Your first four steps to embodying the life of a minimalist

Contrary to what many think, Minimalism is not purely about owning as little as possible. It’s open to interpretation, but my take on it is that it’s about only owning things that directly add value to your life, and removing as much excess as you can. If you remove so many of your possessions that you continuously need to replace things you have gotten rid of, you are being wasteful and are missing the point.

With that said, your first step should be assessing where you are now and the desired outcome from this change you are going to make. Do you want to live like a monk? Or are you looking to create a certain aesthetic in your home? Are you looking to push your comfort zone seeing how little you can own or are you trying to create as much space in your small apartment/room as possible? Any and all of these reasons are fine, but your personal situation should play a role in what you keep and what you part with.

What lead you to this point?

Many of those who decide to become more minimalistic have done so because the frustrations of their current situation have become too much for them to manage. Over a long period of time, their consistent behaviours of over consumption coupled with a scarcity mindset have lead them to this point. While this desire for change is admirable and shows self-awareness, this person must analyse what lead them to that point in order to make long-term behaviour change possible.

You can get rid of everything you own tomorrow, but if you don’t change your behaviours then eventually you will get back to where you started. This change isn’t a one time action, it’s an ongoing process that never ends. It’s a lifestyle requiring continuous decision making in order to maintain it.

List the specific behaviours you do, consistently, that have contributed towards your current situation. With this added awareness, it may be enough to reconsider your actions next time your listed behaviour presents itself. Acknowledge that these behaviours once served you, but now they don’t and so it is time to let them go.

Declutter

The biggest hurdle you will inevitably face is the dreaded question “what if I need this?”. If you’re asking yourself that question, that answer is you don’t. If you did need it, there would be no question. A good general rule to follow is that if you haven’t used an item in the last year, chances are you are not going to use it in the future. If you’re feeling cautious though, put all the items that fit this criteria into a box. Seal the box. If you haven’t removed an item in 6 months time, part with it.

When it comes to sentimental items, this can be tricky. It is the not the object itself that has value, it is your memories associated with it. A good way around this is to take a photo, perhaps even write about it and what it means to you. Then store that on your phone, computer, journal or wherever. Bare in mind, if the item (or any item regardless of sentimentality) brings genuine value to your life, keep it by all means! Our goal here is to severely reduce the amount of items that are simply being stored and not being used. Mindless elimination is not the goal here.

When it comes to the question “should I sell this? Donate? Or dispose of it?”, you’ll want to consider those options in that order. Selling is ideal, but there comes a point where the monetary value of an object is worth less than the time it would take you to try and sell it. In these instances, donation is the best way forward. If it can’t be donated then try and recycle. Dispose as a last measure.

In this process, you may come across a situation where it seems it would make sense to replace an item with a more “efficient” version, whether that be a new phone, computer, car, or something else. This is usually a trap. An items worth is not only measured in it’s monetary value, but also in its maintenance, on going associated costs, how much of a headache it causes you in its use, and even the amount of effort it takes you to sell/part ways with it.

A new thing which on the surface looks like a sound investment of your time and money can actually turn out to be more of a drain on your resources than you anticipated. Unless the upgrade is of a different magnitude, that 5% faster processor or 4mpg better engine will never pay for itself in the long run. If what you have works well already, why change it?

Maintaining the change

Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.

Epictetus

Accept the fact that your life will not get better by simply continuing to add more things to it, contrary to what advertising tries to convince you. Sometimes less truly is more. You will get tempted, as we all do, but do not be persuaded. If you have a consistent warm place to sleep, food to eat, water on tap and friends around you, you already have it better than 99% of all life that has ever lived on earth. Make a habit of practicing gratitude for the things you do have, as you would likely envy someone in your shoes if you yourself were worse off. Your life could be much, much worse.

It is in our nature to crave more, for improvement and to continuously strive for more prosperous circumstances. This instinct cannot be easily switched off, but you can scratch that itch in a different way. Continuously seeking new experiences and learning new skills will satisfy this urge (even if takes a little longer) and will pay greater dividends to your future than buying new stuff ever will.