What Is Minimalism?
Minimalism is the desire to do more with less. There is nothing wrong with owning a lot of possessions. But minimalism is a lifestyle that can help you find freedom from things. We put way too much emphasis on the stuff that we own. Forsaking our finances, health, passions, and relationships. Embracing minimalism will allow you to be more intentional with your life and the decisions that you make.
Misconceptions About Minimalism
In order to practice minimalism, you do not need to get rid go everything that you own. You do not have to practice it in all aspects of your life. You can practice it in the areas in your life that you feel you can do with less. For example, I practice minimalism with my home decor. I prefer to have a spacious living environment free from clutter.
However, I do not practice minimalism when it comes to my wardrobe. I like having a variety of options when it comes to the clothing that I wear. Depending on the weather, event, and or occasion that I am attending. It may require a specific attire. That’s why I don’t practice minimalism with my clothing.
Minimalism is not about restrictions. It’s is about getting rid of excess so that you can focus on what’s more important in your life. It’s about freedom. What most people don’t realize is that all of this excess that you have is what is restricting you. It limits the freedom that you have and is preventing you from growing.
Becoming A Minimalist
A minimalist is a person who wants to have less material things. They don’t want the latest electronic gadget or a new piece of furniture. Minimalists are happy with what they have and don’t continue to crave for more. They want to simplify their life as much as possible. By removing anything that will distract them from living with intent.
If you want to incorporate minimalism in your life and or want to become a minimalist. I recommend that you start with the 30 Day Minimalism Challenge.
What Is The 30 Day Minimalism Challenge?
If you’ve never heard of the 30 Day Minimalism Challenge. Basically you declutter and get rid of items that you own over the course of a month. You get rid of the number of items that correspond with the day. For example, on day one you get rid of one item. On day two you get rid of two items. So on and so forth for an entire month. By the end of the month you will have gotten rid of 465 items.
Declutter With Me
Recently, I did this challenge and recorded it on my YouTube channel. I chose to do the minimalism challenge for the month of July. I filmed myself decluttering items that I owned one week at a time. Working my way throughout my home room by room. Below is a breakdown of the amount of items I decluttered each week along with the video to go along with it. I hope that you will find these videos mildly entertaining and that you will also be inspired to do some decluttering yourself.
Minimalism Challenge Week 1
For week one, I decluttered 33 items. Which included expired foods, towels, bedsheets, furniture, shoes, and cosmetics.
Minimalism Challenge Week 2
For week two, I decluttered 79 items. Which included toiletries, magazines, office supplies, electronics, expired medicine, and household items.
Minimalism Challenge Week 3
For week three, I decluttered 126 items. Which included hangers, furniture, tools, cards, and negatives of photos.
Minimalism Challenge Week 4
For week four, I decluttered 183 items. Which included photos, tupperware, ornaments, craft supplies, and grade school certificates.
Minimalism Challenge Week 5
Week five consisted of days twenty nine, thirty, and thirty one. So it was not a full week but I refer to it as week five. For week five, I decluttered 91 items. Which included miscellaneous items that I scoured my house for in order to complete this challenge.
What Minimalism Has Taught Me
The first two weeks of the challenge were the easiest. I immediately got rid of the items that I already knew that I needed to get rid of. But then when I got to weeks three and four I had to start getting creative and really intentional with the items that I was decluttering. By week five I was scouring my home for anything that I could find that I no longer needed or wanted.
I ended up getting rid of 512 items. I really enjoyed doing the 30 minimalism challenge. Decluttering the items that I own over the course of a month has taught me a lot.
Awareness
Minimalism increased my awareness. I became more aware of the things that I owned. Whether they served a purpose, how often did I use them, and if they improved the quality of my life. Raising your awareness is not something to be taken lightly. Because you are making yourself conscious to something that you weren’t aware of before. I am more aware of the things that I own in such a way that it will impact the decisions that I make in the future.
Quality Over Quantity
Quality over quantity means to choose things of high value over an amount or number of things. I’ve heard this phrase before but only applied it to certain things. It didn’t resonate with me until I started pairing down the items that I owned, that this phrase can be applied to everything. Choosing between what I valued more a single item or a select few over a large quantity of items. Made me understand this phrase a lot better. Having done this, going froward, I am going to be more intentional with the items that I own making sure that they are quality items.
Consume Less
I now consume less. By getting rid of items that no longer served me. I am more mindful of what I bring into my life. I didn’t get rid of a bunch of items, just to go out and accumulate more. By reducing my consumption, I have also reduced the amount of waste that I produce.
Reclaim Time
Owning and have less makes everything effortless. There are less items for me to clean and organize. Nothing is misplaced. I know where everything is, so I don’ spend time searching for anything. Because everything is clean, organized, and in its place. My environment is more efficient and I am able operate at a higher level. I have been able to reclaim time that I didn’t know that I had lost.
Eliminate Discontent
Minimalism helped eliminate any discontent that I felt among the things that I owned. I wasn’t even aware that I was unhappy with anything until I started to get rid of things. What I have noticed is that minimalism doesn’t allow for any discord to be present. By eliminating the discontent that I felt among the things that I owned. I now have a greater appreciation for what I have and chose to keep.
I hope that you enjoyed reading this blog post. Learning about minimalism, the 30 day minimalism challenge, and what minimalism has taught me. If you have any questions feel free to comment down below. I plan on doing the 30 day minimalism challenge every six months. If you would like to see my minimalism journey, then watch my Minimalism Playlist on YouTube.
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