Why I Practice Minimalism

Please tell me I’m not the only one who made decluttering a hobby during the pandemic. It became a part time job to create donation piles and color coordinate my items after watching the Home Edit. It was very therapeutic to declutter our space – my soul even felt lighter.

Now, to be fully honest, I started practicing minimalism for the wrong reasons.

So let’s get this straight first, these aren’t the best reasons to practice minimal living:

1. For the Instagram shot
2. To curate the “perfect” space

I’ve learned that minimalism isn’t an aesthetic. It’s more about chasing simplicity.

Minimalism is a lot like yoga. If you’ve attended a yoga class (in a studio or via YouTube) you’ve probably heard the instructor tell you in a calm voice something that goes like this:

“Yoga is a practice. If you need to stay in child’s pose during the whole class that’s ok. This is your journey and your practice. Keep showing up and keep practicing.”

Yeah, that sounds like the sentiment I’ve assigned to minimalism.

Minimalism is a habit, not a destination. I am not doing it perfectly and I still have a lot to learn and minimize. (As I write this I’m surrounded by toys, books, and other items from the island of misfits that don’t have a home. If that tells you anything where I am on my journey.)

These are some habits that I am embracing. They aren’t anything fancy but they do help simplify my life.

5 Habits of Minimalism to Embrace:

1. When you are in the store (or scrolling your favorite online store) and you see something you want you have a minimalism decision to make. Ask yourself: “Where will I put this if I own it?” If it’s not replacing or enhancing something then it may turn into clutter.
2. Two words: Meal. Plan. When you plan out your meals before grocery shopping you’ll ensure you have the food you need to make the meals on your plan. Nothing more or extra. (Meal planning saves our family TONS of money too!)
3. Digital clutter is real. Organize your photos in albums, delete apps, emails, messages and photos that aren’t serving you.
4. Decide what matters to you. Don’t get rid of things (or purchase things) because it matters to someone else. It’s on their newsfeed/in their life because it matters to them. Stick to what matters to you and your stuff will serve you instead of the other way around. Comparison never moves us forward. It just makes us feel inadequate.
5. Find new ways to implement minimalism into your life. Your routine, your belongings, your schedule. Remember: minimalism isn’t a style. It’s not just white walls and IKEA furniture. It’s a lifestyle of simplicity.

To sum it up rather simplistically (cause I’m ALL about simplicity, y’all):

I don’t practice minimalism for social media. I practice minimalism for my soul.

The soul-benefit of minimalism is incredible. In our home, we have the freedom to say “yes” to the belongings we own as well as the freedom to say “no thanks” to the belongings that will take away from simplicity and joy. We connect with people instead of being consumed with stuff.

I would so boldly dare anyone reading this to start with an area of your life that overwhelms you (maybe it’s your routine, maybe it’s your silverware drawer) and go minimize it. Reduce what you don’t need/use and keep what matters to you.

This is your journey and your life. Keep showing up and practicing minimalism.

I had the true honor of being interviewed on the Directly Different podcast. My dear friend Tiffany and I chatted about practicing minimalism in our businesses and if you’d like you can take a listen here.

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