My Journey to Minimalism: 5 TIPS
I'm sure you have at least heard of the term minimalism before as it's becoming more and more common. The Meriam-Webster Dictionary defines minimalism as ''a style of technique that is characterized by extreme spareness and simplicity''.
Also just to note, but I thought this would be timely since all of us are self-isolated due to the Covid-19 outbreak and I've seen a lot of decluttering pictures on my social media! So I thought this would tie in nicely and I know I have been doing a lot of decluttering myself over the last week.
The part of the definition that really jumps out to me is the word SIMPLICITY. I believe this word summarizes why I have a desire to be a ''minimalist'' extremely well. I get overwhelmed very easily. Ask my husband. It's crazy!! The smallest things will overwhelm me and the majority of the time it only takes me like 20 minutes to do it!
I have come to a point where I really dislike that overwhelmed feeling and I want to understand where it's coming from so I can address it at the core. Thankfully I have gotten better over time at assessing a situation and my emotions that go along with that. I also understand myself better, which has been an enormous help!!
I think minimalism means different things for different people and until you find what the true meaning is for YOU, you won't have a desire to change or even begin your own personal journey. I also think the extent of minimalistic ways you choose to take are based on your lifestyle and that's okay! We're not all going to have the same journey and that's the beautiful part of sharing it with others!
Keep in mind, I am no expert and I'm simply sharing my journey up to this point. I enjoy talking about it, so I thought, why not start the conversation here with you!
So here are 5 little tips that have really come in handy for me during the start of this process. You may or may not find these helpful and that's okay. Take what you want from them and leave the rest!
Okay, here we go!
#1 Write down your dreams/goals: work towards them EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.
This has been a HUGE part of my life since the beginning of the new year and it's made a large impact on what I keep and what I get rid of when I'm organizing and decluttering. If something isn't going to help me reach my end goal then why bother keeping it?!
I have dreams to travel as a family, not sure exactly how or when, but I do know that I want to have as little as possible when the time comes. We want to travel with our child(ren) and it's important for me to learn myself and to teach Luca that we don't need a lot to be happy.
We also someday want to build a tiny house so the choices I make today are going to be affected by the dreams and goals I have for the future for myself and my family. Over the years these are going to change and that's okay, but for now, I think it's important to have a purpose and a reason why we chose to do certain things. It's part a living intentionally, which is a whole other subject!
Now going back to the purpose part; what do you WANT out of this? Are you like me and get overwhelmed super easily when you have a lot of stuff? Or do you want to live a minimalistic lifestyle for other reasons? Knowing your why is so important!
#2 Start with one area of your home at a time
Remember how I mentioned I get overwhelmed easily? Well, the idea of tackling every square inch of my house and decluttering it actually stresses me out more than anything!! Isn't that defeating the purpose of WHY I'm doing this?
This tip was/is SUPER important for me to keep in mind at all times. Some days I look at this closet or that cabinet and I just want to do it all right away. BUT! That's not realistic. Or maybe it is for you, but with a 10-month-old, it isn't for me!
So when you do start, keep in mind that you only need to tackle one area at a time. Start with a small closet. There's no need to tackle your entire basement all at once, for example. Fun fact: we have a concrete basement and I've NEVER been down there!! SO I can guarantee you that I will not be cleaning/organizing/decluttering down there. That's all for my husband to do!!
#3 Be gracious with yourself
This is something I REALLY struggle with, in every single area of my life. I literally need a reminder every day to be kind and loving and gracious towards myself, because it's just so difficult. Especially in the moment. When I'm feeling overwhelmed I immediately attack myself.
Understanding that this is a journey, a lifestyle, a process, and not a one time deal is very helpful. This isn't something that happens overnight or even within a week or a month. It's a lifestyle that takes TIME to establish and in the end, you'll always be changing the way you do this or that. It's flexible and we need to be flexible too. Which as you're getting to know me, you'll realize that is NOT my strong suit (ie. I like to be in control!!).
I'm just at the beginning and I'd love for us to help and support each other on our journeys! It's important to talk to others that you can relate to and learn from. And that goes for everything in life. Now that brings me to my next point.
#4 Don't compare yourself to others
I 100% think it's important to have people to share your journey with AND at the same time, it's important to not fall into the trap of comparing ourselves to our friends and family. And along with everything else, this is something I have a hard time with. Especially in the mommy-world, which is a HUGE part of my life now!
If you haven't noticed yet, these tips are useful for a lot more than just minimalism, so apply them to other areas of your life as well!
Also, know that comparison is inevitable, it IS going to happen, now the trick is (that I'm still learning too) to know how to respond when those thoughts enter our mind. So let's help each other out without the judgement and when we start to compare ourselves, let's bring attention to it and support each other through the process!
#5 Get out of your comfort zone
This is another life lesson I've learned a lot about in the last 2-3 months that applies really well to our topic today. Try new things. Spice things up. Change things around. You might be pleasantly surprised!
Here's an example for you: 6 months ago I would've considered a microwave a NECESSITY in our home. Well when ours all of a sudden stopped working in the fall, I was SO sad. But after a week or two, I started realizing how doable it was to live without a microwave. We've figured out others ways (BETTER WAYS) to heat up our food and it's been an easy adjustment!
Now if you ever look into how bad a microwave is for your health, be prepared to be shocked. The radiation is so bad for you and the food you're eating. It is NOT worth it! So we decided to eliminate a microwave from our list of necessities and we have adjusted just fine! It took us experiencing life without it in order to learn and realize that we don't need it.
Now I'm not saying you should all get rid of your microwave (although I don't think you'd regret it!!), this is just an example of something I thought I needed until I tried living without it and survived just fine! I also LOVE the amount of counter space it freed up. And I know that in our future tiny house, we won't need to ensure we have the space for a microwave!
Keep an open mind as you start this process or as you move along in your journey. Try new things and get out of your comfort zone.
So there you have it! 5 little tips that I have found very useful as I (along with my family) begin this journey to living a minimalistic lifestyle.
I'd love to hear more about your journey if you've already started, or what your dreams/goals are if you haven't started yet!
Leave me a comment! :)
Also just to note, but I thought this would be timely since all of us are self-isolated due to the Covid-19 outbreak and I've seen a lot of decluttering pictures on my social media! So I thought this would tie in nicely and I know I have been doing a lot of decluttering myself over the last week.
I have come to a point where I really dislike that overwhelmed feeling and I want to understand where it's coming from so I can address it at the core. Thankfully I have gotten better over time at assessing a situation and my emotions that go along with that. I also understand myself better, which has been an enormous help!!
I think minimalism means different things for different people and until you find what the true meaning is for YOU, you won't have a desire to change or even begin your own personal journey. I also think the extent of minimalistic ways you choose to take are based on your lifestyle and that's okay! We're not all going to have the same journey and that's the beautiful part of sharing it with others!
Keep in mind, I am no expert and I'm simply sharing my journey up to this point. I enjoy talking about it, so I thought, why not start the conversation here with you!
So here are 5 little tips that have really come in handy for me during the start of this process. You may or may not find these helpful and that's okay. Take what you want from them and leave the rest!
Okay, here we go!
#1 Write down your dreams/goals: work towards them EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.
This has been a HUGE part of my life since the beginning of the new year and it's made a large impact on what I keep and what I get rid of when I'm organizing and decluttering. If something isn't going to help me reach my end goal then why bother keeping it?!
I have dreams to travel as a family, not sure exactly how or when, but I do know that I want to have as little as possible when the time comes. We want to travel with our child(ren) and it's important for me to learn myself and to teach Luca that we don't need a lot to be happy.
We also someday want to build a tiny house so the choices I make today are going to be affected by the dreams and goals I have for the future for myself and my family. Over the years these are going to change and that's okay, but for now, I think it's important to have a purpose and a reason why we chose to do certain things. It's part a living intentionally, which is a whole other subject!
Now going back to the purpose part; what do you WANT out of this? Are you like me and get overwhelmed super easily when you have a lot of stuff? Or do you want to live a minimalistic lifestyle for other reasons? Knowing your why is so important!
#2 Start with one area of your home at a time
Remember how I mentioned I get overwhelmed easily? Well, the idea of tackling every square inch of my house and decluttering it actually stresses me out more than anything!! Isn't that defeating the purpose of WHY I'm doing this?
This tip was/is SUPER important for me to keep in mind at all times. Some days I look at this closet or that cabinet and I just want to do it all right away. BUT! That's not realistic. Or maybe it is for you, but with a 10-month-old, it isn't for me!
So when you do start, keep in mind that you only need to tackle one area at a time. Start with a small closet. There's no need to tackle your entire basement all at once, for example. Fun fact: we have a concrete basement and I've NEVER been down there!! SO I can guarantee you that I will not be cleaning/organizing/decluttering down there. That's all for my husband to do!!
#3 Be gracious with yourself
This is something I REALLY struggle with, in every single area of my life. I literally need a reminder every day to be kind and loving and gracious towards myself, because it's just so difficult. Especially in the moment. When I'm feeling overwhelmed I immediately attack myself.
Understanding that this is a journey, a lifestyle, a process, and not a one time deal is very helpful. This isn't something that happens overnight or even within a week or a month. It's a lifestyle that takes TIME to establish and in the end, you'll always be changing the way you do this or that. It's flexible and we need to be flexible too. Which as you're getting to know me, you'll realize that is NOT my strong suit (ie. I like to be in control!!).
I'm just at the beginning and I'd love for us to help and support each other on our journeys! It's important to talk to others that you can relate to and learn from. And that goes for everything in life. Now that brings me to my next point.
#4 Don't compare yourself to others
I 100% think it's important to have people to share your journey with AND at the same time, it's important to not fall into the trap of comparing ourselves to our friends and family. And along with everything else, this is something I have a hard time with. Especially in the mommy-world, which is a HUGE part of my life now!
If you haven't noticed yet, these tips are useful for a lot more than just minimalism, so apply them to other areas of your life as well!
Also, know that comparison is inevitable, it IS going to happen, now the trick is (that I'm still learning too) to know how to respond when those thoughts enter our mind. So let's help each other out without the judgement and when we start to compare ourselves, let's bring attention to it and support each other through the process!
#5 Get out of your comfort zone
This is another life lesson I've learned a lot about in the last 2-3 months that applies really well to our topic today. Try new things. Spice things up. Change things around. You might be pleasantly surprised!
Here's an example for you: 6 months ago I would've considered a microwave a NECESSITY in our home. Well when ours all of a sudden stopped working in the fall, I was SO sad. But after a week or two, I started realizing how doable it was to live without a microwave. We've figured out others ways (BETTER WAYS) to heat up our food and it's been an easy adjustment!
Now if you ever look into how bad a microwave is for your health, be prepared to be shocked. The radiation is so bad for you and the food you're eating. It is NOT worth it! So we decided to eliminate a microwave from our list of necessities and we have adjusted just fine! It took us experiencing life without it in order to learn and realize that we don't need it.
Now I'm not saying you should all get rid of your microwave (although I don't think you'd regret it!!), this is just an example of something I thought I needed until I tried living without it and survived just fine! I also LOVE the amount of counter space it freed up. And I know that in our future tiny house, we won't need to ensure we have the space for a microwave!
Keep an open mind as you start this process or as you move along in your journey. Try new things and get out of your comfort zone.
So there you have it! 5 little tips that I have found very useful as I (along with my family) begin this journey to living a minimalistic lifestyle.
I'd love to hear more about your journey if you've already started, or what your dreams/goals are if you haven't started yet!
Leave me a comment! :)
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