How to find out if you are compatible with tiny living!
The best way to see if something works is to try it out, right? When it comes to exploring the possibilities of living a life based on minimalism, the same rule applies.
When people ask me what it’s like to live in a tiny house, I often give the example of living in a really cool hotel room with everything I need at my fingertips—literally. And just like how a hotel room is purposefully designed, I have all the essentials I need (and some fun stuff I just like) and nothing more.
This leaves a lot of room (both physically and mentally) to explore my community, enjoy my hobbies, travel, hang out with loved ones, and the list goes on. By having less, I don’t need as much space and I don’t feel bogged down by, well, stuff.
Being a minimalist and taking up less square footage are great ways to lower your carbon footprint and fully embrace sustainable living. I have to admit though, the lifestyle is not for everyone. And there are hundreds of other ways to support the health of our planet without living in a tiny house.
But if you think it might be something for you, this could be the momentum you need to try it out and see if it is a good fit.
Creating a 14-Day Minimalist Experience
There are a few ways to create a minimalist environment. You can transform your current living space, stay in a hotel or rent a tiny house.
Since it isn’t the most feasible thing to live in a nice hotel room or rent a tiny house for a couple weeks to mimic a life with less stuff, let’s focus on the free option of using your current home.
For the in-home version of this experiment, there are three steps:
- Designate your living space(s)
- Pack everything you will need for 14 days
- Live within your designated space(s) with only the items you packed
Designating Your Space
I’m going to use the approximate dimensions of the space in my tiny house as a guide for this experiment. To give you an idea, my tiny house on wheels measures 20’ x 8.5’ on the outside with 19’ x 7.5’ of actual living space inside.
My main floor includes the bathroom, kitchen and living/common area. Upstairs I have two loft bedrooms, one for myself and one for my daughter.
- Bathroom interior: 2.6’ x 7.5’
- Kitchen: 8’ x 7.5’
- Office/Living/Dining/Movie Screening Room: 8’ x 7.5’
- Lofts: 7.5’ x 8’ (with a slanting roof, the height goes from 32” – 44”)
Office
Living Room
Dining Room
Movie Room
Whether you live in a big house, apartment, or rent a room in a shared home, you’ll have to designate a space for your main living area and bedroom space for the experiment. To make it easier, don’t worry about the bathroom or kitchen for now. Just find a space you can transform and mark it off with a border.
I lived in a one-bedroom apartment with my kiddo before my tiny house. It had one big room that was the kitchen/living room/office and a small bedroom. While I was preparing myself for the transition, I taped off (I used painter’s tape) a 20’ x 8’ space in our living/dining area and started moving things into it.
At the time, the taped off area felt tiny! Too tiny! But when I walk into my actual tiny house today, it feels open and spacious. So don’t worry if it feels cramped at first.
Tips on Setup
If you can find an 8’ x 16’ space in your current home to mark off, great! You can setup this space with your bed, possibly a chair and small table. The key is to make it comfortable. Think of the most enjoyable and ideal arrangement for you and go for that. If your space is already limited, try to mark off your bedroom and a separate living space to about 8’ x 8’ each. Continue using your current bathroom (showers only, no baths) and kitchen. If you have a big kitchen, trying using only a very small counter space around 2’ x 2’.
Packing For 14 Days of Minimalistic Living
That’s right—time to pack! Even though you will be living in your current home, it is essential you only pack…well…the essentials! And some stuff you just love. Think of it as if you are packing for a two-week vacation where you’ll have to work (I am in no way promoting for anyone to work while on an actual vacation by the way).
So even if you could take a couple of weeks off work for this experiment, don’t. The idea is to go about your everyday life as you normally would. Just with less stuff in a smaller space.
I get asked a lot about how to minimize belongings. And this is a great experiment to weave in some of that process. Pack your favorite, and only your favorite, clothes, shoes, books, gadgets, etc. Think about that shirt you are always washing so you can wear, or your go-to most comfortable shoes that you pick out over the other pairs consistently.
Minimalism isn’t about depriving yourself of quality physical things. In fact, I almost feel like it is the opposite for me. I no longer have a collection of stuff I rarely use, or sometimes don’t even like. Instead, I only own items that I love. And I purchase high-quality items that are safe for the environment and long-lasting. That way, everything I own is my favorite!
Don’t worry about compacting everything into one bag. But don’t go crazy either! For example, if you are not going hiking or to a fancy event during this time, only pack a couple pairs of comfortable everyday shoes. Or if you are only reading one book right that you really love, that is the only book you need for two weeks.
Tiny Packing Details
It is also important to identify a couple of things that aren’t necessary to literally live, but that you enjoy most. For example, if you really enjoy watching T.V., make sure to include a screen of some sort in your space. Or maybe you have a couple personal souvenirs or décor items you enjoy—bring those along too.
Don’t’ forget to pack a toiletry bag with the essentials too! You can keep this in your current bathroom. As for kitchen supplies, same concept. If you are a huge home cook, it’s okay to set aside more than one pot and pan. But you’ll only need a couple bowls, plates, cups, forks, etc. as you’ll be able to wash them as you go. No need to set aside enough stuff to throw a 20-person dinner party (unless of course you are having a 20-person dinner party during this time).
Real-Time Minimal Living
Take a few days to a few weeks if you need to set up your space and pack appropriately. Remember, the challenge is to not dip into anything that you didn’t pack or use any interior space that you didn’t designate. You don’t want to stress yourself though. Like if you forgot to pack your socks and underwear, don’t go without! Just open your dresser and pull out what you need for the time.
The BEST part of the experiment is that you are not limited to how much time and space you use outside of your home. Take this time to visit friends you wish you made plans with more often, check out new restaurants, go to the movies, take a day-long hike, explore your neighborhood. If you normally work from home, find a local café or shared workspace.
It may take a week to get into the flow. At that time, you’ll have a better perspective on a good balance of wants vs needs in terms of your physical belongings. And if by the end of the two weeks you are feeling that it was a bit of a challenge, but in a good way, it may be a sign that minimalism could be a good fit for you.
If that is your experience, take the next step. Rent out a tiny house for a long weekend or start visiting people that own them in your area. Most people I know, including myself, that live in a tiny house are more than happy to have curious-minded strangers over to check out their space to see if they would like to do something similar. And I guarantee that a stand-alone tiny house will feel so much larger than the marked off space in your current home.
Bottom Line
You can try out different versions of this 14-day experiment as many times as you feel necessary. Maybe one week try it with everything you thought you needed, and another week eliminate things you may not even know you don’t need.
Shoot me a message or leave a comment below to let me know how your 14-day tiny living experiment went!