Aug 17, 2017

The Benefits of Minimalism

Benefits of Minimalism, 30 ways living more minimally will improve your life.

With capsule wardrobes and Marie Kondo becoming more widely-known, minimalism is something I’m hearing a lot more about lately. I’ve become increasingly interested in practicing minimalism over the last 5 years and learned more and more intricacies of it. At it’s core, minimalism is a lifestyle that involves living intentionally. It’s that simple and it reads differently for everyone. It involves making intentional choices about your time, money, and especially consumption. Over time I’ve learned quite a few ways that minimalism benefits me and today I’m happy to share 30 ways minimalism can benefit you as well.

  1. More clarity with everything in life, when you’re intentional about the stuff in your house, the rest of your thought-process will follow.
  2. Focus on what matters the most, doing what is most important to you.
  3. Having less stuff means having less stuff to care for.
  4. Less housework with less to organize and pick up.
  5. Finding items more easily, not only in the decluttering process, but once you have less.
  6. Having less anxiety. Visual clutter can be distracting and having less of it will help ease anxiety (I know it’s helped mine!)
  7. Take better care of the things you have, meaning you will want to make what you have last longer.
  8. Feeling less guilt for items tied to emotional moments in your life. If you don’t have them, you won’t be tempted to dwell on the past as much.
  9. Being happier in your space. Feeling lighter without being surrounded by a ton of objects.
  10. Spend less time organizing “stuff” because you will have less.
  11. Your home will be safer with less tripping hazards.
  12. If you work from home you will be less distracted by clutter.
  13. Having unexpected guests is no longer stressful because your home should be tidy already.
  14. Be more aware of what you actually own, in case of break-in or theft, you already know what to look for.
  15. You gain a new appreciation for white space and will be less tempted to buy stuff just to fill space.
  16. Utilizing a minimal wardrobe should make it easy to choose outfits in the morning, thus saving you time!
  17. Your home decor will allow items you really love to be on display.
  18. If you minimize your expenses, you can also minimize your work hours.
  19. Living a more intentional life will make you feel more in control of your destiny.
  20. Tidying up is quick because you know exactly where everything is supposed to go.
  21. A beautiful home is a clean home and yours will now require less effort.
  22. Moving is easy and quick, with packing less stuff as  less of a chore.
  23. With a minimal closet, packing for trips will be easier because you be less overwhelmed with options.
  24. Finding comfort in healthy self-care or fostering relationships instead of material possessions.
  25. Learn to prioritize your time. “No.” is a complete sentence and you don’t owe anyone an explanation.
  26. White space leaves room for creativity. Your mind is allowed to be a blank slate.
  27. Learning the difference between needs and wants.
  28. Being a good role model for your (possibly future) children and your friends alike.
  29. Spend less time reminding other family members to clean their stuff up.
  30. Being more practical with your spending habits means having more extra money.

All of these benefits might sound simple and small, but they are most certainly significant when they add up.

Minimalism Resources:

Do you practice minimalism? Do you have any additional benefits to add?

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My husband and I recently retired so we sold most of our things – including our house. We bought an RV and will live and travel in it. It is a huge change for us, but it is very freeing.

I agree with all of this. Clutter, for one, definitely makes me feel anxious. Even after the holiday decorations are out for a few weeks, I start to feel stressed. I think we forget about a lot of things we have, when we have so much.

I am trying to downsize and I would never be called a minimalist as I would be closer to a hoarder. It is so hard for me to waste expensive things no matter how many of them I collect over the years. I have gotten rid of lots of pricey things lately by donating them so I feel like I am making progress!

I am trying to live a minimalist lifestyle. I have cleaned out every drawer and closet in my house, now I just need to tackle my beauty collection!! YIKES!

As I DIY crafter I tend to “collect” lots of stuff especially now that I’m an avid upcycler. I’d love to be more of a minimalist but it never seems to fail the second I start downsizing my stockpile the second I find the perfect project for something I’ve thrown out. It’s frustrating and a major challenge but I’m working on it. Clutter drives me crazy!

I’m a minimalist… my husband is too. At least we used to be. Before our two kids came along, we had nothing in our house, except books and clothes and dishes. After two kids…not so much. I do try to keep the toys minimal and stored away in baskets. But for me it is the crafts that overwhelm the house. My 5 year old loves crafting…so we are overrun by markers, and paint, and paper, and clay, and feathers, and sequins, and pompoms and (the worst part) glitter! Not to mention the finished crafts that we always have to keep! She’s also a “collector” of rocks and shells and all other tiny things. I’ve tried to limit her to 3 collections allowed, each in its own pretty container… which lasts a week or two before they are scattered all over the house! I don’t know how to get back to our minimalist ways without taking away the things that make my girl’s heart happy?!

My second oldest son lives in a condo. The owner is selling when his lease is up so he has to move out. He sold EVERYTHING including his new furniture and bought a trailer (mobile home, whatever it’s called) to live in that pulls behind his truck. He’s going to live in the trailer for a year, saving all he makes and travel the US for a year after that… crazy, but I get it!! He’s a minimalist at heart. Always has been. 🙂

I would love if I could focus more on minimalism! All your points are so true

I’m trying out the minimalist life! I just started the 333 project last year and love it! I reference your website a lot for inspiration. Thanks!

I am trying to become minimalist these last couple of years. I find it a bit hard to get rid of some things but still it is worth it because I see the results.

for the fall I plan to do a huge purge of things that i have before they swallow me

Growing up, my parents were constantly acquiring things (not quite hoarding, but close), yet I rarely had anything to call my own (particularly clothes). After moving away to college I began to buy anything and everything in the cheapest way possible and amassed a large closet full of items I didn’t like and products I wouldn’t use. I carried a lot of those things with me after graduating, and within the last few years came to the realization that none of it made me happy. We began traveling and staying in people’s homes through Airbnb drove us to begin shedding lots of unnecessary things. We’re not “minimalists” but just about everything in our home serves a purpose and is something we love. It’s also much easier to avoid acquiring “stuff” when we consider where the money spent on that item could take us!

I am so a minimalist unfortunately I live with my inlaws who are border line hoarders… Needless to say I have so much anxiety and stress its not good! Hopefully I can convince them to let go of some of their stuff soon.

I am so not a minimalist. I love having lots of stuff around me that I switch out all the time.

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