MINIMALISM FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS: 13 SIMPLE TIPS TO PRACTICE MINIMALISM IN COLLEGE
This blog post is all about minimalism for college students and how to practice minimalism in college!
I graduated and left the university about five years ago.
When I first started studying after high school, I had no idea what minimalism was.
But about three years in, I discovered this life-changing lifestyle and started applying it to all areas of my life.
That included my life in college.
And let me tell you, I often felt overwhelmed and stressed in college, but minimalist living made me calmer and more productive.
It didn’t solve all my problems and worries, but it massively improved and simplified my life!
In this article, I share with you what I learned about minimalism for college students.
You’ll find 13 simple tips to practice minimalism in college.
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Benefits of minimalism for college students: the importance of minimalism in college
Embracing minimalism in college comes with so many benefits!
When you live with less and apply minimalist rules and principles to your life as a student, you feel less stressed and overwhelmed as you have less to manage.
You overall have more energy as your items aren’t depleting it unnecessarily, and you are more productive.
You can focus on your studies because you have fewer distractions calling for your attention all the time.
Having less also frees up a lot of time in our schedule.
We spend a lot less time cleaning, tidying, and managing stuff, meaning we can now spend it however we want to.
We can use that time to study more, work, or enjoy our free time.
Having less clutter also entails that you have more space for yourself, so it’s more enjoyable and relaxing to spend time in your room.
What’s more, practicing minimalism in college makes moving in and out of our college dorm so much easier and quicker.
Plus, we usually buy a lot less stuff, meaning we become more sustainable and save a lot of money.
Have I convinced you to give this life-changing lifestyle a try?
If you’re wondering “how to be minimalist in college?” or “how to simplify life as a student”, read the following tips on minimalism for college students!
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Minimalism for college students: 13 simple tips to practice minimalism in college
1. Minimalist college packing list
When packing for college, don’t bring all your possessions with you.
Your college dorm room will probably be quite small and you might share it with a roommate, so you don’t want to fill it to its maximum capacity.
Otherwise, it will feel cramped and look cluttered.
Only bring the essentials with you.
These should only be things that you will need and use regularly and things you absolutely love.
If your college provided you with a packing list for the things you should bring with you, reevaluate it and only bring what you’ll get value from.
Read more:
2. Keep your furniture minimal and functional to embrace minimalism in college
As dorm rooms are usually small, make sure not to overfill yours with a ton of furniture pieces.
Not only having too much furniture will take up precious space in your room, but it will also be a hassle to get rid of it at the end of the year.
Also, to practice minimalism in college, prefer multipurpose, functional furniture pieces instead of single-purpose ones.
For instance, opt for a bed that has storage drawers underneath instead of getting a regular bed plus an extra dresser.
You could also use a dresser as a nightstand instead of having both a nightstand and a chest of drawers.
Read more: 8 minimalist bedroom furniture ideas for a simple, peaceful room
3. Minimalist dorm room decor
Have a similar minimalist approach to dorm room decor.
Do not add an overabundance of knick-knacks and decorations to your space.
Instead, curate a small selection of items that you genuinely love and find beautiful.
Do it meaningfully.
What items will make your dorm room more inviting or elevated?
What will make you smile when you see it?
Only decorate your space with gorgeous pieces that spark joy in your life.
Also, consider decorating your minimalist college dorm room with functional items.
For instance, use a nice rug or beautiful storage baskets.
These have a practical function while doubling as decor.
Read more:
- 20 brilliant minimalist bedroom decor ideas you’ll adore
- 18 minimalist bathroom decor ideas for a functional yet beautiful space
4. Share items with your roommates to practice minimalism in college
If you have roommates and you get along well with them, see if you can share some items.
That way, you (both you and your roommate) won’t have to buy everything.
For instance, if you already have a vacuum cleaner and your roommate doesn’t, let them use yours.
If they already have some kitchen stuff, ask them if you can use theirs instead of buying them new.
Of course, this might not work for everything and you can only do this if everyone is on the same page.
But it can be a great way to minimize how much you need to buy and how many items you need to store in your minimalist college dorm.
Read more: 20 things I do not own as a minimalist
5. Declutter your minimalist college dorm room regularly
One of the best ways to practice minimalism in college is to make decluttering your room a habit.
Go through all your belongings at least every three months, if not more often.
Declutter unused clothes and shoes, expired skincare and makeup products, and anything you don’t need, use, or love anymore.
Consider also getting rid of duplicate items.
You probably don’t need two or three of something in such a small space!
After you’ve decluttered, you can organize a swap party with your friends.
Everyone can bring what they’re decluttering and exchange their items for things they will use and love more.
If you need help decluttering, check out the following posts:
- 9 things to get rid of for a minimalist bedroom
- How to declutter fast?
- 11 decluttering hacks for minimalist living
6. Avoid accumulating too much stuff to embrace minimalism in college
Decluttering is necessary if you want to have a minimalist college dorm room.
However, to maintain minimalism in your space, you also need to stop the accumulation of stuff in the first place.
So learn how to minimize spending as a college student.
Try to stop buying new things all the time and avoid impulse buying.
Do not buy into trends and save your money for more intentional purchases or experiences.
Say no to unnecessary freebies you get at events, such as promotional t-shirts and pens.
Read more:
- How to want less and be happy about it?
- 24 things I stopped buying as a minimalist
- How to stop being materialistic and overconsuming?
7. Only buy consumable items when you run out
Another great minimalist habit to adopt is to only buy new consumable items such as food or body and personal care products when you run out of them.
For instance, if you already have two bottles of shampoo in your room, don’t go and buy more at the store.
If you already have a few bags of pasta, you don’t need to stock up on more.
Use everything up and only then, buy what you need.
Otherwise, your room will be packed with a ton of consumable stuff in addition to your other items.
Plus, you risk having leftovers when you move out at the end of the school year.
8. Minimalist note-taking to practice minimalism in college
One of the best ways to embrace minimalism in college is to take notes on your laptop if you can.
Keep them organized in folders on your computer so you can find them easily and quickly.
That way, you’ll avoid having tons of notebooks and physical folders for all your classes and will be able to save a lot of space.
Plus, you’ll be saving trees in the process!
However, even if you take notes digitally, papers might still find their way into your college dorm.
So make sure to go through and declutter your papers and notes at the end of each semester or the school year.
Recycle as many papers as you can unless you know you’re going to reference them in the future.
Try to be realistic and honest with yourself while doing it.
And remember that, even if they might come in handy in the future, you can still find the information online or in books if needed.
Piles of papers are very heavy and bulky, so do yourself a favor and let them go.
Read more: 9 digital minimalism tips to simplify your digital life
9. Sell or donate your textbooks when you’re done using them
At the end of the school year, resell your textbooks or give them away to other students who need them.
Doing so will help you recoup some of the money you spent buying them and you won’t have to pack them up and move out with them.
Most of us don’t reference them again after college, so you’d be better off selling them while they’re still somewhat valuable!
Another solution is to buy digital textbooks at the beginning of the year if they’re available.
If you prefer studying using a physical copy, get them second-hand so that letting them go later won’t feel as difficult.
(And you’ll get to save a lot of money!)
Read more: Decluttering before a move: What to get rid of when moving?
10. Minimize college supplies to embrace minimalism in college
Before each new semester or school year, avoid heading to the store and buying a brand-new collection of college supplies.
Ask yourself this question: what can I reuse from last year or last semester?
Chances are you haven’t used up all your pens and notebooks, so save money by reusing what you already have.
If you need something, only buy what is necessary.
Also, learn how to minimize college supplies if you currently have way too much stuff.
Share the excess with your friends and other college students.
That way, they won’t take up a ton of space in your minimalist college dorm!
Another tip regarding college supplies is to opt for quality over quantity when purchasing new ones.
Instead of buying a pack of dozens of poor-quality pens, invest in a few quality ones that will not break and will last for a long time.
11. Master time management and simplify commitments
If you strive to embrace minimalism in college, try to master time management to reduce stress.
Avoid procrastinating on assignments and doing things at the last minute.
If you can do them in advance, or at least on time, you’ll spare yourself a lot of stress and missed sleep!
Also, try not to overbook and overcommit yourself.
You don’t have to go to every event, sign up for as many classes as possible, do all the extracurricular activities, and so on.
You don’t have to do it all.
Only do the things that are important to you and that will benefit you whether it’s in the short or long run.
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12. Use a planner to practice minimalism in college
When I was in college, I couldn’t function without my planner.
There were so many things to remember, assignments, important dates, exams, and other essential information.
Thankfully, I could centralize everything in it!
Not only did this help me turn things in on time and not forget about important things, but it also gave me peace of mind and stress relief.
I had everything in one place, which significantly simplified my to-do lists and helped me know exactly what I needed to get done each day.
It made keeping track and organizing my life so much easier and effortless!
13. Declutter your bedroom at your parents’ house
Now that you’ve simplified your life in college, consider decluttering your bedroom back at your parents’ house too when you come back home.
It can be easy to only want to tackle our dorm room and let our bedroom back home stay the same as when we left.
But think about it: you didn’t need all that stuff you left for months or even years, so you probably don’t need to keep it all.
So take some time during the holidays or the summer break to declutter it completely.
Only keep what you know you will want in the future and get rid of the rest.
It will make spending time in your old bedroom much more enjoyable as you won’t be in a cluttered space.
Plus, your parents will be happy to reclaim their space and have it clutter-free!
Read more:
- How to start decluttering when overwhelmed?
- 30-day declutter challenge: How to declutter your life in 30 days?
Final thoughts on minimalism for college students and how to practice minimalism in college
I hope you’ve found this article about minimalism for college students helpful!
Embracing minimalism in college will bring you so many benefits and will help you enjoy this season of life even more.
However, remember that this lifestyle requires dedication if you want to reap all the rewards.
But it’s so worth it!
If you’re a student, you may find the following posts helpful too:
- 15 minimalist dorm room ideas you’ll want to copy for your college dorm
- 14 minimalist desk setup ideas that will make you actually want to work
What are your favorite ways to practice minimalism in college?
Please share your tips in the comments!
Don’t forget to share this blog post with your friends so they can simplify their lives while in college too.
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