GUIDE TO MINIMALISM

It takes a certain level of patience, to peel away from our screens, take a minute to appreciate things around and devote ourselves to simple and steady things in life. Numerous studies have shown people who focus on the experience of the present moment are far happier than those who do multi-tasking. 

Practicing a lifestyle of mindfulness, simplicity and thankfulness helps to remind us of all the beauty in our life and keeps us away from piling unnecessary activities or objects in our routine.

The definition of minimalism can be different for everyone but basically it is a style in which very simple and smaller amount of things are used to create a particular effect. 

WHY BE A MINIMALIST?

We need to understand that there is nothing wrong in owning material possessions but we generally end up having too much of everything on our plate and we start to give more importance to those things , often forsaking our health , relationships , happiness , passions, our personal growth and development .

Minimalism is not stopping any of us from having a comfortable life with all necessary facilities; it just makes an individual more conscious and aware of their decisions. Minimalism helps us get rid of excess stuff, it helps us to create more and consume less. Minimalists search for happiness and fulfillment not through things but through life itself. Thus it is for you to decide what is extra and what is necessary. Minimalism can help you escape from the trappings of consumerist culture which means spending of money by costumers on material goods to attain a specific type of lifestyle in the capitalist society.

HOW TO BE A MINIMALIST?

Before sharing some tips for the same I would like to tell you that it is not easy to take the first step but your journey towards minimalism gets easier the further you go. Here are some steps that one can follow in order to lead a more meaning life: 

• TAKE IT EASY

There is absolutely no RUSH ! One should not go over the board in the starting . When it comes to simplifying your life , its important to maintain a gradual level of change . If you decide to de-clutter your entire house within two weeks then you might be overwhelming yourself . Instead start small and focus on specific areas .

• IDENTIFY THE ESSENTIALS

This is an important step in your journey to become a perfect minimalist . One should take note of all essential and must have items so that they don’t regret their decision to lead a minimalist life at the end of the day. We all have some stuff at home that we don’t use and we want to get rid of it but that just doesn’t happen sometimes. So an individual should utilize this time to make a list of things that they want to discard .

 

•  DON’T THROW AWAY , DONATE OR RECYCLE

After segregating all important items , we should have a list of things we don’t require , but remember there is always somebody out there who might need it . So the best way to not waste the material is to donate it . And if that particular item is broken or has some defect , one should get it recycled. 

•  EMBRACE MULTIPURPOSE TOOLS

Multipurpose tools help in conserving space so why not have a single tool or object that does multiple work instead of having many tools that take up so much of space .

•  THINK BEFORE YOU BUY NEW THINGS

One of the biggest component of minimalist living is giving adequate thought to the things you buy .One should not buy a dress because it will brighten up the wardrobe or another luxury pair of shoes just because they like the brand . We need to be very subjective while we shop.

•   DON’T MAKE EXCUSES , GET GOING

The minimalist lifestyle is not something that you can achieve with a casual attitude . It requires self discipline and honesty to ANALYSE the items that actually hold some sort of value .

•        HAVE GRATITUDE FOR WHAT YOU HAVE

When you feel grateful for everything you own , the desire to own more gradually disappears .Minimalist lifestyle is largely about the search for contentment and contentment begins with gratitude for what you have . So always try to be happy with what you have !