What is minimalism? Do you get to belong to the minimalist club when you own only 50 belongings? When you settle on one signature outfit to wear every day? Or when you finally realize that you don’t really need a bed or a couch, that you can just sleep on the floor?
Well, that’s a perfectly fine variation of minimalism. However, minimalism is simply a way of thinking that emphasizes that less is more and that owning more stuff, doing more things, and knowing more people isn’t necessarily better. By removing things from our lives, we make room for what is important.
Now, by most standards, I am a far cry from a minimalist. I own too many clothes and don’t wear a lot of them. I have lot of Knick knacks with no practical purpose. They are just there for aesthetics. But, hey, it least I listen to the minimalist podcast!
The ways in which I have chosen to apply minimalism to my life have greatly improved it.
It is important to remember that minimalism isn’t “all or nothing”. Each minimalism change you make to your life is a step in the right direction. So, you don’t have to throw away a certain percentage of what you own to call yourself a minimalist.
Here are 8 minimalist habits that keep my life simple, my mind clear and my heart happier.
Habit 1: The Inbox – I shiver when I see people’s inboxes with hundreds of unopened emails. What if you missed something important? So, I like to get to “inbox 0” by the end of each day, which means that I’ve ideally responded to or at the very least opened all of my messages and email. If I can’t get to it right then, I mark it as read and it’s taken care of for now. When my inbox stays consistently in the low range I feel more like “I’m on top of things”.
Habit 2: Clearing Desktop & Downloads – It’s amazing how much these folders can fill up. If you take lost of screenshots and do lots of research, your screen is full. There nothing more satisfying for me than to take what I don’t need at the end of the week and throw it in the trash. When I start the next week with a tidy computer, it’s much easier to find what I’m working on.
Habit 3: Consistent Routines – Time and tweak your routines (morning routine, evening routine) until they are perfect for YOU. Just because someone meditates in the morning doesn’t mean you should. The beauty of it is that I hardly have to think about it so, as a result, I have more mental space.
Habit 4: Keeping Papers in One Place – I have just one magazine holder for all of my important papers separated into folders. I review them periodically to make sure they’re actually still important – otherwise, I toss them! This makes it easy to find exactly what I need when I need it.
Habit 5: Limiting Sentimental Items – I used to hold on to so much stuff for the sake of memory. Now I just have 1 bin. The truth is I’ve never missed anything I’ve thrown away.
Habit 6: The “In Process” Tray – This is where I put the stuff to be filed, items to decide on, sticky notes with ideas or reminders. It is recommended you use a paper tray or box lid. Everything that doesn’t have a home goes there. This way, I know exactly what I need to work on.
Habit 7: Tidying as I Go – Put things back where they belong when you take a break, before leaving the house, and before going to bed. This way you come home and wake up to a clean space!
Habit 8: Do Less – Keep your life simple by not piling unnecessary items just for the sake of doing more or doing what everybody else is doing.
So, there you have it! If you already have 4 or more of the habits above, you can call yourself a minimalist right now. I hereby declare you a minimalist! Congratulations!
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