Unfortunately, for many of us, the idea of minimalism is an approach to life that has never been introduced or has never been invited to explore. The benefits of minimalist living have never been properly explained. As a result, it’s too far a leap and jumping in with both feet is just not going to happen. The “Less is More” ideology of minimalism is confusing to many.
But maybe there’s an easier way than jumping in with both feet.. Maybe living as a minimalist can just be explored for a bit. One may not experience all the benefits that are awarded to those who jump in with both feet, but they just may taste enough to continue along the journey.
Allow me to offer 7 areas of life where living with less can be sampled. They are designed to be picked one-by-one, risk-free. Implementing each as an experiment for 3-4 weeks will give a good feel for the practical benefits of minimalist living, but it’s your experiment and you decide the length.
Table of Contents
7 Ways to Sample Minimalist Living and Living With Less
1. Owning Less Clothes.
Many of us have closets full of clothes that we no longer like or no longer fit us correctly. They are just taking up space. The simple exercise of going through your closet and removing all unused clothing leaves your closet lighter, your mornings less stressful, and your wardrobe full of things you love. Give your lighter wardrobe 30 days to work its magic… you’ll never miss those unused clothes.
2. Decorations.
Many of the decorations in our homes hold no personal value to our lives. They just simply happened to match the color of the carpet or be on sale when we walked into the store. Unfortunately, they are distracting you and your guests from the decorations in your home that share your story and highlight your values. Take a moment to walk through your home and leave only the decorations that are the most meaningful and the most beautiful. Your home will begin to share your story in a beautiful way. And your old decorations will likely end up on sale at your next garage sale or given away.
3. Encourage Creativity with Less Toys Laying Around.
Too often, we fall into the line of thinking that says more is better… and so do our kids. We begin to purchase and collect far too many toys for our children. As a result, our children have no need to learn how to be creative, helpful, careful, or sharing. Fewer toys may benefit your kids in numerous ways. Although you may want to consult your children before you remove their unused toys, there’s a pretty good chance that after only a few weeks the old, unused toys will be forgotten.
4. Kitchen Utensils.
There never seems to be enough storage space in our kitchens. Yet most of our grandmothers cooked far more often, far more decadent, and far better than many of us today… in much smaller kitchens. The truth is that when it comes to cooking, simple is almost always better. We need far less cooking utensils than we currently own. As a result, our drawers, cabinets, and counter tops can be far better organized and useful if we simply owned less. To give this experiment a go, and store all your unnecessary utensils in a plastic bin, put them away out of sight, and see if you just enjoy cooking a little more in your new, clutter-free space.
5. Televisions.
According to Nielsen, the average person watches 4 hours, 35 minutes of television each day. And the average American home now has more television sets than people. In the average American home, a television set is turned on for more than a third of the day — 8 hours, 14 minutes to be exact. We are literally sitting on the couch while life passes us by. Experiment with owning fewer televisions. As a result, you will watch less. And when you do, you will be more likely to do it together as a family.
6. Counter-tops.
Clutter is a form of distraction. It pulls at our attention and redirects our thoughts – even for just an instant. Everything sitting out on your counter tops competes for your attention. Unfortunately, we have become so accustomed to these distractions that we don’t even notice them anymore… Experiment with keeping your counter tops completely clear. Store things in drawers, cabinets, pantries, or temporary storage boxes. After one week, you’ll likely return some of it for the sake of convenience, but I’d bet that you won’t return all of it.
7. Optimize Space With Less Furniture.
Removing excess furniture from your rooms will immediately open up significant space and airflow in your home. The rarely-used pieces of furniture in your home are quickly recognizable and taking up more space than you realize. This experiment requires a place to store your furniture during the trial period, but it’s a quick and easy way to remove some of the largest clutter from your home.
Conclusion
Breaking it down like this makes minimalist living seem a lot more achievable. There is no time requirement of how fast you have to pare down your belongings. No deadline to living with less.