How to start living like a minimalist
Minimalism is a term that has been gaining momentum over the past few years.
In theory, becoming a minimalist sounds simple. In reality, keeping up with the lifestyle might be easier said than done - for some.
First things first: what is minimalism?
Friends, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus have made a name for themselves helping over 20 million people adopt this new way of life.
According to their blog: "Minimalism is a tool that can assist you in finding freedom. Freedom from fear. Freedom from worry. Freedom from overwhelm. Freedom from guilt. Freedom from depression. Freedom from the trappings of the consumer culture we’ve built our lives around. Real freedom."
There's nothing wrong with owning possessions, it's about having things that mean something to you.
"Today’s problem seems to be the meaning we assign to our stuff: we tend to give too much meaning to our things, often forsaking our health, our relationships, our passions, our personal growth, and our desire to contribute beyond ourselves," they write.
"Want to own a car or a house? Great, have it! Want to raise a family and have a career? If these things are important to you, then that’s wonderful. Minimalism simply allows you to make these decisions more consciously, more deliberately."
Sounds pretty great, right? To help get you started, here are five tips for living the minimalist lifestyle.
Five tips on becoming a minimalist
Decide what you want to achieve
What are your lifestyle goals? What changes do you want to make? Write down your plans and hold yourself accountable. This includes identifying simple ways to achieve your goals.
Declutter your home
Or, as Ryan and Joshua put it, have a "packing party.”
“The Packing Party concept is simple: pretend you’re moving to a new home and you have only one day to pack all your stuff.”
Then, unpack your things as you need them. Once you have your essentials, divide the rest of your things into three categories: trash, donate and sell.
Digitise your life
This step is about removing clutter. Old cards, receipts, music and movies: all these things take up space. Scan everything of importance and let them go.
Create a capsule wardrobe
Avoid clothing that you wear once and throw away. Instead, create a capsule wardrobe, choosing good quality items that can be worn with multiple outfits.
More information on how to create your capsule wardrobe can be found here.
Purge toxic relationships
This new lifestyle of yours isn’t just about eliminating unessential material possessions from your life, it should extend to your relationships as well. Think about who you are spending your time with and how they make you feel.
