What is minimalism?
All the time, we hear stories of people selling nearly all of their belongings, rarely buying anything new, and moving into a tiny house.
Does minimalism have to be that extreme?
Minimalism is the practice of living with less. Everyone has a different interpretation of what “less” means to them. The goal behind minimalism is to downsize and declutter your space and your life to help you better focus on your true priorities. It’s up to you to decide what minimalism means in your life.
The benefits of practicing minimalism are endless. Minimalism leads to higher productivity, a renewed sense of mindfulness, and allows you to prioritize the things most important to you, such as relationships, traveling, or saving money.
Remember that you do not have to be an extreme minimalist to see the positive effects of living with less. Small changes in your habits can lead to a happier and healthier life. Here are a few simple ways to start practicing minimalism this week.
1) Learn to Say No
How much time and energy do you spend going to engagements that you didn’t necessarily want to attend in the first place? Taking control of your agenda and learning to say no to all of the events that do not provide value to you will give you more time to spend on your priorities.
Saying no can feel unnatural if you are not used to turning people down. To help eliminate some of the potential initial guilt, I found it useful to block out time for myself in my agenda. If I was asked to do something, even if I had nothing going on, I had intentionally scheduled time to myself that I couldn’t cancel. It’s important to make yourself a priority, and you shouldn’t feel guilty for saying no to events that are not serving you.
2) Donate or Sell What You Do Not Need
The whole idea of minimalism is based on eliminating clutter, whether it be clutter in your home, wardrobe, diet, or thoughts.
Take a look around your house or apartment. Do you really need or enjoy everything surrounding you? Or is it just adding to the clutter?
Start small. Sorting through your possessions is not only time consuming, but it might also be emotional. For many people, it take some time to come to terms with the value of a particular object, especially if it is sentimental.
Donate or sell what you no longer wish to keep. Which leads me on to the next point.
3) Save in an Emergency Fund
Anyone who has had an unexpected serious expenses can attest that figuring out how to pay for it can be anything but simple. Protect yourself and your finances by starting an emergency fund today.
If you haven’t started an emergency fund before, start with small goals. Even $500 or $1000 can protect you from many financial emergencies.
4) Simplify Your Spending
Budgeting is vital for minimalists. Not only can you simplify your spending by spending less, but you can set up process in order to handle your money with ease.
Utilizing budgeting systems like Personal Capital or Tiller to keep track of your finances. Personal Capital gives you a snapshot of all of your finances in one location, saving you time and energy.
5) Systematize Your Life
By taking the time to streamline processes now, you are saving yourself time and energy in the future.
There are endless possibilities to what you systematize. You can put your bills on autopay. You can streamline your email to prevent wasting time trying to declutter your inbox. Or you can create a process to handle each and every paycheck.
Systematizing as much as you can brings an ease into your life and eliminates the unnecessary clutter, which is what minimalism is all about.
6) Discard Duplicates
How many duplicate objects do you have? It may be similar shirts, duplicate kitchen utensils, or electronics. Chances are, you do not use both objects.
It can be emotionally difficult to part with the old, so we hang onto it while we buy a new version. We keep the old in the hopes of using it, but the old oftentimes adds to the clutter. Consider whether you really need two of an object, or if you can sell or donate the duplicate.
7) Contemplate Before You Buy
Minimalists deeply consider all major purchases before they buy. When you need something new, research to make sure you are finding the best product for you. Study the quality, value for the price, and how much you treasure it.
Even the most avid minimalists need to purchase things occasionally, but making wise purchasing decisions is key.
8) Simplify Your Wardrobe
Do you have an overflowing closet? How many articles of clothing do you actually wear?
You can practice minimalism this week by clearing out your closet. Consider donating any item that you don’t regularly wear, that doesn’t give you confidence, or that isn’t practical.
9) Change Your Diet
You can practice minimalism by examining an unexpected aspect of your life – your diet.
By simplifying your diet, cutting back, and introducing wholesome foods to your diet, you can practice minimalism every time you eat.
10) Cut Back on Social Media
Social media can be a great way to connect with family and friends who live in other parts of the world. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram provide a convenient way to stay updated and share news to those closest to you.
However, social media can create a sense of clutter. When you are scrolling through social media sites, you are constantly bombarded with updates from friends, news, and advertisements.
You don’t have to eliminate social media entirely in order to practice minimalism. Limit the amount of time you spend on such sites and you will notice the difference in your life.
You don’t have to be extreme in order to reap the benefits of minimalism. By making even a few small changes, you can become more efficient and fulfilled. Learning to life a simplified life with less will not only improve your finances, but it has the potential to change your life.
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Do you practice minimalism? How do you think you could simplify your life? Do you think minimalism can help improve your finances?
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I’m totally agree and one the first lessons I’ve learnt when I started to have budget is been say NO to thing I cannot afford and also if I’m debt free I still continue to do it!!!
I’m still working on learning to say no :) thanks, Giulia!
Learning how to say no is huge. My life got better when I stopped saying yes to everyone. I think it saved my sanity.
I agree, Jason. Learning to say no was a hard lesson for me to learn but it’s been one of the best things I could have done for myself.