Minimalism is on trend at the moment, but it’s also often misunderstood. This new way of living, which relies on jettisoning ‘stuff’ and living life as simply as possible, is going from strength to strength, helped, in part, by a popular 2015 documentary movie by Matt D’Avella.
As a general rule, minimalists try to de-clutter their living space by getting rid of as many of their possessions as possible. They argue that people attach too much importance to stuff, and some minimalists even choose to sell their house and car and to go travelling.
But you don’t have to go all-in to reap the benefits of a minimalist lifestyle. By simply having regular clear outs, donating old clothes to charity and getting rid of that DVD collection that you never watch, you can help to streamline your living space and to reap the benefits of minimalism.
Here are just ten of the ways it can help you.
1. MINIMALISM SAVES MONEY
It’s true – think about it. If you make a commitment to owning less stuff, you’re less likely to splash out on new clothes and new gadgets every time you pick up a paycheque. Western society is built on capitalism, and capitalism is built on people buying things that they don’t really need. Avoid the temptation – your wallet will thank you.
2. MINIMALISM SAVES TIME
If you have less stuff – and if your house is less cluttered – you’ll waste less time trying to find things. It’ll also be easier to clean the place because you won’t have as many possessions to get in the way. That’s why a minimalist lifestyle is so popular amongst productivity gurus – a place for everything and everything in its place.
3. MINIMALISM SAVES THE PLANET
Less stuff means less waste and less packaging. On top of that, virtually everything comes with a carbon footprint, even if it’s just from transportation. More often than not, high-end consumer goods and fancy gadgets come with a hidden cost for the environment. If you don’t really need something, why burden both yourself and Mother Nature?
4. MINIMALISM SETS A GOOD EXAMPLE
If you have children, adopting a minimalist lifestyle is a great way to encourage them not to place too much value on physical objects. Instead, they’ll grow up valuing family, friendships and experiences over flashy cars, big houses and expensive jewellery.
5. MINIMALISM HELPS YOU TO LOOK TO THE FUTURE
Some people think that minimalism is a bad thing – after all, people like their stuff, and there are often memories attached to it. The trick is to get rid of anything that makes you feel bad and to keep what makes you feel good. Doing this will naturally help you to stop dwelling on the past, removing pessimism and negativity and encouraging an optimistic view of the future.
6. MINIMALISM HELPS YOU TO CONCENTRATE
When you’ve got a deadline coming up, whether we’re talking about at school, at college or at work, it helps to be able to focus. Living a minimalist lifestyle will reduce the amount of distractions that are lying around and help you to focus on getting stuff done. In fact, expert writer Rebecca Llewellyn from Wizessay.com says that “removing as much external stimuli as possible is one of the best ways there is to get something done – and writing is no exception.”
7. MINIMALISM LETS YOU FOCUS ON EXPERIENCES
This one’s for the millennials. One study found that younger people prefer discovering new experiences over collecting physical things, with CNBC explaining, “Millennials aren’t spending [their] money on cars, TVs and watches, [they’re] renting scooters and touring Vietnam, rocking out at music festivals or hiking Machu Pichu.”
8. MINIMALISM HELPS YOU TO PRIORITISE
Too many people neglect their friends and family to hobnob with clients and colleagues. Time is our most precious commodity, and more and more people are choosing to prioritise spending time with their loved ones over using it in the pursuit of money. It’s hardly a revolutionary idea – Charles Dickens warned us about this in A Christmas Carol over 170 years ago.
9. MINIMALISM IS AESTHETICALLY PLEASING
There’s no denying that a clean, well-organised living room is more aesthetically pleasing than a garage full of junk. Living a minimalist lifestyle removes all of the clutter and allows you to make the most of a smaller space. Like we said earlier: a place for everything and everything in its place.
10. MINIMALISM SETS YOU FREE
If you have less stuff, you have less to tie you to any particular place. This is perfect for travellers and wanderers, but it’s also nice to know that you have the freedom to up sticks and move if you need to. It can also help you to stress less about theft, fires and other threats to your possessions.
CONCLUSION
Adopting a minimalist lifestyle doesn’t have to be a case of all or nothing. Many people have reaped the benefits of minimalism by taking just the first tentative steps towards it. Even sorting through your stuff and throwing out a couple of trash bags or donating some of the good stuff to charity is better than nothing.
Better still, minimalism has a whole heap of benefits – including plenty more that I haven’t included in this article. So many people swear by it. So what are you waiting for? Give it a try!