It's been for a while I've been thinking of adopting minimalism as a lifestyle. This decision didn't come from the popularity of it but naturally with the desire to declutter and simplify my life in order to avoid the stress and focus on what is more important and what I really love.
Decluttering is about getting rid of the things we don't want but minimalism is more a lifestyle and a change of mindset. It is more about discovering what we actually love and value and how little we actually need for that.
There are many reasons to love and start Minimalism but I will focus on the 5 reasons that made me adopt minimalism.
1- Minimalism Makes Us More Organized
Everything we own takes both our time and energy. However not all the things are worth it. When we start purchasing less, we spend less time and less energy on keeping, storing, cleaning and organizing and more spare time is spent on focusing on the things that really spark our joy.
2 - Minimalism is Better For Our Mental Health
Personally, visual clutter causes me anxiety and nervousness. I feel chaotic, unorganized, at a loss, I lose concentration and become forgetful.
In short, I cannot be productive.
On the contrary, when there is less or no clutter, I become more peaceful which boosts both my energy and productivity.
3 - Minimalism Leads to Less Cleaning
No matter how organized you try to be, but when you possess too many things, you have to spend most of your time cleaning up. Imagine the time and energy you will save when you have fewer things to pick up, to dust, to clean and to wash.
4 - Minimalism is Environmental - Friendly
When we decide to own less, we buy less and this leads to less waste and less pollution. We make better buying options and prefer quality to quantity. This means we purchase long-lasting items that will serve us for many years instead of ending up in the landfill in a short period of time.
5 - Minimalism Helps Us Save Money
Minimalism makes us own less and buy less. We feel conscious and think twice before buying something. We go shopping not because there is a massive sale but because we need something. This can help us save money and have more money left to spend on our hobbies or things we love more, like travelling or investing some money on your professional development.
If you are considering the idea of starting Minimalism bear in mind that you should start it slow. It doesn't happen in a day, nor in a week.
You should make Minimalism a habit.
Start by writing down your reasons.
Clear out one room at a time.
Purchase things thoughtfully and intentionally only when you really need to replace something old with a new one.
Minimalism is about a balance between too much and too little, it is about simplifying our life and enjoying experiences over possessions.
