Trying to transition to a minimalist lifestyle? In a time where we are consumed with more more more and having all of the things, is it even possible to live a minimalist lifestyle? Of course it is.
I was in my 20s when I began to live a more minimalist lifestyle. Transferring colleges, going to a school across country and not being able to take everything threw me right into minimalism even if it wasn’t something I wanted. Thankfully I ended up loving it and learning how much easier it is to have better quality over a ton of quantity and that helped show me that minimalism is definitely possible.
That said let’s get into 3 minimalist lifestyle tips.
Minimalist Lifestyle Tips
Quality over Quantity
Speaking of quality over quantity, in order to truly live a minimalist lifestyle you have to go from quantity to quality. That doesn’t mean having a good amount of things, but it definitely means not having things in excess. I personally am the kind of person that prefers something that may cost a little more because I know it will last longer compared to having a ton of stuff, but it falls apart faster or only can get so much wear out of it.
The first thing I had to learn when I started going to school in North Carolina was how to choose the outfits and pieces that I knew I would and could wear the most. Does that mean that those things don’t wear out, of course not, but as a college student who wasn’t rolling in the dough, especially in a city that has a lower cost of living which was already a difference for me, by the time the 3 years was up, it may have been time to get rid of whatever I had. However, during the course of those 3 years those things lasted and I was able to mix and match as many times as I could without feeling like I had to buy new things all the time.
Another way to choose quality over quantity is to avoid shopping trends. From clothes, to electronics, anything you can think of that is popular but for a moment, isn’t worth it to me. We live in a time where it feels scary for people to see themselves, let alone be seen in the same outfit, shoes or anything fashion related and that alone is what prevents some of us from living a more minimalist lifestyle. If your goal isn’t minimalism, then do your thing, but if you’ve realized how much you’ve accumulated and you’re trying to live differently, start choosing better not choosing more.
Additionally consider creating a capsule wardrobe of things that you absolutely love and want to wear and switching things out accordingly.
Prioritize Importance + Practice Letting Go
Not living a minimalist lifestyle doesn’t make you a hoarder, but hoarding tendencies are more common than people think. There is a reason why we hold on to things. There is a reason why I know certain people in my family hold on to things. Sometimes things are linked to the death of others, sometimes we’ve never been in a position to keep things, sometimes we’ve never had anything so being able to keep whatever it is we do have feels like a win. It’s your stuff and you want to be responsible for it.
My best suggestion for beginning to transition into your minimalist lifestyle is to prioritize importance and practice letting go. Clothes, easy for me to let go of. Journals and things that I’ve written thoughts and prayers down, not impossible, but definitely a bit harder. In order to find a way to let go, I ask myself questions surrounding each item, whether it be clothes or anything else.
For clothes:
- Is this my current aesthetic?
- How do I feel when I wear this?
- Can I even fit this?
- Do I have to do a lot to make this work? Is this is a fussy outfit? Am I tugging and fixing when I wear it?
- How many times have I worn this?
For Home Items/Furniture Pieces:
- Is it time to replace this?
- Does it look worn out?
- Am I embarrassed when someone sees this (not because you care what people think in that sense, but because some stuff is just worn out)?
- Is it still comfortable when I relax on it, use it?
- How does it make my space feel?
For Kids and Little Ones:
- Have they outgrown this?
- Is there a need for this?
- Could someone else benefit from this?
- Is there a child in need who would be better off with this?
You can ask yourself any of these questions for any thing in your life. I’m actually in a minimalist facebook group and there are so many reasons people have a hard time letting stuff go. Things like cancer, sentimental memories, last of a parents things though they passed away. It’s not a bad thing, it takes time, but if the goal is to live a minimalist lifestyle you have to eventually decide and be honest with yourself involving the reasons why it feels like a struggle. Also stop saying the struggle is real. I’m convinced ya’ll are adding struggle to your lives for no reason.
Declutter or Remove Things Every 30 Days
Beginning your minimalist lifestyle may is easier said than done and instead of shocking yourself or doing things cold turkey, which sometimes is a good solution it can be best to start slow. Every 30 days pick a theme or a room around removals and letting go and let something go every day. Maybe for the last quarter of the year you start do a month of clothes items or a clothes item you have in excess. Paper items, old mail, receipts, things that are more than 3 years old. Maybe there is a particular space or room in your house you’ve been wanting to use for something else, but stuff and clutter has been keeping you from doing that which ultimately is a form of procrastination.
The goal is, at the end of the 30 days you should have made progress toward being a step closer to your minimalist lifestyle. Should we make it into a challenge?
Are you ready to take steps toward your minimalist lifestyle?
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