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If you’re aspiring to become a minimalist, decluttering is just the first step. You can work hard to declutter your space, but if you don’t change your habits, the space is going to end up exactly as it was eventually. The only permanent solution is to change the mindset and behavior that created the problem in the first place. The good news is that the space you cleared will feel so liberating that you’ll be very motivated to keep it up. Below, I share 10 ideas for how you can channel that motivation and embrace a minimalist mindset to change your lifestyle for good.
I want to note that none of these involve regular decluttering or any similar effort. The goal here is to change your mindset so that you don’t need to put any effort into being minimalist or maintaining a clutter-free space.
1. “Don’t buy it because it’s cheap. Don’t take it because it’s free.”
This is my favorite quote from Fumio Sasaki’s Goodbye Things. It pointed out the flaw in my habits in such a succinct way. Just because something is on sale or “deal,” that doesn’t mean you have to buy it. Similarly, just because something is offered for free, it doesn’t mean you have to bring it into your home.
I’m guessing you’ve had this experience: you’re buying something online and realize you can get free shipping if you add another item. It seems like the free shipping would be a “deal” because you’re getting two things but taking $5 off the total. But in fact, you’re just spending more money on something you weren’t going to buy in the first place. As hard as it is – and trust me, I find it painful – it makes more sense to just pay for shipping.
Then there are so many places – stores, workplaces, volunteer activities – that love to give things away for free. When you declutter, how many branded keychains, coffee mugs, t-shirts, and bracelets do you find? When someone hands you something and doesn’t ask for anything in return, it seems like a no-brainer to take it. But it’s actually better to just politely refuse it. Start thinking of your home as a place to protect. Don’t just mindlessly bring in more useless items that will need care and clutter your space.
2. Change Your Approach to Shopping
In another post, I described 10 questions to ask when decluttering your wardrobe. Things like, “Is it comfortable?” “Does it match other things in my wardrobe?” “Is it easy to care for?” Ask these same questions while shopping. Only buy something if it meets all the criteria. If your wardrobe is small enough, it’s easy to mentally go through it and consider if a new item would fit with the others and get used.
Also, intentionally buy things that are higher quality, even if they’re more expensive. This was a big shift for me. It previously seemed obvious to me that I should shop for the least expensive version of whatever item I needed. But the result was a closet stuffed with things that wore out and broke quickly. Then I’d be back to the store within months to replace them. You don’t need to buy the most expensive version of everything but do some research and read reviews – and spend a little more. Your stuff will last longer, and you’ll shop less often.
3. Designate “Buying Days”
This is a method that budgeting experts often recommend to cut down mindless spending. Decide on a certain day (or days) of the week when you’ll make purchases. If you decide you need or want something on a non-buying day, write it on your wish list. Then purchase things on the list on your designated buying day. By then, you may review the list and realize that you don’t really need some of the things you added to it. This is often recommended as a budgeting strategy, and it will definitely save you money. But it will also benefit your life by reducing clutter.
4. Be Realistic About Your Lifestyle
This one is a lot easier to say than to implement. But one of the greatest impacts minimalism has had is making me more realistic about who I am. Have you ever decluttered and found gear for a hobby you thought you would take up? Books you wished you were interested in enough to read? Clothes for the types of events you rarely attend? Being realistic is an important part of decluttering.
It’s also an important part of developing a minimalist mindset after you declutter. Here’s an example: If you want to pick up a new hobby, start by trying it a few times and buy equipment only after you’ve shown commitment. I, for example, was interested in yoga. So much is marketed as “essential” to a yoga practice, but you can start cheaply with loose-fitting clothes and a carpet at home. I started this way and after keeping the habit for three weeks, I bought a mat. I kept it up another month and bought some yoga pants. Months later, once my practice was more advanced, I invested in some blocks and strap.
This requires some self-restraint, but it’s so worth it. It’s easy to get excited for a new hobby, buy all the accessories, and then realize you don’t have the time or interest to really pursue it. Then your money has been wasted and you have a constant reminder of your “failed” hobby. Although buying new things can be motivational to starting something new, try vetting a hobby first. Motivate yourself by buying yourself equipment as you meet milestones. For example, “If I go to yoga regularly for one month, I’ll buy a comfortable outfit to wear to class.”
5. Avoid Advertising Wherever Possible
Advertisements seem ubiquitous – and they are – but there are steps you can take to cut down on how many ads you see throughout the day. I think we all believe that we’re not really affected by advertising, but the truth is, we all are. Companies spend millions on marketing because it’s extremely effective. The more ads you’re seeing, the more you’re naturally going to want to buy.
So, what steps can you take to limit your exposure to ads? Well, one is to reduce your social media use significantly. As a millennial, I’ve witnessed several social media platforms gain prominence, and they always follow the same cycle. They start by connecting you with people who share your interests. It’s a no-brainer to download a free app and see a bunch of content that interests you. Gradually, over years, your feed becomes cluttered with more and more ads. Eventually it feels like one big marketing machine. Because it happens gradually, most of us don’t even notice the ads creeping up. Reducing your social media time has many benefits, and one of them is reducing your exposure to ads.
Another step is to pay for ad-free versions of anything you can’t live without, like a streaming service. As annoying as it is to pay more every month for the service, you’ll end up spending less overall when you’re seeing fewer ads.
6. When Treating Yourself, Focus on Experiences Over Stuff
Becoming a minimalist doesn’t mean you have to resign yourself to a Spartan lifestyle and never spend money. Minimalism will certainly help you save money, which is great, but you can still spend when you want to treat yourself.
After decluttering, you’ll see how ultimately the things you bought didn’t bring you happiness and eventually got chucked in the trash. Instead, save up for things like travel, entertainment, spa treatments, etc. If someone asks what you want as a gift, ask for an experience. This will significantly cut down on the clutter that comes from impulse purchases and gifts.
7. Practice Mindfulness and Gratitude
You don’t need to become a monk to become a minimalist. But reading about the concept of mindfulness and creating a habit of practicing gratitude will help curb your desire to buy out of boredom or trying to assuage some nebulous feeling of needing “more” in your life.
There are a ton of resources that will teach you all about how to add mindfulness to your daily life, but one practical method I use is keeping a gratitude journal. In the morning or before bed, write down three things you’re grateful for that day. This shifts your focus from what you want to what you already have. And when you feel content with what you already have, you won’t feel the urge to buy stuff that will ultimately clutter your home.
8. “Be a Borrower”
This is another tip from Sasaki’s Goodbye Things that I loved. He explains that holding on to certain things is a way of isolating yourself from your community:
The desire to hold on to things can also be seen as a desire to avoid troubling someone else for anything. But all this does is shut you off from the world.
Most of us feel that asking someone for a favor will lead to that person feeling inconvenienced and resentful. But in reality, asking for favors deepens relationships. Hoarding all the things you could possibly need in any scenario not only clutters your life, but it also prevents you from reaching out to others. This may not seem like a big deal day to day, but when you zoom out to take a broader perspective of your life, you’ll see that you’re more isolated.
So, take Sasaki’s advice and be a borrower. Declutter even things you may need once in a while. Instead of buying books, use the library. If you need an outfit for one specific event, don’t immediately rush out to buy something you’ll use once. Start by asking friends if they have anything that could work. This habit will allow you to become a minimalist, but it will also bring you closer to your friends and neighbors.
9. Consider Downsizing Your Space
I live in the U.S., and it’s the norm here to buy the largest home you can afford and then fill it with things. For most people, it would seem bizarre to intentionally live in a space that’s smaller than what you could afford. But many minimalists choose to downsize their homes just for the sake of downsizing. Maybe they have the means to purchase a McMansion, but they choose to live in a two-bedroom apartment. If you have less space, especially out-of-sight storage space like closets, garages, and basements, it is much harder to collect clutter. You naturally fall into a more minimalist lifestyle. Personally, I live in an expensive city and have no choice but to live in a condo, but I can vouch for the fact that living with a family and pets in a small space makes one very motivated to keep clutter to a minimum.
10. Try a Short-Term “No Buy” Challenge
Many minimalists swear by the power of a “no buy” challenge to reset your buying habits. You can tailor the challenge to your own lifestyle. For example, you might choose to do a no buy month, or you may commit to a no buy year. You may decide to buy nothing at all beyond necessities for that period of time, or you may designate specific things you won’t spend money on (new clothes, beauty products, books, etc.).
Like #3 on this list, this is often a suggestion for managing finances and getting spending under control. But the side effect is making you realize that you don’t need nearly as much as you think you do. Like giving up sugar for a period of time, this challenge allows you to reset from overconsumption. Even after the challenge ends, you’ll almost certainly find that you’re permanently less inclined to buy and collect clutter.
Moving Forward with a Minimalist Mindset
You can read a lot of advice – here and on other blogs – about how to be ruthless when you declutter your home. But even if you accomplish that, you need to develop a minimalist mindset in order to become a minimalist. If you keep the same habits that got you to a cluttered space in the first place, you’ll end up back there eventually.
Choose your favorites of the ideas above to get started on reshaping your mindset so that you become a minimalist for good. Not only will you keep an uncluttered and clean space effortlessly, but you’ll also save a ton of money in the process.
What Do You Think?
Do you identify as a minimalist? Have you decluttered and regressed? Or have you found a way to make it stick? I’d love to hear what worked for you in the comments!
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