Sometimes less is more.
Even though this is a very clichéd statement, it still rings very true for those who embrace the minimalist lifestyle.
Living minimalistic does not mean that you have to live a radically empty life. It might actually help you live a happier and more fulfilled life than ever before.
It is about letting go of all your unwanted things that fill up your space and even your life, and it allows you to focus on what is important, like family, friends, sports, you name it!
Here is a quick & easy beginner’s guide to the minimalist lifestyle and you can still own some stuff:
How about you own less, live more
The 90/90 rule is of cardinal importance here.
- Go through your stuff and make a list of things that you don’t use or need.
- Take every single item and ask yourself if you need this and, more importantly, have you used it in the past 90 days?
- You can make a color scheme and mark each item ‘sometimes/never/don’t remember’, etc.
- Put all the items in a box and leave it for 90 days (it can also be 60 or 30 days).
Then decide what you want to do with it!
Choose quality over quantity
Living the minimalistic life does not mean that you can’t own stuff.
It just means that you own less junk that you don’t need and you use the money that you save towards more important things.
When you buy something that you really want, something of high quality, then you treat it better than you would something cheaper.
So, why would you want to buy lots of cheap jewelry that can break, for example, when you can save and buy one, beautiful, quality piece of jewelry?
Time to declutter
In other words, get rid of your hoarding habits and clean your space out!
You can stick to the 90/90 rule in order to remove some of the unnecessary things in your life or you can do a spring clean and have a garage sale. If you are going to declutter your apartment or your house, you might as well make some money whilst doing it.
If you don’t want to go that far or wait 90 days, you can always clean room by room, day by day. You may give yourself time to do this, but remember to keep on being persistent.
Get. It. Done.
Focus on only the essentials
This rule applies to everything – clothing, jewelry, personal items, even furniture.
It doesn’t mean you have to throw anything away; you simply have to store things out of sight.
You can buy beautiful decorative boxes and put your belongings inside.
As for furniture, it will all depend on what you need. Don’t throw away the only sofa or a bookcase if you have a lot of books.
But if you have an extra coffee table or dormant chairs that no one ever uses then you should ask yourself if you really need them.
Lean towards plain colors, simple forms
Colors are a great way to organize your new minimalist lifestyle, but remember that the colors you use cannot distract you.
This goes for walls, décor, and clothing because colors have their own type of psychology.
Plain whites, greys, or shades of blacks won’t overpower you and it will remind you that you count as well as your personality and your dreams – not your surroundings.
If you follow these simple rules, you will be able to live a much more serene lifestyle and you will feel your focus shifting back to yourself and what matters most in your life.
