Minimalism – How to adapt a minimalist lifestyle!

Want to learn all about minimalism and learn to live minimalist? Then you are absolutely right here! Minimalism gets you to really clean out your home and helps you focus on the important things in life. To live more plastic freeI also got rid of a lot of things from my apartment. It is unbelievable how superfluous some things were in my life, even if I had the need to buy these things at some point.

In this post, you'll learn what's behind the minimalist lifestyle and what the big benefits of this lifestyle are. I'll also explain the best approach based on my personal experience and present you with everyday tips to stay minimalist in the long run.

Here you can find a short overview in advance:

1. Minimalism
2. Advantages
3. Tips
4. Methods
5. Closet
6. Stay minimalist
7. Closing words

Definition: What actually is minimalism?

Under the term minimalism is understood a Lifestyle that is limited to the bare essentials needed for daily living.

As a minimalist:in, one gets rid of superfluous things in order to To be freer and to be able to concentrate on the really important things in life. The minimalist lifestyle is thus a Countermovement to Materialism and consumer-oriented Abundance Society. One is simply convinced that Consumption does not make happy.

Minimalism concerns both tangible and intangible things

Being minimalist means cleaning up your own life and to strive for overview, structure and a certain clarity. Minimalism, of course, refers not only to material things, but also to immaterial things.

Here are some examples of non-physical things that minimalists strive for:

• Health: Make sure you healthy living and also stay healthy so that you can move and experience as much in life as you have set out to do.
• Friendships: Build unique relationships with people who make you happy and rather detach from those who burden you.
• Passion: Do things that arouse your curiosity and enthusiasm. Things that fulfill you 100 percent.
• Time: Use your time wisely instead of wasting it on trivial things that don't get you anywhere. Time is a limited and precious commodity.
• Personal Development: Learn and become more valuable every day. Exchange stress for productivity, take on inspiring tasks and develop yourself further.

So minimalism answers the fundamental question, so to speak, what really has meaning for you in your life and fills you with happiness.

How is it different from frugalism? The frugal lifestyle uses minimalism more on a financial level. Frugalists pursue the long-term goal of accumulating enough money through a frugal lifestyle that they don't have to work until retirement. If this interests you, you can find more info about it in the linked blog post.

Everyone defines minimalism differently

If you have a slightly different definition of minimalism, it's no wonder. Because everyone's definition of minimalism is different. The important thing is to understand what the minimalist life can mean for you personally. Basically, I can say one thing for sure: Minimalism makes room for new, exciting things!

Before I continue with the many advantages, I must briefly mention two prejudices against a minimalist Eliminate lifestyle:

• Minimalists have only 100 things in their lives: Every now and then we read about "hardcore minimalists" in the newspaper. Depending on their personal attitude, minimalists naturally have significantly more than 100 things. But if you really only have 100 or even fewer items, you simply show how few things you actually need just to live.
• A minimalist spends no money and is a "penny-pincher"That's easy to say, but it's usually not true. As a minimalist, you simply pay closer attention to spending your well-earned money on meaningful and necessary things that add value.

So don't get confused by any claims. Minimalism can be a real enrichment for your life. Only you decide which things are important for you and which are not.

Advantages: Why live minimalist at all?

Minimalism. All well and good. But what are the big advantages of minimalist living? In order to really bring this across quite accurately, I would like to briefly give a small interjection of my personal opinion on today's consumer behavior.

Driven by thousands of marketing campaigns, we are pushed to make purchases these days. We "enjoy" a wide range of choices. Possession is a real substitute for identity for many people. My house, my boat, my car, my watch.

Too many people become actors:inside by showing (especially on social media) their Replace actual life with a make-believe worldthat has nothing to do with reality. They share things with (mostly) strangers that actually have no added value for their lives. This points more to desperation and insecurity than to a truly fulfilling life.

This is another reason why I'm eager to introduce you to some of the biggest benefits of minimalism below.

1. More money in your pocket through minimalism

Who lives minimalist, also spends less money. Only logical, right? Buying fewer useless things means having more money left over for really important things in life.

You're also likely to incur less debt if you forgo a fancy car or a huge, luxurious apartment. To live without a car, means not paying expensive car insurance and also saving on gasoline or repair costs.

2. Be happier through minimalism

Fewer possessions - but more experiences and memories. Minimalism gives things more meaning. The people around you also make you who you are. As a minimalist:in lowers your stress level and you have fewer obligations. Property, for example, also needs to be repaired, cared for and maintained. Those who live a minimalist lifestyle enjoy great freedom. The Things are much easier to planif they are manageable.

"If property had simply pleasures, we could stand it; but its duties make it unbearable."

Oscar Wilde (more at Minimalism Quotes)

Possession is always a burden in a way. The more you own, the more you worry about your possessions. You definitely have lower fear of lossif you are already satisfied with the bare necessities. Since you need less money, your pressure from work also decreases. Minimalism ultimately makes you happier - and helps you own only the things you consider important and valuable.

3. minimalism saves you time

For example, minimalism allows you to, Less cleaning and tidying and helps you to do so, Find things faster.

Because your minimalist lifestyle gives you more space in your four walls. You're more organized because minimalism gives your life more structure. No untidy closets, no information overload, no chaos. You will definitely become calmer and calmer.

With a cleaned out closet and a minimalist closet, finding the right outfit is also faster. You are freer and detached from the obligations of society. It lies in the Psychology of minimalismthat it makes you more independent. Use the time you gain, for example, to oftenhe outdoors in nature.

4. Live healthier through Minimalism

Increased energy, a better mood and more time outdoors push your health! You can significantly sleep better and strengthen your defenses.

By living a minimalist lifestyle, you focus on the things that promote your health. For example, you get cleaner skin and reduce the risk of getting sick. Through minimalism you learn to value your health and enjoy. After all, you are focusing on the really important things in life.

To own little is automatic, having more space, time and money and having to worry and care less. This total package will not only make you happier, but very likely healthier as well. I can think of absolutely no reason not to live a minimalist life.

Tips: 10 ideas that promote minimalist living

You know the big benefits of minimalism now, but how do you put it into practice? How do you live minimalist - and how do you start? Here are valuable tips that you can put into practice right away!

1. glue the sticker "No advertising" on your mailbox

Put a sticker with "No advertising" on your mailbox. This way you can not only avoid paper and Avoid plastic wastebut will also less burdened by the pile of advertising brochures in your mailbox.

2. lay TV, smartphone & co. aside

I basically look No television I only use my TV when we're having a Fifa evening on the Playstation. In the spirit of minimalism, you should also use your TV once in a while. remove from the apartment for a few days and see if you really need it. Today's TV program doesn't really give you anything except new fears and a great potential for stultification. If you see it that way, you can sell your TV.

Also the Smartphone is a real time killer and basically replaces thousands of things. You should really only use it for essential things. A Digital Detox will help you go minimalist with your phone, too - and, if necessary, make a Combat cell phone addiction.

3. clear your PC desktop on

Yes, you heard right. You can also tidy up your own PC desk. In a very minimalist way. Is there a nicer and more reassuring feeling than a sparkling clean, tidy desktop? 😉

4. Meditate daily

Minimalism also means focusing more on yourself. Meditate for 15 minutes a day and reflect on what makes you strong and say goodbye to things that may be weighing you down. For this, I can recommend the app "Calm", where you can choose different meditation courses and also set regular reminders.

5. Do without the Internet for a while

Especially the internet makes our world so fast moving. We are flooded with information and also from this we need simply time out. Instead, just take more time for yourself, really switch off and invest in your mental regeneration.

Also read a few Books that bring you closer to your dreams and desires. For example about minimalism? I can definitely recommend the following books, which you can get at the respective link:

• The minimalism project - 52 practical ideas for having less and being more*.
• Minimalism for parents - Making parenting fun again*
• Digital minimalism - Live better with less technology*

6. Go out into nature

The Connectedness to nature has been lost to many people. But there is hardly anything that soothes as much as time in the fresh air. Living minimalistically also means regaining the focus on our nature.

7. Spend time with friends

Spend more time with the people who make you happy. You will quickly realize that good, honest and genuine friendships extremely important for your well-being - and that material things, on the other hand, are only of lesser importance.

8. Cancel unimportant appointments

Do you sometimes have appointments that you think are completely unnecessary? Some meetings give you no added value and only steal your time? Then don't be too shy to cancel an appointment. So learn, say no to be able

9. Make clear decisions

Admittedly, making clear decisions is sometimes not so easy. But a "yes" has never helped anyone. It simply means insecurity. If you want to live a minimalist life, you should limit yourself to a yes or a no. This provides clarity and takes away some pressure. In this way, you provide clarity and take a certain pressure off yourself.

10. Limit your social media activities

Social media provide new stimuli every second and mean stress for many people - at least subconsciously! Stressful is both the content itself and the mass of information.

If you want to live the minimalist lifestyle, think carefully about what social media really adds value to your life and at what point in time. Often it is simply boredomthat drives you to Facebook, Instagram, and other entertainment platforms.

Methods: 4 methods and approaches for minimalism beginners

You now know some basic tips. But how do you start tidying up and really clearing out your own four walls? Some people find it easy to separate things, others find it totally difficult. Separation also has to be learned.

Afterwards you will surely be happy, but the way there is often not as easy as it seems at first. To help you, I have here the four most effective approaches to the minimalist life for beginners summarized.

1. Eat The Frog Minimalism - Worst First!

The title is almost self-explanatory. With this method of minimalism for beginners the first thing you do is part with one of your favorite things, which you can do without in the future if you take a closer and more honest look at it.. Give it away or sell it to someone who hasn't read this article yet. 😉

This is a hard but effective start to the minimalist lifestyle. You will quickly realize that you don't need many things to be happy. With this method, the worst is already behind you at the beginning. Thus you will find it much easier to separate from less important things in the future.

Good to know: By the way, Eat The Frog is a method that can also be applied to many other things in life. For example, to your daily work routine. Tasks that burden you the most should be done right at the beginning of the day. This way you don't put this ballast in front of you the whole day and you can work much more freely. work more productively.

2. minimalist basket method - store backwards!

To start your minimalism with the basket method, you just grab a big basket. Now you're basically shopping, only backwards and without a shopping cart.

For this minimalism method, you simply search all the things in your home and put the unnecessary things in the basket. Be honest with yourselfso that you really get rid of as many unnecessary things as possible. If that becomes too stressful for you, simply spread the action over several days.

When the basket is full, you can safely Give away or sell some. So you collect some more money with things that had no added value for you anyway. Quite cool, isn't it?

3. minimalism in the box - life out of the box!

The cardboard method is a minimalist approach where you simply can't cheat yourself at all. Because to start cleaning out using the cardboard method, you simply clear out ALL your stuff from your apartment into several moving boxes.

The boxes remain in your now quite empty apartment and you live out of the boxes in the next few days. Therefore, you should sort the contents well so that you can always get to them quickly. Things that you need in this time, come back to the usual place. All things you didn't need can be given away, sold or disposed of.

4. minimalism heap method - A heap of misery!

Even though I haven't used this method with myself, I would have loved to see the picture. Because with minimalism according to the heap method you bring all your discarded things in one pileto realize how many superfluous things have accumulated in your apartment over the last few years.

But before you throw away, give away or sell everything you should once again evaluate the importance of each item for your life. Does it have no added value and does not contribute to your happiness? Then you probably don't need it.

I sorted out using the basket method, as I found it very easy to "clean out" that way. You yourself, of course, know best what approach is best for you to part with things. Minimalism isn't meant to stress you out, it's meant to make you happier.

Don't throw everything away without thinking, but give away, donate or sell things that have been sorted out. You can find items online at eBay Classifieds (or other Zero Waste Apps) sell. Also at the flea markets your city you get a lot going on.

Bonus tip: Learn minimalism easily online!

Often you don't even know where to start. Maybe you feel the same way. To solve this problem, there are right good online courses.

For example Mucking out made easy* or Order in the household in 31 days*. Such offers make it easier for you to get started with an orderly household and take you by the hand in your start into minimalism.

I can give you for it quite basically the courses offered by Haushaltsfee* and wish you maximum success with the implementation!

Tip: There at the cash desk simply give the Coupon code "CAREELITE and you will get the respective course even 25 percent cheaper. And don't hesitate to contact us if something doesn't work.

Almost every closet offers an extremely large potential for minimalism

Experience has shown that it is particularly easy to clean out one's own closet. In Germany each adult owns an average of 95 items of clothing. - without underpants and socks!₁ That's a lot - but THE chance to get off to a good start with minimalism. After all, no one wears all the clothes they have - so you can start mucking out boldly without having to walk around naked 😉.

With the amount of unworn pieces that most closets in this country offer, it's a no-brainer to clean them out. In the end, you just keep the clothes that you really like. And this new order that you create with it in the closet, can be gradually transferred to the whole apartment.

Additional Tip: It's best to directly create a capsule wardrobe. This means a pretty perfect basic equipment of as few as possible but very versatile and well combinable clothes. This way you need less clothes - but you can still put together many different outfits. This is an important step towards a sustainable closet.

4 ideas: How do I stay a minimalist?

We tend to always take the path of least resistance and fall into old habits. Accordingly, it also takes some time until the minimalist thinking and acting has consolidated in your everyday life.

So how can you contribute yourself to live as uncomplicated and really long-term minimalist? Exactly for that I have here still some, valuable tips for you!

1. lend, exchange & repair

You don't have to buy (new) everything! For example, many companies and portals allow you to borrow things like cordless screwdrivers, wood saws, coffee machines, and even smartphones. This is how you save the high acquisition costs and have no hassle if you want/need to resell the device at some point.

Maybe you can find someone to swap? And broken is not always broken. Because things can often be easily repaired. Let yourself therefore not simply tempted by the path of least resistancebut consider whether you can find an alternative to buying new. Be sure to read my article on the Zero Waste Lifestyle by.

2. exchange new for old

If you're sure and convinced about buying something new, why not make the rule that you should give away or sell an old thing for it. This way, the number of things in your possession always keeps a balance and you continue to get rid of unnecessary things. This is an important rule of minimalism that will help you think and live minimalistically in the long run.

By the way, a good example of the principle of "swapping instead of buying" is the fashion sector. If you no longer like a piece of clothing, someone else might like it.

It works similarly with books: you've read a book all the way through? Then trade it in for another book you haven't read yet.

3. enjoy overview & structure

Learn to appreciate your new "manageable" lifestyle and enjoy the freedom of not owning masses of things. The minimalist life has something liberating, at least for me. Something that makes me happy. At some point, you automatically think more carefully about each potential purchase decision. You weigh up whether you really need this thing - and if so, whether you can get them used and cheaper.

4. keep things visible

Let your things not disappear in the most different drawers of your apartmentbut try to keep your possessions open and visible. This will keep you from unnecessarily buying new things that you may already own.

I used to have a closet where I just "fired" all my clothes into it. Through this I had absolutely no overview not knowing how many unnecessary and never worn shirts and pants were actually lurking in that pile.

So his I always keep my things visible to ensure a long-term minimalist life. Quite automatically one appreciates the things in one's own possession also much moreif you have them in front of your eyes on a regular basis.

Minimalism: Guaranteed something for you too!

I can say that for sure because the principle of minimalism is really suitable for everyone. Because anyone can reduce their personal possessions and get rid of unnecessary things in their life to be happier in the long run and have more space, time and money. Those who are minimalist:in pay less, lower stress levels and focus on the things that really matter.

I wish that this post about the minimalist lifestyle has helped you and that it has made you feel more focus on the essentials instead of living in abundance.

In any case, the switch to minimalist thinking has helped me, because I am definitely happier. Just try it out!

As a perfect complement to this article, as well as a guide to more time, money and satisfaction in life, I would also like to conclude by giving you the Book "The Minimalism Project" by Christof Hermann to the heart. If you like, get it here*.

Do you have any questions, tips, or your own experiences with minimalism that you'd like to share? Then I look forward to your comment.

Stay minimalist and happy,

PS: Minimalism and mindfulness are closely intertwined. In the article about the mindful lifestyle you are welcome to pick up some more tips now.

References:
₁ Greenpeace e.V. (2015): Wegwerfware Kleidung, available at https://www.greenpeace.de/publikationen/20151123_greenpeace_modekonsum_flyer.pdf. [16.12.2022].