When I decided to become a minimalist, I thought this transformation would be easy: “I will never buy clothes (extra) again. I will devastate my house (in the good sense of the word). I will stop hanging out on social media. I will only have one pair of shoes. Never again will I buy something that I don't need. " Here is a partial list of what I promised myself. But, even if these promises sound great and simple, in reality everything happens in a different way! When reality interferes, it can confuse all our plans, the order in the kitchen, and even life in general.
There are many things that can be confusing, distracting from your goal, mission, desired lifestyle. In addition, there are so many tricks and tips on how to live easier that it becomes difficult not to live up to and follow them. If you are just starting out on your minimalist journey and experience the wonders of this less-minded lifestyle, you will be amazed at what you need to do, or vice versa, you don’t need to do.
Having a simple wardrobe and maintaining a clean, tidy home is something that requires constant work. Clutter can appear at any time. You should be extremely careful with what you allow, both in your home and in your thoughts. Phrases such as “I have nothing to wear” or “Why am I not buying a new pair of shoes” can eventually consume your mind and cause you to end up spending money on things you don't really need.
Today, I'll share 11 of the best tips to help you stay on track, stay focused, and keep your home from cluttering up with things that you really don't like or need.
1. Being minimalist is a lifestyle, not something that you manage to do in a day.
You might as well say it's a marathon, not a sprint, but that phrase has become commonplace. It is used too often in articles, and it becomes boring to read about it everywhere and everywhere. But let's get back to the main point: being someone who leads a minimalist life is a lifestyle, a choice you've made for yourself. It's a good choice!
You can't become a minimalist in a day or a week and mark this task complete. Buying a few black T-shirts, watching a documentary on minimalism, and getting rid of all your junk won't make you a minimalist. Yes, this is a good starting point, but it is not the end.
Minimalism is a way of life. It is a conscious decision and an ongoing process. After you empty your home, you must "protect" it from all the external junk that will try to infiltrate your apartment again and fill your living space again. Imagine that garbage is constantly attacking your home and your mind. This is exactly what happens.
First tip: Understand that achieving simplicity in life is something to be done every day. It is an ongoing process that requires some action or inaction to keep your mind and your body free. It is not at all something that you can set and forget. You have to work to keep things simple, organized, and tailored to your specific needs.
As for the things you don't need, get rid of them ASAP!
2. Respect the decision of your loved ones
It often happens that we are alone on our journey of life. The spouse may not like the idea of having only a couple of sets of clothes, and this may even cause a fight. Friends probably don't even know what the term minimalism means and often wonder why we wear the same clothes every day.
My girlfriend, for example, is not the kind of person who stops buying clothes. Not that she's obsessed with having a pile of clothes, but she does have a lot of them.
Although I don't understand why she needs more than 20 pairs of shoes? (I think all women love shoes.) But I respect her decision and try to understand her point of view. She is a girl and loves to look beautiful.
We have, however, disputes over home decoration. When I want to throw out something on the shelves, arguing that it is only gathering dust, she always says that we must definitely leave it, because it is a gift, it looks beautiful or something like that.
Nevertheless, I do my best to put myself in her shoes and understand her point of view. Not everyone is willing or willing to dump most of their possessions and write blog posts all day like I do.
3. Live with a minimum of clothing for a while
Probably one of the hardest things about maintaining a well-organized home and wardrobe is learning how to live with the right amount of clothing.
It was especially hard for me. Over the years I have learned to buy a lot of clothes and have bought them quite often. I lacked self-confidence and tried to hide my flaws behind new pants and trendy shirts. It takes time to eradicate this habit. This did not happen to me overnight. Working in an IT company helped a lot. As you may know, this is not the same as working for a corporate firm where you have to wear a suit. The dress code in IT companies is casual and you can wear almost anything you want. Not that I dress like a country boy, but I'm used to wearing T-shirts, although before that I mostly wore jackets and shirts.
Over time, I finally realized why Mark Zuckerberg and earlier Steve Jobs wore the same clothes every day. I knew about this interesting fact, but I never thought about why they actually do it. I thought they were crazy when I first found out about their habit.
Now I know. Wearing the same clothes every day saves you valuable time and helps you focus on the work you do.
If you're still not ready to go minimalist and create a capsule wardrobe, you can try the following:
Pick about 20 (+/- one or two) subjects for the next two weeks:
- 3 pairs of jeans / trousers / shorts; •
- 7 T-shirts / T-shirts for going out;
- 1 tracksuit;
- 5 T-shirts for sports and indoor use;
- 1 jacket;
- 3 pairs of shoes;
- 1 belt.
I am not counting socks or underwear here. I am sure that you know exactly how much you will need within two weeks.
Wear this garment for 2 weeks and see what happens. I'm sure you will appreciate the benefits of fewer clothes! Most importantly, you stop asking yourself “what to wear” every morning.
4. Only have clothes for one season.
While we're on this topic ... do you store your winter clothes?
I stopped doing it. Now all my clothes fit in my closet. The only thing I put under the bed are my winter boots. I only have a few sweaters (3 pairs) but they don't take up much space. The T-shirts I wear in the summer are the same T-shirts I wear in the winter. I'm just changing my jacket.
Once you get into the habit of having a minimum of clothes, you will learn to have and wear the same clothes all year long, regardless of the season.
5. Fill your free time with something meaningful
I used to buy clothes often because I was bored. I had no other needs or entertainment. That's why I went to shopping malls regularly. I've been there too often and spent all my money on clothes and clubs.
If you're unsure of how to fill your spare time, try starting to research yourself. I think you will have to spend some time to get to know yourself and understand your interests and desires, but believe me, it's worth it!
There are other things you can do better than just looking at your phone, buying new clothes, watching TV ...All these actions are passive. You are not doing anything productive. Instead of reading your email and your social media feed, say something, write something. Express yourself and try to do something positive for the world.
6. Determine a place for each item
The best way to remember where your car keys are is to leave them in the same place every day. If you just leave things where you have to, you will have to search for them often. This is pretty annoying. Mark a spot for your shoes. Place for a glass of water on your table. Remote control your TV if you have a TV.
Before I go to bed, I spend a couple of minutes tidying up my desk.
I do this before bed. I also wash my cup and refill the coffee maker the next morning. These simple steps take me no more than 5 minutes, but the next day they save me much more time. When I fall asleep, I can wash one glass for 10 minutes without even realizing it. I'm sure you should give it a try.
This is the best advice, it will help keep your home comfortable and keep you focused and tidy.
7. Don't store a lot of things around
We have nothing on the walls in our apartment except our bedroom.
My girlfriend is still trying to convince me to hang pictures or pictures. Despite the fact that I want to decorate the interior with photographs, I never found the ones that I really like. Perhaps, when we have a child, we will post some family photos, but now I prefer to see white walls.
The empty (or free) space around is really important, it will help to avoid depression and the unpleasant suffocating feeling, as if you are living in a cage.
Before getting our own house, my girlfriend and I rented a small apartment. It was filled with many things from the very first owner. Decorations. Hundreds of artificial flowers and other things that made this place even smaller than it actually was. Even after we talked to the landlord and got rid of most of the stuff, we had to get used to something. The apartment we bought is not that big, but the way we furnish and decorate it gives the impression that it is huge. It turns out simply, we do not fill the space with "garbage".
8. Striving for efficiency
Do you have too many cups, glasses, dishes, and it becomes more and more difficult to make a choice? Do you spend a lot of time looking for your favorite T-shirt (shirts, blouses, dresses) every morning? Do you have too many home furnishings and need a full day to dust these items?
The things around us are tools for achieving different goals, but they should only help us achieve the goal, and not waste our time.
For example, you need a cup to make coffee so you can wake up and be more productive. The cup itself doesn't really matter. The effect of the coffee is important. In most cases, even the brand of coffee doesn't matter. Drinking a cup of coffee helps on a subconscious level.
The same applies to our clothes. We need clothing to protect the body from the weather outside. The brand and color of the clothes are not important from a practical point of view. They matter only for us and society. You need clothes to go out, buy food, work, or socialize.
People choose different brands, colors, materials, tools because these things best suit their personality.
It is worth remembering that things are just things. A big house won't make you happier. A big family and your favorite business will make you happy and successful.
9. Learn to live within your means
Let's do something together: bankrupt all banks or, more precisely, all organizations that offer loans and quick cash loans. What are you talking about, you ask.
I see that many people live on credit, working only to earn enough money to cover their monthly payments to the bank. Taking out loans to support your life is like a ticking time bomb.
No matter how much you make, you need to learn to live within your means and save some money for the future. Being debt free should be one of your top priorities.
Reducing rents, utilities, bills over time will lead to higher savings, and therefore a happier life. Do your best to save some money so you can pay off your debts (if you have any) as soon as possible. It will help you focus and focus on what really matters.
10. Buy fewer things.
This is obvious, but many people do not understand how much our buying habits can enslave us. The more you buy, the less money you will have, and you may even start accumulating debt. But that's not all. You will have more possessions that only cloud your thinking and clutter up your physical space, as already mentioned.
Just because a sale has been announced at a nearby mall doesn't mean you should definitely take advantage of it!
Create a list of the things you really need in your life. For example, a new iron, because your old one does not iron clothes well, and the ceramic sole is damaged.
List all of your items on the list and do your best to NOT buy items that are not on the list.
11. Create a daily routine
Everyday work is often underestimated.
Imagine not having to think about what to wear, what to drink, what to eat, and when to get up?
What if these little details have already been sorted out and planned, and the only thing you have to do is do the work that you enjoy doing. work that inspires, helps others?
I think you will be 300% more productive and more satisfied with your life.
Find out what is the most important task (s) in your life and clear your schedule to achieve that single goal. Soon enough, you will start living a more focused, more meaningful life.
Final thoughts
If you are already living a simple life or are just getting ready, you should also remember that staying focused and maintaining a well-organized home is difficult.
This requires constant work. Something like cleaning your house. You don't just clean your apartment once in your life, you do it every week. The same should happen with your habits, goals, thoughts.
I hope the tips above will help you live a comfortable life and give you even more time to do what you really want in life.
What advice would you give how to live easier? I will be glad if you share your thoughts in the comments below.
Notes:
- In this article, you can see the main benefits of a simple, orderly life: the benefits of minimalism.
- To be honest, nobody will ask you this question because most people don't pay attention to it. They are mainly concerned with how they look and how they feel.
- I mean, sometimes I try really hard to understand why girls need a lot of clothes.
We recommend watching:
Minimalism in our lives, how to achieve it, and how to stop choosing to litter your life.
