The First Step to Minimalism

Minimalism is a lifestyle sweeping across the continent: relieving stress, reducing clutter, and offering the feeling of fulfillment. It has been proven that living a minimalist lifestyle frees up time for things that are truly important in life, such as your friends, family, or getting to know yourself better. By taking away the stress of stuff, you can focus on personal growth and deepening relationships with those around you. But transitioning from your current lifestyle to a minimalist one is often overwhelming and scary. Where do you start? What happens after? What if your spouse is not on board?

Start with decluttering. Live a happier life. Minimalism is about the relationship you have with your stuff, not anyone else with theirs. Step number one: Declutter your home. Another proven fact is that having less stuff leads to having less stress. Some people may choose to declutter their entire home, all at once; however, you do not need to be so drastic and rash unless you want. It is perfectly okay to take it one room, one step, or one thing at a time. 

A good place to start is by getting together some large boxes. Pick a room or location, usually, a closet is an easy place to start, and make piles of “yes, I need this”, “maybe, I might use this”, and “no, this can go right now”. Put all of your “no, this can go right now's into a donation box. By donating to a local thrift store or charity, you can keep your minimalism journey waste-free. Put all of your “maybe, I might use this” items into a storage box and set a time frame – six months is usually good. At the end of your time frame, whatever you have not used from the storage box, donate as well. And finally, with your “yes, I need this” items, find them a proper place within your home. 

Once you have decluttered your home, stop the cycle. Find out why you make excess purchases and work towards stopping. Another handy rule-of-thumb is “one in, one out”: when you make purchases, the number of new items must be canceled out by a donation of the same number of items (bought two shirts, donate two items you own). This way, you can keep the number of items in your home constant.

Finally, remember that minimalism is a process. It will not happen overnight. The idea is that you are consciously choosing how best to use the space you have and what stuff you want to allow to occupy space. Good luck!

Let us know if this blog post was helpful by sharing on social media. What will you declutter this weekend?