Minimalism guide for beginners
Photo by Philipp Berndt on Unsplash
Is it possible to live with the minimal things in life and yet be satisfied? The minimalist lifestyle has become increasingly popular in recent years because it teaches people to live happily only with things that have value, which means there is no accumulation of unnecessary things, people, or thoughts.
Simply, if we put quality before quantity, we can understand why a minimalist lifestyle is something that helps us discover true values and happiness. If you are a beginner to minimalism, here are some useful tips that can serve as a small guide to a minimalist lifestyle.
What can Japan teach you about minimalism?
Japan is one of the pioneers of minimalism. Thanks to the aesthetic of Zen Buddhism, the philosophy of minimalism was rooted deep in the Japanese way of life that it became almost normal to lead an uncluttered life. Minimalism is focusing on simple and uncluttered living with minimal items.
This also applies to home, lifestyle, culture, art, architecture, and more. The point of the Japanese notion of minimalism is simplicity. When it comes to home decorating, white space, natural materials, and simplicity are the most important things.
Less is more.
One of the famous sentences "Less is more" also comes from the philosophy of minimalism. Minimalism encourages us to live surrounded by the minimum number of things necessary for life. Even though cleaning your house comes to mind, you can apply the minimalism concept to remove any unnecessary or things in your life such as clothes, apps on your phone, video games, or toxic people. When you get rid of things that have made chaos in any aspect of life, you will feel great relief.
Photo by Philipp Berndt on Unsplash
Find your own “style”.
Scandinavian and Japanese minimalism is the most popular if you want to decorate your home in that style. However, the philosophy of minimalism has different styles, and it is up to you to find your style. You don’t have to follow everything too strictly. Feel free to take inspiration from other people’s minimalism photos and combine styles in decorating your home, meals, workspace, and others.
Apply Japanese minimalism to your diet.
We mentioned Japan and minimalism at the beginning, but did you know that you can apply this concept to your diet as well? Yes, you can apply Japanese minimalism to your diet to simplify meals and feel healthier. How? Simply prepare some basic meals using a few different ingredients like rice, fish, and vegetables. Also, make sure to eat 3 full meals a day without unhealthy snacks or fast food during breaks.
Choose a minimalist home.
The interior in a minimalist style is not only modern and popular, but it can save you a lot of money. First, imagine how much money you can save if you rent or buy a smaller apartment? Extra rooms will just serve for storing junk, and as we have already said one of the ways to become minimalist is to declutter your space.
Think about what rooms you need for life, and then also think about furniture and technology. You certainly don't need 3 TVs, a bunch of pillows, or books that don't interest you. Also, less furniture means less cleaning!
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Declutter your life.
To live an uncluttered and clean life, get rid of all unnecessary, unwanted, broken, or not valuable things. Slowly start with decluttering your room, home, workspace, yard, car, and more. A home with fewer things looks neat, clean, and nice. In addition, everyone knows that nice feeling when everything is in its place.
But that's not all. It is not enough to remove not only unnecessary material things from life but also worries that bother you, toxic people, as well as anything that makes pressure on you.
Less clothing.
Are you sure you want to live like a minimalist and have over 30 dresses and twice as many shoes? If your closet is full of things, it's time to get rid of the excess and free up space. Getting rid of old and unworn stuff, as well as simplifying your style, will help you to remove the wardrobe clutter. Moreover, you’ll have some extra cash in your pocket.
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Don’t overbuy: borrow or rent things.
If you want to be a total minimalist then you have to get used to renting or borrowing stuff. You can always rent or borrow a bicycle, books, or some clothing item from a friend. Things that are not necessary for your life, and you do not have a place for them in the apartment, borrow them when you need them. Try not to overbuy.
Buy quality products that will last long.
As we mentioned above, don't buy too much, especially things that are of poor quality just because they are cheap. If you want to be minimalist, focus on quality products that will last long. Also consuming less and buying things made from natural and recycled materials will be your small contribution to environmental protection.
Invest in multi-purpose items.
Multi-purpose items are one of the coolest minimalism lifestyle products. Multi-purpose kitchen utensils or gadgets will save space in every room no matter how large it is. These gadgets can have multiple purposes and can be super-efficient for both home and camping, such as The Swiss Army knife or the Bluetooth speakers. Subscription boxes like BREO BOX can help you find the best gadgets and quality products to improve your minimalistic space.
Keep only 1 favorite mug.
Admit to yourself how many favorite cups you have? You don’t need 15 coffee mugs. Keep one of your favorite mugs and a few more for friends and guests. Minimalism will help you get rid of many things that you haven't used for a long time and probably won't, in this case, "favorite" cups that you haven't used for years because you often use 2 different cups the most.