“Change brings opportunity.” —Nido Qubein
Over the past several years, I have had the privilege to introduce the idea of minimalism to a number of people. These introductions have occurred through personal conversation, writing, and speaking opportunities. But no matter how the introduction happens, each time, I feel a little bit renewed.
The idea of “finding more life by owning less stuff” resonates with most people.
But, unfortunately, I also find that for many, this is where their journey ends—at the introduction.
The idea of minimalism may sound attractive, but the first step appears elusive. And is too often, never taken.
There are a wide number of reasons that keep people from taking this first step towards living with less. And while they vary from person-to-person based on personality, history, gender, and worldview, I have found that most of the reasons keeping people from getting started towards minimalism fit into only a handful of categories. In hopes of providing encouragement to some of you, I thought it might be helpful to take a minute to answer most of them:
• Reason: I’ve Never Considered Intentionally Living With Less.
Interest in minimalist living is growing. You can blame it on the economy, technology, environmental-awareness, or blogs such as Zen Habits, Rowdy Kittens, and Be More With Less. It has been exciting to see the movement grow. But the percentages are still small. In the land of suburbia where I live, the idea of intentionally living with less is still a foreign concept. Hearts desire it, but too many minds have yet to be introduced.
Solution: If you ended up reading this post at the urging of a friend, consider yourself introduced. Intentionally living with less results in a life of less debt, less stress, and less anxiety. In exchange, you will discover more time and energy for the things you value most. Your greatest passions will again take their rightful place in your life.
• Reason: But I Don’t Know Where to Start.
For many, the task of minimizing their possessions seems overwhelming. Their minds race to drawers that don’t close, closets that don’t shut, and rooms that are stuffed full of unused things. The idea of decluttering their homes and lives is attractive, even necessary… but the simple obstacle of knowing where to start keeps many from even starting at all.
Solution: Start small and start easy. Find the easiest drawer, closet, or room to declutter and begin there. You don’t need to start with your attic or your basement. In fact, you probably shouldn’t. The task will be too great. Instead, choose the easiest place in your home – even if it is just one drawer. You’ll feel good when you are done (I guarantee it). And that feeling of success and relief will carry you on to the next step… and the next…. and the next… and eventually, even the attic.
• Reason: But I Don’t Have the Time.
Minimizing possessions takes time. You didn’t collect everything in your home over the course of one weekend and it’s going to take longer than one weekend to sort it out and remove the non-essentials. But we live such busy lives these days. Where can we find the time to accomplish such a large task?
Solution: If you can find 15 minutes, you can take the most important step – the first one. Investing just 15-20 minutes to minimize one area of your home is all you need to get started (especially if you have chosen something easy). Again, the immediate sense of calm you will find in owning less will motivate you to find another 15 minutes. If you struggle to even find 15 minutes, try one of these ideas: get up one hour early, take one afternoon off work, turn off the television, or dedicate one Saturday to decluttering. Any one of those options above will help you find more than enough time to get started.
• Reason: But I Could Never Get My Family On-board.
By far, the most common question I receive after speaking about minimalism relates to other family members (especially about husbands and teenagers). The fact that their family members will never go for the idea of living with less seems to outweigh any benefits of implementing it in their own lives.
Encouragement: Your husband/wife/children does not need to fully embrace the idea of minimalism for you to benefit from it. Remember, it is far easier to notice the clutter of others than it is to notice our own. But if you just decide to start with your own personal belongings, you will notice a HUGE difference. You will almost immediately find more time in your life for the things that matter most – even if your kids’ bedroom is still messy. And the more you begin to experience freedom in your life… the more your family members will start to take notice. Just ask my wife.
• Reason: But I Don’t Know What I’d Do With ________.
Another common thought-process I have noticed is that people’s minds often rush to their toughest belongings to minimize. These vary from person to person, but typically resemble sentimental items, books, or hobbies. Over the years, they have collected a large number of items in these particular areas and the thought of having to part with them raises concern… and often stops them from ever taking the first step.
Solution: You don’t have to part with anything until you are ready. And you certainly don’t have to begin by removing the things that mean the most to you. If you are anything like we were, you have a whole house (or at least, a clothes closet) full of things that don’t mean anything to you. They are just taking up space in your home and life. They don’t fit, match, or work anymore. They can easily be removed. Start there. And remember that there is no time limit on this journey. If you are not ready to part with the memories of your past today, don’t worry about it. Maybe you’ll be ready tomorrow… or the day after that.
• Reason: But I’m Afraid of Change.
Got it. Change doesn’t come easy to you. And intentionally deciding to live with less is among the biggest of changes that you could make in your life. It is a counter-cultural way to live life. After being fed millions of advertisements from the world around us promising that more is better, deciding to reject that thinking and live with less is going to require changes – not just in the home where you live, but in almost every aspect of your life going forward.
Solution: Change is never easy. And even though it is inevitable through this journey of life, we seem to avoid it whenever possible. But change comes easier when we realize the rationale behind it. The reasoning provides us with necessary motivation to make the needed changes. When we started out on our minimalist journey, I listed every benefit of minimalism that we were experiencing. The rationale and the reminder of why we were changing our lifestyle pushed us further down the road over and over again. Perhaps, they will provide the necessary foundation for you to embrace change in your life as well.
• Reason: But Minimalism Doesn’t Sound Attractive to Me.
Still, for others, they will never take their first step towards minimalism because the lifestyle does not sound attractive to them. They find no appeal in the idea of intentionally living with less. And believe that they want nothing to do with it.
Solution: I embraced the idea of minimalism because it became apparent to me that the stuff in my life was keeping me from the most important things in my life: faith, family, and friends. And since removing most of the personal possessions from my life, I have found more freedom, energy, and finances to pursue the relationships that mean the most to me. And that applies to this relationship as well. May our differing views on possessions never come between us as friends.
Estar Holmes says
The victory comes when you know through experience how joyful you can be with bare essentials.
Lia says
I’m starting the path. My husband is a natural minimalist but I love pretty things and have always enjoyed shopping. Now that we have a toddle and baby on the way I find it easier to let go of my things and I don’t have time for random shopping now. However, toys are definitely an issue: they are slowly filling up our home! Here is a question: does building storage encourage Accumulating more stuff? I want to get organized but don’t want to set myself up with “spaces to fill”.
Stefanie says
Wow, this is just what I needed.
Over the summer and vacation I lost track of the minimalisim. Like “out of sight, out of mind”. But this here puts all the things together and lets my focus again.
Well I am just before round 2 and its getting harder, but I have a plan. I wished my husband would find his way to minimalisim too.
Angie Kay says
I have just started my minimalist journey this July 2011. I have gotten rid of 206 things and I am still counting. I am going to take pictures and scan my son’s pictures that he draws and only really keep a few in order to cut down on the papers. I am also trying not to have duplicates of things like house slippers and kitchen utensils. It is a journey and I am excited to begin it!
Emma McCreary says
Thanks for the inspiration! I am finding that while letting go of stuff is hard, it gets easier the more I read posts about the topic. I think it’s slowly rewiring my brain.
Yan says
Emma,
Your words about “rewiring my brain” struck a chord. I can apply this to other areas of my life that I am struggling with. And great website by the way; I’m now a subscriber and a follower on Twitter.
Yan
Katie says
@Jen:
In response to a couple of your comments…
In terms of the things that you are afraid of getting rid of because you might need a replacement–what if you investigated some other ways of using those items? Do any family members/friends have ones that you could borrow, if needed? Is there anywhere that you could rent a particular item that you’re worried about selling?
And about feeling bad about not giving your child enough toys–I don’t have children, so I can’t personally speak to the feeling of needing to provide for my own child. However, when I was young, my family didn’t have much money for extra toys, but I never remember being bored. Kids are so good at being creative with very little–I almost think that the less they have, the more creative they are! That being said, I’m sure there are a number of bloggers/readers who are more versed in the subject, so I’ll end my thoughts here :o)
Jen says
I really like this blog and the article is encouraging and i would love to be minimalist. I grew up with a horder mum and really hated how our house was. My main concerns about taking the next step were not really menioned here though. I am a single parent with very little money coming in and i worry that if i get rid of something and then find i need it I will have a hard time finding the money for a replacement. Also I feel bad giving things away and feel i should sell them and try to improve our finances but of course the process is much slower…I also don’t want to deprive my child of being little and having toys and being creative by insisting on a minimalist home. Does anyone else have these concerns, especially around the money side of things?
Robin says
Jen,
As a person who is a recovering packrat, one thing I found to help me deal with getting rid of something I “may later need” was to read the following: By holding on to something in case one day you may need again, you are not trusting that the universe will provide for you in the future. I was studying the law of attraction and learning about Flylady (an approach to decluttering and creating a cleaning routine for those not born organized) and I ran across this very subject addressed in both topics. So I thought to myself…this is coming from lack of faith and a sense of lack not prosperity…I then chose to decide that what ever I got rid of, if I may need again one day in the future I would be able to replace it. It was miraculous how that one sentence was instrumental in allowing myself to part with things I didn’t need. And the relief I felt as I stuffed bags and boxes of items to get rid of was incredible!
Your other concern, earning money from the items you are letting go…well…when I was doing this, I didn’t have a job, no disposable income, I was living in a run down building on my son’s property, no running water, no bathroom facilities, no heat except electric space heaters…I too felt I needed to sell items to provide myself with some ready cash. But in the end, it didn’t work out that way, and it was much easier to set things by the side of the road or donate them to charities. Life had changed again and I didn’t have the time or energy to sell anything. Because I had only just begun decluttering and minimizing, the bulk of my belongings are still in that building; furniture, clothing, household goods, much of which I’m going to be forced to dispose of due to musty odors and mice, but I’m looking forward to decluttering the rest of it, only taking what I absolutely love or need and letting go of the rest as I start a new phase of my life again. Even tho I’m not around all that stuff at the moment…I feel it weighing on me from a distance and I want it gone!
Living with my hoarding parents is also driving all of this. There isn’t enough room for all the things I’ve used here, its spilling out of the bedroom I use, because its not even all my stuff in there. But it has occurred to me in the last couple of days…look at how little you’ve survived with of your own things while here! You don’t need all that crap! lol.
As I said, life is changing again, I’ve graduated from college, just passed my licensure exam and looking for work so that I can eventually get a place of my own. I relish the thought of starting over, having my own place, of being in and around my own things, but in a calm, serene, and uncluttered space, making the place just right for me.
Good luck!
Katie says
What a great post! I have recently been going through my own downsizing process and found that some things were definitely easier to get rid of than others.
I believe that downsizing takes a lot of introspection. Some guiding questions that I used when sorting through things were:
-How often do I use this?
-Do I actually enjoy using/seeing this item?
-Does this item reflect the life that I want?
-Could someone else get more use out of this?
As an example, I have always been an avid reader and had amassed a large collection of books, many of which I hadn’t read in years. When I began to get rid of things, I wondered what other people might think of me if I got rid of most of my books. Would they think less of me if I didn’t have a great book collection? Would that somehow make me look less educated? Silly thoughts, yes, but they were holding me back.
When I finally made the decision to donate most of my books to the local library, I couldn’t believe how good it felt knowing that the books would be going to homes where they would actually be read again, and the library could raise money from the sales. It was definitely a better feeling than the burden of having to make extra space for all of the books.
Wendy says
I can totally relate to the family part of it. I seem to be the only one that sees all the stuff we have accumulated over the years. If we aren’t using it, I’m ready to pass it on to someone who will. At a garage sale this past week, it was hard for me to get rid of the floor puzzles the boys played with when they were young, but I knew I was doing the right thing because the family who bought them had 2 little ones just the right age for them. I know they’ll give someone else wonderful memories.
Thanks for the constant encouragement and challenges!
Yan | Towars simplicity says
One way I encourage others towards simplicity is to share how tiny actions can create giant benefits. For example, I recently decided to address my addiction to coffee. My first tiny action was to stop bringing coffee from home at work. In doing so, I figured that I am saving 5 minutes each day not having to fill up my travel mug in the morning, transfer the coffee in my coffee mug at work, make 2 or 3 trips to the microwave during the morning to re-heat the coffee, and wash the travel mug and the office mug every day. At 300 business days per year, that’s 25 hours that I no longer spend on bringing coffee to work! And I’m not even addressing the financial and health benefit of this tiny action. From this example, I’m sure it is easy for anyone to identify a tiny action towards simplicity that can have a great impact!