actually taking control of things is NICE!
Financial Freedom
The number one enemy of happiness and freedom is bad debt. Ironically the number one reason we feel obligated to do things we may hate 8 hours a day is debt or the fear of debt.
This is the reason many of us stay in jobs we hate or study things we may not be enthusiastic about in school. A huge byproduct of living a Minimalist Lifestyle is financial freedom.
When you live with less you are happier and your bank account steadily grows. Minimalism creates a lower financial burden and more freedom.
If your boss offers you overtime you can turn it down and actually enjoy your time off. If you do not like your job you can quit and get another one with little to no financial burden.
If your inner soul feels like an artist you can more easily study art instead of studying to become a Doctor, Lawyer, or Engineer.
Conclusion
As you can see learning how to start minimalism is fairly simple. The key is to just start and proceed with no preconceived ideas. Don’t focus on the number of things you own.
Also don’t focus on how you acquired the things you own. Don’t feel guilty about how much you own. Just begin.
Learning how to start minimalism should begin with the sole purpose of streamlining your life to include more of the parts you enjoy most. Once you are honest with yourself, learn to say no, and remove the obstacles in your way how to start minimalism will not be a problem. MASTER EVERY AREA OF YOUR LIFE
