We know we should incorporate activities like reading and exercising into our lives, and we often do so without investigating why exactly. Same with minimalism. We know we shouldn’t buy too many things or have so much stuff around. We should ensure our spaces are more organized. But why, exactly? Let’s take a closer look at the myriad benefits that minimalism offers:
Mindfulness: Minimalism and mindfulness have a close relationship, feeding each other through the awareness and focus they create. By incorporating minimalism, you’re being mindful about purchases and the stuff you want to have around. With less time spent on activities like shopping and making returns, fussing with finding things, and putting things away, you have extra time to incorporate the mindfulness practices that best suit you (ex., Tai Chi, Yoga, walking meditations). A minimalist lifestyle also makes it easier to prioritize and schedule mindfulness practices.
Self-Development: “Who am I?" questions emerge quickly during minimalism. Emotionally draining objects are identified and addressed, and hobbies you want to prioritize can now take center stage. Your historical documents (ex., decades-old journals, wrinkled college papers) and scattered mementos are reviewed. Your self-development pursuits, now buoyed by mindfulness, can be more true to who you are and what you seek. Minimalism is a practice of uncovering, and in this, you can focus on personal growth.
Exercise and Movement: You may have found random exercise equipment through downsizing and organizing. Perhaps a dumbbell without its pair? Broken or outdated items that are no longer useful? After bringing these items together and completing an inventory, you can determine whether you want a space to exercise populated with all the items you kept (and perhaps a few you’ve identified for purchase). If you are a gym goer, a prepared gym bag that you can maintain is a potential outcome, making gym going more likely and easeful. A minimalist schedule can help you schedule walks and bike rides. Whichever activities work best for you, minimalism can help identify and support your efforts.
Healthy Eating: Minimalism helps us ask tough questions, shining the light on food choices and dietary commitments. A minimalist lifestyle can include an efficient grocery list focused on simple and wholesome ingredients (instead of processed foods). This is supported by a kitchen with just the right cooking gear and cabinets organized to make cooking time a cinch. Also, organizing your fridge and adding a monthly clean-out day to your calendar is part of a minimalist lifestyle.
Financial: You don’t need to be a financial expert or have a glowing history of financial responsibility to benefit in this area. Minimalism requires us to take inventory of our lives. This includes clarity on all your accounts, subscriptions, loans, and credit cards. Bringing them to the forefront, canceling what is no longer needed, and developing a simple, minimalist way to monitor them don’t require an accounting degree. You’ll also save money due to less wasteful spending on stuff you don’t need.
Sustainability: When you apply minimalism to your life, you will be more aware of how much you dispose of (and don’t use). The degree to which you want sustainability to be a part of your minimalism practice is a choice. Regardless, minimalism will make it easier to identify where changes can be made and, generally speaking, is a sustainable lifestyle due to limited consumption. Then, when you decide to consume, sustainability can be considered chief among your selection criteria since a minimalist lifestyle emphasizes selective and meaningful purchases.
Identifying the most pertinent minimalism benefits will help you make decisions in your practice. Benefits will also serve as encouragement as you carve the time into your schedule to sort through your stuff. The tough decisions you make when letting go of items you’re attached to ease a bit as you map back to the specific benefits and your life priorities. Don’t assume minimalism is beneficial. Highlight the most meaningful benefits and use them to guide your efforts.