What’s minimalism? To give you the simple answer, minimalism is the decision to live a meaningful life with few material possessions.

This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be able to fit everything you own into one suitcase, so don’t panic!

Minimalism is the idea of simplifying your life, surrounding yourself with the things you love and enjoy, and finding your freedom away from consumerism.

Photo bytu tuonUnsplash

Plan your minimalism beginning.

To get started on your path to minimalism, you’re going to need to block out some time to declutter.

This will be the most time consuming task in the process. However, it’s not a race. You can block out an hour at a time when you know you’ll have the spare time, or spend as little as 15 minutes a day working through this process.

As long as you can stay focused and minimize your distractions, the process will go fairly smoothly.

I like to adapt the Marie Kondo method of thanking my belongings for serving a purpose in my life, and bringing me joy.

There are many ways to declutter towards your goal of minimalism. Choose one that resonates with your soul. 

Speaking of ways to declutter, one option is to use the ‘4 bag method’.

Bag 1 - Trash: anything that you’ve decided not to keep and can’t be given away, sold, or recycled. 

Bag 2 - Recycle: anything you’ve decided not to keep, but doesn’t need to be in the landfills. 

Bag 3 - Donations/things to sell: anything you’ve decided not to keep and can be dropped off at your local thrift shop or be sold online. 

Bag 4 - Keep: all the things that you’re going to keep in your life.

The decluttering process could take hours, days, or even weeks! Patience is key. Work through it and process your feelings and emotions as you declutter, room by room.

Once you’re happy with your new tidy home, the next step is to maintain it. Commit to doing a quick sweep through the house once a week to collect up any clutter that has accumulated and deal with it immediately. The need for a whole house declutter will never reoccur if you stay on top of it. 

Set your intentions.

Which items that you own truly add value or bring happiness to your life? There’s a reason you’re considering minimalism, so what is it? Is it to reduce stress? Save money? Simplify your cleaning routine? Save time? To have freedom?

Sit down and think about this. Write it down and stick it somewhere you’ll see it so you don’t forget.

Make a vision board of how you want your space to look and keep moving towards that goal. It will be worth it when you put your feet up and admire your progress.

Whatever your reasons are, having them front and center by way of a vision board is an awesome way to stay on track with your minimalism journey, even when it gets difficult. Clear it out!

You’d be surprised at what we hold on to. Holding on to something that needs fixing, but you haven't got around to it yet?

If you haven’t noticed a massive hole in your life without this object, do you really need it?

This is a controversial approach, so keep reading with caution. :) Do you have bookcases full of books you’ve already read or know in your heart that you never will read?

Get yourself a Kindle Unlimited subscription! Even diehard “real book” fans can benefit from an eReader and Kindle Unlimited is awesome because you can check out tons of books - for free. Kinda like a library, right on Amazon! :)

The key here is to be honest with yourself and really reflect on what you love and what you’re just holding onto. If you find yourself hanging onto clothes that you haven’t worn in the past six months or more, it’s probably time to let them go.

You get to make those decisions yourself, but the idea of minimalism is to get the absolute most out of everything you own and to let someone else find joy in the things you don’t. 

Research charities in your local area.

So you’ve done the decluttering bit, now what? There are so many local charities who would be grateful for your donations.

Find them and ask what they’re looking for and if any of your things would be of use to them.

This includes women’s shelters, homeless shelters, orphanages, foster facilities, and anywhere else locally you think your items would make the best impact.

It’s always a good feeling to know you’re helping out others who really need it. 

Cultivate the minimalist mindset

Minimalism is not a competition. Remember the purpose that drives your decision; it’s the reason you’re reading this right now.

Do you strive for more time and freedom away from household chores? Why are you clearing your space? Do these objects really matter to you? Keep that reason close to you as you start and as you continue on in your minimalist journey. 

Don’t preach.

Deciding to invite more minimal ways of living into your life is your decision. This is a personal journey and does not allow you the right to judge others who continue to live as they please surrounded by any many material belongings as they like.

If you’re making these changes to become aware of what really matters to you, you don’t want  to start pushing away your nearest and dearest with your opinions on how they should live their lives.

This is a recipe for conflict; educate and inspire, but respect what brings others joy. Hopefully, they’ll return the favor!

Stop shopping!

The only way for minimalism to work is if you stick with it. This means no impulse buys.

There’s a reason stores put those huge red ‘SALE’ posters in their windows. Ask yourself if you would have gone into that shop if it wasn’t for the fact that they had a sale advertised?

If the answer is no, just think of the money and space you’ll be saving by resisting temptation. 

Love online shopping? Put things into your basket and review them in a week or two - do you still want them, or have you completely forgotten about them?

This action will really help you to change your mindset which will benefit you on your journey towards living the minimalist lifestyle. 

If you do buy something (like a new item of clothing), get rid of another. This tactic ensures that you’re never increasing your belongings and gives you the opportunity to decide whether you really want to make this purchase in the first place, knowing that you’ve got to throw something out when you get home!

Be strict with yourself

When’s the last time you used that appliance, or wore that scarf? Here’s where you’ll find a good, honest friend useful.

They’re the ones that will be the first to say ‘I’ve never seen you wear that’ and it will open your eyes to the reality of your closet.

If you own something that still has the tags on or you don’t even remember buying… you know the drill!

Breathe through it, so you don’t get overwhelmed.

Remember your end goal and your reasons for considering minimalism in the first place. You’re doing this to improve your life. Focus, be determined, and look forward to a more simple life surrounded by the things that matter the most to you. Make space for freedom, passion, time with friends and family and most importantly, happiness!