Minimalism is a tool for streamlining our lives enabling us to free up time so that we can spend it doing what we love with the people we love. It frees up physical space through decluttering our belongings and mental space by refocusing our attention on the things that matter the most to us. The aim of minimalism is to create a less stressful life with more happiness and joy. But how do you start? If you're interested in decluttering and minimalism, here are three tips to get started.
Get Inspired (But Not Carried Away)
It's wonderful to feel inspired and encouraged to create a more meaningful life with less. There are plenty of books, documentaries and blogs, designed to encourage you to downsize, streamline, and declutter your life. Each one will teach you new methods for decluttering your belongings, useful minimalist habits to adopt, and how to simplify your life in new ways. Be careful not to get carried away with all the advice.
When you've only just got into simple living and minimalism, you can find yourself becoming swept up with purging your belongings, almost excessively so. It's important to get inspired - but not carried away so that you can create your ideal home and lifestyle not someone else's.
Creating a purposeful, intentional, and sustainable lifestyle is as much about taking your time and making conscious decisions as it is getting rid of all that stuff you don't need anymore. There's no rush!
· Goodbye Things by Fumio Sasaki
· Simple Matters by Erin Boyle
· Minimalism: A Documentary About The Important Things
· some of my favourite blogs
· and all my blog posts on minimalism!
Start Small and Work Slowly
Make the easy changes to start with: declutter your junk drawer, donate a stack of books, get rid of old clothes and broken appliances. Take your time when decluttering your home, don't make any snap decisions you might come to regret later one. Refrain from buying anything new during the decluttering process and work slowly through your belongings to declutter the stuff you no longer want or need.
Accept that becoming a minimalist is a process that requires a transformation of your life but also your mindset, it takes time to learn new habits and adopt a new way of living. Decluttering can take weeks, months, or even years. You cannot create a simple life if you're rushing the process, and there are some things you may never want to give up. Start small and work slowly, you'll get there.
· Decide What Clutter Looks Like, To You
· Things You Don't Need and Should Stop Buying
· Useless Items To Get Rid Of Right Now
· Declutter Using The 5-Step Method
· Deal With Clutter Hotspots
· Ditch Bad Habits That Cause Cutter
· Non-Physical Things To Declutter
· Declutter Your Social Media
Adopt New Habits
It might not seem like it but the easiest part of simple living is decluttering your belongings, the hardest part comes when trying to adopt new habits. Once you've got rid of all that stuff you've been hanging onto - things that no longer serve a purpose or bring you joy - it's time to really dig in and start living the life you want to have.
To start, organise your belongings. Whatever is left after decluttering, organise into like-items and give them a place to live within your home and promise yourself to put them back there after you've finished using them. Simple habits can often be the hardest to learn. Create new systems that make keeping your home (and your life) clutter-free a lot easier: make your bed, put things away, wash the dishes after dinner, create clutter-free zones, and make your bed after getting out of it. Learn how to dress simply and eat simply, both habits will make your mornings easier and your meal times simpler.
Question everything you bring into your home whether it's something you buy or a gift you're accepting; when you welcome something new into your life, make it count. It might be useful to adopt a 'one in, one out' rule if you have a tendency to accumulate more than you need.
Minimalism and living simply is so much more than a tidy house and limited belongings. It's about creating a fulfilling life of intention and purpose, free of stuff you don't need and the overwhelm that it creates. Minimalism isn't about perfection. Be mindful of the things (and the people) you allow into your space; try not to compare or get caught up in perfectionism. Do what works for you to create a life you love.
