It is the season to spring clean your house! Get rid of all the stuff you don’t need anymore. While cleaning your house, keep in mind that a clean home also will lead to a clear mind because mess can lead to a lot of stress. Have you ever heard of minimalism? It’s a counter-movement to our consumer society. A minimalist lifestyle, is all about owning less, spending less and ultimately doing less. Read in this blog how minimalism can help you declutter to create more peace in your life.

Pick a goal

What would you like to change in your life? Do you have a house full of stuff you want to get rid of? Do you want to buy new clothes all the time because you are triggered by all kinds of ads and beautiful Instagram pictures? Or do you want to take more time for yourself and think carefully about the time you spend with people from you inner social circle? Choose one goal and work on it. The chance of success is higher because you can put your full attention on this.

Functionality

Minimalism is all about not having excessive amounts of stuff. For example, if you want to buy less clothes, ask yourself why you constantly want to buy more clothes? What happens in your mind just before you start searching for new pants online? Or if you are sitting on the couch at home and suddenly want to go shopping “to check out the new collections”, are you feeling restless in those moments? Are you concerned with what others think of you if you are wearing the same? Or is it some kind of uncertainty that you are trying to hide by always buying something new? Ask yourself what your life would look like if you started to live in a more minimalist way. What are you gaining from it? What will it bring you? Are there things you are going to miss? Or are you going to experience more peace in the long term because you experience enjoy in the things you already have? Are you maybe going to save more money?

Balance

What brings you joy in the short-term and what brings you joy in the long-term? Are there any friendships that are important to you and want to invest more in? Or do you want a big social circle around you with whom you occasionally meet to socialise? You can find out what you want to focus on in your life by writing down what gives you happiness in the short-term and in the long-term.

Let’s take a cheap H&M shirt as an example; you can buy more of it because it’s cheap but you will probably enjoy it less because of the quality. If you opt for a more expensive and durable shirt that costs a little more, you will probably enjoy it more and for a longer period of time. You can apply this thinking style to the things in your house; are there perhaps furniture or accessories that take up too much space and create a sense of restlessness in you and in your life? Can you make someone else happy with it if you don’t need it anymore? Try to be as critical as possible.

Ask your environment for help

For some people, the change to live in a more minimalist way is a bit harder than for others. Involve people who are close to you who can help you with this. For example, if you find it difficult to throw things away, a friend can help you with this process. Do you find it difficult to buy fewer items? Someone close to you can store your debit card for you and agree that you receive ‘pocket money’ every week. In this way you have less to spend and probably feel supported by your environment. Also consider the moments that will be difficult, meaning that you have to think in advance what you want to do in order not to fall into old behaviour.

Practice

Allow yourself the time to get used to the principle of minimalism since it is new to you. Try to make more time to find out why you want to buy something. In addition, it can also help to make a schedule in which you indicate when you are going to clean up a certain room in your house. If you have fallen back in your old patterns for a few days, try to pick it up again. Discuss it with your environment so that they can support you to have a minimalist life. Above all, do not forget to consider what consuming less or making less appointments to socialise will bring you in the long term.

NiceDay app

In the NiceDay app you can keep a daily diary about how the minimalist lifestyle is working for you through the registrations. This allows you to train yourself on a daily basis to consciously reflect on the steps you are taking during this process.