The Personal Challenges of Being a Minimalist

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9 Comments

  1. I agree completely. For me, bc I’ve moved 25x in my lifetime, you tend to purge as you go, or at least I do. Also, I’m constantly working on my “list of to do’s” (it’s fluid) re: various projects. Electronic clean-up is always getting pushed down the list. It came down to finally hiring someone this season to help me, so I can focus on my writing and other interests. I do tend to give myself anxiety over a list no one cares if I accomplish or not – welcome to adulting ;o During my process, I’ve come to realize my environment has a huge impact on my wellbeing. My home is more calm and so am I

  2. I appreciate how you look at minimalism. I am in the process of defining exactly what it means to me. I want to get past the decluttering stage and be more proactive about how much consuming I still do. I take particular joy in my large clothes closet. I have tried to downsize it but in all honesty, I really love expressing myself through my clothes and my style. I would like to be less of a consumer of clothes but perhaps this is just part of my evolution. Any thoughts on this? It feels like if I allow myself this indulgence, I am not really committning wholeheartedly to the minimalist lifestyle.

    1. Thanks for sharing Tamela. Good on you for thinking about it! Could you achieve this with less? Does every piece in your closet represent you and your style? Maybe if you took it all out one by one and asked yourself that question you may downsize a little. Progress over perfection. Sometimes you may find things that you haven’t worn in a while and someone else may wear every single day. Other pieces may not fit as well as they could or simply don’t align with your style anymore. Focus on the pieces that are a must keep and things that bring you a lot of joy that you wear often. I’m sure you’ll be able to cull some of it 🙂 Best of luck! Masa

  3. My husband and I are just starting on this journey. We love the outdoors, and live in the Pacific Northwest which is beautiful. We decided we want to have the space and time for what is most important to us. On the same token, I work as a nurse care manager, and have overcommitted and over extended myself for far too long. I know there is a journey ahead.

    1. Masa Ofei says:

      I wish you the best of luck on this journey, it is a beautiful one. You’ve done the biggest step already and that’s acknowledging that something needs to change. Thanks for sharing Melissa!

  4. Hello Masa. Thank you for your article. I have been decluttering and minimising for about 2.5 years now. My husband and I were working in another state and my husband had employees working in several remote areas, which meant having several houses…all requiring furnishing etc. While each of these in their own right were minimalist, when we returned to our primary place of residence we had several households of items. We had a huge garage sale, advertised items on Gumtree, gave away things and donated items. I have minimised every part of my life; digital, finances, mind, work as well as home. This has produced many benefits as well as making me feel much better about my carbon footprint. However my struggle is giving up my vehicle. I drive a huge 4WD, which I really don’t need but I am really attached to for some reason. I have even given it a name! Currently, my justification is our massive dog ???? but of course he would most likely adjust to a smaller vehicle. Anyway, I will keep working on this, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you again for your article and please keep them coming.
    Debbi

    1. Hi Debbi, thanks for sharing your story and for the kind words! 🙂 That would have been a lot to sort through, good on you! That’s interesting, have you had the 4WD for a while? Oh it’s over once you give it a name haha. I was personally attached to most cars that I had (gone through 3 now) but once I understood why it was that I was parting with it, then the decision was much easier. If you already see that you don’t need such a big car (and big cars can be a little impractical at times), see what else is out there. In saying that, if it’s practical and serves you a purpose and you love it, then just keep it! Best of luck x

  5. I’ve been working to minimize big time this year. Basically I’ve been through the first overhaul which was followed by a yard sale and major donation but I feel like the stuff we got rid of what just the first tier and there is still so much stuff that needs to go. I continue to feel the presence and weight of clutter all around me so I have started doing more cutting as of the past two weeks, including my daughter’s stuff. I figure I will just keep working at it until the space around me feels calm and simplified. 🙂

    Erica
    http://www.awastenotkindoflife.com

    1. Masa Ofei says:

      Hi Erica, sounds like great progress! 🙂