Becoming Minimalist for a Year – What has Changed?
So many things have changed since we have become minimalist. I can truly say that decluttering has completely changed my life!
PRODUCTIVITY and Minimalism
Minimalism has made me more PRODUCTIVE. Finding I have more time to work on fun projects and travel more with our family. Since I started to become minimal I have looked up ways to become more productive. The change to become more minimal inspired more changes in the rest of our lives.
Now I can recognize when I am wasting time and either stop myself or make a mental note to myself on how I am using my time. Where before I use to wonder where my time went. Now I am more aware.
Watch our Minimalist Productive Day In The Life:
Simple Minimal ENVIRONMENT
Minimalism has made me think not only about my home environment, but about the whole environment. I have started to look up ways to be less wasteful and more eco friendly. This is not easy
It feels like it should be simple, but I realized that almost everything we do has an impact on the environment. This is ok because there is literally no way around it, but there are a lot of changes we are making to help with our amount of waste.
I am trying to buy things with less packaging. If I have the option I always refuse plastic.
I am trying to buy more glass jars instead of plastic.
We don’t eat fast food anymore.
I even try to drive less, I try to combine my trips out so I am not having to make extra trips in my car. Of course these are very tiny changes, but I feel if we all made them it would add up.
SPENDING MY TIME
I went from watching a lot of TV to not watching any. I still watch YouTube, but the difference is you can look up exactly what you want. So I find myself learning things instead of mindlessly staring or flipping through channels.
Now my kids only see shows on Netflix. This is great because we can decide on what they are watching and there are no ads. When they use to see ads on TV they would always ask me for certain toys, now they don’t.
Less TV means more time to read and learn. I don’t know why I stopped learning before! I use to love the reading and learning aspect of school.
As soon as I was out of school I really only read fiction books and I don’t know why. Now I find myself reading so many different types of books and most of them are teaching me something.
I am learning how to make websites, how to make a YouTube channel, how to sell my art, and so much more.
HAPPINESS with Minimalism
Just because you declutter your house and buy less stuff does not mean you are going to magically become happy or less stressed. I think there is a myth being spread that if we declutter and live with less, everything will be easy and fun. Ha Ha!
The one thing minimalism has shown me is that I can be aware of what I am doing and if I need to make some changes to become happier then I should.
I started working out with my new found time and in turn that has made me happier.
Living Minimalist Stops the Comparing Game
Theodore Roosevelt said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.”
With social media it is very easy to compare ourselves with everyone in the world. Once I started to become more minimal and actively live with less I realized there was no reason to ever compare myself to anyone again.
Why would I compare my life to someone who is completely different from me? This quote illustrates exactly how I was feeling anytime I would look through social media. Leading me to unfollow any account that made me feel bad.
We are what we consume! I started to follow uplifting accounts and I also limited my time spent looking at other people’s lives. I would rather live my own life rather than stare at my phone all day.
QUESTIONING TRADITIONS
I have started questioning the way we are told to live and what we are told should be important (big house, nice car). Realizing expensive brand names don’t matter, especially if you can’t afford it. If you are in debt and stressed because of it, then why are we chasing this “dream life”.
I wonder, why do we have to give a present at every holiday? Especially if the person doesn’t need anything. Isn’t hanging out and having fun enough?
I question if I really need the latest trend. Normally we look back and ask ourselves why we fell for a certain “trends” anyways. Whether it’s clothes or some product that is supposedly going to make our lives easier. Most of the time I find these products actually make my life harder.
Living Simply gave me more TIME
Realizing having fun and enjoying your time here on earth is what really matters. Time flies by! I see that when I look at my kids and how fast they are growing. I have become conscience of how I spend my time (even if I choose to waste it).
SO…WHAT IS MINIMALISM TO US?
Being minimal can mean something different to everyone, but this is what has changed in our lives and I feel minimalism is a journey that is never ending. I don’t think there will be one day where I say, “well that is it we are there.”
In my life, adopting minimalism has been a positive thing that has opened the door to new ideas and ways of living.
If you are interested in starting to become a little more minimal, this article can help you get started.
The biggest change happened after we decluttered our home. Let me HELP you Declutter! SOMETIMES ORGANIZING JUST ISN’T ENOUGH. I WANT TO HELP YOU GAIN SOME TIME TOO!
If you are spending a ton of time continually organizing the same area, check out The Declutter Your Home Minicourse. I created this course for anyone who is sick of all the time wasted tidying their home. This course is easy to follow and helps you figure out a decluttering schedule so you can declutter your entire home.
This is the perfect course for you if:
- You worry about your home before having people over (aka shoving things in closets).
- Things are always “missing” in your home.
- You wonder why your home doesn’t ever look clean or tidy, no matter how much cleaning you do.
If you need direction on how and where to start on your decluttering journey check out The Declutter Your Home Minicourse!
Read More Post On Becoming Minimalist as a Family:
Waking up at 5am – How my life has changed!
Decision Fatigue – Do you have this?
How to do a Seasonal Declutter
Decluttered Kids – Before and After
Let me know in the comments if you are becoming minimal and what is something that has drastically changed in your life from this journey?
Watch The Minimalist Home Tour Here:
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