At some point in our lives, we have all heard the saying “the more, the merrier”. The more we know, the better. The more we have, the better. The more we work, the more we will have. It is as if the idea that having more is the same as being happy has been engrained in us from the beginning. And while this may be the case for some people, over the past year I have introduced a new way of approaching my life by taking a more minimalist approach.
The idea of minimalism does not mean getting rid of everything you own. It simply refers to the idea of eliminating excess in your life to leave space for the things that truly matter. The approach I took was through the things I own, especially as a college student who seems to try and hoard every little thing. Now, I acknowledge this might be a new, scary idea, even implausible for some people, but I urge you all to incorporate little bits and pieces of this lifestyle in different areas of your life to make it work for you.
Below are my top tips on how to live with less:
1. Look Through Your Closet
For many of us, clothes define who we are and how we feel each day. Many of us might even have closets full of clothes. The issue is that we tend not to wear most of our clothes or they do not fit us properly anymore. We gravitate toward the same shirts, shoes, jeans, etc. My recommendation would be to go through your closet and eliminate what you do not use. If there are things you hold sentimental value to or cannot let go of, give it 30 days of not being in your closet. If you need it one day, then bring it back. But if you do not, keep it away from the hanger. This eliminates the morning stress of trying to figure out what to wear or where your favorite shirt went because you will know exactly what is in your closet. Plus, it gives you more space to fill your closet with new pieces!
2. Let’s Decorate!
As a college student, one of my favorite things to do every year is decorate. It brings a sense of myself to my physical space. That said, when there is a lot going on, it only clutters my mind. To me, bright and loud colors are distracting. A lot of decorative pieces on the wall or on my desk are distracting and take space from my books or other items. I like to have sentimental pieces, rather than pieces that will fill up the space simply because they match. I like mostly grays and white, with pops of color. That pop of color for me is a red-orange pillow I received as a gift from my friend who traveled to India over the summer. By having less clutter all around, I worry less about tidying up my space and do not get tired of a loud color scheme, meaning I have more time to worry about things that actually matter when I use that space.
3. Have Less and Put Away as You Go!
It is easy to take everything out when looking for something or when cooking a meal. But, it is not so easy to put back, at least many of us do not. We often find ourselves leaving things on the counter and creating more clutter throughout our day. A way to deal with this is the obvious: just put everything away as you use it. We may not always do it, but it really is a simple task that should not take long. However, another way to minimize clutter is to simply not own so much. In your skin care routine, only have the items you use and nothing more. In your kitchen, only have the kitchenware you actually need, not all the excess pans or skillets or spatulas that came with the 100-piece set you bought. Extras should be stored away from your actual cooking storage. When there is less to worry about, there is more time to shift our focus elsewhere.
These are three simple things we can all incorporate in to our daily lives without sacrificing anything out of the ordinary. In return, we can begin to focus on the things that truly matter.
Photo Courtesy of Flickr and Pinterest (Lindsay Marce and Country Road)