I’ve been taking inventory over the past few weeks in anticipation of making an international move in a few months. Which essentially means I’ve been clearly evaluating my life, the things I own and what I want overall.
As it turns out, I have a lot of stuff that I really don’t need. Further to that, I don’t really want it either. As I’ve started to clean out my house, I’m realizing I’ve accumulated things that I haven’t looked at, touched or used in years.
Which has got me thinking, maybe it’s time to embrace the minimalist lifestyle. But how do you start to do that? We’ll I’ve been doing some research, and here’s what I’ve come up with:
Make a Plan
Rome wasn’t built in a day as they say, neither will making a drastic lifestyle change. So, in lieu of overnight changes, you need to make a real plan. One with clearly set goals that you will be able to achieve.
What are great minimalistic goals? It depends on your end game, but maybe it’s decluttering and clearing one room at a time. Maybe it’s gathering up five items per day. Or maybe it’s something bigger like packing up and moving into a smaller space.
Take Your Time
Unloading your cluttered life takes some real time, don’t be tempted to rush it or you might regret it. Make slow, incremental changes so you can get used to the new idea of you over time.
Dumping everything at once could make you run back to it immediately, and you might end up spending a ton of money trying to get back things that you don’t need. So, make changes over a period of time.
Move to a Smaller Space
Once you’ve done a good job clearing and decluttering your space, it might be time to consider moving to a smaller space. Otherwise, you might be tempted to start filling up that space again.
A smaller space can help instill your new minimalist lifestyle and keep things smaller and closer to what you need and not whatever crosses your fancy. It’s amazing how much the space you live in can change your opinion.
Adopt a Minimalistic View on Purchasing
This might be the only thing that I have down pat for this—but really think hard whether you need something or not. Don’t make impulse purchases. I use a 3-day rule (which usually is closer to 7 days), and when I seen something I must have then I wait a minimum of three days before I make the purchase.
More often than not, I forget about whatever it was after 24-hours and when I do remember, it simply wasn’t that important anyway. It saves you a lot of money and a lot of space in the long run.
What are your tips for living a minimalist lifestyle? Share them below!
Looking For More Insights?
- What Is The Best Reason To Give When Applying For A Personal Loan?
- What Can You Actually Do This Summer For A Vacation?
- The Idea Of The “Hustle” Makes Us Forget To Work Smarter
Tae started out as a journalist before following the money into the corporate world. But it turns out that the grass isn’t always greener and now you can find her spending most of her time writing about all the things she loves. Namely, money, travel and business with a hefty dose of self-deprecating humor. She is a podcast fanatic, blogging aficionado and loves to find new ways to turn passions into cold hard cash!