How To Become A Minimalist: 9 Tips For Beginners

Minimalism is a lifestyle. The journey to minimalism doesn’t happen overnight or without work. Just take things slow and remember – there is no perfect time. Start where you are right now and start simplifying your life in small, simple steps.

We’ve made it easy for you to get started by creating this step-by-step beginner’s guide to becoming a minimalist.

You may approach minimalism in various ways. A minimalist lifestyle does not mean giving up everything and living in a space with no character. It can simply mean finding happiness through lessened distractions. 

This means minimalism by choice for some people – choosing to live with fewer possessions or more intentional belongings that make your life easier. Other people find that minimalism is forced upon them due to financial or other situations. There are many different ways to integrate the principles of minimalism into your life.

Minimalists do not have an end goal. Instead, they are constantly evolving and finding new freedom in their lives through simplicity. This is where you can get as creative as possible, but it’s important to remember that your rules suppose to keep you happy and stress-free.

Whatever your definition of minimalism, make sure that it’s something sustainable and achievable for your life.

Once you’ve decided what changes to make in your life, it’s time to get organized.

Let’s admit it; some items in our homes are just junk – like mail order boxes and broken things that we never get around to fix. Gather up all that stuff and recycle or donate it.

Next, declutter your home by discarding all duplicates. Get a box and fill it with any items that you have more than one of. You only need one. Put the box out of sight for two weeks, and if you don’t need it, donate it.

These items waste space, and minimalism are all about using space efficiently.

Get rid of everything that does not add value, happiness, or meaning to your life.

Keep only the things you love and use. Donate, sell, or throw out things that don’t add value to your life: Clothes you haven’t worn in a year? Sell them on eBay. Bookshelves full of novels you’ll never read again? Donate them!

Go through your belongings and decide if each item is necessary or not. If you haven’t used an item in six months to a year, it’s time to get rid of it.

Stop buying stuff on impulse. Whether it is food, clothes, or gadgets, do not bring it in if you don’t need it. Once you have decided to become a minimalist focus on buying only what you want and truly need, your life becomes simplified. The less stuff you have around this will be much easier for you.

Be aware of retail tactics, and do not buy anything on sale, if you do not need it. Also, be careful about buying things when you’re bored or depressed, as it is easy to convince yourself that you need it to feel better.

To dress with less, you need to take a good look at your wardrobe. Go through what you have got and choose anywhere from 20-40 pieces of clothing that best represent who you are right now. Also, consider the lifestyle you wish to lead in the future. Once you have selected them, remove everything else and put it away in storage.

Update your wardrobe every six months and weed out anything that no longer suits you or represents who you are. Then, add accessories to any outfit, creating countless new looks without adding to your wardrobe’s overall amount of items.

You can then start to slowly add more clothes, shoes, and accessories as you need them, all the while keeping an eye on what you have already selected for inclusion in your minimalist lifestyle.

Don’t worry if this seems like a lot of effort at first; it gets easier over time and will soon become second nature.

If you want inspiration to get started, we created a guide on how to create a capsule wardrobe for men.

Minimalism is not only about getting rid of things. It’s also about having experiences that are important to you and finding life balance.

Make a list of all activities that are meaningful to you, including the simple pleasures in life. For example, you could list spending time with family or listening to music. These are all things that can be beneficial in your life.

Are there any experiences that are not meaningful to you? If there are, take a minute and think about it. Maybe that activity is just someone else’s dream or goal. How can you minimize your time on it or even stop doing it entirely?

After making the list of what’s important to you, your life might be simpler and more enjoyable because some activities will no longer take up room in your schedule. So not only can you have less clutter around you but also get rid of all the unnecessary time wasters.

We all have numerous demands on our time, but trying to do too much can be depleting. One step towards becoming a minimalist is to focus your attention on only one task at any given time. It sounds simple enough, but many of us find that trying to juggle too many things at once can be exhausting and even stressful.

When you are constantly distracted by other duties or responsibilities, it is easy to forget what your original purpose was in the first place. This makes concentration difficult and will make completing even simple tasks seem like an uphill battle.

Each time you shift your attention elsewhere, you take multiple steps back rather than only one step away from where you started. This will make it harder for you to reach your original destination.

You can make life easier by prioritizing what you need to do first and waiting until later because there will always be more important tasks than others.

People often think of being a minimalist as being about what you have in your house. However, as we discussed above, it’s not just about the stuff; it’s also about how you do things. For example, if you want to be a minimalist regarding food, you should eat similar meals.

Eating similar meals means you don’t have to worry about what to make for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Try eating the same breakfast and lunch the whole week and having a few dinners choices, so you don’t get bored. They do not have to be exact duplicates of one another, but they should contain similar ingredients or at least a couple of main items that are the same in each meal.

Simplifying meals is an easy way to save time because you will already know what you need from grocery shopping day, so you can just purchase it without much thought involved.

Not having to think about what to eat will make it easier and take less time to prepare the meals. Plus, by eating similar meals, you are more likely to eat healthier because you’re just thinking of one meal instead of three different foods consisting of junk food.

Try out this method for a week and see how you feel. It might take some getting used to, but it’s worth it as it will free up a lot of time for you.

You should consider an emergency fund an essential part of any minimalistic lifestyle because it reduces stress and simplifies life in general. It might take some time to save up, but you can cut back on other expenses until the savings are there.

Money for emergencies reduces stress and gives you a sense of security. This can help you focus on what is important and worry less about what could go wrong. I can make you less anxious in general when you don’t have to worry about the little things.

Simplifying your life doesn’t have to be complicated. You can take many steps; try these one at a time until they feel like second nature; it could make for an easier transition into living more simply. Remember that this isn’t something you need to do at once or by any specific deadline; simplicity should happen naturally as part of ongoing efforts. What step will you try next?