20 Minimalist Habits To Simplify Your Life
A little bit about Minimalism and Minimalist Habits..
By adopting minimalist habits, you create more space in your home and life for things that serve a bigger purpose.
Minimalism is a lifestyle where you own less, and live simply. It doesn’t mean you live a poor life but one that only has space for things that add value to your life.
Minimalist habits are not just about owning and buying less materialistic things. It’s also about your lifestyle, relationships, and mindset.
If your current lifestyle is one of materialism, overconsumption, and lack of purpose, minimalism might be a great way to turn it around.
Below are some simple minimalist habits to help you get started on this journey that can change your life for the better.
Simple Minimalist Habits that can change your life
1. Budgeting
Watching your spending is one of the first habits you can develop to become a minimalist. To do this, you need to create a monthly budget.
Having a monthly and weekly budget can help you minimize spending, only buy what’s necessary, and get into the minimalist mindset.
2. Grocery Shopping
Grocery shopping is a great way to practice slow living and be mindful of your eating habits. Minimalism is also about not overeating, overspending on food yet eating enough and nourishing food.
I can’t think of a better way than buying your groceries and learning some simple, healthy, and delicious recipes.
3. Meal Planning
Today’s modern lifestyle for most of us means, eating out and ordering in during our meal times. I do understand that most of us are busy and do not have time to cook all our meals.
However, if you plan it out right and are disciplined, you can easily create a meal plan that will cover the majority of your meals during the week.
Doing meal prep and cooking in batches is a great way to cut down on time and have your meals ready to eat. It is also a good way to cut down on food expenses and nurture food minimalism.
4. Carry your water bottle
Plastic waste is one of the biggest contributors to environmental pollution. It’s so evident simply by looking at the number of plastic bottles on the streets, oceans, beaches, and everywhere in public.
Minimalists care a lot about their carbon footprint too. Carrying your water bottle and refilling it can be a great way to do your part in reducing single-use plastic consumption and saving Mother Nature.
5. Decluttering
Clutter is one of the most relatable words when it comes to minimalism. Minimalists hate clutter and always try to keep their homes free of it.
We all know how easy it is for paper and other clutter to keep gathering throughout the week. Cleaning every day may not be an option, but if you just make it a habit to throw out clutter as it comes without letting it hang around, you’ll have very little to throw away later.
Decluttering is one of the key minimalist habits. To keep your home, workspace, and other aspects of life clutter-free and with enough space, you should be doing a proper decluttering session at least once a month.
6. Cleaning
Being a minimalist is about keeping your home and surroundings clean and organized. Just like everyone else, Minimalists also have jobs and responsibilities meaning they can get busy and not have the time daily to keep everything organized.
Having a weekly cleaning schedule is a great way to ensure you get rid of all unnecessary clutter, dust, and anything else that doesn’t belong in your home.
7. Donating
Even if you’re a minimalist and do not buy a lot of things, there are other ways to accumulate things over time. For instance, I only buy clothes once a year or so. But I get clothes, shoes, and other stuff as gifts from people close to me.
This means, I still end up with many things that I don’t necessarily buy on my own. There are so many people in the world who do not have this kind of privilege and are in dire need of clean clothes and other things.
Find some good charity organizations in your area and make it a habit to donate things that you’ve had for a while but do not use. It can help someone in need while saving up space in your home.
8. Mindful spending
Finances are a big part of minimalism. Minimalists are careful with their spending and ensure they avoid unnecessary spending.
Whenever you’re paying for something, below are some good questions to ask yourself.
- Do you need it?
- Is it going to add value to your life?
- Is there a cheaper alternative?
- Are you getting the best deal?
Once you answer the above, you will be in a better position to decide if that purchase is justified.
9. Mindful consumption
Another minimalist habit to start is mindful consumption. If you consume excessively, then you will also most likely need to spend excessively.
This is not to be misunderstood as not having enough. You need to have an adequate amount of food, clothing, tech, and other materials as well as experiences.
But do you need a house full of clothing, multiple restaurant meals per week, and five annual vacations? The answer is no.
10. Reusing whenever possible
A lot of the single-use items we get can be reused. As a minimalist, you should always consider reusing whatever is possible.
Everyday items such as plastic bags, jam jars, and beer bottles can be reused in many ways. For instance, plastic bags can be used as dustbin bags, jars and bottles as plant and flower holders, food waste can be turned into fertilizer, etc.
11. Choosing quality over quantity
Things like fast fashion are trending and it’s becoming more and more normal to always have new things. But does it add value to your life?
By choosing quality over quantity, you can buy less and use them for longer. It not only saves up space but also can be a long-term financial saving.
12. Digitalizing
Today, we are blessed with technology and we should take full advantage of it. As a minimalist one of the best ways to utilize technology is by digitalizing all your receipts and paperwork.
Not only will it save you valuable time but reduce paper clutter and give you easier access to find them later when you need them.
13. Digital Detox
Technology is great until you become controlled by it. Nowadays, we see a lot of people who spend too much time on social media. Sometimes to the point where it starts impacting their mental health.
Doing regular digital detoxes by taking social media breaks is one of the best minimalist habits to keep your head clear and be in alignment with your true values.
14. Blocking time for Admin work
As adults, we have a lot to do outside of work. Taking care of your expenses, mortgage, loans, household responsibilities, family, etc are associated with some sort of admin work.
By creating a time block every other week, you can stay on top of things without stressing about it.
15. Saying No
Life throws a lot of stuff at us. This includes opportunities, things, activities, and people. To become a minimalist, your mantra should be less is more.
This means you need to learn to say no to most things and only yes to things that improve your life in some way.
16. Keeping a simple schedule
Keeping a simple schedule is one of the most important minimalist habits. By only scheduling a few important things per day, you can do those things well and more mindfully.
I do understand that what needs to be done at work may sometimes be beyond your control. But most things before and after work are.
17. Choosing experiences over things
Another great minimalist habit is choosing experiences over things. Experiences add value to your life, things take up your space.
Things will eventually wear out and you’ll have to throw them away. But experiences stay with you forever.
18. Less multitasking
Minimalism is also about how you live. It’s about living simply. And to live simply you should try not to do too many things at once.
Except for the times that you have no choice but to multitask, you should always try to do one thing at a time and do that more mindfully.
19. Journaling
Journaling is a great way to regulate your thoughts and keep you centered around your lifestyle choices. It can help you stay true to your minimalist lifestyle and understand why you live a certain way.
20. Expressing gratitude
Living a life of gratitude is how you experience a life of abundance. Some people are never happy no matter how much they have.
Others are happy with so little. The difference is in their mindset and beliefs. By practicing gratitude daily, you can feel happy with a minimalist lifestyle and know that you have enough to live a happy and meaningful life.
And there it is. With these minimalist habits, you can soon get rid of all the mental and physical clutter in your life and start living more intentionally.
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