Why You Should Become A Minimalist

Being a minimalist isn’t always easy. It means cutting the clutter out of your life, and changing your habits. We wanted to find out what makes the average person want to be a minimalist, why they changed their ways, and what they do to be able to call themselves a minimalist.

Space

If you went through your closet today and could only keep the things that make you happy, or the items of clothing that you actually do wear, how much more room in your closet would you have? Challenge yourself to put a tag on each one of your items of clothing, and if you wear it, take it off. After 3 months, if there are items that still have the tag, take those items to your nearest Goodwill or donation store.

Sarah DeShaw states, “I’m a minimalist to create more space for personal happiness and fulfillment. If I’m thinking about acquiring things or organizing a bunch of things I’ve acquired, it takes up valuable space in my mind, day (and ultimately, life!) that I could be spending helping others, experience love and joy, or enjoying learning and growing myself. Extra stuff can be a distraction from what really matters.”

Possessions

We’re all guilty of hoarding our favorite childhood things. Hoarding those tiny keepsakes that we can’t remember why we kept them in the first place. We’ve all become slaves to our possessions, whether it’s your phone, your 50 pairs of shoes, every book from Barnes & Nobles, or one more piece of furniture from IKEA.

“In my teenage years, while most of my peers were accumulating possessions, I was happy to have as few of them as possible. I am not a slave to my possessions. There’s a feeling of liberation and freedom associated with not owning too many things. My phone is from 2011, I got rid of my car considering I live in New York and when I have to, I just rent.” —Jim Dailakis

Family

With a nationwide average apartment size being 983 sqft, you and your significant other will have to find a way to put all of your stuff in this tiny space. This will eventually lead you to getting a storage unit, and adding another expenditure to your budget. Then it’s the compromises of what you can keep in your apartment, and sometimes that can lead to a tiff in your relationship.

“My wife and I started purging 18 months ago and recently did our final purge of stuff. The reduction of stress and mess has made our relationship stronger.”— Michael Motylinkski

“Stuff distracts us from valuable experiences. Before moving into my tiny home, I assessed everything I owned and got rid of the items I hadn’t thought about in roughly six months. Without those distractions, I’m able to focus on things that are more important like family, friends, and activities that I enjoy.”— Fran from TinyHousehold.com