You may have noticed that my new tag line on my blog says that I’m on a “mission to minimalism”, so today I thought I’d share with you the 8 top reasons that I want to live a more minimalist and simpler life – and why it could be good for all of us.
If you know me in real life you might find this funny as I’ve always been a bit of a self confessed hoarder. I’m rubbish at getting rid of clothes I don’t wear any more (I might fit in them again some day!), I would describe my pyjamas as a collection, and I could probably open a craft shop with just my own stash. I can only dream of my desk looking like the one in the title image. I love Disney, rainbows and anything cute and girly (yes, I’m basically 5 years old, don’t judge) and the shops are always filled with bright and sparkly things that catch my eye and have me handing over my hard earned cash. Then you also add a tiny person into the mix and on top of all your own belongings then you’ve also got all their clothes, toys and other baby paraphernalia.
But honestly, all that stuff becomes so overwhelming. Half the time I don’t know where anything is. Putting clothes away is a nightmare because my drawers and wardrobe are already bulging, and getting ready takes ages because that one item I want could be in one of many places. It’s makes the house feel cluttered (even when it’s “surface tidy” as I call it) and this makes my brain feel cluttered. So this is why I’m on a mission to minimalism.
So what exactly is minimalism?
Minimalism is nothing new – the concept of minimalism has been around for years and many of us might associate it with a style of decor – stark, white, with very little homely or personal touches. Many people also assume that being a minimalist means you need to give up all your possessions besides the very basics, but as I explain below, it doesn’t have to mean that (unless you want it to of course).
In recent years, and in particular, recent months, minimalism is hitting the headlines and gaining interest across social media thanks to programs such as Consumed and Tidying up with Marie Kondo (both available on Netflix UK). There are also Instagram, Facebook and YouTube accounts dedicated to simplifying and organising, and countless books written on the subject too. I’ve also discovered the Minimalists podcast – which I love to listen to while I’m tidying to help keep me motivated – and I’m sure there are probably others too. All in all, minimalism seems to be everywhere right now.
This new found interest is not about living in stark surroundings, but more about living a simpler lifestyle with less stuff, and the benefits that brings. People are realising that too many of us are ruled by consumerism, and recognising the price we pay (and the planet for that matter) when our homes are overrun with stuff and our bank accounts are empty.
I’ve been on my (very slow 😂) mission to minimalism for a few years now, and to me, it’s not about throwing away everything you own and living with next to nothing, but just about owning less. Only buying or keeping things that (genuinely) make me happy, or are useful in some way. Not just hanging onto things for a rainy day, or keeping clothes because I once loved them or fitted in them. Not buying every little thing just because it’s pretty and sparkly, and then later realising it’s just pointless tat. It’s about focusing on quality over quantity when buying. Having a house where you know where everything is, and you don’t need to tidy up in a frenzy because someone is popping round, and you don’t have the fear they might open a cupboard and be met with an avalanche of stuff.
The degree of minimalism you aim for could be different for every single one of us, but the important principles for me remain the same –
- Own less
- Buy less
- Waste less
I’ll talk more about the “How” in another post because that’s the hardest thing about it (hence why it’s taking me years to do) but I think any mission needs to start with the “Why”. When starting out on a new project or life change, you really need to be clear about your motivation, especially if it’s something that is going to take up hours of your time to achieve. So here are MY top reasons for trying to live a simpler lifestyle, and I’m sure some of you will relate.
1. Have a tidier house. This one takes no explanation – less stuff, less mess.
2. More money to spend on more meaningful things – when you start to really question every purchase (something I’m getting much better at!) you are less likely to waste your money on things that you don’t really need or may only be worn once. Or things that actually have no purpose but just catch your eye because they’re pretty. Naturally the less you spend on meaningless stuff, the more you have to spend on meaningful things like family days out, holidays etc. You might even make a little bit of money back on selling some things on when you start to have a clear out.
3. Clear mental space – I’ve read a few articles recently about how much a clear, organised home helps you to have a clearer, more relaxed state of mind. I don’t know about that yet but at the other end of the spectrum I do know what when my house is messy, I definitely feel more stressed and overwhelmed. Life is overwhelming and busy enough without your home and belongings causing additional stress!
4. Spend less time cleaning – Picture the scene. You want to dust your fireplace but before you can do it you need to lift off a vase, 2 photo frames, 4 candle holders, a pile of loose change, a random earring, a set of keys, and a few birthday cards from the week before. Then repeat for every surface in your house. Imagine how much quicker and easier it would be if you didn’t have to move all that stuff? One of my favourite accounts on Instagram regularly repeats the mantra – own less, clean less. That’s the dream folks!
5. Life is just easier when everything has its place– when you have less stuff, what you do have is easier to organise. Another scenario for you. You’re rushing out the door to a birthday party, when you realise you haven’t wrapped the present or written the card out. You scramble around looking for paper, sellotape and a pen. You have to look in 5 different places because you have no idea where you last left the sellotape, you’re sure you bought wrapping paper some time recently and you can’t find a single pen even though you know there are around 500 of them loitering round your house somewhere. (Sidenote, I am actually curious to know how many pens I own now). You end up harassed, the kids are getting fed up waiting and you’re late for the party. If everything has a place, you know where to find things, and also where to put them again when you’re finished.
6. Better for the environment – sometimes I genuinely feel sick when I’m chucking out meaningless tat I’ve purchased over the years. I now try to to re-use, recycle and give to charity as much as I can, but some stuff needs to be binned and it’s all just going to sit in landfill. Additionally, the less stuff we buy the less pointless packaging is used, less energy used to make and transport the stuff and so on. It helps to look at the bigger picture.
7. It’s a good approach to pass on to children – this is obviously a new reason for me as Poppy is only 16 months old, but I really want to instil in Poppy a minimalist attitude. I know some of you might roll your eyes and think “yeah ok, children and minimalism don’t mix”, but I really want her to grow up in a home where we value experiences over stuff, and develop an appreciation for the environment. Obviously I’m not saying she won’t ever get any useless tat toys over the years (I’m praying that LOL dolls are no longer trendy when she’s old enough!) because of course she will want stuff like that, but so many of us live to such excess (sometimes even getting deep in debt to do so!) so I think it’s important to set a better example to the next generation.
And finally, the most important one…
8. We can focus on the things that reallllly make us happy. When we buy things in abundance, they usually make us happy for such a short time. In fact the buzz is quite often gone as soon as the money is handed over. When we only buy and keep the things we truly love, we value the things we have much more, and we also value all the stuff that isn’t stuff even more too.
Reading back over these is making me feel really enthusiastic about my mission to minimalism and I hope some of you might feel inspired to join me. It’s not going to happen overnight, and it’s definitely not going to be easy because you’re not just decluttering, you’re changing your entire mindset, trying to quit old habits, and (hopefully) getting rid of things you may have owned for years that may hold sentimental value. The pictures won’t always be insta worthy (well hopefully the “afters”) but I will be sharing the process on Instagram as well as my blog, and I hope you’ll follow along with me as I go.
Thanks for reading ❤️