Minimalism is the practice of removing everything unnecessary and focusing only on the things that really add value. It can be applied to a lot of areas — minimalist art and design are well established and have long histories. However, these days incorporating minimalism into your lifestyle is rapidly becoming the next big thing.
Doubtless you would have heard of Marie Kondo and her Netflix show, which is based on her popular book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.” Other key figures in the minimalist lifestyle movement are Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, who call themselves minimalists and have written books, made films and hosted podcasts on how to live a minimalist lifestyle. They also have a popular blog that shares tips and tricks on how to remove the clutter from your life.
At first glance, the concept of minimalism seems simple. Just get rid of everything you don’t need. But often, we are too busy and stressed to take the time to figure out what we truly need in our lives and what we keep around as distractions. There is also a misconception that minimalism means just getting rid of all your furniture, painting your walls white, and putting in a wooden table and chair. There is a growing industry dedicated to selling you things that will help you maintain a minimalist lifestyle — but doesn’t buying more things go against the basic concept of minimalism?
At its core, minimalism is about focusing your life only on the things that add value. Whether it’s your home, work, school, or social life, you can use the principles of minimalism to make your daily life a more fulfilling one. Keep in mind that minimalism is not the magic solution to all of your life’s problems. It is just a foundation on which you can build other good habits and practices to improve the quality of your life.
Here’s how you can incorporate minimalism into your everyday routine. It’s not difficult, and the more you do it the easier it will be to extend the approach to other aspects of your life as well.
Home. No, you don’t need to throw out everything you own and live like a monk. But let’s be honest, there are probably an awful lot of things in your house that you haven’t looked at or touched in years. These are the things you need to be throwing out. As Marie Kondo’s now-viral catchphrase goes, if it doesn’t “spark joy”, throw it out. Just because it’s old, doesn’t mean it’s unnecessary. If an old letter or diary sparks joy, then keep it. But if a new sweatshirt or pair of shoes doesn’t, then don’t be afraid to get rid of it. Don’t wait around for acts of nature to prompt you into starting the decluttering process — there’s no time like the present!
Relationships. Getting rid of the toxic people in your life can go a long way to decluttering your social life and giving you peace of mind. We’ve all got an acquaintance or two that we just hate hanging out with because they just leave us feeling bad when the day ends. Don’t be afraid to jettison these people from your lives. Some relationships are just not meant to be. Channel the energy you use to maintain these superficial ties into the relationships that you really care about. In relationships, as with most other things, it’s about quality rather than quantity. Better to have a handful of really good, trustworthy friends than a whole collection of “friends” that don’t add anything to your life.
Time. Time is finite, and many of us often find that we don’t have enough of it to focus on the things we want to do. Take a look at your daily schedule and objectively evaluate how many of the items on there are really related to your interests and wishes. Don’t be afraid to skip an office function or a school reunion every now and again if it really doesn’t interest you.
Work. Try not to let your work bleed into the rest of your day. We spend most of our time in the office anyway, so make sure that when you’re off-work, you’re really off-work. Try not to check your work email or reply to work related messages outside office hours. This will help you make sure that you’re maximizing your free time to enrich your own life as much as possible.
Minimalism is not an aesthetic. There’s no fixed way to do it, no right or wrong answer, no set of rules that you have to follow. Read up about what it’s really about and how people have used it throughout history. Then, look at your own life and see how best you can apply it in a way that suits your specific context. Most importantly, don’t be afraid to start small — every little counts.
