Before understanding how to use Minimalism in your life, you need to know what it is, in a nutshell, minimalism is about simplifying and downsizing your life through having fewer possessions. There are extremes of minimalism where some people eradicated everything very much from life and turn a living room, for example into a room with white walls and only a chair. Other people may not look like they are embracing minimalism but the concepts of minimalism, although not to the extreme have been applied and they have become as minimal as they wish to be and are comfortable.
Minimalism is an ongoing process that can take months or years to achieve the level of contentment. So, people go all out, to begin with, and quite literally get rid of everything except the clothes they are standing in and a bag of odds and ends. Many find this a little too extreme and the on the initial drastic downsizing and simplification they find they have gone too far and need to get some things back to be able to live. Minimalism boils down to balance and learning to understand what you really need in life to live, be productive, be happy and live the life you really want to live.
There are 3 areas that minimalism impacts when used effectively in life
Physical Space
Your physical space becomes valuable, and you realise that less can become more. Our lives today ate cluttered with things we don’t need, and we are all naturally hoarders. Decluttering is a tough exercise for many people, but the process can have a powerful impact on how you live. Having less stuff is not necessarily a bad thing, have the stuff you need makes life better. When considering your physical space, downsizing of where you live becomes something of importance, and you may well find that a smaller place is better for you and of course you can save money on rent and utility bills. Furthermore, shopping habits change, and you begin to ask if something is really needed before you buy it.
Time Management
This is an overlooked element of minimalism, but time management is a powerful element of minimalism. Everyday life is filled with work and social media, life can become overwhelming and too busy. Taking control of what you fill your day with is vital, and it may mean to stop doing or saying no to things that are not important in your life. When you fill your life with things that are important happiness soon grows, and life finds new and improved values. This is awesome when sharing minimalism with a partner or family, relationships are often neglected in this fast paced world today, and a minimalistic lifestyle can build relationships making them stronger every day.
Finances
The financial impact of minimalism is a big eye opener for many. When you find out just how much money you are spending and often wasting a minimalism approach changes things for the better. By controlling what you spend, spending only on the essentials you can soon have less debt, you may be able to save, and you may be able to do things such as travel that were otherwise financially out of reach. The financial aspect depends a great deal on your income flow, and for many people, minimalism makes them more productive people with less stress and income can increase. Taking minimalism seriously can make a big impact on your financial situation in many ways.
I myself use the concept of minimalism for my finances and to free living space as well. It took time and planning to get a good balance where I can live using this method. It is great to use minimalism when you have limited funds or a goal that you want to accomplish and you have to use the income that you already have. jest remember not to go to far, try to find balance and what’s most comfortable for you. By focusing on the three areas you will have a good start to the practices of minimalism use these in you every day life to boost yourself and go further.