5 Steps to Becoming a Minimalist

A smiling woman working on a laptop surrounded by moving boxes.

Whether you’re looking to downsize, move into a tiny home, start a life on the road, or are just tired of living in clutter, becoming a minimalist could be the life change you need to help you cut back on the number of things you own. Even though it may sound easy, getting rid of your belongings and becoming a minimalist can be tough, especially if you’re someone with many sentimental belongings, or just a giant house full of stuff.

It’s important to understand that you can still live a minimalist lifestyle and not get rid of all of your belongings or live in a 300-square-foot home. Instead, you can take some of the main ideas of minimalism and incorporate them into your current lifestyle where it would benefit you and your family the most.

1. Assess your priorities

The first (and most important) step in becoming a minimalist is assessing what you value in your life. Why are you choosing to become a minimalist? What aspects of your life take up too much brain and heart space? Maybe you want to stop watching TV, and are looking to part ways with your 65” flat screen. This is the time to assess what truly fulfills you so that you can remove the activities that don’t to make space for those that do.

2. Evaluate your belongings

The hardest part of transitioning to a minimalist lifestyle is saying goodbye to your belongings. When deciding what to part ways with and what to keep, think about what adds value, happiness, and meaning to your life. Leave no stone unturned and question everything.

3. Use it or lose it

Once you’ve had a chance to evaluate your belongings and get an understanding of what things spark joy in your life, it’s time to say goodbye to the items that didn’t make the cut. Create a list of everything you no longer value or use, and slowly start eliminating one or two of them every week. This will help you let go without feeling too overwhelmed. Or, if you’re someone who is okay with goodbyes, you can get rid of them all at once.

4. Organize, organize, organize

Organization is key to a minimalist lifestyle. Some people like to organize everything in their home by location while others make up their own system. Whatever your preferred organization method may be, just make sure that it helps you keep track of what you do and do not have so that you can get rid of any duplicates.

5. Limit what you bring home

Decluttering and reorganizing are how you begin living a minimalist lifestyle, but it’s what you do after that initial process that gives it longevity. Besides, you didn’t say your hard goodbyes or put in all the organization work just for it to be undone by a few shopping sprees! Set yourself a spending limit every month, cancel magazine subscriptions, and when the holidays roll around, ask for experiences instead of items!

Adopting a minimalist lifestyle can be incredibly rewarding, and we’re excited for you as you begin this new chapter in your life! If you’re looking for somewhere to store your items so you can slowly make the transition, we’ve got you covered. Just stop by one of our locations, say hi, and let us know what your storage goals are!

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