Minimalism tips: what does living a minimalist lifestyle really mean?
Have you been thinking about minimalism or simple living and wondering what it’s really all about?
Minimalism and simple living are great lifestyles to adopt and can really improve your life!
Minimalism isn’t about your possessions, it’s about living and emphasizing experiences over material things. That way you can actually live and remove all the clutter that stops you from doing and achieving your passions and goals.
Minimalism looks different for everyone and there isn’t just one way to live this lifestyle. You can start with different areas of your life and begin decluttering accordingly.
My favorite area of life to declutter for aspiring minimalists is a minimalist wardrobe or capsule wardrobe!
In this post, we’ll cover what living a minimalist lifestyle really means and what it takes to live on a practical level.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.
Related Posts:
- 6 Super Simple Ways To Begin Living A Minimalist Lifestyle
- 6 Unique Ways A Minimalist Approach To Life Can Lead To More Peace & Happiness
- 4 Major Signs You Should Consider a Minimalist Lifestyle
Minimalism Tips: What Does Living a Minimalist Lifestyle Really Mean? What Does it Take?
1. The Desire to Simplify
First off, to want to live a more simple life, you need to have the desire to simplify.
This doesn’t mean you have to go extreme and get rid of everything and drastically change your lifestyle, it simply means you need to have that desire to move on from your current way of life.
There may be many reasons that you want to simplify:
- Tired of the excess clutter
- Fed up with all of the extra cleaning and organizing
- You’re looking for alternative lifestyles that can improve your life
- Looking to live a happier and more fulfilled life
- Tired of wasting money on stuff you don’t even use anymore
I could go on and on, but you get the point. All of these factors can contribute to your desire to start living a minimalist lifestyle.
Creating A Minimalist Wardrobe
One place I highly recommend starting when you begin living a minimalist lifestyle is simplifying your wardrobe!
This is one of my favorite ways to simplify and you don’t even need to be a minimalist to make these types of changes!
There are multiple ways you can make a simple wardrobe, but here are a few examples:
- Traditional minimalist wardrobe
- Capsule Wardrobe
- Seasonal capsule wardrobe
- Travel capsule wardrobe
- Work capsule wardrobe
- At-home capsule wardrobe
So as you can see, there are many different ways that you can make a minimalist wardrobe and for many different purposes.
You don’t necessarily have to remake or declutter your entire wardrobe if you don’t want to!
If you’re just in the mood to make a capsule wardrobe for a particular season or for all seasons, that’s a great way to get started. 🙂
2. Experiences Over Things
Possessions are great to an extent, but if your possessions own you then you really aren’t free.
A minimalist or a person who goes after a simple life chooses to seek out meaningful experiences to grow and expand their knowledge.
My advice: Focus on what experiences you’d like to have, over the material things you’d like to acquire in the future. Think of the places you’d like to go and things you’d like to accomplish.
Next: Make a plan for the type of life you want:
- Maybe travel fulltime
- Learn a new language
- Travel to a new vacation destination
- Learn a new skill (skillshare, masterclass, blogging courses)
- Start a Blog
Whichever your goals might be, shoot for these experiences and goals instead of large unnecessary purchases!
3. Actually Living Not Accumulating
In life, even if we’re young we might imagine that our worth is based on how much “stuff” we have or how much we own.
This includes:
- House
- Cars
- Pool
- Expensive accessories
But why would we do those things and keep accumulating more things if it’s just to impress others?
Instead, we should be looking to live life and focus on what we enjoy in life. Not trying to keep up with any trends or any type of societal pressure to keep up with your neighbor or friends.
Minimalism tips: Focus on your goals and do what you love and live a life that you love.
4. Pursuing Your Passions And Goals
As we touched on above, think about things that you’d like to accomplish but keep putting off.
Really sit down and brainstorm what your skills are and consider where you’d like your career to be.
First: Put some thought into what’s distracting you and getting in your way
Next: If you’d like to travel full time or travel more, think about where your money is being spent and what material clutter is preventing you from living that lifestyle. Take the necessary steps to declutter and remove anything that’s stopping you from pursuing your passions.
5. Spending Time with Friends And Loved Ones
This is a pretty obvious thing to mention, but still important. Making sure that time spent with loved ones and family is prioritized.
Sometimes our schooling or careers may take up a large chunk of our lives.
We must take time to plan and see those that matter the most to us. Life is very short and these are the connections that we cherish for a lifetime.
Maintaining solid relationships is time well spent and regardless of whether you’re a minimalist or not this is something to prioritize.
This is obviously something that can be done as a minimalist or not but when practicing simple living, the hope is that these types of things take a larger role in your life instead of pursuing status and wealth only.
Minimalism tips: Spend time how you want to spend it:
- Even if it means saying no
- Set boundaries
- Enjoy time with loved ones
6. Not Looking For Happiness In Material Things
One of the most important things to pay attention to/keep yourself aware of is the desire to seek happiness in material possessions.
Material possessions will only give you short bursts of dopamine but simply can’t completely fulfill your desires permanently.
We may be compelled and enjoy shopping for many reasons and seeking that “high” that it gives:
- Sad
- Bored
- Overworked
- Wanting more clothes
Minimalism tips: When feeling the urge to shop online, always save items in your cart for later if you can. In addition, wait at least a week if you can and see if you still want the item.
7. Commitment
Commitment is the last thing to consider when living a minimalist lifestyle. Along with knowing your “why”, commitment to living a more simplistic lifestyle is what allows you to continue living in a way that may be different than most people.
You’ll be happy with your decision and when things get tough, your commitment will shine through and you’ll stick to your minimalist lifestyle.
What you’ll need to stick to a minimalist lifestyle:
- Commitment to simplicity
- Your version of minimalist/simple living
- Maintaining a minimalist mindset
Final Thoughts On What it Takes to Live a Minimalist Lifestyle:
What minimalism tips did you enjoy the most? Thanks for reading and comment below if you have any questions or concerns. 🙂