Minimalism. Some people might be scared by the sound of this word. Why is that? Well, some people relate minimalism to having less. And let me tell you this my dear people, appreciating minimalism means having more! Being happier with less is the greatest gift. Because once we realize that stuff doesn’t really fulfill us, at least not the essential needs, we can allow ourselves to be so much happier with the things we do have. Which is mostly just ourselves, our happiness, our family and friends, our blessings, memories, the sun and our beautiful planet, et cetera, et cetera.
Just a very small and personal example from my side. I used to have a lot of stuff. And with a lot I mean a lot a lot. A lot of clothes, a lot of shoes, a lot of bags, a lot of books, a lot of stationary and a lot of other accessories. I used to think that that stuff made me happy. But guess what? The more stuff I owned the more annoyed I got by them. They took a lot of space and I barely even knew everything I owned so I couldn’t even use it properly. By the time I had to move several times during my student years all the stuff really started to irritate me. So, time to organize! PS: I love organizing omg, guilty pleasure. But everyone knows the feeling of not wanting to throw away stuff that you might regret later, right? So I did start organizing but it took a while before I really got “easier” with getting rid of stuff.
To be honest, only just now, years later, I’m releasing myself from all the stuff to the fullest! I live in a 32m2 apartment and I couldn’t be any happier. Having less stuff indicates so much more freedom is so many different ways, not just financially. It’s so much more fulfilling. I really believe in a sustainable lifestyle and of course I understand that this is not the case for everyone. Don’t worry, only do what feels right for you. The only thing I’d like you to ask is to be aware of it.
Live conscious.
Minimalism is not just something referring to owning a lot of stuff. Minimalism can also relate to organizing your thoughts. Allow yourself to think clearly and to clear your mind from time to time. Some mindfulness. This is especially helpful before you go to bed to end your day well and have a nice night of sleep. People underestimate the power of a good night of rest where our mind and bodies recharge. Tomorrow is a fresh new day. Something I really prefer is to write down my thoughts when I feel like it. Just to get them out of my head and create peace. This works for every thought that pops up in your mind. Not just mentally exhausting thoughts but also simple things. For example, why try to remember all your groceries before heading to the supermarket? Just make a note in your phone that lists them all. Or what I like to do, make calendar items, even in different colors if you like that too, and add remarks. I. Love. Organizing. Very recently I ordered a Remarkable, so exciting! This device offers a real paper and write experience without needing any notebooks or printed documents. This suits me and my sustainable (and minimalistic) lifestyle perfectly! I cleaned out all my notebooks, which was also one of my guilty pleasures so imagine that there were a lot of them, storage folders and complete desk in order to replace it with just one item that storages everything! Literally everything from sketches to full book stories. Life goals. Now I only need my Remarkable to carry everything at once, wherever I go and it doesn’t take any place. Best idea ever.
Want to order a Remarkable with a serious discount? Order here.
Talking about devices, try to take some distance from your daily devices from time to time to be able to really clear your mind. All the stimuli we get from for example social media and television can overwhelm us which makes our mind a bit restless. Train yourself to recognize when this happens so you can take some distance and do something that helps you to calm your mind. In general we are our own best company, so be in a good place with yourself and you’ll see that you don’t need much more or any others to make you happy.
Create your own peace.
In addition, I created a “sustainable” system for my closet organizing. First of all, I have this magically efficient storage bed which pretty much stores 75% of my total wardrobe, including all of my jackets and shoes. It’s a kind of magic! Besides, I have this little dresser where I keep all my underclothing and shirts, coiled so it’s super clear and nice-looking. All my other clothes like blouses and dresses are presented in a thoughtful way (again) at this cute clothing rack. Finally, and this is a very convenient tip for you all, I keep my seasonal clothing stored in transparent and labelled boxes that I can hide between my bed and the wall. Clever he?!
Key is to organize clearly and keep everything in a for you logical place.
As you can see, there is no need to get rid of everything in order to create a minimalist lifestyle, but you don’t need much either. Simply hang on to the things that really contribute to your happiness. It differs per person what stuff is important to hang on to and what’s not. So don’t compare yourself to others and follow your own path. You’ll notice that it takes time and that you’ll make progress in steps. Enjoy the ride! Remember there is no such thing as perfection and that success doesn’t happen overnight. Watch yourself grow and celebrate every little victory. Fun fact; the less you hold on to the more you will enjoy those items! This also provides the opportunity to really invest in durable items that feel like a real treat to you.
If you decide to start organizing and come to the conclusion that you own a lot of unnecessary stuff, please think of people, organizations and charities that would be very happy with your stuff before just throwing it away.
Simply throwing away stuff really hurts my sustainable heart.
There is always someone or something that would be so happy with your leftovers! Of course, you could decide to try and sell it as well but if that doesn’t work out, please contribute to the circle of life called circularity. You can already do this yourself by recycling, repair or reusing your own items for a total different purpose. Be creative and see what fun things happen. This is also a nice trick if you can’t say goodbye to something that you didn’t use anymore. Find another purpose for it and enjoy it all over again.
Hopefully many of you have became enthusiastic by the idea of minimalism by now!
Start being conscious today and create a whole new perspective.
Use this perspective to create a lifestyle that suits you.
Need some help organizing? You know where to find me.
Love,
Lisa
