Minimalism is a way of life that so many people are subscribing to these days. It promises the benefits of a less stressful life, increased savings, and better mental clarity for improved day-to-day productivity.
When you visit social media platforms like Pinterest and YouTube, you can expect to find countless posts on minimalism. People share how they manage their new lifestyle and the hacks they have learned to stick to this way of life in a much easier fashion.
If you are thinking of giving minimalism a go (especially after seeing the impressively organised homes and the lower budget required by minimalists), provided below are a few tactics to help you launch smoothly into the minimalist lifestyle:
1. Download a guide
A lot of veteran minimalists like Sadia of Pick Up Limes have shared minimalism PDFs that anybody can download for free. These guides include lists of items to take out of your life, worthy investments, organisational charts, and even encouraging words.
You can also check out blogs of popular minimalists. These always have helpful content to make your journey to “less is more” a whole lot more manageable.
2. Rent a storage space
One of the more effective strategies to determine if you need something or if you can live without it is by putting them out of your sight. Have a large collection of clothing, exercise equipment, cooking utensils and other “stuff” that you have not used in the last six months? Place them in a storage facility.
If you can live without these items for the following six months or so, this basically means that you can live without them forever.
You have the option to auction off all the contents of your storage space, which a lot of people actually do so they do not have to worry about certain items not getting bought. Or, you can take everything out and donate them to people who actually can get better use out of your unused possessions.
3. Make “purging” a regular habit
If you feel like you still have a lot of clutter in your home and life, set days in your calendar for purging. Your regular implementation of this practice will keep you zoned in on the more focused and organised life that you have always wanted.
4. Reduce your budget
Just give it a try to see if you can make a smaller budget work because smaller budgets can get rid of any inclination towards random purchases. Most people find that after trying this tactic, their initial budget still creates a lot of room for unnecessary purchases.
If you are able to make a reduced budget work, you can save more money even without making actual big lifestyle sacrifices.
5. Create a 25-item capsule wardrobe
Most minimalists deem this a must because clothes are the items that most people have the natural tendency to accumulate a lot of. However, with the creation of a capsule wardrobe, many learn to shift their focus to the possibilities offered by fewer pieces of clothing from needing more clothes to create great looks.
To make your own capsule wardrobe work, check out Pinterest, Instagram and fashion magazine websites for styling ideas. You may actually be surprised by the many ways you can wear a silk white top.
6. Create a weekly menu
Replicate your favourite dishes at home and incorporate them into your weekly menu. Look for recipes online and make great meals on a budget. This will prevent you from ordering takeout and wasting the food you have in your pantry.
Also, creating a weekly menu means you will “shop your stash” more often. This means that you create the menu based on the ingredients you already have at home. This way, you can avoid the wastage created by ingredients that go bad over time.
On the road to minimalism
Minimalism may appear challenging at first but if you have a few tactics that are known to work, it may prove to be quite manageable and lead to an overall fulfilling lifestyle change.
If you are successful in implementing the tactics shared here, you may gain the confidence to make even bigger changes such as getting rid of your car or moving to a much smaller house.
AUTHOR BIO
Craig Jones is the Managing Director at Aussiemove, Australia’s largest independent moving alliance. Craig is a respected member of the removalist network in Australia, having served in senior positions, including the President of the removal industries governing body, the Australian Furniture Removals Association (AFRA). With 23 years of experience at Aussiemove, he has the skills and the highly trained team to move families safely and reliably, in Adelaide, across Australia, and around the world.