How to Live a Minimalistic Lifestyle in 7 Days

Running out of time, short on cash and low on motivation? Take back your life! This is how to live a simple life in 1 week

Have you ever heard of minimalistic lifestyle and its practitioners? They are those buzz killers who give up everything nice in life, do you think? No way! The one thing that’s true is that minimalists love to let go – of stuff they can safely do without. In exchange, they gain freedom. We show you how you too can double your time and happiness in just one week by cutting your useless stuff in half.

The 10 best reasons for the minimalistic lifestyle

Suppose that tomorrow only half of all the items in your home will be there. Do you feel insecure? That’ s how it is for many people. But perhaps you also remember the feeling of throwing away things you wanted to get rid of a long time ago. After all, it feels pretty darn good to clear out your life. Not only does it free up space in your home, but it gives you more room to breathe in life. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest pros of living a minimalistic lifestyle:

1. As a minimalist, you do something for the environment.

Being a minimalist creates less waste because they don’t keep buying new things and throwing away old ones for them – making more conscious purchasing decisions. Having a minimalistic lifestyle often means low energy consumption, which saves not only money but also the environment. In other words, minimalism is sustainable.

2. Thanks to minimalism you have less money worries

A minimalist only buys what they really need. So why buy a pair of shoes when you already have a wardrobe with 9 good pairs? Many times we buy things for the sheer fun of consuming. And that adds up unnecessarily. Moreover, those with a minimalistic lifestyle frequently live in smaller living spaces and pay less in maintenance costs. One nice benefit: those who become minimalists even earn money by selling things that are duplicated or rotting unused in the household, money comes in.

minimalistic lifestyle

3. Minimalists have to clean up less often

It is quite simple: Those who own less, make less mess. Piles of paper or magazines and chaos in the wardrobe are not familiar to minimalists. Dust collectors – what are they?

4. A simple life means less stress

People who have a lot must constantly worry about how to protect their possessions. In the long run, the fear of loss can be stressful (The 10 best tips against stress). If you only own a few precious items, you will sleep more peacefully. And not just metaphorically: it has been proven that people sleep better in a clean bedroom than in a cluttered bedchamber.

5. Minimalists have more time

Those living a minimalistic lifestyle concentrate on things that are meaningful to them. They would rather do less and do it more enthusiastically than do many things half-heartedly. Furthermore, they save time because they don’t have to take care of items (for example, washing the car) or constantly tidy up. Because the minimalist has a manageable closet, they can safely get up 10 minutes later in the morning knowing they don’t have to think about what to wear.

6. You can decide better

As you become a minimalist, you will learn to understand what is really important to you. For instance, say you had to choose between sitting in an executive chair or a back-friendly chair. If your health is important to you, the decision is easy. Listening more often to what you (not others!) want and making appropriate decisions will make it easier for you to make choices.

7. When you declutter your life, you are more flexible.

Do you always find moving stressful? Those with minimalistic lifestyle are not stressed about moving house. They don’t have to pack and haul many boxes. By having fewer possessions, minimalists are generally more unattached. In general, they make themselves less dependent on external circumstances.

8. Minimalism makes you happier

For minimalists, happiness is not defined by what they have, but rather by what they do. People who are at peace with themselves don’t have to accumulate things to feel complete or valuable. For many people, the feeling of being able to let go and create freedom for themselves fills them with an inner balance and a high sense of self-efficacy.

9. A simple life promotes concentration and creativity

If you are not constantly distracted by external things, you will look for inspiration within. That sounds weird? Then consider where you exercise with more focus? In a packed gym or on the open workout floor. And where do you work more concentrated: in a messy open-plan office or in a tidy workspace?

10. You make a good impression

Minimalistic lifestyle doesn’t mean you have to walk around in run-down clothes or settle into a 10-square-meter apartment. Quite the opposite: For those with a minimalistic lifestyle, quality is important, things that last and look neat and tidy. For the most part, minimalists come across to others as well-organized, decisive, yet relaxed: “How does this guy do it?”

Also Read:

How to become a minimalist in just 7 days

Cleaning out may sound like a lot of work. However, it’s not as complicated as it sounds. In fact, the opposite is true: It can actually be fun. In an ideal case, you’ll take it one step at a time. If you follow these tips, in just one week you’ll have more time, more money and less stress.

Monday: What is valuable to you in life?

You don’t have to lift a finger to take the first step of becoming a minimalist. You should only ask one question: Tell me what’s the most important thing in your life. Will it be free time, sports, travel, your work or a well-decorated apartment? Perhaps you’re attached to your sneaker collection – that doesn’t prevent you from living a minimalistic lifestyle either. Because the point is to tidy up in the places where you don’t care, as compared to things you love to deal with. Meaning, you’re reducing items and issues that stress you out rather than get you ahead.

Tuesday: Get rid of junk data

Is your cell phone memory full again? Are you aware of every photo on your phone or on your hard drive? All those data junk we carry around with us every day. Only keep important memories (save them in a permanent place!) and delete the rest. Any image you haven’t looked at in years or months can go. The same applies to documents on the desktop or contacts in the phone book. Plus, do you still have a dead account on a social network?

Wednesday: What items did you have in your hand last year?

The simplest trick to identify what items you really need in your life is to ask yourself what did you have in hand last year, and what did you use? Whatever has been sitting in boxes or in the basement for more than a year is seemingly unnecessary. Get rid of things that are just sitting around or broken. These are items from a previous time; they no longer fit into your current life.

Thursday: Clear your schedule

To be more self-determined in your life, you need to become more minimalistic in your free time. Do you have appointments that you only attend to do favors for others? Cut down on these obligatory appointments and create more time for activities that are good for you. This doesn’t mean you should become a selfish loner. In fact, it’s the other way around: the more people you know on social networks, the more shallow the relationships. Concentrate on a maximum of 15 important people in your life instead of being there for everyone.

Friday: Find a place for everything

No more cleaning up! It sounds good, doesn’t it? In order to reduce the number of times you have to gather things together, determine a permanent place for each important item after you have sorted it out. Your cutlery is always in the cutlery drawer. You should also keep things at your desk, in the closet and in the living room. After you use it, you simply put it back there. Using this method will also make you pay more attention to each item, thus training your attention and appreciation.

Saturday: Buy only what you need

Before making any purchase, think about whether you really need the item. Is your survival or happiness dependent on it? Haven’t you already got 5 cool (and well-preserved) pairs of athletic shoes in your closet? If those old kicks are actually worn out, you may strike – and throw the old ones away immediately! This is not true for food – nevertheless it is worthwhile to have a look in the kitchen shelf, whether you could sort out the old canned food or the opened rice crackers, that have been sitting there for months.

Sunday: Take time for a tidy you

When you have sorted out, you will see how much you have. After all, even if half of it is missing, there’s still a lot. And it makes you more grateful for what you have. It is a good feeling when you actively take care that you have more time and space to dedicate to matters that are good for you, and not to take care of things that don’t fit into your life anymore. You should be proud of yourself, you put in the work for a week to live a more conscious life – and it wasn’t even that bad, was it?

The bottom line: Minimalistic lifestyle is not just a trend, it’s a way of life.

You decide to what degree you want to minimalize your life. There is no need to sell off your entire household in order to live a simpler life. It is sufficient if you think about what counts for you in life. Everything that hinders you or is of no use, you can confidently let go. After all, letting go is not only good for you, it also shows you what is really important to you.

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