We live in a busy time with so much focus on worth, size, and outward appearances-but is it really living if it stresses us out? I’m going to be taking a look at minimalist living and how much more worth it can actually add to your life.
Minimalist living is based on “less is more”, or adapting to living with less. Ideas for minimalist living include tips like focusing on needs vs wants, buying quality, and time in nature, participating in community, and looking at varied ways to pursue this lifestyle.
Are you looking for a way to make life simpler and more fulfilling? Do you feel trapped in a consumerist lifestyle and unsure how to change? This article will discuss daily practices to help you get started reaping the multiple benefits of a simpler life.
What is Minimalist Living?
Minimalist living is being guided by the principle of minimalism, which is of “less is more”. Minimalist living places priority on quality rather than quantity, and people and experiences rather than belongings. When we are surrounded by fewer material items we can focus on the things that are more important and worthy of our time.
Minimalist living is different for everyone and there is no one size that will fit all, however, any step in the right direction will get you on track to a life filled with more freedom to spend less money and time on things that aren’t important and more time on actually living.
Minimalist Living Ideas
One of the great things about minimalism is there’s not just one way to do it. You can go small or go big, limit it to one area of the home or expand to your entire life. The only rule is to do it in a way that suits you. Let’s look at some ideas on how to pursue minimalist living.
Extreme minimalist living is probably the most challenging lifestyle to convert to, but many find once they’ve accomplished it, they could never go back.
Minimalist Living Tips
When it comes to minimalist living, there are some tips and tricks to help you prioritize what you need over what you want. Think of the essentials, the environment, and what you really want out of life. Here are a few minimalist living tips to get you started:
- Buy only what you need.
- Organize your living space.
- Make sure everything has a place to be stored.
- Prioritize space and comfort over material things.
- Don’t buy cheap, spend more on quality.
- Spend time in nature, not in front of the tv.
- Ditch the excesses (for example-multiple streaming video services) and save money.
As you can see, it doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing approach. You may decide only to minimize your wardrobe or your décor and leave it at that. It’s completely up to you! The great thing is it’s up to you, and you’ve got support.
Minimalist Living Communities
There are many people in the world today pursuing minimalist living! So many, in fact, that in some areas of the world you can find minimalist living communities. Here you will find like-minded people who focus on living simply, helping each other out, and pursuing experiences rather than accessories. You’ll also find minimalist living communities online in social media groups, blogs, and more. These are designed to provide ideas and resources for living minimalist from keeping your home organized to growing your own vegetables.
Extreme Minimalist Living
According to author Mir Habeebullah Quadri of CIFIC Global Journal, it can be defined as the voluntary adaptation to simplicity. Extreme minimalist living is probably the most challenging lifestyle to convert to-but many find once they’ve accomplished it, they could never go back. In extreme minimalist living everything is minimized from their wardrobe, furniture, and possessions to even living in tiny homes.
It will take some time and dedication to pursue minimalist living, but it is worth it in the long run.
Extreme minimalists use many multi-purpose items, thereby saving space as well as money and time. This lifestyle focuses only on essentials, needs, and pursuing the things that really matter in life-the non material things. It is very extreme minimalist living in some cases and definitely not for everyone
Minimalist Living Wardrobe
If you’d prefer to start small (which I highly suggest), consider a minimalist living wardrobe. Minimalists don’t need 37 t-shirts, 15 pairs of pants, and 24 pairs of shoes-they keep only what they need and what they use. With a minimalist living wardrobe you can save space as well as time by not having as much clothing to sort through.
I’m certain you’ve got pants that don’t fit anymore, shirts you don’t wear very often, and shoes that only have one purpose. Consider paring down to only the things you actually wear and donate or sell the rest. You might even consider a capsule wardrobe-or just enough clothing to get you through a week. Making space in your wardrobe can help others who are in need.
What are the benefits of Minimalist Living?
The benefits of minimalist living are absolutely many! It may be a challenging conversion from the typical consumerist-style life, but there are many things to consider when looking at minimalism. From buying less at the superstore to paring down clothing and décor, minimalist living can work in many wonderful ways. Here are some of the benefits of minimalist living:
- Less stuff
- Less cleaning
- Less work
- Less clutter
- Less stress
- Less impact on the environment
- More free time
- More experiences
- More joy
- More peace
- More meaningful relationships
- More money saved
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! When you consider minimalist living, you let go of the things that really don’t matter. The stuff you have stored in boxes, the boxes you have stored in the closet or the warehouse, the stress of keeping up with all of the stuff-you really can let it go and live a simpler life. If you are ready to start, let’s look at how.
How to Start Minimalist Living
Minimalist living may not be for everyone, but thankfully there are numerous ways to go about converting to minimalism. Author Alicia Jacob describes minimalism as resistance to consumerism, which focuses on collecting material possessions. Anyone can minimize something in their lives-from a wardrobe to furniture, even their home. Here’s how you can start minimalist living:
- Start small. Identify one category you’d like to minimize.
- Identify your priorities. What’s most important to you?
- Learn what you need versus what you want.
- Consider your environmental impact. How was this produced? Is it recyclable or reusable?
- Declutter-discard, donate, or sell extra and unused items.
- Reorganize and clean.
- Focus on life rather than stuff. Prioritize people, relationships, and experiences over items.
It will take some time and dedication to pursue minimalist living, but it is worth it in the long run. If you only pare down your kitchen pantry, that’s fine! But you might find that once you get started it’s harder to stop minimizing your things-I know I did!
Check out this video to learn 10 simple life-changing minimalist hacks to make your life more simple.
Related Insights
How do I become a minimalist at home?
To become a minimalist at home, it starts with decluttering and reorganizing. Donate, discard, or sell the things you don’t use, don’t need, and don’t want. If it’s just taking up space, it needs to go. The less stuff you have, the more you’ll see that stuff doesn’t matter. Besides-you might even be able to start using your garage for what it was intended for-parking vehicles!
What makes a person a minimalist?
There are many things that can make a person a minimalist. A person is a minimalist if they go against consumerism, they value people and experiences over stuff, they don’t own much, or they live simply. A minimalist person doesn’t buy unnecessary things-they know the difference between needs and wants. They focus on nature, sustainability, getting “off the grid”, or just becoming more self-reliant.
How do I start minimalism?
There are many ways to start minimalism, but the best way is to start small. Declutter your closet or pantry and get rid of excess stuff. Prioritize the things you need over the things you want. Then expand from there-pare down your décor, your accessories, your kitchen and appliances, even your entire home.
Areas of Life Where Real People Benefit Most From Minimalist Living
I asked friends and family to list where they might most benefit from minimalist living. Here is what they shared and what I learned from the poll, and the percentages of their responses.
| Area of Life | Times Selected |
| Less stuff | 11% |
| More room | 8% |
| Less cleaning | 9% |
| More organized | 6% |
| More time | 8% |
| Travel | 9% |
| More living | 12% |
| Sustainability | 6% |
| Save money | 8% |
| Less clutter | 11% |
| Less stress | 12% |
Other Resources:
- Living Minimalist – The Easy Practices for a Fuller Life
- Minimalism For Moms – Simple Living for Special People
- Family Minimalism – Have Fewer Things and Share More Love
- Intentional Living Communities – Living Your Values
Minimalist living is a big change from the lives many people live. From keeping up with the neighbors to putting up a front on social media, it’s not who we really are. For maximal life, it’s about focusing on people, experiences, travel, the things that actually matter to you. So go for a long walk in the woods, start downsizing your wardrobe and consider shifting your focus. Minimalist living really does have the potential to make things simpler and more enjoyable. Why not start now?