Minimalist living is counter-cultural. It stands contrary to the life pursued by most people in the consumer-driven society within which we live.
But there is more joy to be found owning less than can be found pursuing more. Consider just some of the benefits of living with fewer possessions:
1. Spend Less | Choosing to accumulate only the essential often results in financial freedom.
2. Less Stress | A minimalist home is significantly less stressful.
3. Easier to Clean | The fewer things in our home, the easier they are to clean.
4. More Freedom | The sense of freedom that comes from minimalism is truly refreshing.
5. Good for the Environment | The less we consume, the less damage we do to the environment.
6. Be More Productive | Our possessions consume our time more than we realize.
7. Example for my Kids | These are valuable life lessons they will never learn in the media.
8. Support Other Causes | Money is only as valuable as what we choose to spend it on.
9. Own Higher Quality Things | More is not better… better is better.
10. Less Work for Someone Else | Create a less stressful life today and lessen the burden on someone else too.
11. Be Happier | Owning fewer possessions makes you happier.
12. Do Work You Love | Own less stuff. Choose work you love.
13. Freedom From the Comparison Game | Our culture begs us to own more.
14. Time for Things that Matter Most | The more stuff you own, the more your stuff owns you.
15. Visually Appealing | Make your home more appealing.
16. Not Tied to the Past | Release the past to create a better tomorrow.
17. Less Places for Your Heart | Invest your heart into meaningful things.
18. More Opportunity for Rest | Take a deep breath.
19. Find Things Easier | Own less clutter. Find stuff quicker.
20. Live in a Smaller Space | For most families, a house is the costliest investment they’ll ever make.
21. Display What You Value Most | Communicate what is most important.
Cindy D. says
For the past 8 years, I’ve applied each one of these 21 principles. I can say inequitably that as I conquered each one, life became easier. I also found that when I stopped talking myself into keeping something because I had spent money on it, I became so much happier to give it away to someone who could use it.
44 years in one house, accumulates a lot of “crap”. There have been many times that I longed to see the sparsely furnished house we moved into in 1979.
Slowly each day, I declutter something. Maintaining a space you’ve already cluttered takes discipline, but so worthwhile at the end of a day. I’ll never go back!
Thank you Joshua for being the light at the end of my tunnel!
Robert says
If I have 20 white shirts, then I don’t have to do laundry 19 days, instead do them all in one setting, time and water saved…
Ian says
Fantastic advice, I only wish it was equally applicable to digital hoarding. I have far too many apps.
Pris says
I have many duplicates of photos. I have them organized kind of in pretty shoe box style decorator boxes, but there are so many – like 30-40 boxes full. I always think I’ll give them to my grown children but they have so much clutter, or two of them are not in their own places, that I don’t feel like I can give them more stuff to figure out what to do with. I have plenty of storage space but it still distresses me!
My other problems is clothes. I wear 1/3 of them… and move them back and forth from closet to closet as I change seasons. I have too many. I don’t know why it’s so hard to get rid of them!!!
I appear organized and I guess I am, but I can drive myself mad because I like everything picked up all the time. So I clean and straighten more than relax and recharge.
Mia says
I believe some of us have great anxiety and can’t concentrate because of our clusters and mess! Great post, thanks.