3 steps to jump-start a simple minimal lifestyle

These 3 steps to jump-start a simple minimal lifestyle will help you as you start on your journey.

Often times when starting on a new journey it can seem overwhelming. I am sharing the first three steps that we took as a family of four to have a more minimal simple life.

What is the definition of a simple minimal lifestyle?

Minimalism, essentialism, self-efficiency, or living-with-less, are all words used to describe simple minimal living. Do you have different words that help you describe simply living? Use those instead!

The beauty is that there aren’t any set rules. This can be both exciting and overwhelming all at once. Focus on what you want for your life is key.

My definition of a simple minimal lifestyle is only keeping what we use or love to use on a regular basis. Letting go of what was loved in the past or what we “think” we will need in the future. Keep only what is useful right now.

How do sentimental items fit into a simple minimal lifestyle?

We all have items in our life that bring up good, wonderful memories. I feel like it is important to keep those special objects in a safe place in our home. So yes, sentimental items should have a place in a minimal simple life.

However, I would encourage you to have boundaries around the sentimental objects that you keep. It could be something as simple as a few boxes of sentimental items. If an item brings you joy then keep that item.

3 steps to jump-start a simple minimal lifestyle

1. Find your why?

The first step to jump-start a more minimal simple lifestyle is to discover the why.

Why do you want a more minimal simple life? Do you want more time to spend with your loved ones? Maybe you want to have more mental clarity to volunteer for people in need?

Write down your reason. Your why will help keep you motivated and encouraged to continue on this journey.

Your why may change throughout the journey and that’s okay too. But the first step is to think about your reason(s).

For us, our why originally started out with me wanting to make life easier. I was pregnant with our second child and was tired all the time. I wanted to find a way to make life a tad bit easier during the newborn stage.

Did focusing on a simple minimal lifestyle help? Yes! It made those sleepless nights with a newborn so much easier to manage.

However, now almost three years into this journey, our why shifted again. We are hoping to move soon and want to make the move easier.

Focusing on the why keeps you focused.

2. Declutter your home

The second step is to reduce clutter in your home. The fewer items you have the less you have the maintain. Thus, the more time you should have to focus on your passions in life.

Most people, without even realizing it, have too many items in their home to maintain and manage. They might think, “I might use this next year” or ” I used this three years ago and haven’t used it since.”

I recommend going room by room, drawer by drawer, and remove the items that you don’t need or use on a regular basis.

As you declutter, imagine if you were going to move a month from now. Ask yourself, ” Would I want to move this item?” If the answer is, “No,” then I recommend decluttering the item.

In the picture above you can see what this cabinet used to look like before decluttering and simplifying our home. It isn’t disorganized or messy.

But we did have a very curious toddler who loved to pull everything off this shelf. I was tired of cleaning it up. So I decluttered.

After decluttering I was able to go from twelve items to seven items. That is four fewer items that I needed to maintain and manage. This makes cooking in the kitchen even easier and more enjoyable now.

How to get decluttered items out of the home quickly?

You can remove decluttered items from your home by a few methods.

1. Load up your donations in your vehicle and immediately take them to the closest donation center.

2. Schedule a donation pick-up from a charity in the area.

3. Place donations in front of your house with “FREE sign on them.”

3. Reduce impulse buying

The third step to a more minimal simple lifestyle is to stop or reduce your impulse buying habit. This isn’t a quick fix step either. It can take time to reign in your buying habits.

Why is this step a challenge? Buying objects is a fact of life. We need food, water, and shelter to live.

However, do we really need that 50% of sweater for next winter that we kind of sort of like? Paying attention to buying habits is an important step for a more simple life.

For this last step, I recommend you record down all of your purchases for a week. See how many items on that list fit into the food, water, or shelter categories?

For the longest time, my emotions drove my buying habits. If I had a great day, I would treat myself to a fun cute new sweater. If I had a bad day, I deserved that candy bar.

Reducing the impulse buying habit will take some time but is a good step to have a more simple minimal life.

Want more information? Watch the video on 7 FREE ways to Reduce Impulse Buying.

What are some other minimal simple lifestyle resources to help on this journey?

Cozy Minimalist Home by: Myquillyn Smith

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by: Marie Kondo

The more of less by: Joshua Becker

Of the 3 steps to jump-start a simple minimal lifestyle, what step will you start today or what are you currently working on?

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