Welcome back to my blog where we discuss fitness, productivity, finances, and finally, minimalism. Today is all about consuming less and embracing minimalism as a lifestyle for a beginner. I myself am new to minimalism and it has already changed my life in one month. I hope you gain some useful insights from my writing on the subject and even more so, I hope you find that minimalism resonates with you! Today I want to cover why I chose minimalism as a lifestyle, my definition of minimalism, how the experience has been so far, unpack some feelings of how I feel before and after embracing minimalism along with before and after pictures for you to enjoy, and finally we will go over how you can start. Lets get into it.
Why minimalism?
Living more minimalistic has always been a goal for my wife and I. We always discussed how much easier things would be if we just got rid of all the junk in our house. The issue was that we never took action and did anything about it until recently. I came across various YouTube videos at random and was inspired to finally take steps in my life to get rid of my clutter. Immediately I fell in love with the aesthetic in the videos, the freedom these people seemed to have, and the selling point for me was the amount of time they had to do something other than cleaning. I was envious that they could clean their whole house in about an hour because they simply had less to do. For my wife and I we could spend an entire day cleaning our house and the next day it would be wrecked. Partially because we have kids, but also because we just had too much stuff in general. In hindsight we really were just shifting our clutter to make our house appear clean.
With this realization, I made moves to change my lifestyle. I started to become more mindful of the stuff I had vs the stuff I actually used and cared about. I quickly noticed I didn’t need much to get through the day. A set of clothes, my phone, couple of chargers, my desk and some things on it, but that was about it. I would argue I didn’t use up to 80% of the things I owned, definitely not on a regular basis. Ultimately this is why I chose minimalism as a guiding principle in my life going forward. I just had too much stuff and I was tired of it.
Defining minimalism
The word “minimalism” can be defined in tons of different ways. Definitions will vary person to person that adopts this lifestyle. Some can live out of a backpack alone and travel the world with only the clothes on their back. While others can claim to be a minimalist but still enjoy having a full closet and a vast collection of (insert whatever you want here). It depends on what matters most to you. There is no point comparing my house to the “magazine ready” minimalist aesthetic house photos because that just isn’t realistic for me. At least not at this stage in my life. So while we go over what I have done, and plan to do, bear in mind that minimalism is what you make it. What is most important is that you’re being intentional with the things you consume, use, and bring into your home. That’s really what minimalism is about.
My experience adopting a more minimal lifestyle
As stated above I wanted to do this for a long time before taking the leap. I can tell you right now that I have absolutely no regrets with the decision I made. Getting rid of all the clutter that was tanking my ability to maintain a clean home has changed my life more than I initially thought it would. Furthermore it doesn’t feel like my money is just draining out of my account because I am much more conscious about what I buy and bring home. I don’t feel a desire anymore to impulse purchase or leave a store with buyers remorse. Everything I own serves it’s purpose and nothing is wasting space. My mind feels clearer than it has in a long time. I can finally relax at home since I don’t feel so guilty having a mess everywhere.
Overall the experience has genuinely been life changing. I can go on and on about it. I will say that minimalism as a whole can be very eye opening as to what we see as valuable and worthwhile vs what is junk or not needed.
But how did I get to this point?
I came at minimalism with a plan, and I highly recommend you do the same! I started by making a list of the areas in my home to give me bite sized areas to declutter.
- My closet
- Master bedroom
- Desk
- Bathroom
- Hallway closet
- Kid’s rooms
- Living room
- Kitchen
- So on and so forth…
With this list in hand I made it a point to tackle each area thoroughly before moving on to the next. Every night after work I went home and chose an area from the list to declutter. I spent 2-4 hours per area in my home deciding if I should keep or get rid of items found there. I did have to make some tough choices on what to keep and get rid of, but my life is better for it. Sentimental items I found were particularly tough for my wife and kids to let go of and we did end up keeping quite a bit of it. Overall we got rid of 8, 50 gallon outdoor bags filled completely with toys, clothes, garbage, and various items such as old cords or broken objects that we didn’t need to be holding onto.
Before and After Minimalism
Before
- Stressed to be home because it just felt like a mess.
- Hard to host holidays, birthdays, or get togethers
- Friction with the kids needing to clean their room
- Losing things constantly
- If I wasn’t working, I was “cleaning” or at least feeling guilty that I wasn’t cleaning
- Spending too much money on items that would rarely get used if at all
- Zero productivity, perpetuated by the fact I could never enter a flow state due to the clutter everywhere I looked
- Unhappy
After
- Enjoy being home as it feels more welcoming and comfortable.
- Hosting is easy, the house stays much more clean since we have less to take care of
- Kids are also able to keep their rooms clean with less effort due to them simply owning less stuff
- Now that every item has a home I don’t lose things as easily vs before
- More freedom to do the things I want to do instead of worrying about cleaning
- Anything I buy now I know I will use it or need it at least periodically
- Productivity is at an all time high. I can sit and focus on one thing for extended periods since there are less distractions from clutter
- Happy, simple as that
The list could honestly go on forever
Above are my key points of difference that I felt in my life. However it hasn’t just been better for me, but for my whole family. Life just seems to be running much more smoothly. Although the kids had to get rid of a bunch of clothes and toys, they likely can’t name one thing they got rid of. I definitely can’t. It is because we didn’t actually need it. It also isn’t like we got rid of everything. We are far from the extreme minimalism that calls for everything you own fits in a backpack, but we found a version of minimalism that suits us well enough for now. I’m sure that as time goes on we will get rid of even more because it really is addicting to live with less. I never would’ve guessed that is how I would feel, but here I am.
Some before and after pictures
Beginner Tips for Minimalism
Step 1 – Commitment
To make any big change in your life it requires some level of commitment. If minimalism is something you would like to pursue then now is the best time to make a commitment to yourself. Make it a goal and write it down if necessary. Starting is usually the hardest part, but if you’re committed it makes it so easy and rewarding.
Step 2 – Create a Plan
Any large project requires some planning so do that! Try and break down your home into bite sized areas to declutter. This can be a particular closet, hallway, or room. The idea is to make it more manageable to avoid burning out too fast on your initial declutter.
Step 3 – Make Time
You are committed and you made a plan. All that is left is making time to focus on decluttering. Find a time that is best suited to you. Or if you are calling in some help, find a time that suites everybody. Decluttering as a group can be really enjoyable and fun. I would recommend starting with the smallest area in your house and setting aside at least two hours.
Step 4 – The Stuff, and what to do with it
I put in place a methodology that made deciding whether to keep an item or not easy. Here it is:
- Can this item be replaced for $20?
- Does this item serve a purpose for me?
- Does this item spark joy?
If the item I am looking at doesn’t meet these basic requirements and I could easily replace it, then I would get rid of it.
Step 5 – Upkeep
Minimalism isn’t just going through your home once and getting rid of a bunch of stuff. It is a lifestyle that you choose to stick with. It isn’t for everyone but if you do want to give it your best shot then upkeep is very important. Once the initial declutter is done, become more mindful of your purchases and what you bring home. Many use the 1 in – 1 out rule. Define minimalism for yourself and decide how you want to continue from here, you’re no longer a beginner!
Reminder
Minimalism looks different for everybody. Minimalism also isn’t just cleaning your house. It is a lifestyle that can change your life if adopted. Good luck on your journey with Minimalism!
Thank you for reading this week’s blog! As always please comment if you found anything interesting in the post today or let me know if minimalism is something you want to try. Also checkout my YouTube! I am posting there once a week covering the same topics I write about here. I hope you have a great rest of your day. Until next week. -Kenyan