MINIMALIST MINDSET FOR BEGINNERS 5 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF BEFORE YOU BEGIN
LIA'S LOFT
INTRODUCTION For many introducing themselves to minimalism, it is considered to be largely an aesthetic. We commonly see pictures of luxury gray scale wardrobes and rooms when we search for minimalism on social media platforms such as Instagram or Pinterest. I'm not going to deny that this can MINIMALIST MINDSET FOR BEGINNERS
play a factor into your journey if that is a desire of yours. After all, the term minimalism started as a style of art. But minimalism, as a lifestyle, is so much more than a picture perfect image. You can gain something that becomes more useful than a physical space - a sense of clarity, identity, and reduce levels of stress and anxiety. This all begins with understanding your thought processes behind the purchases you make and the things you choose to own. I could easily go into the physical aspects on how to make your space look the way you want to, but if you don't have the mental tools to maintain it, you'll be creating more stress with cycles of hoarding and purging. The goal is to live a better life with a strong sense of focus by eliminating clutter. This guide intends to prepare your mind with 6 simple questions to consider throughout your journey. From there you'll have minimalism as a mental tool you can use in multiple aspects of your life, beyond a physical aesthetic. Minimalism is not an end goal. It is a way of thinking, a lifestyle, and that does not simply end once your home matches an image you found online.
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WHAT IS YOUR REASON? What are you trying to achieve through minimalism? When I first began my journey into minimalism, I didn't actually plan on it. The term “minimalism” itself wasn't on my mind. My
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reason started small, with a capsule wardrobe. This concept is where you create a wardrobe of items that all go together, so it eliminates the morning guess work into building an outfit. I had started an office job and had found that some of my clothes weren't office appropriate. Knowing that office wear was something I found strength and joy in, I decided to eliminate all other clothes and focus into office wear as my wardrobe. It was my way of creating clarity in my identity. I decluttered my closet in one day. Hundreds of clothes covered my entire apartment as I worked my way through. I saw dozens of past identities that I'd tried to align with, from neon sweaters, to nightclub dresses, to boho-chic pants, and more. It was overwhelming, there were moments where I wanted to throw it back into the closet, but I knew that I wanted to clean up my look and feel solid in the identity that I was building through my wardrobe, so I powered my way through, inviting friends over to pick through my things.
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And even they had opinions on my situation - “Oh this is so cute, you shouldn't get rid of this! Why would you let go of that? I wouldn't let go of this.” - but I had to remember why this mattered to me. Why I was doing this. And by the end of that day I donated 8 garbage bags of clothing. Ensure that the reason you decide on is truly for you and that you feel a connection and motivation from it. This needs to be powerful and meaningful because in moments where you
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lose focus or feel discouraged, this reason will keep you on track. I suggest choosing something that isn't purely for an aesthetic especially if you're looking for this to be a long term part of your lifestyle. Common reasons I encountered along my journey were: - I want an easier time choosing an outfit I feel good in. - I want to travel with less and with ease. - I want to know what I own so I don't purchase duplicates. - I want a space that allows me room to move. - I want a workspace that is free from distractions and inspires me. - I want a clear sense of my personal identity. - I want to reduce the stress, anxiety, and depression my clutter gives me. Of course these don't have to be your reasons, but simply examples or prompts that might help you realize what could be best for impacting your lifestyle. Your reason allows you direction to use the tool of minimalism to shape the life you want.
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HOW DO YOU STAY INSPIRED? Your reason obviously plays the largest role in your inspiration, but at times it can be beneficial to have various external outlets to inspire you. Years before I knew about minimalism, I loved saving pictures of minimalist desks –
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(although now I ironically no longer own or need a desk). Looking back I realize that at the time I was having trouble finding clarity in my direction of work, and a clean desk represented clear direction in my work. Similarly to how my choice to have a capsule wardrobe was to give me a sense of clarity in my identity and presentation in my career. There are huge benefits to finding inspiration along your journey into minimalism, whether it be a blog or an influencer – it can give you a 'pick me up' along the way. Examples I can suggest are: - Friends and Family – Nothing works better than hands on experience. This is a difficult find for many of us, but as the minimalist lifestyle grows, more local groups can be found on platforms such as Facebook. See if you can find a personal mentor for your journey. - Youtube Channels – A lot of channels on minimalism allow a dialogue rather than simply an aesthetic. You can find ton
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s of stories on the impact minimalism has made on people. And don't be afraid to try to reach out to these people! Not everyone will respond, but you might be surprised by who does! -Instagram Pages – This is great if you need a bit of minimalism aesthetic to cheer you up. Instagram is naturally visual, so stories of growth aren't often shared. -Pinterest Boards – This was and continues to be one of my
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favourite ways to play with ideas. Whether it be organizing your closet, getting ideas for your space, or looking up useful quotes and blogs. It's a create customizable balance of both. With that being said, use your inspiration in a healthy way. Don't beat yourself up or consider yourself a failure if your journey doesn't match that of something you're inspired by. Don't use your inspirations as the only reason to be minimalist or have a minimalist lifestyle. Remember your reason. Be careful not to get caught up in looking just like someone else if it's not a practical goal for you. Yes, by all means use inspiration from others to give you ideas, but remember how you plan to transform that motivation into something practical for yourself. If you own a few more things or you love some more colour in your closet, it represents you and that's all that matters. This journey is about you.
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DO YOU KNOW WHEN TO SAY NO? I sure didn't. Our consumption habits can play a hugely positive or negative influence on maintaining a minimalist
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lifestyle. The two most common ways are through our spending and receiving habits. In short, saying no to ourselves, and saying no to others. - Spending Habits Take a look at your shopping and spending habits. Do you go into a store thinking about the item you need, or do you let the signs dictate your focus? Learn more about the mentality behind the marketing strategies behind the sales you see in stores. They make it too easy to see a sign that says “Buy Two Get One Free” when in reality you may only need one. Or none at all. Often these sales are because they're trying to push out excess stock, and it's done with no thought of the customer's desire. Think about the true value of the items you purchase. If you wouldn't buy it at full price, is it really worth having? Do you really truly love and need it? Control and develop your own individual thinking patterns. Break the sale standard that you may be comfortable and familiar with and don't allow these things to control your spending habits.
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Learn how to ask about and use the return policy. Sometimes we're going to make mistakes in the moment. I personally enter a store with intention as to the exact item I need, and often try to wait at least 24 hours before purchasing something to allow myself time to process if I need it. A lot of consumerism runs on our impulse buys, so slow down the process, put it on hold, and step away. If you use the mall as a form of social therapy, try leaving your cards in your car or with someone who won't give them to you if you have an impulse to buy. It can take a bit of re-training ourselves, but MINIMALIST MINDSET FOR BEGINNERS
can lead to a healthier spending habits. - Receiving Habits One of the biggest ways I cluttered my home was with bags full of clothes that family and friends would donate to me. I would accept anything without asking myself what I needed. Without reviewing the contents of the bag. Some part of me felt the need to keep these items out of sentiment or guilt. There were points where these bags would pile up high in my storage closet – unopened a year after they were handed to me. Just in case I happened to want to check them out one day. And on the rare occasion that I did, things often wouldn't fit me well – but I would throw it into my closet because it looked nice and “maybe one day” I might fit into it. Telling someone “No, thank you.” can be a difficult skill for us to practice, especially to those we love. This is where your reason is important. To keep you on track and aligned with your personal goals, and the people around you that truly love you will understand and respect them. So find the source what behaviours are leading things into your space and research ways to adjust it into something that is more suited to a minimalist lifestyle.
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CAN YOU LET GO? This is an incredibly powerful skill that is actually great to practice through minimalism and can play a very useful hand in your life mentally and emotionally. Sentiment is a common
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factor in these situations. We grow attached to things based on their history and start to believe that if we let go of an item, we let go of everything we've emotionally attached to it. The person, the place, the experience. Taking control of this and understanding that you control this emotion your mind is producing can help you resonate with the fact that these items shouldn't have control over you. If those memories of that item are valuable to you they will stay in your mind regardless of having the item. Especially if that item is hiding somewhere in your home and isn't being shown much love. Consider the love that item could be receiving if donated to someone else. Instead of gathering dust with you, that could end up being someone's favourite thing. A dress they wear regularly, a book they read every night, rather than you holding on to it for the sake of what you already have in your mind – a memory, and emotional association to an object. To ease yourself into this process, I suggest taking pictures of the things you are sentimentally attached to before donating them.
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WHAT BRINGS YOU JOY? The whole point of minimalism isn't to own nothing. It's to own the minimum amount of things that reflect what you love and need. To be intentional in what you choose to have shine
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rather than hide in a space crowded by things you have “just in case”. I often get messages from people saying they're “almost minimalist” but they have a collection of books or rocks or something that they love and don't want to let go of. This is where I have personally seen a lot of damaging affects of the minimalist aesthetic. It can cause you to feel the need to eliminate the whole point of minimalism – to gain clarity and identity with what you love - in order to fit a certain image or challenge to own only a certain amount. If you're throwing away things that resonate with you, that you give love and attention to, because it doesn't fit a certain look – you're overreaching and causing yourself stress. We all have different experiences and back stories and that will reflect out into who we are and the things that matter to us. You should be seeing reflections of your values – through your home, your closet – through the intentionality of the choices you make in your life. If this doesn't make you happy, there is a disconnect – either through the things you've chosen to keep, or perhaps with the values you realize you have tried to hold onto that may no longer bring you the happiness they once did.
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MINIMALISM IS DIFFERENT FOR EVERYONE It's a practice of self reflection. No two minimalists are exactly alike. As minimalism has come about, it seems there is a standard aesthetic – black and white spaces, high end
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furniture and clothes, sleek and chic style. And while that's beautiful, it's not always practical. Don't feel confined this. You are still practicing minimalism even if your home or closet don't follow the same aesthetic. You are still practicing minimalism even if you have more than 100 things. What matters is that everything in your life has value to you and you've made the intention clear with every single item you chose to own. Every time you walk through the door, everything in your living room, bedroom, closet, car, etc, all resonate with you and bring you joy. The point is to be inspired and be happy by removing the clutter that clouds your values – instead, illuminating the items that reflect those values and who you believe you are. Allowing the space around you to give you freedom to be inspired and live to your best self. This is a form of self development. A way to align your focus and allow you to achieve more than just a clean closet. When you are surrounded by what matters to you, your direction, desires, and purpose in life become clearer. This can benefit your emotional and mental health. The entirety of who you are and who you are becoming. It's not about a trend on the internet, it's about what having less can do to help you achieve goals and dreams beyond that of a physical space. Less clutter, more clarity.