Minimalism

Physical | Mental | Social | Financial

minimalism

/ˈminəməˌlizəm/

A lifestyle driven by intention and purpose that involves removing distractions and living with only the most essential elements

The heart of minimalistic living is eliminating obstacles in order to enjoy a bigger and more personally rewarding life. Some choose to pursue this avenue in life by living in a physically smaller space and having fewer things, while others make ongoing, conscious decisions about what they need vs what they want.

But the less-is-more mentality goes beyond the physical realm. Imagine having less stuff, but still being bogged down by stressful social relationships, financial struggles and unsettling emotional challenges.

Eliminating all forms of obstacles that prevent you from enjoying a fuller life includes examining every aspect of your life.

What Does it Mean to Be a Minimalist?

Using the suggested definition above, being a minimalist, in general, is about reducing physical and mental clutter so you can create easier access to the experiences that fulfill you.

I get asked a lot what it means to be a minimalist and I always let people know that there isn’t one way to do it. And also that minimalism isn’t for everyone! But here is a spectrum that spans from people who only own what they can carry in a backpack to those who consciously base their decisions on sustainability and have a healthy balance and awareness of their needs vs their wants—and everyone in between.

But every person who thrives somewhere within this range of minimalistic living has one thing in common: everything they have, and do, serves a purpose. In other words, it is a lifestyle built on intention.

Easier said than done, right?

 Organizing Personal Space to Open up Mental Space

Think of it this way . . . we all like to find solutions to our problems, big and small. And it is often easier to solve problems when we are able to clear our heads before assessing the situation. Like a lot of people, I like to be in a physical space clear of “stuff” before sitting down to tackle a challenging issue in my life or big project.

For example, sometimes before starting a big writing task I do the dishes and clean off the counter, tidy up my personal space and completely clear off my (tiny) table. While cleaning and organizing every room of your home could be on the borderline of procrastinating, but if you’re like me and essentially live in one room, it is nice to have everything in sight as tidy as possible.

By setting up my physical space it makes the path to tapping into my mental state much easier. Knowing that there is nothing else I have to do besides the task at hand, I’m able to purposefully design a more productive creative space to work in.

Being a minimalist is a way of having your entire life set up like this. By creating a physical environment state that is free of distraction, anytime a problem, task or project comes up, big or small, you are fully equipped to utilize your mental space to focus, and most times, address and resolve a problem quickly or finish the task at hand more efficiently and enjoyably.

We all have different goals in life and passions that drive us towards those goals. Being a minimalist is a lifestyle that allows you to design your space, and life, in a way that helps you to focus on what really matters to you.

How Can I Become a Minimalist?

There are no official boxes to check off, but there are some key ideas to embrace within minimalism. The first step is to ask yourself if you think it might be a lifestyle you can thrive in. The best way to do this is to put yourself in some situations with minimal physical and mental distractions and see how you feel.

I always give people the example of being in a hotel room. You may not consciously realize it, but hotel rooms are set up with the very basic bare necessities for a reason!

The rooms contain the essentials (chair, bed, shower, etc.) And if you’re lucky, it has a super aesthetically pleasing style with the perfect balance of energy. These spaces are specifically designed so that when you walk into your room, you feel completely at ease with no distractions—so you can enjoy your time.

While we can’t all live in a nice hotel room for a few weeks to mimic a life with less stuff, you can temporarily redesign your current space to try it out. To give you a few ideas on how to do this, check out the 14-Day Tiny Living Experiment blog. It outlines some creative ways to see how you would feel in a purposefully designed minimal environment.

I often describe my tiny house to those who ask as a clean and modern, calming yet energizing, super-cool space like a fancy little hotel room with everything I need. The space works for me and has added so much value to my well-being, not to mention the planet's health too.

A Lifestyle That is More Than Just Having Less

Minimalism goes beyond having less stuff. As mentioned above, it is a lifestyle anchored in purpose and intention. It encompasses every factor of a minimalist’s life including physical, mental, social and financial decisions.

Having less stuff is often the easiest place to start. What most people struggle with when choosing this path is what to do next. Does having less stuff make you happier? Maybe a little bit. For me, it was the best way to set myself up for approaching a minimalist design for myself mentally, socially and also financially.

Through a series of blog posts, California Minimalist will dive into four main areas of minimalism: Physical | Mental | Social | Financial. The first of these posts in the series will hit the blog in early 2022 beginning with an exploration into whether or not the lifestyle is a good match for you.

Minimalism and Environmentalism

The strong foundation of intention within a minimalistic life makes it an ideal lifestyle for those that are also passionate about environmental sustainability.

In a nutshell, consuming less stuff, including space, helps to have a low carbon footprint. The more people that are aware of their carbon footprint and what that means in relation to our planet, the brighter the future will be.

The lifestyle also includes being less burdened by mental, social and financial struggles which opens up the possibility to explore and be more active in things you truly care about . . . like our planet’s well-being!

While being a minimalist isn’t for everyone, there are so many aspects of it that may fit into your chosen lifestyle. You don’t have to live in a tiny house or get rid of all your belongings to take part in conscious, planet-friendly decisions. There are so many aspects of minimalism that can not only help you identify and spend more time on the activities that really spark your fire, but they can also allow you to be an active partner in taking care of our environment.