How to Maintain A Minimalist Lifestyle Over The Long Term

Can you benefit from living a Minimalist Lifestyle over the long term? Of course, you can develop routines that help keep your life and home clutter-free as you enjoy the benefits of Minimalist Living Ideas for years to come.

As usual, apply the ideas you believe will add value to your life and discard the rest. I can almost guarantee these Minimalist Living Ideas save energy time and money over the long term.

Over time you feel like you can breathe and relax in your home in a way you have never believed possible.

Just imagine living intentionally devoting more energy, time, and money, and to the people and passion, you really care about.

Set Up A System

Periodically examine how you do things and consider ways to improve how items in your life influence your life and handle the events that make up your day today.

Be intentional in creating and constantly updating a simple system that embodies the rules you will live by. Follow the system you develop to help maintain a Minimalist Lifestyle over the long term.

Stay on point. If you drop the ball you will lose your hard-fought progress before you even realize it. Don’t focus on the big picture focus on practicing the small routines you created in real time.

There will be times people will offer you items on your journey or gifts just because. Neither you need nor want. Don’t use the Minimalist Lifestyle as an excuse to turn them down. Just be honest.

Just politely decline. If you believe you can accept and later dispose of them properly (sell, give away or donate) you are sadly mistaken. That will require energy and precious time. Why create more work? Avoid the problem before it’s created.

Change Your Habits

Your less-than-perfect habits are what prompted you to explore a Minimalist Lifestyle in the first place. Once you have made progress it’s time to change a few bad habits to benefit from a Minimalist Lifestyle Over The Long Term.

According to research commissioned by Ladder and conducted by OnePoll, the average adult in the USA spends $1,497 a month on nonessential items. Here are some tips to change your habits to avoid becoming part of that statistic.

• Avoid triggers: What has triggered you to purchase unnecessary stuff in the past? Was it to make yourself feel good? Was it boredom? Maybe it was peer pressure. Acknowledge your triggers and work to avoid them.
• Boycott shopping for a short period of time: Respect your possible addiction. Realize you can not change overnight. Try to not purchase anything for 30, 60, and then 90 days. Not on purchasing consumables (Food, drink, gas, and the like). Try only living with your thoughts and stuff you already own. You may magically find you already have enough.
• Understand you are the shopper and the prey: Understand the moment you rise in the morning you will be bombarded with advertisements and campaigns. Knowingly smile and laugh at every one of them. Ask yourself if you really need that stuff. Where would you put it? How long will it be before it ends up in a closet and forgotten about?
• Reject unnecessary gifts: Tell all your friends you would rather get an actual well-wishing phone call than another gift you will have to find a place to store. Maybe even an actual greeting card or better yet a dinner invitation. I love to eat. LOL. Creating a memorable experience is always better than useless stuff.
• Request quality: There will be friends and family who will not honor your request not to receive gifts. In these cases request quality gifts, especially those for your children. Agree on a dollar amount. It could be $25, $50, $100 or more. This may help them to heed your request to receive no gifts or at least result in a better quality gift that may not end up living in your closet.
• Consumables are a great choice: Ask for consumables. Flowers, movie passes, gift certificates, and the like will never clutter your home and are more likely to help create memorable experiences.
• Tell people what you need: Everyone has things they actually need. Even Minimalist. LOL. Let people know ahead of time some of the things you actually want and need. Don’t be shy. Create a list. Show it to them.
• Edit the gifts you receive: Don’t have any shame in your game. Get rid of anything you do not like or that fits in your game plan. Guilt-free and keep it moving. Give away, donate, throw it away or sell it.

You are more likely to be able to control the items you bring into your home for many beginning Minimalists, but it can be difficult to control what others give you or bring into your home to benefit from a Minimalist Lifestyle Over The Long Term

I am sure the suggestions above will help you control the items that enter your home. It just requires you to change your habits just a little.

Yearly Maintenance

There are yearly events that present a perfect time to apply Minimalist Lifestyle Ideas that will enhance your life. Prepare to take advantage of these times.

Holidays

You can enjoy celebrations but be mindful of what you purchase. Holidays are about enjoying time and creating memories with good friends and family. You don’t have to purchase a bunch of unnecessary stuff to accomplish that.

If there are decorations promptly take them down and store the items you choose to keep and discard everything else.

If your children will be receiving toys and other presents try to plan ahead of time what you will be doing with them. Don’t be caught off guard. Don’t be opposed to regifting some of them if they are not needed or quickly add to clutter in your home.

Taxes

Digitize as many of the documents as you can. Store the hard copies you actually need. Be mindful of not overstoring just-in-case paperwork because just-in-case almost never happens.

Oh, yeah! Shred or recycle the rest.

Spring

Many people use this change in seasons to do an epic deep cleaning of their homes. This is naturally a great time to again time to apply minimalist lifestyle ideas.

You know the routine. Edit and purge unneeded items.

School

The beginning of school can be a stressful time for many families. Apply Minimalist Lifestyle Ideas to make this less stressful.

Edit your child’s clothing, backpacks, school supplies, and the like. Decide what can be reused, discarded, and replaced. Include your child in the decision-making process. Explain to them why if you need to overrule them.

Christmas and Birthdays

For many people, these are very special yearly events. You would not believe how they could put a wrinkle in your Minimalist Living journey.

The people that enjoy the Holidays most are prone to overdoing it and giving loads of gifts and presents. Just remember these gifts and presents will belong to you, your family, and your children.

They still fall under your Minimalist Living plans. You may have to figure out what you may have to get rid of immediately to make them fit comfortably in your life. Don’t feel guilty about regifting, donating, or selling items that do not add value to your life or clutter up your life.

Don’t Let Up

Don’t take your foot off the gas. The goal is to benefit from living the Minimalist Lifestyle over the long term. Make sticking to the rules a way of life.

I know it can be easy to put things off until tomorrow but don’t. I’m serious. If you do it can be the beginning of the end of all of your hard work.

Throw it out, donate it, sell it, keep it or put it in a designated area.

Conclusion

You have decided to explore the benefits of exploring the Minimalist Lifestyle over the long term. I believe the suggestions above will provide value.

Give it a try and let me know what you think. Take your time. Be intentional. Remember it’s how to maintain living the Minimalist Lifestyle over the long term.

Good luck!