Hello my friends!
I am often asked to write about "why" and the "what it gave me" to become minimalist... people need to be convince that I am happy... not missing out on stuff... and somehow, they need a reason for me to have done that in order to understand... because this is SO out of the ordinary. It is becoming a more and more popular trend but it still goes against the main current and against what society expect from us.
And somehow I feel like I have said enough about they "why" and gave enough justifications and good reasons to be a minimalist... Today I wish to share with you a few tips on how to give it a try... because only if you try it you'll be convince of the good it can bring you. Enough talking and reading about it... it is not time that YOU give it a try! And I can guide you...
Here are a few steps you can take to help you out...
1) Figure out what matters MOST to you. Because minimalism is not voluntary simplicity, there is room for a little more in that movement... but not everything. Therefore you need to find out what matters more to you... It could be books, going to coffee shop with friends, art, cooking, clothes, electronics... it could also be "doing" something, like trips, activities, theatre and shows... YOU choose... it is your life. Now, once you know what you really truly care about, you can purge the rest...
2) Identify what minimalism is to YOU. Minimalism is not about a given number or look... it is about living with with what you love, the life you choose and not clutter your life with anything that you do not really truly care about. Some minimalist live in 200 sq.ft apartment and others in 1200 sq ft houses... some will do with 33 items if clothing and other have walk in closet... or then again, almost no furniture versus more... and we all know that guy who lives with 100 items! This is not for me.... and it may not be for you... Also, be open to have your definition of minimalism change with time. I thought, 7 years ago, that I could never live the way I live now... but I can. It will change with time... as you take smalls steps, you may go further then you even imagine... or not even close! What matters most is that you are comfortable with your level of minimalism.
3) Start the decluttering. At your own pace.... Now that you know what matters most and where you want to go, start slowly... one room after another. Some people will suggest that you start where there is the most clutter.... I would tend to say the opposite... overwhelming yourself in a very crowded room or area is not easy and it may seem to difficult... by starting slowly you will see results rapidly and will be encouraged by them. You can set yourself the objective of one room per week... and slowly but surely you'll get it all done... within weeks or months...
4) Use common sense. Be patient. Be forgiving. Giving up stuff you had for years or all your life is not easy... not always anyway. Sometimes there are sentimental issues and these can be hard to deal with... in those cases, you can keep the item for a while longer even if you know that in the long run it needs to go... give it time... and do not be too hard on yourself.... I have done this for many years now and some items, even though I knew they would stay in a box for years to come, useless really, but they had their use... I needed to grieve something related to those objects... Some I have just really recently let go off... And that is OK! If you cannot let go of something because of sentimental issues but yet cannot stand having the item clutter a room, you can start a box with those items and put them away in a wardrobe or in the addict or garage... when you are ready you'll get to those.
I could go on and on... and there are many list on different blogs on how to go about this... some are very long... and others like mine are shorter and more to the point...
The important thing to understand is that there is no point in making minimalism complicated! That would be silly...
You keep what you love and use... you toss the rest. That is the ONLY rule!
One last thing, do not forget to look at ALL areas of your life...
Stuff - easy to look into... we all see it all the time... but do not forget hidden place in your home!
Agenda - are you too busy??? Declutter your agenda too... THIS was the most beneficial to me!
To do list - do you really need to do ALL those things? Really???
Social medias - can be a HUGE vwaste of time... look into it... keep those with added value only.
I hope this will be of some help... and that you will finally get started on your minimalism path!
And if you need more convincing on WHY... and WHAT it will give you, you can have a look here at any post labelled "minimalism"... There are more then 100s of these... you should find what you are looking for! And if you don't well just ask me in the comment section at the end of the post!
love&peace,
nath
xox
http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=734016786
Excellent advice!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! Very simple steps, and very encouraging!
ReplyDelete