Start thinking like a minimalist thanks to these simple tips on how to develop a minimalist mindset!
In today’s society, we are all taught to believe that we should always strive for more and more.
And more again.
We should want a bigger house, a bigger car, more clothes (and more luxury clothes), a better phone, and so on…
Not only that, but we feel pressured to want to accomplish more as well.
Tackling more and more things on our to-do lists, and being busy all the time is now glorified.
We should also always be striving for a better job, more money, and more responsibilities.
When we go against the norm, we are seen as not ambitious and people have a hard time understanding why on Earth we would not want more.
And while there is nothing wrong with always wanting more, some of us don’t want to pursue this way of life.
Some of us want to live slowly and keep life simple and are interested in pursuing minimalism.
If that’s the case for you, read on!
This blog post will teach you how to develop a minimalist mindset so you can start thinking like a minimalist, no matter what society tells you to do.
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Why you may want to develop a minimalist mindset and start thinking like a minimalist
Striving for more and more in life can be exhausting.
The race for more and better never ends, leaving us unsatisfied and miserable.
We are spending money we often don’t have to buy all those things that won’t make us happy, and going into debt in the process.
Overconsumption is killing our bank accounts, but also the planet.
It’s contributing to global warming, pollution, and the depletion of natural resources worldwide.
Not to mention that never being satisfied with our lives and what we have leads to poor mental health and unhappiness.
But thankfully, there is a way out: minimalism.
Read more: 11 warning signs you have too much stuff in your house
When you live a minimalist lifestyle, your home feels calm and clutter-free; it’s a haven you love spending time in.
You also feel less stressed and have more time to do whatever you want.
You don’t waste time and energy cleaning, tidying, and maintaining unnecessary clutter.
Plus, you are usually more financially secure and free from the burden of consumerism.
Overall, you are often happier, because you are more likely to allocate your precious resources (time, energy, money) toward what matters most to you.
How to develop a minimalist mindset? 13 simple tips to start thinking like a minimalist
1. Value experiences over stuff
If you want to develop a minimalist mindset, you have to believe that experiences are so much more important than material things.
Stuff is just that: stuff.
It has no real importance in the grand scheme of things.
At the end of our lives, we won’t think about what clothes we had in our closets or what car we used to drive.
What will remain are all the memories we’ve created throughout our lives with the people we love.
So prioritize and focus on experiences instead of trying to accumulate meaningless things.
If someone asks you what gift you’d like, consider asking for a great activity to do with them, a nice meal at a restaurant, or a mini weekend trip.
Valuing experiences over stuff also means preferring to spend time doing a hobby we like instead of shopping when we’re bored.
2. Know that you have enough
If you’re reading this article, it means that you own a smartphone or computer and have a reliable internet connection.
So your other basic needs are probably met too.
In other words, you have enough in your life.
There is no need to constantly try and chase the next best thing to buy or check what your favorite brands have to offer this week.
Your life is abundant, you don’t need to add more.
Of course, we all need things from time to time but stop impulse buying and overconsuming.
Read more: How to live a simple life in a modern world?
3. Be in the present moment
Minimalists seek fulfillment and happiness in intangible things.
They focus on the things that make life beautiful and magical.
So try to be in the present moment as much as you can so that you can notice the simple joys in life.
Train yourself not to be busy all the time and slow down to get a chance to see what is beautiful around you.
When you are in the present moment, enjoying what you’re doing/seeing/hearing, you are more likely not to think about what is lacking in your life.
As a result, you are less tempted to fill a void by buying stuff and accumulating things.
4. Declutter your home regularly
Decluttering regularly is one of the best things you can do to develop a minimalist mindset.
When you let go of physical things, you feel lighter and lighter over time.
You feel as if heavy burdens have been lifted and removed from your life.
You experience many other benefits of minimalism, which makes you love this lifestyle more and more over time.
Getting rid of clutter also becomes easier as time passes, and you become less and less attached to things.
If you need guidance and help to declutter your home, you will find the following posts helpful:
- How to declutter fast? 25 efficient and quick decluttering hacks
- How to start decluttering when overwhelmed with clutter and mess
- 70 things to get rid of for a minimalist home
- 99 oddly specific things to declutter right now
5. Get clear about your priorities in life
Take some time to think about what are the most important things in your life.
Are they your family?
Your friends?
Your career?
Are your hobbies some of the most valuable things in your life?
There is no right or wrong answer.
Just be honest with yourself about what your priorities are.
That way, you will be able to act accordingly going forward and focus on what is most important to you.
While doing so, think about what succeeding and living a fulfilling life means to you.
Is it freeing up as much time as possible to be with your loved ones?
Is it building a thriving business?
6. Look for alternatives before buying things
Whenever you think you need to buy something, pause and think about whether there is an alternative option you can choose instead.
For instance, if your jeans rip and you feel urged to go to the store to buy new ones, take a step back and think.
Do you already have another pair of jeans (or several others) that you can use instead?
If something in your house breaks, see if you can first borrow the item from your friends or neighbors.
Renting is another great option many of us forget about.
Also, consider doing without and not buying anything.
We don’t always need to replace things as they break or wear out.
Recently, the only lightweight coat I had became so worn out that I had to get rid of it.
At first, I thought that I would have to buy another one, but then, I realized that I had a great denim jacket I could use instead.
I also have several cardigans that I could wear as well.
Read more: 14 life-changing minimalist rules to live by
7. Remove distractions from your life
Distractions, whatever they are, prevent us from focusing on what is important to us.
When we allow them to have power over us, we end up wasting a lot of time and mental energy.
Yes, it might be tempting to check your phone when you get a new notification, but what will you really gain from checking it?
It will only make it harder for you to refocus on your current task, and you’ll waste minutes, if not hours of your life.
Because sometimes, checking one notification can turn into hours of scrolling on social media.
So do yourself a favor and turn off all notifications on your phone, particularly when you’re working or spending quality time with your loved ones.
Even better, keep your phone on airplane mode or hidden in a drawer.
Also, consider turning off the TV when you’re not actively watching it.
8. Eliminate unnecessary tasks from your to-do list
If you want to develop a minimalist mindset, you need to understand that minimalism can also be applied to your schedule and to-do list.
Eliminate all the tasks you’ve written down that you don’t actually have to do.
We all have things we need to get done every day, but some tasks aren’t that important.
The book Essentialism by Greg McKeown has been a real game-changer for me!
It taught me that “only a few things really matter” and that “we can do anything but not everything”.
More importantly, it showed me how to eliminate any non-essential tasks from my life.
Give it a read!
9. Be intentional with everything you do
When you become a minimalist, you become more and more intentional with everything you do.
Choose how you want to spend your time, energy, and money, and act accordingly.
For instance, if you hate running, don’t force yourself to go for a jog every morning.
Instead, choose a form of exercise you enjoy and look forward to doing.
Regularly remind yourself what your goals are and try to work on them every week, even if it’s just a tiny step.
Create a morning and night routine you love, and choose how you want to spend your free time no matter what others would like you to do.
Read more: 42 inspiring quotes about being intentional to live a life you love
10. Focus on decluttering instead of organizing
Many people think that, whenever their space is messy and cluttered, they need to create a better organizational system for their home.
While this might be true, I believe that decluttering is far more important.
And the issue is that most people skip this step.
They only tidy and organize their things, without getting rid of the excess first.
As a result, after a few weeks, their home is a mess yet again.
That is because, as humans, we bring new things into our homes all the time.
So we also need to reassess everything we own and declutter some things from time to time.
Living with less is far easier than constantly needing to reorganize stuff and trying to fit it all in pretty storage bins and baskets!
Read more:
- 8 common mistakes to avoid when decluttering
- 9 ways to get out of a decluttering rut
- 50 helpful questions to ask yourself when decluttering your home
11. Practice gratitude
Practicing gratitude is crucial if you want to develop a minimalist mindset.
Being grateful for the things you have in your life will help you have an abundance mindset.
It will help you understand that you have enough, so there is no need to seek more and more all the time.
As you will be happy with your life, you also won’t feel the need to compare yourself to others.
You will start to want less and be happy about it!
12. Limit your screen time
If you feel like you’re always running out of time and rushing through your days, consider paying attention to how much time you spend on your phone every day.
You might be able to gain some time back by limiting your screen time.
Even better, try doing a digital detox for a few days or even weeks.
While watching a movie or being on our phones might be enjoyable, it can also take up a lot of our time.
We’ve all been guilty of scrolling on social media only to realize an hour (or two) later that we’ve wasted a lot of time, haven’t we?
Read more: 9 digital minimalism tips to simplify your digital life
13. Understand that buying things and upgrading won’t make you happier
In this modern world, we are all tempted to upgrade our gadgets every few years, if not more often.
We get bored with what we own and want new, shinier stuff all the time.
But the thing is, buying things and keeping up with the Joneses won’t make us happy.
Whenever we purchase something, we may feel excited and joyful in the moment.
But that feeling doesn’t last.
And when it fades away, the newness of our stuff wears off and we feel disappointed.
The fact that physical things won’t make me happy is one of the best life lessons minimalism taught me!
Final thoughts on how to develop a minimalist mindset
I hope you’ve found this article about how to develop a minimalist mindset helpful!
No matter if you’ve applied one, two, or all these tips to your life, you will see that as you practice minimalism over time, your mindset will get more and more minimal.
What are your favorite tips that have helped you start thinking like a minimalist?
Feel free to leave a comment!
Don’t forget to share this blog post with your friends so they can develop a minimalist mindset as well.
