How to Push 'Play' on Your Minimalist Journey
Almost a year ago I started to blog about starting a minimalist lifestyle. Now, no-one is perfect however I need to admit that I have only barely made any progress because of the sheer amount of material possessions I've accumulated over my lifetime so far. I have drawers full of art supplies that I hold onto because they occasionally come in handy, I just counted 27 bottles of hair products in my bathroom (I share with 2 sisters which makes it more justifiable but still), I have enough makeup to last me a lifetime & my book collection has grown so out of hand that my shelves can't handle the weight. How did I get to this stage?
If I think about it, I used to share my room with my sister when we were younger. I could say that despite being an OCD clean freak when I was about 9 years old, around 60% of the stuff in my room are from 10+ years ago. I slowly come to realise just how long material possessions can last for. For example, I made a post last year counting all the perfumes I own and another post about the makeup products I own. I mentioned that I had 23 perfumes and a whopping 297 makeup products (which since then has probably grown a tiny bit more). I have been slightly motivated to use things up as I have posted several 'empties' posts. I can proudly say that I've since used up around 8 perfumes which honestly is quite a lot. This means I now own 15 perfumes which is still much, but an improvement from before. A lot of my perfumes didn't have much product left in the bottle but my hoarding tendencies made me latch onto the product to remember the memories attached to it. It made more sense in my head to be honest, and I can't even think of why I grow so attached to material possessions in the first place.
I think it is just the way I've been brought up. Both my parents grew up in Poland where they were taught to give material objects a second purpose (which I still admire, such as saving old jam jars to use as vases, pen holders, etc). However most things I own don't have a second purpose such as empty perfume bottles that can't store anything in them and just collect dust on the shelf. Therefore, it is important to draw the line of what to re-purpose and what to simply throw out. Throwing out stuff makes me sad too because I can't help but think of all the waste I'm producing. Which is why it is important to buy less which will lead to less waste. It's as simple as that. Everytime I shop for something I like to ask myself 'Do I really need this?' or more importantly 'Do I already have this?'. The second question is more important because it allows for me to run a mental image of what I already own at home.
If you want to begin your minimalism journey the first and most important step to take is to find one thing in your room that does not need to be there. If it doesn't bring you happiness, if there is dust on it & if you haven't thought about it for a long time are the 3 main signs of something that you need to get rid of (points that Fumio Sasaki has mentioned in his book 'Goodbye, Things'). And that doesn't necessarily mean you have to throw it straight in the bin. If it is a stuffed animal or a clothing item or anything that can have a second life you can donate it to the Salvation Army or a family member who will get better use and happiness out of it. It is important to consider the environment and the well-being of others when minimising your possessions. By doing this, you're maximising the potential for other people's happiness and it is important to not become solely wasteful.
I have learnt for almost a year now that it is definitely not an easy journey if you want to minimise your possessions. I know that I truly won't become a minimalist because I am a maximalist at heart, but there are things I want to collect and other things that I'd want to minimise. For example: I love my Simpsons DVD box set collection because I know that I will get use out of it at any time in the future. The same goes for the majority of my book collection, although I do see myself donating some titles that I dislike or never seem to read to Salvos. It is all about knowing what you personally need and don't need, what you like and dislike and putting those together to establish what you want to minimise. I know I want to minimise the amount of art & office supplies in my room because I seem to have hundreds of pens that last almost for years at a time and that aren't fully recyclable.
What do you own too much of? What would be the first thing you would donate or throw out? I'd love to know! I love to read comments when I get them so please don't be afraid and start a discussion.
Amanda. S
If I think about it, I used to share my room with my sister when we were younger. I could say that despite being an OCD clean freak when I was about 9 years old, around 60% of the stuff in my room are from 10+ years ago. I slowly come to realise just how long material possessions can last for. For example, I made a post last year counting all the perfumes I own and another post about the makeup products I own. I mentioned that I had 23 perfumes and a whopping 297 makeup products (which since then has probably grown a tiny bit more). I have been slightly motivated to use things up as I have posted several 'empties' posts. I can proudly say that I've since used up around 8 perfumes which honestly is quite a lot. This means I now own 15 perfumes which is still much, but an improvement from before. A lot of my perfumes didn't have much product left in the bottle but my hoarding tendencies made me latch onto the product to remember the memories attached to it. It made more sense in my head to be honest, and I can't even think of why I grow so attached to material possessions in the first place.
For those who are constantly working and are finding themselves to be stressed read this article from Mind Body Green (my favourite lifestyle blog) which comments on the small changes you can make to live a lifestyle with a smaller carbon footprint without too much effort.
I think it is just the way I've been brought up. Both my parents grew up in Poland where they were taught to give material objects a second purpose (which I still admire, such as saving old jam jars to use as vases, pen holders, etc). However most things I own don't have a second purpose such as empty perfume bottles that can't store anything in them and just collect dust on the shelf. Therefore, it is important to draw the line of what to re-purpose and what to simply throw out. Throwing out stuff makes me sad too because I can't help but think of all the waste I'm producing. Which is why it is important to buy less which will lead to less waste. It's as simple as that. Everytime I shop for something I like to ask myself 'Do I really need this?' or more importantly 'Do I already have this?'. The second question is more important because it allows for me to run a mental image of what I already own at home.
If you want to begin your minimalism journey the first and most important step to take is to find one thing in your room that does not need to be there. If it doesn't bring you happiness, if there is dust on it & if you haven't thought about it for a long time are the 3 main signs of something that you need to get rid of (points that Fumio Sasaki has mentioned in his book 'Goodbye, Things'). And that doesn't necessarily mean you have to throw it straight in the bin. If it is a stuffed animal or a clothing item or anything that can have a second life you can donate it to the Salvation Army or a family member who will get better use and happiness out of it. It is important to consider the environment and the well-being of others when minimising your possessions. By doing this, you're maximising the potential for other people's happiness and it is important to not become solely wasteful.
I have learnt for almost a year now that it is definitely not an easy journey if you want to minimise your possessions. I know that I truly won't become a minimalist because I am a maximalist at heart, but there are things I want to collect and other things that I'd want to minimise. For example: I love my Simpsons DVD box set collection because I know that I will get use out of it at any time in the future. The same goes for the majority of my book collection, although I do see myself donating some titles that I dislike or never seem to read to Salvos. It is all about knowing what you personally need and don't need, what you like and dislike and putting those together to establish what you want to minimise. I know I want to minimise the amount of art & office supplies in my room because I seem to have hundreds of pens that last almost for years at a time and that aren't fully recyclable.
What do you own too much of? What would be the first thing you would donate or throw out? I'd love to know! I love to read comments when I get them so please don't be afraid and start a discussion.
Amanda. S
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