NAVIGATION
What Are The Benefits
Improve Focus
Free Up Your Time
Gives You More Energy
Offers FreedomThe minimalist lifestyle has become more popular by the day as people discover the benefits of minimalism and how it makes their days simpler and more enjoyable. Let’s face it, though — when I’m standing with an empty donation box, staring at my closet, it’s easy to second-guess my motive.
“Less is more” sounds great in theory, but does it actually deliver?
Hi, I’m Ryan
I don’t do anything for the sake of following a trend. When I make a lifestyle change, I do it because it provides real, lasting value. I’ve personally experienced the benefits of minimalism for over a decade, and it’s paid off tremendously.
What Are The Benefits Of Minimalism?
Over the past ten years, I’ve consistently found that minimalism gives so much more than it takes. It’s true that I’ve purged a lot of stuff from my home, but minimalism isn’t really about stuff. It’s about what can happen in the space that stuff used to fill.
To minimalists, less feels like more because with fewer things we have more room — room to grow, room to think, and room to pursue the activities we love with the people we care about. With space for the things that matter, minimalism delivers more benefits in many facets of life than most people realize.
Minimalism Offers Peace Of Mind
I don’t do anything for the sake of following a trend. When I make a lifestyle change, I do it because it provides real, lasting value. I’ve personally experienced the benefits of minimalism for over a decade, and it’s paid off tremendously.
Nothing relaxes me in the evening like sipping a cup of tea and reading a good book. But before becoming a minimalist, reading sometimes made me feel guilty for two reasons.
First off, I had two bookcases filled with books waiting for me, and often the book I was reading had been downloaded from my library app. Also, when I lived a traditional lifestyle, the idea of down time felt like a guilty pleasure. I had no idea that transitioning to a simpler way of life would change my perspective on leisure.
A minimalist lifestyle encourages down time because empty, unscheduled time is key to a peaceful life. It doesn’t matter how many good things or relationships you have if you aren’t able to sit back and enjoy them.
I’m often asked about how I have time to sit back and enjoy a good book, and that’s a fair question in our busy, deadline-filled world. The truth is, my simplified lifestyle has enabled me to live at a slower pace by removing unnecessary time-wasters and distracting options from my day.
Now, having fewer books enhances my reading time and makes it easier to keep track and take care of the books I have. I can sit down with tea and a book in a cozy chair no longer surrounded by clutter and feel relaxed, calm, and peaceful.
Minimalism Makes Decisions Easier
Believe it or not, a lot of the clutter in our lives serves double duty as regular decisions that we’re forced to make. Even small choices that take time, mental energy, and focus can add up. Having too many options can be overwhelming, bombarding us constantly, forcing us to choose between two or more alternatives.
Too many options means having to make too many decisions
- Which book to read
- What outfit to wear
- What kitchen utensil to grab
- Which cleaning product to use
- What moisturizer to apply
- Which storage container to use
Fewer options mean fewer choices. For me, this translates into less second-guessing, less active decision making about inconsequential things, and more space in my mind to enjoy the slow-paced lifestyle I love.
Adopting a personal minimalist uniform was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. It makes my morning routine a breeze, and my closet always feels organized.
At the end of the day, realizing how much stress all my extra stuff brought into my life was one of the tipping points that caused me to take the minimalist plunge, and I haven’t regretted it once.
Minimalism Improves Focus
I don’t think we realize how distracted we are by the excess in our lives until we simplify. Paring down my inventory cleared not only my living space but also my mental space, helping me feel empowered instead of overwhelmed.
Minimalism makes it easier to do the following
- Concentrate on a work project because my desk and office aren’t cluttered.
- Learn a new skill because I’m not overwhelmed by a lengthy to-do list.
- Set and achieve personal goals because I’m not busy reacting to life’s messes.
- Focus on a complicated recipe because my kitchen is condensed and organized.
- Pay attention in conversations because my mind isn’t preoccupied.
As a minimalist, I feel more present. I can give my full attention to the person next to me instead of balancing a hundred decisions about tomorrow in my head. I have room to focus on and enjoy one person at a time, one thing at a time, and one activity at a time. Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?
Minimalism Frees Up Your Time
If you made a list of the things that mean the most to you and wrote down the amount of time you spent on each one in any given week, would you be satisfied with the time you’re spending on the things and people you’re most passionate about? Wouldn’t it be nice to take time away from menial tasks like reorganizing clutter and give it to your passions instead?
Before simplifying my life, I never realized how much of my time I gave away to my possessions without a second thought. Reducing my inventory has been the most empowering decision of my life. I’m now in control of my time.
Minimalism Gives You More Energy
If you picture the energy you have for family, work, friends, and health divided into four pots on the stove, like in the famous Four Burners Theory popularized by David Sedaris, it’s easy to see why so many of us become overwhelmed, exhausted, and burned out. We only have so much energy to go around.
Minimalism Boosts Confidence
I used to think that having everything I could possibly need for any imaginable scenario would make me feel confident. What I found was that the more stuff I acquired, the more indecisive I was, the more careless I became with my belongings, and the less I remembered what I owned in the first place. After simplifying my life, though, I can confidently do more than ever, with less stress.
Some things I can freely enjoy since becoming a minimalist include
- Inviting people over because my space is easy to tidy.
- Volunteering for a good cause because my time is mine to spend.
- Picking an outfit easily because it fits well and hasn’t been hiding in my closet.
- Making a purchase without guilt because I know what I truly need in my home.
- Deciding against a purchase because I know it won’t improve my life.
- What about you? How could simplifying your home help grow your confidence?
Minimalism Offers Freedom
Do you ever imagine what your life would look like if you devoted less time to cleaning and making tedious decisions about clutter? If you were free to spend your precious energy the way you want to, your life might look a lot different than it does today!
For me, each day looks like
- Living spaces that are easy to tidy
- A peaceful mental space
- Energized confidence to start the day
- More opportunities to learn new things
- More flexibility in my schedule
- An ability to travel easily and efficiently
- Guilt-free long, hot showers
All of these things add up to a wonderful sense of freedom. And I don’t have to imagine that freedom. I’m living in it, enjoying and embracing more aspects of my life.
Freedom becomes much more accessible with a minimalist lifestyle. Learning to let go of things that tie you down and stress you out will open up a whole new life of freedom that you’ll never want to give up.
Minimalism Encourages Individuality
Too much of the time, we place our identity in our belongings. Bookworms have an identity formed around the books they’ve collected, while wine enthusiasts might make their extensive wine cellar their entire personality.
What I discovered when I began the slow process of relinquishing my possessions was freedom to be myself. In a weird way, I used to let my belongings tell me what I liked and who I was.
Learning to let go of the things I no longer used or loved made me realize how stuck I had become in a past version of myself. The more things I got rid of, the more options opened up for me to explore.
One of the biggest things I discovered about myself after becoming a minimalist is that I love playing board games. The social aspect of being face to face is just a better way to connect and spend quality time with people I care about.
If I’d never decided to minimize my stuff, I might never have discovered this about myself, or had a chance to share in the new memories I’ve made and the conversations I’ve had over a board game.
Living Simply With Minimalism
Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to overhaul your whole life at once. Start small, but aim big. Because you’re capable of big. You’re capable of incredible. Envision your ideal lifestyle and start taking steps to get there.
Your Turn!
- If you had more time in your week, what would you spend it on?
- How would a simplified home make you feel more confident or spontaneous?
Does the author have a partner and kids? 😀
Nice piece of writing.Thank you. I like to live with minimal amount of belongings. But my husband wants to keep clutter. He dosent allow me to get rid of those. How to face this problem is my problem.