Simplify Your Life With Minimalism

Minimalism could also be called maximalism in simplification, clarity, freedom, independence, free time, quality, and happiness.

What is Minimalism

Minimalism is about simplifying one’s life, more clarity, more freedom, more independence and happiness. It’s not about being overly constrained. So many minimalists exaggerate it. You do not have to register in a Buddhist monastery if you want to become a minimalist. With minimalism you weigh what one thing does and how much it causes work and costs time. As a minimalist, your focus is on everything that’s important to you. Whatever is possible is minimized. You do not have to lose quality of life. It is up to each individual how far he or she goes with minimalism and minimalist lifestyle. Minimalism does not mean abandonment of the beautiful things. It is about having more joy in life, feeling freer, and having more time for yourself. You have less, but the quality of what you have is higher. Quality is rated higher than quantity. When you buy something, you choose something of a high quality. You would not buy what you don’t need. You are not over-shopping. Your rooms and chests are not full and therefore clearer. Also your thinking becomes clearer. Thinking clearer makes you feel better. You will make better decisions. You will have a clear vision of your life and your future. As a minimalist you set priorities in all areas of life.

With minimalism one weighs what one thing does, how much it causes work and how much it costs time. You set priorities.

 

 

What Minimalism Means

You will not be happier if you consume more. Watch how long the joy lasts, if you buy something which you wanted so much. It is not the many things we want to own and buy that make us happier. It is actually what we can’t buy which makes us happier. It is true that with each purchase you boost the economy. You also do this with a disease that benefits the pharmaceutical industry. Think back to the times when you have felt really happy and what the reason for happiness was. A partner you fall in love with. Time you spend with friend and family. Doing sports. Listening to music. Learning something new Researching something interesting.

The minimalist lifestyle includes: having less, spending less, doing less, needing less, having more time for yourself, for your loved ones, for what you really enjoy. It’s a simpler life with clean lines.

The minimalist lifestyle includes: having less, spending less, doing less, needing less, having more time to enjoy life more.

Having clear lines in live, makes it easier to be in harmony with yourself, your life and the rest of the world. When your surrounding is simple, clean, and clear, so is your thinking. You will not be stressed, but feel good and be healthy. Clear thinking will help you to set the right priorities.

Anyone who knew me until a few years ago in Vienna or California and sees the word minimalism written by me will probably laugh. In a few areas I have always been a minimalist. I always loved clean and straight lines. I already have and will implement more of the tips about minimalism. I will definitely not exaggerate the minimalist lifestyle. I will use all the tips that bring benefits.

 

 

Minimalist Lifestyle Individually Tailored

Do not restrict yourself so much that the fun of living suffers. Minimize everything that robs you of good time. Choose the delicacies of the minimalist lifestyle, all that you can easily do without.

 

How to Become a Minimalist

It is a decision whether to become a minimalist or to live in surplus abundance. It is also an individual decision in which areas of life you become a minimalist and how much. Some people enjoy the minimalism. Others can’t decide for it at all.

Read on and decide for yourself where in your life you might want to apply minimalism.

 

Apply Minimalism

• In life in general
• In everyday life
• In rooms, wardrobes
• In your choice where to live
• While decorating
• When packing for a trip
• When setting goals
• When setting an agenda
• When it comes to eating
• While shopping
• In fashion design
• In architecture

 

Thanks to minimalism you can:

• Be happier
• Get to know yourself better
• Gain more time
• Have more freedom
• Be goal-oriented
• Be more creative
• Develop more spirituality
• And more

 

How Does Minimalism Work?

Get rid of everything you do not need, what is outdated or does not work.

Get rid of everything you do not need, what is outdated or does not work. You do not have to cling to old things because memories are attached to them. Memories are stored in your mind and do not have to be unnecessary dust collectors.

 

There are two ways to accomplish this task.

A) You start with one wardrobe and one room after another. You look through the wardrobe and remove what should be disposed of.
B) You empty a wardrobe. Then take piece by piece and decide whether it goes back or to the garbage.

 

This is how I got rid of old stuff

I went through my walk in wardrobe twice a year and brought old clothes and other old things to a clothes collection. When I packed all my belongings in moving boxes for my last big move, I was much more rigorous. I went to the clothes collection container many times, the house’s garbage containers were filled with my old things for weeks, and I drove to the garbage yard several times with my car fully loaded. What was still useful, I gave away. I had a hard time selling my father’s rifles. I had two walls up to the ceiling and several boxes full of books. I had already read most of them. I gave away many. Nevertheless, I still have about 20 relatively large boxes full of books. There are still too many.

 

 

Minimalism In One Or More Areas

1. Minimalism In life in general

The higher the level of minimalism, the less costs you have, the less money you need to earn and the more time you have to enjoy life.

Think about how to minimize your running costs. Make a list of all the costs you pay monthly. Then think about where you can minimize costs. When you go shopping, think about whether you need that something before you buy it. Do you need to prove with your possessions what a great pike you are? Your life is about you and not about what others think about you. Think about it!

Think about where you can save time and how to simplify your life. Think about this during the next 4 weeks. Whatever you do, ask yourself if it has to be done. And think about how you could simplify tasks and other things in your life.

Think about where you can save time and how to simplify your life.

 

2. Minimalism in everyday life

What does your everyday life look like? Think about a day. Getting up, going to the bathroom and under the shower, having breakfast, getting dressed, going to work or to the desktop in the living room, having lunch, back to work, meeting friends for a glass, shopping for food, cooking dinner Turn on the TV, eat and watch TV, answer private emails, communicate on social platforms like Facebook and interact with friends, and so on.

What can you delete from your daily agenda? Do you really need to watch movies after the news? Some training would be good for your health. Do you need to communicate daily on Facebook and post something to get some likes? Is this so important for you? Isn’t having more time for yourself better? Take a look at your Facebook wall. You will notice how many unnecessary posts there are. Meet with friends for a glass or invite them to your house. Or meditate for 20 to 30 minutes. Some people are writing long emails. If you are one of them, think that others have to read that stuff.

 

How I minimized my daily routine

I got my breakfast time to a few minutes. I work from home. I do not lose time to get to work. I am quickly dressed: jeans and a shirt. Friends, who send me emails, keep them short and my answers are short. I do a lot by emails. It’s quicker than a phone call.

I had a girlfriend who sent me long emails each day. After a few months I asked her to keep them short and write to me once a week. She answered that this is done between friends. No, not true. Friends understand that you have something else to do as to lose half an hour each day for reading one mail. She continued Well, she never heard of minimalism. I stopped reading her emails. When a friendship takes on quality of life, it is better to end it.

I am on facebook every other day for a few moments. For weeks I am posting nothing. Most of my FB friends are posting too much. What I do instead? This week I was at a live theater and a dinner, which was actually a meeting. I would have had dinner anyway. So I did not lose additional time for the meeting.

I have two little freezers. This enables me to go shopping food every 10 days or so. For nearly 20 years I am a raw eater. I save myself the time for cooking and the washing of the cookware. The preparation of my dishes is quickly done. Saves quite some time each day. See more below at minimalism with eating.

I have a home help. She is nimble and does her job quicker and better than me. In her 3 hours per week she saves me a day. Although this costs, it is a great relief and saves time. When possible, I wear jeans instead of pants. They are washed with the washing machine and are ironed quickly. For years I wear T-shirts and rarely a blouse. T-shirts are ironed much faster. My dresses are like long T-shirts. Also quickly washed and ironed.

I have only had a small TV for years. I watched one documentary every day. Since I have moved I have not turned the TV on. On YouTube, I can choose talk shows and documentaries that interest me. I no longer watch what is offered in the mass media.

 

3. Minimalism in Rooms and Wardrobes

If you sort out the contents of your wardrobe, do not be so rigorous that you are soon buying new stuff. It’s good to get rid of worn-out and out-of-fashion clothes, ties, shawls and shoes. Bring it to a clothes collection and then buy some new and well-chosen pieces of clothing. But before you go shopping, think about how much clothing you need. It is usually the case that after sorting out some clothes, you still have more than enough to wear. After sorting out some clothes the wardrobe is clearer and you realize that you have never worn some clothes, because the wardrobe was too full and you have overlooked some of the beautiful pieces.

Recently, I went shopping for groceries and decided to also go to a clothing store. It was a dull early winter day and a little encouragement was good. I discovered a cardigan that felt warm and I liked it. And then I told myself that I have more than enough cardigans. I needed a Christmas present for my home help and the warm cardigan was just right.

When I was working in an office I had 4 costumes, 8 blouses, 3 pairs of shoes and in winter boots and a coat. That was it. I did not even have jeans, no sports and no leisure clothes Today I have for every season, home clothes, clothes for shopping and excursions, sportswear and clothes to go out. In the summer I need 3 T-shirts or dresses daily. That’s at least 20 T-shirts and dresses, several jeans, pants and lots of underwear per week. I do not do laundry more than once a week. I have tried it with two jeans. When both were dirty within hours, I bought several more. Absolute minimalism is not always possible. My clothes are stored very neatly in the wardrobe. That too is part of minimalism.

What’s in your bathroom on shelves and in cabinets? What do you really need? I see bathrooms, where no spot is free. There is too much stuff standing around.

How many of the pills in your medicine cabinet has long expired and are no longer needed or should be renewed? Look at the expiration date of each individual drug. If you buy one which does not have an expiration date, write the date of purchase on it and throw it away after 2 years.

Even the kitchen cabinets should be cleaned up and organized. Again you will find pieces that are better in the trash or someone is happy about them.

Do you have an attic, basement, garage? Clean up these places thoroughly and dispose of what is old and unusable.

 

4. Minimalism In The Choice Where You Live

City or country life? The innumerable impressions that affect us when we walk through a shopping street and the clear landscape in the countryside. That too is minimalism.

I have moved to the country side, but 40 minutes away is a metropolis with 4 million inhabitants. The air is clean. The landscape is filled with wine and olive trees You also see citrus trees, fig trees, other fruit trees, and vegetables. Pine trees line the streets. Palm trees are in the gardens. Scattered in the landscape are small medieval towns with weekly farmers markets. The people are warm hearted and heavy working. Most homes have only an open fire place to heat one room in winter. The rest of the year they even cook on it. It is a beautiful way of minimalism.

 

5. Minimalism in setting up your home

The less furniture and decoration is standing around, the less dusting is required and the easier and faster it is to clean a room.

The less furniture and decoration is standing around the quicker the room is cleaned.

After you’ve cleared out your wardrobe and cabinets, you may not need anymore one or the other piece of furniture. Give yourself a jerk and offer it for free by pickup. If it’s a nice piece, try selling it. Every region has a website and a magazine, where you can sell used items. In no time you are rid of one piece of furniture and you will be amazed how much better you will feel. The fewer pieces of furniture in a room, the more room you have for yourself.

When the furniture of my last apartment was taken piece by piece, I breathed more and more. I have decided that in my new home I will only have furniture that is really necessary.

Decoration – Are you one of those people who have everywhere something standing around? Look at the deco items in your home. Do you like every single piece? Is all that necessary? Does it make sense to keep all that stuff? Put everything together in one box and close the box or put it in a travel bag and put it in the storage room. Live three weeks without any decoration. Then take out a decorative piece daily and ask yourself if you still like it. If so, look for a suitable place. If not, get rid of it. Make sure that the rooms of your home are not overloaded.

I have already mentioned that I like clear and clean lines. This means that decoration is at a minimum. In my bedroom the decoration is a radio alarm clock, a tablet pc with which I listen to talk shows and Subliminals, and one or two books. My desktop is on a table of the living room. There are floor lamps, because light is important to me. There is nothing that is unnecessary. This is minimalism in furnishing and decoration.

 

6. Minimalism When Traveling

Minimalism when traveling starts with packing. You do not necessarily have to travel with a backpack or a small travel bag. But packing with a little more thought, you can save on weight of luggage. If you live in a hotel, you can leave the hair dryer at home. In hotels and BnBs there are soap, shower gel, hair shampoo and hair dryer. Whatever else you need, such as tooth past, buy travel sizes. Should a utensil really go out, you can buy it again in travel size. Think well about how much clothes you pack. It is enough if you pack underwear for 3 to 4 days. You can wash it with soap.

Rethink before buying travel memories. What do you do with the head of Ramses II of Egypt, the gondola of Venice, or a Mexican farmer’s hat? If you really want to buy something, you can buy consumer goods instead. Do it only when you need it. A caftan in Egypt, which you wear as a home dress in summer. A bowl for biscuits or fruit made of Murano glass in Venice. If you already have biscuit and fruit bowls, then do without the souvenir. The best place for memories is your head and not a piece of something in or on a cupboard where they are getting dusty.

 

7. Minimalism when setting goals

This is about clarity. It is better to have a big goal than many small ones. A big goal motivates more than small ones. When the big goal is reached, the little ones are reached almost by themselves.

When the big goal is reached, the little ones are reached almost by themselves.

To achieve a goal you have to have your focus on it as often as possible. You shall have a plan and get active to achieve it. If you have chosen a big goal, it is easy to focus on just that. With many small goals your head is cluttered and thinking clear is difficult. Be minimalist in setting goals. It will be easier to reach them.

 

8. Minimalism when setting a daily agenda

In the evening, write down what you should and want to get done the next day? I have a list on which I am writing everything that needs to be done. On the agenda for the next day I write tasks that are urgent and important. If there is still time left, I am happy if I get done some more tasks. From time to time I go through my to-do list and delete everything that does not have to be done.

 

9: Minimalist with friendships and acquaintances

You do not need hundreds of friends on Facebook. Go through the list of your FB friends. Unfriend anyone with whom you have no connection at all, who has never given you a like or never written a comment on any of your posts. Do the same on all social networks. Do the same in your real life. If you have so-to-say friends who only take advantage of you, get rid of them. If you have too many friends, you can’t care enough for all of them. Again, quality comes before quantity.

I have canceled all friendships that were not really good. In a short time, however, I have made new friends. I prefer to have a few good friends. I have never had much time for social platforms and that will not change in the future. Every other day or so I have a look at the posts of my FB-friends, give a like if I liked a post and write a few comments. Rarely I am posting something myself.

 

10. Minimalism in architecture

Take a look at Baroque-style buildings and compare them with the New Objectivity Buildings of the 1920s and 1930s. The Baroque with its flourishes, stucco work, statues and the interior design of the brocade wallpaper, the large paintings, the heavy curtains and the matching furniture. The New Objectivity has straight lines, no ornaments, which is continued in the rooms.

I love to look at architecture from all eras. But when it comes to my home, I choose minimalism. I have always liked the New Objectivity with its straight lines. Looking for the design for my new house, I searched for a design with straight lines and found it. The difference to buildings of the 1920s and 30s is that my house will have several large glass surfaces. The rooms should be large and not overloaded with furniture. No curtains, no wall decorations. So when it comes to architecture and interior design, I am a minimalist.

 

11. Minimalism in fashion design

Straight lines or ruffles and many ornaments? Tight or bell skirts? One or more fabrics processed in a garment? Smooth classic shoes or meshes and other adornments on it? Why not have fun with fashion and buy something fancy? Who has fun with it, should do it.

I always liked the straight style with no frills. These kind of clothes are easier to care for and quickly ironed. This is a time saving, which is one component of minimalism. Also with the choice of clothes and shoes, I am a minimalist.

 

12. Minimalism while eating

When it comes to eating, minimalism begins with the purchase of food. Choose natural food. Do not buy industrially manufactured foods that contain more than 3 ingredients.

When cooking, choose light cooking methods. Do not cook too long, not to lose too much micro-nutrients. Avoid heavy foods from grandmother’s time. At that time, people did physical work, walked and moved much more than we do today.

I am a raw eater for twenty years. I eat meat, game, fish, salads, vegetables, fruits, raw nuts raw. I rarely buy and eat foods that you can not eat raw. These include potatoes, which are for pig fattening, and cereal products. Cereals are not fully digestible for humans. They are made for birds Cereals have allowed humans to settle down. In addition, it would not be possible to feed a large city with those foods that can be eaten raw. Grain products include bread, pastries, biscuits, cakes, pasta, pizza and more. I rarely eat grain products.

When I started to eat raw, I immediately liked the benefits. No cooking and no washing up of cookware. This saves time every day. When shopping I go to the fruit and vegetables, meat and fish department. I do not have to walk the long shelves to search for various packaged foods. That saves time. I would say that when it comes to eating and shopping food, I am a minimalist.

 

 

13. Minimalism while shopping

The really important possessions are not what you can buy.

Do you have to have the latest technical gadget? Do you need the latest desktop, the latest smartphone, designer clothes, a new car, and, and, and? Do your children have to have all the toys they want?

And what would your life look like and how would you feel if you kept the old desktop, which works fine, the not so old smartphone, which does its job well, not even get a full new wardrobe, just because the latest fashion is little different, and would you be satisfied with your car, which is a few years old? The compulsion to buy and the frustration of getting the money together to buy all the new things would not exist. That simplifies life. You would feel better and freer. You could pay debts or save the money for something more important and better.

 

Where Can You Simplify and Minimize Your Life and Become a Minimalist?

Where in your private life? Where in your professional life?

What minimalism brings is
More freedom
Maximum simplification
Minimum effort
Less costs
Time savings
Less stress
Clarity
More happiness
In general a better life

 

Have I Aroused Your Interest In Minimalism?

You got quite a few tips on how to become a minimalist Perhaps, instead of minimalism, I should write the following: Maximalism of joie de vivre, time savings, simplification, clear thinking, higher quality and much more.

Minimalism is maximalism of joie de vivre, time savings, simplification, clear thinking, higher quality and much more.

Do not throw away most of your clothes and furniture to live the minimalist lifestyle. Only a few can do that. You would probably soon regret your rigorous approach. If you choose to become a minimalist, choose one area of life where you begin with minimalism. Make changes slowly and step by step. After you have made one minimalist change, give yourself time to get used to it. Even Rome was not built within one day. Make yourself a plan. Set priorities. Get organized. Get rid of old stuff. Before you buy something new, think if you need it.

 

Ask yourself what comes first?

The wardrobe and the clothing
Your desk
Grocery shopping and food preparation
Your daily routine
The monthly costs
Or whatever

Choose an area and start with a part of it. For example, you might want to minimize your wardrobe at the weekend. Put the sorted out clothes in a big garbage bag or in a travel bag. Put it on the bottom of the wardrobe or in the storeroom and wait one to two months. If you do not need any of the wrapped-up clothes, take them to a clothes collection. If you miss one of the clothes, get it back. Do not force yourself to do anything. To make minimalist changes should not be difficult. Compulsion is unpleasant and does not make you happy. Thanks to minimalism, you should feel happier. Think of the positive side of things. For example, if you get rid of some clothes, your wardrobe becomes clearer.

As soon as you enjoy one step of minimalism, you will do the next step. You will be looking forward how good it feels to be more and more a minimalist.

After you became a minimalist in one area, wait until you got used to the minimalism in this one area. If you change a habit too quickly, it hurts. You can get used to changes within a few weeks. But make only one change at a time. Always give yourself enough time to get used to a little less and to more quality of life. Set the goal of buying what you and your family really need.

 

Advantages of Minimalism

Simple and conscious life
Everything is clearer
Being freer and more independent
Be happier and have more joy
Less work and less stress
More time for yourself, your family and friends
You will weigh and thinks about what is important
Your focus is on the essence
Your thinking is clearer, making decisions is easier
When buying, quality is more important than quantity

 

Minimalism is first and foremost about simplifying one’s life, being freer, more independent and happier. It’s not about being overly constrained.

With minimalism you set priorities. You weigh what one thing does, how much it causes work and how much it costs time and money.

The minimalist lifestyle includes: having less, spending less, doing less, needing less, having more time for yourself, being freer and happier.

It is a decision whether to become a minimalist and freer or continue to live in surplus abundance and stay fully dependent.

 

Read a book on Minimalism and Minimalist Lifestyle (Amazon Affiliate Link) such as the Guide to Minimalist Lifestyle.

Do you want to change your life rigorously? Attend the course

The Visualization System and use all visualization techniques.

 

What do you think about minimalism? In what areas are you a minimalist?