Life After De-Cluttering: What Comes Next?

Life After De-Cluttering: What Comes Next?

As nomadic minimalists, we talk about minimalism in a lot of detail; from why you should embrace minimalism, to minimalism for beginners and the basics of de-cluttering:

1. Minimalism Will Make You A Calmer Person.
2. 12 Struggles of Minimalist Beginners: How To Overcome Them.
3. The Minimalist Life Cleanse: Stage 1, De-Cluttering Your Home.

I even wrote an eBook, Minimalism: Cleanse Your Life, Become A Calmer Person, a practical guide to simplifying your home, your wallet and your online space.

We all have different reasons for de-cluttering, and not everybody will want to become fully-fledged minimalists. For some, de-cluttering might have just been a short-term process designed to simplify on a basic level, creating a tidier and more organized home space.

But some newly established minimalists may want to continue to build solid minimalist foundations from which to follow their life goals, and that’s how it was for me.

So it's all good and well, knowing the Why and the How-To for adopting minimalism...

But what about the When? When you are supposedly 'finished'; you’ve de-cluttered, you’ve implemented new routines to make life simpler, and created an environment which will help you work towards your goals.

For me, when I was done with dealing with much of my clutter, I kept on going...I kept on reducing my material footprint and I kept with my mantra of not bringing in more low-quality stuff. I kept clearing my debts, adding to my savings and began to see my dreams take shape; I maintained a lifestyle that was aligned with my long-term goal of travel.

I didn’t enact minimalist principles on a whim; I fully embraced the minimalist mindset and resolved to never let it slide.

Okay, that’s also, all good and well, but what can you practically do to maintain a minimalist and simpler life?

Below are some key ideas relating to maintaining minimalism, for not merely keeping clutter at bay, but to ensure we can better reach our personal, professional and financial goals.

The 4 area's of importance for life after de-cluttering relate to being accountable for our daily choices to remain clutter-free, creating more fruitful and balanced schedules, building healthier passions and interests, and developing routines which help change our bad habits.

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ACCOUNTABILITY:

List your goals in a mindfulness diary.

Through my minimalism journey, I went from being financially fraught and lost, to taking back control and devising a solid repayment plan to clear my debts. To remain mindful during this process and to know exactly what I was spending, acquiring and saving, I began keeping note of all my spending.

You might already do this, and you might already live on a specific budget, but having a mindful diary isn't just about keeping note of the numbers...

I began my blog, which became the place I could stay motivated by sharing my minimalist transition. But you might not wanna do that... which is cool.

Instead, begin writing in a journal.

In the front of your journal, write your 3 key goals, the ideas that are on your mind right now, which could range from the small and daily, to the long-term and life-changing.

Consider these ideas:

• Which hope, aspiration or dream is motivating the decisions you make each day? Do you make choices that work toward these goals positively?
• Do you feel as if you are on the cusp of some major life changes? Do you want to feel more ready and able to cope with the up's and down's of daily living?
• Are you trying to accomplish a financial goal, or move up in your career? Do you have some time limits by which you want to achieve these goals?
• Are you hoping to confront some things about your life that you have been avoiding? Do you want to continue on a therapeutic journey where you can focus on the now and the future, letting go of negative moments from your past?

Without an outlet to explore my own thoughts and establish some focus, I was out-of-touch with what I was doing, why I was doing it and what I actually needed to do to be more fulfilled.

I was the most prone to impulse spending and over indulging myself, financially or otherwise, when I lacked a broader focus, or the means to hold myself accountable for my daily choices. I could walk into a shop and leave with 5 t-shirts and it wouldn't negatively impact my goals, because I didn’t have any!

Stumbling through my life, ignoring my stressors and relying on materialist escapism was certainly harming my health, but I didn’t yet know better.

Minimalism (and a lot of other positive changes) happened because I let new positive influences come into my life, entertaining new ideas and goals for what I could do to change things. I kept a solid note of my goals and these began to shape the way I lived my life each day instead of resorting to habitual and detrimental behaviours which worked against my quest for fulfilment.

Commit to spending a few quiet moments a day with your journal to keep in touch with your goals and quieten the thoughts that threaten to undo your new minimalist lifestyle; each passing day or week, note the various ways your simpler lifestyle and minimalist habits are helping you reach your goals.

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PRODUCTIVITY:

Create days based on balance.

I read plenty of blog posts about organization, simplifying and goal-setting, which talk about designing the perfect daily schedule. These posts outline how you should best use each and every hour of your day.

But often a lot of these posts suggest practises that I feel actually complicate your day a further...

Some of the ideas put forward can be a little unrealistic; setting rigid rules for how to plan and use each day doesn't account for those times where we feel tired, distracted, de-motivated, or uninspired, or those days where we just can't shake our mood.

We then feel bad for not actually wanting to be a productive boss right that moment...

Maybe some people find it helpful to plan out each day and believe it staves off these negative, albeit totally normal, peaks and troughs in energy.

But I believe it can be detrimental to our ability to succeed in whatever our goals are, without burning out, if we ignore the natural ebb and flow of our moods. This mindset can put us into a damaging cycle of perceiving natural dips in enthusiasm as proof that we are doomed to fail in our goals, or that we don't actually deserve the success we are pursuing.

To counter this, I personally aim to create balanced days; I do write 'To Do' lists, but only short ones. I aim to achieve something small professionally each day whilst also tending to my own self-care needs. If I wake up feeling tired and like I want to avoid all my responsibilities, I either take a brief walk round the block, watch my favourite Youtuber's, or listen to a podcast. I might do my laundry, clean the house or read a book on my kindle. I try to take my mind off feeling like I should be doing something else and just do whatever the hell I want.

I try to re-direct my energy to myself, providing the space for my enthusiasm and focus to return naturally; that familiar stirring of ideas and a need to create eventually comes back and I run with it. I might sit down and spend hours on a blog post, or look at my professional goals and set specific targets for that week. I might connect with people on social media or read some inspirational blog posts. I do whatever feels right, whilst also chipping away at my blogging responsibilities and goals.

The important thing to remember is that most of the time, the dreams we are chasing aren't trains leaving a station; they will still be there, in a few hours or in a couple of days. When we believe that we should be maxing out our 24 hours in the pursuit of our goals we forget that probably only a quarter of what we do in that time will yield actual results, especially if we are neglecting our self-care, our relationships or our health.

A balanced day is one where we don't force ourselves to do the tasks that we would usually willingly choose to do, because we falsely believe that our dreams will desert us; we don't turn our passions into burdens by valuing them above our own basic physical and psychological needs.

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FUN:

Embrace healthy escapism and joyful passions.

If you are trying to make minimalism stick, by avoiding temptation to consume or do things which are detrimental to your goals, the biggest issue can be boredom. One of the many reasons that we come to have homes full of stuff, unfinished projects and numerous distractions is because we haven't yet found our true passion.

When we do find a passion, hobby or vocation, we tend to give a lot of our time and energy to it. If we have a sense of purpose each day, one revolving around something other than consumerism, then the inference is that we are more likely to retain minimalist ideas and enjoy the positive side-effects.

But what happens when your hobby involves oodles of things?

There's nothing wrong with having a cupboard full of art supplies or a shelf full of books, unless we don't actually give time to exploring and enjoying these things. Minimalism isn't about having as little as possible, it's about having as little of the pointless and extraneous, so that you can appreciate what you love at your core.

What if you don't have a hobby or a passion?

This was me a few years back before this blog began. I always loved writing and I often wrote poems and songs, but because of the creative energy needed for it versus the energy I was expending elsewhere on crappy exploits, I didn't write as much as my inner creative would have liked.

The fact I was also surrounded by clutter and visual distraction didn't help.

Ideas to consider to help you get back in touch with what you love:

• What did you always love to do as a child, something that might not have left as you moved into your teenage years? I always used to try and command the attention of a room, spend hours writing poems, and I was known to tidy up a lot... in my adulthood these principles have translated nicely into my blog and my eBook!
• Did people ever remark on a particular talent or ability of yours? People often told me I should consider journalism or teaching, but I always felt afraid of these two particular routes. Thankfully with time and research I found the best outlet for my natural skills and hobbies.
• Do you enjoy experiencing the creations of others? I have always loved film, music and reading, but it was only this year that I discovered the awesomeness of podcasts and audiobooks. There are always more ways to explore the entertainment that appeals to your particular personality.
• Do you seek out escapist and simplistic entertainment when you could be seeking out interesting or useful knowledge? For years I visited the same websites peddling gossipy information that I could do zero with. I began to seek out things which expanded my mind instead of filled it up with random useless information.

For many years I felt like there was no wider purpose for exploring and indulging my passion for writing. What is the purpose of doing something that doesn't elicit interest or appreciation from others?

Surely being a part of the consumerist dynamic, partaking in the same expensive and outward pursuits as my peers was a better use of my time?

I clearly lacked a lot of self-confidence and was always trying to fit in with the world around me, pursuing the same paths as my peers instead of nurturing my inner truth.

But I realized later on that when we let ourselves explore our own mind freely, we learn that we have the tools for fulfilment right here within us.

Eventually my love for creating did become a bigger than just a hobby, and now I blog (and all the side stuff that comes with it) more than I shop or watch television. This blog isn't making me rich, but I find it no less satisfying to do; I enjoy doing it, and if I ever did make a profit, but no longer enjoyed it, I would probably stop.

All the little ways that we like to spend our time, from reading, to writing poetry, to taking photographs; we should accept that there doesn't have to be a grander purpose for why we do them. It's grand purpose enough to fill each day with the things that we love, and which love us back; activities which incur no painful financial or personal cost.

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PSYCHOLOGY:

Countering the behaviours which bring in clutter and stress.

This is probably the more difficult and yet most important part of retaining a simpler life; changing the habits which brought in our clutter and problems in the first place.

This article defines a shopaholic in multiple terms, from spending over your budget, to hiding buys from family, to buying more than what is needed, to shopping to eliminate negative emotions. You don't need to have a full-on shopping addiction to exhibit these traits, but even in lesser amounts, these behaviours can be pretty damaging to the simpler living ethos.

You can be mindful, tend to your self-care needs and develop healthier passions, but much of this involves changing your psychology and dominant habits. Habits are very much things we naturally gravitate towards doing without much thought being required.

Alex Lickerman describes the different stages of changing habits and behaviour; if you are reading this post you are most likely hovering between the stages of Contemplation and Maintenance, meaning you are either radically wanting change or you are wanting maintain your newly formed habits.

Hopefully by this stage you have already felt inspired to start some new daily behaviours which might help dissuade your old bad habits.

But our habits are formed and then reinforced, often for years, meaning it's incredibly difficult to unlearn them.

There's plenty of psychological work we can do to change these habits, but it's also important to reinforce new behaviours to form new habits, such as the behaviour of thinking through every purchase we want to make and weighing up our consumer decisions at the point of buying to help us evaluate a need versus a want. This increases our general mindfulness and steers us away from the impulsive habits which take no consideration for the negative results of excess spending.

You could also try to develop better habits around how you use and organize the things in your home to help prevent clutter amassing and items going forgotten and wasted.

We need to create some new go-to thought processes which stifle the negative habits that we want to let go of.

Here are some ideas for overcoming excessive or impulsive consumption that work alongside accountability, productivity and fun:

• Consider carrying your mindful journal with you whenever you are going to the places that usually incur random consumption. Having the physical weight of your goals acts as a reminder will make you think twice before you buy something you do not need or truly want. If we pour our hearts into honest expression and then we literally leave the product of that in a drawer at home, where its message becomes passive, we do a disservice to our inner truth and favour the impulse habits of our pasts and thus hurt our future.
• Anything you do buy each week (excluding food), consider putting in one place, e.g. a basket or box. Make it a habit of putting everything you bring into the home, that isn't a necessity or a perishable, into this box. Place this box in the center of your living space, somewhere that you will walk past it each day. This is a process designed to make you acutely aware of how much you bring into your home. This can be a short-term experiment to gauge the types of things you are prone to over-buy but it will help you confront the reasoning's for why you purchase certain things plus make you accountable for the expenditures you are making. This is an exercise in undoing the irrationality of impulse and over-purchasing; if we are wholly aware of the nature of what tempts us and able to see that we don't need certain things to be truly happy, we can simply stop wanting them, stop seeking them out and stop our bad spending habits.
• Write a list of all the random material desires which pop into your mind day-to-day. If you have been wanting new clothing or some particular gadget, don't sit and look at it online or mull it over, just write it down on a wish-list. This isn't a task that will take a lot of time but it will unload this portion of mind-clutter, allowing you to analyse your relationship to material things. This list might end up representing genuine needs for things that you can't stop thinking about after weeks have passed, your daily life lacking in some way for the absence of it. But it might also make you realize how fleeting your desires for material goods can be, compared to how quickly you usually act on these impulse wants.

By unpacking your thoughts and diverting from the habits your mind will automatically put into action, thus making consumerism wholly mindful, you can change the way you acquire; from buying when you are in a bad mood to wrongly defining a want as a need, you can transform your negative behaviours and leave bad habits behind.

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What comes after de-cluttering is a push to create something new in the physical and mental space that you have given yourself.

De-cluttering can be more than just a one-off act and can be enacted as an ongoing process where the way you live each day is fundamentally altered.

It's not merely about having less and spending less, its about finding something rewarding, real and important, more important than resorting to habits which have proven themselves as damaging to your health and happiness.

What do you do to keep clutter at bay and place your goals at the forefront of how you live?

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Thanks for reading!

Hannah here, one half of NomaderHowFar. I love reading, the beach, proper fish and chips, and a good cup of tea. But I mostly like to chat about minimalism, simplifying your life, the beauty of travel and sometimes I get a bit deep. Get to know us here!

Be social and come follow us across the virtual world!

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12 Struggles Of Minimalist Beginners And How to Overcome Them

12 Struggles Of Minimalist Beginners And How to Overcome Them

So, you are hearing the call of minimalism!

You are being drawn toward living a simpler life, and have recognized the stress and mess that years of accumulation has brought you.

You are ready and willing, committed and enthused. But others around you, not so much...

My minimalism book (based on the popular life cleanse blog series and pictured below) comes from the perspective of someone who has come into minimalism fairly easily. By easily I mean, I was able to adopt the principles without opposition, confusion or derision from others.

Nothing was holding me back from dealing with my spending habits, de-cluttering my home, and changing my relationship with material goods, other than myself.

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"I was free to embrace change unencumbered by the expectations or opinions of others."

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But that isn't the case for many minimalist beginners...

I am part of a Facebook community full of people at differing stages of their minimalist journey. I have learned from this very supportive and honest space, that many people who are embracing minimalism, are facing a myriad of obstacles along the way.

This became even more apparent when I posed a question to my fellow members:

'What for you, has been the hardest part of embracing minimalism?'

It received 25+ responses and inspired a lot of conversation. I realized then that I clearly had to turn this into a blog post that could support these people or others starting out in minimalism and finding it tough.

There are many different paths individuals follow in life which inspire a negative response, and there are some very difficult journeys to acceptance which people face every day.

This is one vein of that, in this modern age where there is a push for tolerance and equality for people of all different lifestyle choices. This isn't one of those lifestyle choices you would immediately associate with inciting resistance and difficulty, but I have to come to see, it certainly is.

On the broader scale, minimalist ideas have big implications for capitalist society, but, on a smaller scale, people who want to change and lead a more fulfilling life, face the challenge of not being supported by those closest to them, alongside the other struggles of letting go of consumerism.

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These are the 12 dominant struggles of my fellow aspiring minimalists from the Facebook community. I imagine others are too experiencing the same:

1. Knowing where to begin. Being overwhelmed by the prospect of simplifying your life, feeling too busy to begin or just unsure where to literally start.

2. Convincing a spouse of the benefits of simpler living. A partner that is either not supportive, not really understanding, or who is tightly holding onto their own materialist ideas and clutter.

3. Getting rid of gifts, or expensive items. Feeling guilt at giving away items someone else spent time or money on, as well as feeling regret at having spent a lot of money on things you now never use.

4. Building and maintaining a healthy attitude to consumerism. Being able to be in a shop and not feel the desire to buy things you don't need. Untying your relationship with shopping as a stress relief or emotional escape. Letting go of pretty and yet useless items.

5. Learning that our worth is not tied up in our possessions.  Realizing that our things, the image we try to create with them and the ideas we try to represent, are not intrinsic to our true self-worth and value.

6. Thinking that when you let go of a sentimental object, you the lose the associated memory. Believing that our trinkets and life artefacts somehow keep a memory or experience alive better than we can ourselves, so we feel unable to ever part with any.

7. Pressure from those closest to you to consume. Having family or friends that are avid consumers, who not only normalize consumption but deride you for your rejection of materialist principles.

8. Feeling unable to discard consumables because of a low house-hold budget. Feeling that you can't let go of certain things because you feel like you can't afford to replace them when you might need them.

9. Keeping things 'just in case'. Worrying that we will get rid of something and then suddenly need it. Wanting to keep multiples of something believing it will make life easier in the long-run.

10. Struggling to re-home items, for sale or donation. People either don't show up to buy things, or they just don't sell. Or, you struggle to set aside time to physically remove the items from the home.

11. Having less to choose from. Discarding means you will have less options to choose from each day and so you worry that you might feel bored or limited by what you have kept.

12. Teaching your children about having less. We can actively process our own relationship to our stuff but trying to help our kids de-clutter or feel less desire to that stuff, is a bit more difficult...

There are all the usual obstacles we have to overcome when embracing a minimalist life, from consuming less, to letting go of things, but we can also feel limited by those around us, and the dominant ideologies by which they, and our society, abides.

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"Stead-fast consumption, regular impulse spending, and the perception that life is too short to not have exactly what we want no matter the cost."

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I think this mindset whilst common and natural for many of us, is short-sighted, and not really sustainable, for our own budgets, and for the wider future of our planet. You too, might agree, as an aspiring minimalist.

I want to posit 5 ideas, that you need to always remember on this path, to help you process and cope with the above 12 struggles.

I want you to recognize that your difficult beginning will become a happy ending.

Then, I will suggest some ideas for how you can communicate with those you feel don't support you, and how you can still pursue this journey without causing damage to your relationships.

Here are 5 ideas to remember during your struggles:

You have already fought half the battle.

Even getting to this point, a place where you want to change your life, and are trying to do so, is a huge deal. I partook in a consumerist and cluttered mentality for most of my life, from my teens into my 20's, but it's also routed in my childhood.

That is a long time of forming habits, and perpetuating unhealthy associations between wealth, possessions and self-worth.

It takes guts to look at our lives honestly and then seek a truthful change, and not just continue on the same destructive path.

In terms of where the hell to start, you have to start small. But first, before that, you have to understand your why.

Why did you find yourself here, seeking something to make your life more fulfilling?

Only when you are fully clear in your reasoning's, will it become clear what you have to do first. For me, it was a mixed process. I knew I was in-debt and also knew that I was desperate to travel.

So, I wrote down all my debts, from smallest to biggest, and I began throwing as much money each month at my smallest debt.

It was then that I actually got super into minimalism, and began de-cluttering my home, by first throwing stuff out of my wardrobe, because that was where the most abundance of clutter was confronting me each day.

I slowly removed things from my bedroom, gradually growing my addiction to discarding, that often comes when you witness the calming effect a less cluttered space creates. I then ramped up my efforts, spending whole afternoons removing things. I then helped my boyfriend do the same. He was motivated because we both wanted to travel and he felt like he didn't want to leave behind material commitments.

Even if travel wasn't our goal, I think he would have been influenced by my change in demeanour; I was motivated to clear debt and so I was also motivated to change my relationship with consumerism, and it made me super positive and enthusiastic in general.

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You are living out your truth, and that's always better than living a lie even if it feels easier at the time.

When you stumble upon an epiphany, or you reach a point in your life where you cannot continue to live in the way you have been, you are finding out something very important and special.

You are listening to your inner truth, realizing your fundamental goals and appreciating what you need to do to reach them. 

You are opening yourself up to a new way of life and welcoming in positive change thus being authentic to your own intrinsic needs.

If you continue to live how others believe you should, you are lying to yourself, neglecting your purpose, and basing fundamental life choices on the opinions or comments of others and not your own inner voice.

Surely if you are denying your truth to supposedly please them, eventually it will damage your relationships anyway, with your suppressed desires or conformity eventually building resentment.

You will become a living breathing example of the positive ethos of minimalism.

People around you, who advocate consumerist mindsets, or who aren't interested in minimalism, will eventually witness the positive impact of living a simplified life, with less stuff and less push to work, earn and spend. They will get a front-row seat to seeing the cause and effect, and only then, can they truly understand it.

Only then can they too be inspired and maybe consider following the same path. Your peers, children and spouses, are obviously people you love and care about, and whom care about you, but resistance from them, when it involves a change in their own fundamental life choices, is natural.

This isn't something you can preach, but it is something you can live out, and eventually, you will inspire without trying.

You will feel guilt and fear, but not forever.

This is what I love about the simplifying process, and hate at the same time.

You are gonna feel some pains and you are going to want to pull back, delay the process and just, stop. But, once your life has become simpler, and you have committed yourself to reaching particular goals, some emotions, you won't have to encounter again, because you confronted them during this process.

Letting go of sentimental items will feel confusing and upsetting, but once you have taken decisive de-cluttering actions, you won't have to let go of those same things ever again.

Once you have resolved yourself to spend less and accumulate less, you won't have to repeat the letting go process over and over.

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"You have to tell yourself, 'I will feel the pain and stress of letting go and discarding now, but I won't have to feel it again, because I won't re-clutter my life again'."

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And even if there comes a time where you do in fact need to let go of more stuff, you will have proven that its possible, and you will have survived without those things you originally got rid of.

Discarding items attached to specific memories or special times in your life, takes nothing away from the fact you got to have that experience.

And if by some horrible future scenario, you lose sentimental items, you will move past it and make new memories, as well as have the old ones.

You have to consider that when you strip away the artefact's of precious life moments, the most important things usually still remain e.g. the people and the memories.

Believing that you need to keep things based on some imagined future use, is not a bad thing, when we are trying to lead thrifty lives. We just have to resolve to not bring in more of the same.

We can keep stuff that we truly think will be useful, but we have to specify to ourselves, exactly what that use is:

1. Is it a seasonal object?
2. Is it one that will replace something else in time?
3. Is it something you have multiple versions of, and if so, can you retain just one version?
4. Could you better organize these 'just in case' items so that you actually remember you have them when the 'in case' actually happens?

Realistic justifications are not discouraged in minimalist thinking, at all. But sometimes we justify things we know deep down we will not need again or which bring negative vibes into our home, but we are just racked with guilt at our spending, and think that by throwing it out we are being terrible wasteful planet-haters.

But we need to realize that this is it, the point where we make changes that will prevent us being wasteful big-spenders further down the line.

You will

eventually create a fulfilling life that isn't rooted in consumerism

I know this because I was able to do so. I went from in-debt, and addicted to shopping, to being a mindful consumer who was able to make decisions removed from impulse.

I still have moments of weakness but I have accepted that I always will.  I have habits and behaviours formed over years, and years, tied to emotional times in my life, so my natural response at times will be to consume, because it is what I have always known. But I don't believe it's ever too late to form new habits.

I brought in a few ideas which I have stuck to for the last 3 years, which keep me debt-free and living within my means (whilst also doing what I love, travelling and writing) unbound by material possession's, which I talk about more in-depth in my book.

Appreciate what is most important at your core. If it is your relationships, and building a life based on special moments with others, having ten million things to tidy each weekend, and a bucket-load of consumerist debt, is going to prevent that happening.

You might literally be stumbling over the results of your consumer choices daily, but you are so used to being surrounded by them, you don't see what is in plain sight. You sometimes need to clear the decks to actually understand why you are dissatisfied or unfulfilled.

Yes, you are used to having multiple options for everything, from your breakfast, to your clothing, but when we reduce the field of choice, to a few quality items, we can actually extract more value and enjoyment from our options. If I have a cupboard full of cereals, or a wardrobe full of clothing of similar styles, and yet I still feel dissatisfied, I probably don't have the right options at my disposal.

I love the concepts of meal planning and having a capsule wardrobe as solutions to these respective issues. I think this allows us to still have options and choices, whilst being thrifty and creative.

Your usual short-cuts to escapism, might not really be feeding your core desires. You may be living a life based in habits you know do not serve you but you feel scared to confront them. When you do confront them however, you soon realize that the only obstacle to your true fulfilment, is you.

You can change certain unhealthy spending habits with some honest appraisal of why you formed them to begin with. When we understand the deeper-seated reason for a behaviour, we can endeavour to change the habit, not just introduce new habits doomed to fail because we aren't accounting for the deeper reasons behind our choices.

You can bring in healthier routines based on mindfulness. Mindful money management is when we know, off the top of our head, our general money situation, be it day-to-day, week-to-week or month-to-month. Mindful spending is when we really question each and every purchase we make, understand the purpose, quality and life-time of the item. You might not be able to increase your income to reach certain financial goals but over time, mindful consuming will make your money work better for you, and of course, prevent future clutter and waste.

More on how I stick to mindful consumption:

• The minimalist life cleanse: Overhauling your spending.
• 37 ways you can save money every-day.
• 5 financial traps to always avoid.

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Okay, so you have bolstered your self-belief, appreciated what you have already achieved, and placed some faith in the future results of your efforts.

But, ah, you still have to deal with the expectations and opinions of others.

Well, I hope, that in re-affirming your goals for your life, at the centre of your minimalist journey, you will feel stronger and more resolved to change, despite the beliefs of others. But you still need some practical tips on how to counter all the struggles.

1. Be clear of your 'why' to others and resist the urge to try and convert them right away.

When we talk about something that is either seen as a fad or trend, such as de-cluttering and minimalism, you will find a level of initial scepticism, most of the time. If you try to argue with this, and behave defensively, you are likely going to aggravate the situation and bring the person no closer to empathy or understanding.

Instead of coming at our loved ones hard with the notion of simplifying, we need to bring it in gradually.

I know you probably feel all this energy, and naturally you want to get others on board. But they won't believe in the effectiveness of an idea until they see the proof.

• Live out your changes honestly, share them with others if they are making you feel good, but don't posit this as something everyone around you should adopt. Nobody likes to be told that they are living their life wrong or that they are unhappy, when they believe they are. In fact plenty of people around you will not be minimalists, and never will, and will still find the same fulfilment you do. Minimalism isn't the cure for everybody's woes, so resist the urge to prescribe it as the dream drug.
• Use simple language to explain your motivations, like 'I want to save money for...' or 'I want a tidier home...', instead of, 'I am becoming a minimalist, death to materialists!!'. I certainly have strong opinions for why I advocate minimalism over materialism, but for most of my life, I didn't have these opinions, and I didn't want to. I had my consumerism under relative control for a time, and it wasn't until I didn't, that I considered other ideas.
• When people are told of how your previous lifestyle choices were bringing you stress, they will get why you are making drastic changes. They want you to be happy and find a healthy way to do so. Over time they may get to witness the benefits of your new minimalist choices and come to understand it better that way.

2. Try to understand the place from which your spouse/kids/family are coming from.

To them, you have suddenly upped and changed, and maybe you are fervently spouting all these new overwhelming ideas that they haven't come to yet. They too are a sum of their life's habits and history, so go easy on them.

You might feel frustrated or stalled by them and their views, but they need to be given time. They also need to be heard and understood. A partner or friend who continues to spend and acquire, with no intention of de-cluttering, yes, that is going to be difficult to witness and not interfere in. But it's like any difference we ever encounter with those closest to us, we will never all be on the same page about everything.

• Encourage peaceful, open and honest conversation with your loved ones, by truly explaining your desire to change, and why. When others understand your motivation and maybe learn something about you they didn't already know, they are much more likely to keep their scepticism in check.
• Tell them what it is about your current lifestyle that is making you unhappy, and this might make them feel less dismissive of the idea, if they are assured that they aren't suddenly someone you cannot relate to. They just need to understand your 'Why' and try to accommodate it in small ways and recognize that you don't want them to change anything they aren't content with. If they care about you, they should care about your pursuit of true inner happiness, more than your ability to conform with the norms they themselves are used to.

3. Bring your children, partner and loved ones, into the journey, as a pursuit of a mutually beneficial goal.

You can't exactly achieve the minimalist home environment of your dreams if your kids and partner won't budge. You are going to hit a brick-wall in your overall progress at times, even if you have communicated openly and inspired their loving support. The best way to overcome this is a combination of the above two; re-iterating your 'Why' and communicating it gently and over time, but also, by trying to portray de-cluttering and mindful spending, as not something you need them to do, but something that they might actually want to do.

• Create challenges with your loved ones, based on minimalist values. If you suggest the de-cluttering process as being one which will reward them, it will be positive reinforcement that over time may lead to an intrinsic change inside them too. You need to mix your own goals with the inclusion of your family's goals too.
• An example could be that your husband has wanted a holiday abroad for years, but due to frequent random spending or accumulation, you both haven't been able to save up quite enough to do so.
• By suggesting you look at your finances together, to see how you can reach your mutual goals sooner, you will be bringing him in as an active and important part of your journey. You could suggest selling stuff to make some extra income, whilst also de-cluttering, or consider both going on a spending ban. Brainstorm some ideas together to help you achieve mutual dreams, which have the added benefit of involving minimalism.
• Another example might be that your children have reams of toys, many of which they never play with but refuse to part with. You too need to bring them in on this based on your mutual goals. What do they want or desire most in their life at present? Maybe they want to have a million different toy choices, as simple as that. Or maybe they would be willing to share their good fortune with a child who doesn't have what they have by picking some to personally donate.
• Maybe they actually want to get more value of out family life but are so used to the usual daily activities being based around their things, they simply don't know of other options. Maybe they have always been rewarded for their achievements by being given things, and so you will have to go back on your previous re-reinforcements by creating different reward systems. Maybe this can be a lesson in sharing and in having perspective, as well as a way to prevent them always associating toys and things, with their fun or happiness.

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I sincerely hope that the above advice goes some way to help you in your struggles as a minimalist beginner.

And I want to re-iterate my very first point, that you have already fought half the battle.

You have chosen to embrace a path where you can carve out a simpler life for yourself and those closest to you. Your honesty, hard work, and the positive results it will yield, will get you through the bulk of the challenges you will face along the way.

 Grab your FREE pdf workbook if you didn't earlier. It has a few questions to help you feel empowered to embrace minimalism despite your struggles.

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Minimalism: Cleanse Your Life, Become A Calmer Person - Book Release

Minimalism: Cleanse Your Life, Become A Calmer Person - Book Release

I did it! I climbed Everest! I ran up the steps from Rocky Balboa (I actually have done that). I gave birth! Orrrr, I just finished writing a book.

A bloody book. It feels so good to have finished it. I produced something, poured months of my life into it and I can finally step away, put on its uniform, push it out the front door and into the sunshine. Its my brain child.

Amazon UK Store / US Store / AU Store / CA Store

Okay, so it's definitely not an epically long overtly complicated book, its about minimalism, but it did take a lot of time and effort. I wanted to create something that I could be proud of for a long time, but also something of true value to anyone who does me the kindness of spending their money on it.

The previous blog posts I wrote on minimalism told me that people wanted to read about this movement, they were seeking out information on simplifying their life and they landed upon my musings in search of advice. And so I knew that this would be a worthwhile topic to write a whole book about.

So one day, whilst living on a desert island with no internet (I had no distractions or excuses), I opened up a word document and I began.

I focused on my own experience of minimalism, the reasons why I brought it into my life, and began discussing how it has made me happier.

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Our friend Tristan designed us the awesome cover! Here's the work in progress, watercolours n' all!

Happy means something different to everyone, but I posit happiness in the book as having an awful lot to do with how we feel at our core. I view fulfilment as being the motivation for giving attention and time to our true desires and needs. I believe that I have become calmer inside, thanks to not simply de-cluttering my surroundings but by actually tackling the areas of my life bringing me stress.

I realized how inter-linked everything is. I discovered that minimalism can be a whole life philosophy, not just the way you keep your home.

The book is fairly in-depth and really contextualizes the negative side of consumerism and how it massively contributes to the mental and physical health of society, in a bad bad way.

But its main purpose is providing the right questions and guidance for anyone who wishes to simplify their life.

It focuses on creating a home which works for you, refining your spending habits, creating more meaningful online activities, and organizing your day-to-day routine.

It is all based in realistic ideas that I myself have adopted so I know that my readers can follow it and achieve the same outcomes. I just want to help people find a way to navigate the hardships of life, and reach their life goals sooner. I hope the words I spent a few good months forming, help at least one person out there simplify their stresses and become calmer, healthier and happier.

So if you fancy a read you can order the book now.

Alternatively, if you are a blogger or a minimalist writer I would love to send you a free copy for review on your blog or social media. Just drop us a line at nomaderhowfar@gmail.com. I poured a lot of finger sweat into this and would appreciate any feedback.

HAPPY READING!

Start reading right now:

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Thanks for reading!

Want more reads like this? You can now find Hannah in her own online space, Good Intentions. Minimalism, mindfulness, conscious living and self-love; all the good stuff centred around being kinder to yourself, and kinder to the world.

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Read More Minimalism:

Why You Should Give A Shit About Minimalism

Why You Should Give A Shit About Minimalism

Today I happened upon this video on YouTube,'The trap of materialism'

Its message comes from an ethical standpoint surrounding why materialism is bad on so many levels; bad for all of us and this planet. From the history of capitalism, and its seemingly unstoppable power, to the hippy retaliation of the 1960's, right to the 9/11 terrorist attack.

It is a scary commentary on the world we live-in but it does offer positive solutions that we can all be part of.

Up to now much of my writing on minimalism has been subtle and instructional, but I am about to get a bit more deep and personal...

We write about our travels here on nomaderhowfar.com, because our lives are about travel right now, but we could not have gotten here, without first changing our mindset away from spending our money. To list the most basic benefits of minimalism, available to everyone, I would say that minimalism saves you money, time, stress and gives you back control over your own fulfilment and happiness. Money takes on new meaning because it isn't for satisfying impulse spending urges but its for saving up to reach some bigger goal. It serves a more healthy purpose, and you are no longer giving your valuable time away in the pursuit of a consumerist buzz. Nor are you contributing to the acres of landfill taking over our planet.

Minimalism has seen a rise in popularity among many people in recent years, with numerous books, blog posts and video series based on how to live a simpler life. Alongside this has been the continued promotion of materialism to the younger generation within the blogging and YouTube sphere, through a new type of celebrity, the 'vlogger' and blogger, who share not just their everyday life, but most prominently, what's in their shopping bags. The minimalist counter-movement really resonates with Taran and I. We have both suffered the same disillusionment with the status quo, a dissatisfaction with being ensnared in the materialism trap. 3 years ago, I worked in a job I hated and my only reward seemed to be shopping; I was really quite unhappy with life, but buying things seemed like the only pass-time that might make me feel better.

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And when on occasion I couldn't buy the things which made me feel that i was fitting in, I felt isolated.

But I didn't realize the linkage between the way things are within modern society, and the way I felt.

I simply put my feelings down to hating my job and feeling a bit alone. This was a time where my life was just not that exciting, put simply. I was working all hours in a terrible job, earning crap money, which I then spent on, well, crap. What do I and many of my peers have to thank for this status quo and the resultant negative impact on our mental health, well, that would be capitalism...

I won't paraphrase the entire film. watch it here.

The general gist of the documentary relates to how capitalism developed into something all-encompassing and endlessly powerful; and now has damaging implications for the future of this very planet. Big business has honed its ability to cultivate a culture of desire and envy, via the rise of advertising agency's and their use of our own human psychology against us, in order to get our money.

Some part in both Taran and I, has always struggled with society and its expectations. I might not have been able to label why but I knew on some level that my life would not be as fulfilling and authentically happy if I didn't step out of the 9-to-5 consumerist ring. Taran, since I've known him, has never been materialistic in any way. He has probably not bought a single item of clothing, even when he might have needed to. He really just does not care about fashion or buying new shiny things. He is so in-tune with just embracing what he has, making the best of his things and loving them in a way that the materialistic world doesn't want to you love your things. It wants you to consume more, all the time, and it does not care what the social, environmental and emotional impact is.

And that is why you should give a shit about minimalism. Because minimalism gives a shit about you in a way that materialism intrinsically cannot and never will.

You aren't a kid in school any-more, where being a fashion-conscious consumer was ingrained further into your psyche through bullying and peer pressure. You have the emotional maturity to change things, not worrying about what others think of your 'hippy' ways. You can dismiss the idea of the jones's and the competitiveness of trying to keep up with them. In minimalist thinking, your home is a sanctuary, not a closet, and your hobbies should bring you peace and deep happiness, not superficial short-lived buzzes.

Your whole life course is altered when you embrace minimalism.

If you have less need for stuff, you have less need for the money to buy it. And if you are someone who despises your career or wants to leave behind the 9-to-5, adopting minimalism can help. Some of us are always wondering what our actual passion is, what we should be doing instead of what we are, and we basically stumble on in a sense of constant disenchantment....well I certainly did and I know many people in the same position. And I also know how much minimalist thinking can help. It is so much more than de-cluttering your house or putting a spending ban on yourself. It is a retraining of your thought processes.

For many years you might have become addicted to the short-lived buzz that shopping gives you and so in a way, you are trying to cure an addiction. You are taking on a challenge that sees you give a big middle-finger to much of the rest of society who will frown at you and misunderstand your approach, in a way that might alienate you. But they soon might follow. People simply need to see that there is another way to be happy, and it is sometimes the only way to find it on a deeper level, separated from the stress of money.

Minimalism is not a religion, nor a rigid set of judgemental rules. There is no minimalist heaven, there is just the present, one that you can change, and a future that you can guide.

#minimalism is the key to reversing the damage of #materialism. https://t.co/Niohj7MTBo pic.twitter.com/wdYORxW84p

— Taran & Hannah (@Nomaderhowfar) February 20, 2016

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By the way,before you leave, the original popular series, The Minimalist Life Cleanse has been re-purposed and expanded on, and now comes in the book below, available NOW.

Amazon UK Store / US Store / AU Store / CA Store

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Thanks for reading!

Want more reads like this? You can now find Hannah in her own online space, Good Intentions. Minimalism, mindfulness, conscious living and self-love; all the good stuff centred around being kinder to yourself, and kinder to the world.

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The Minimalist Life Cleanse: Revisiting your journey to a simpler life.

The Minimalist Life Cleanse: Revisiting your journey to a simpler life

Many months ago I shared my interest in minimalism, via a series of 3 posts, giving advice on how to simplify different aspects of your life to achieve a more minimalist life.

What Does Minimalist Mean?

The term has been associated with interior design, and the idea of having simple furnishings, only a few decorative details and a paired-back palette of colour. It was style that was focused on achieving peace, simplicity and functionality within the home.

These days, the word has become synonymous with a movement and a lifestyle choice, not simply a style of decoration.

Legions of people are retraining their thought patterns, steering themselves away from their consumerist nature, and just generally learning to live with less possessions. Some people go as far to apply minimalism to all areas of their life, simplifying everything from their social circle to their career choice.

The minimalism life cleanse focuses on this idea somewhat because you can't really achieve long-lasting minimalism in just one area of your life without giving attention to the others.

The series was launched a fair few months ago so I thought it might be time to encourage anyone who followed it back then, or has only recently found it, to revisit the core message of the series.

So lets take stock of where you're at on your minimalist journey and revisit the steps from Stage 1, 2 and 3.

The Home

• How tidy is your personal space? Does it feel a joy to be in?

• Consider your wardrobe. How many items of the clothing have you worn more than once in the last 6 months? How many items in there have you not even touched in that time?

• When did you last empty out your pantry or fridge? How many items do you have stockpiled which keep getting pushed to the back of the cupboards and never used?

• How many shampoo's and conditioners have you amassed, all with just a little bit left at the bottom? When did you last look in your bathroom storage and consider reducing you cosmetic products down to just your absolute favourites?

• If you previously discarded a lot of your possessions, consider if your spaces remain cleansed, useful and organized. Have certain corners or surfaces begun acquiring new clutter, or are you still yet to remove all the things you originally intended to?

• Are you tidying up more regularly, and if so, is that a sign that you still have a lot of clutter to discard?

Spend an hour moving through your home, and note any areas which need harsher de-cluttering; sort through the belongings slowly, discarding a few items a day in the very least.

Your home can collect clutter amid a busy life, but taking a morning or an afternoon to re-assess your space really can lead to much less stress in the long-run. An ordered space which works well for your needs will not require as much maintenance so will free up some time and energy for other things!

Read about how de-cluttering your home can benefit your mind here!

The Wallet

• It's all too easy to see the process of simplifying your life as an opportunity to acquire more, maybe to replace old and thrown away items.

• However it somewhat defeats the purpose to replace the things you have successfully gotten rid of and are able to live without. You should only be replacing things when the absolute need arises.

• When did you last create a budget, or list your spending? Do you know off the top of your head how much money is in your current account and savings? How far along are you on debt repayments, and are you throwing as much as you can each month, not just making the minimum payment?

• Consider the last five items you purchased (bar food). Where are they now, did they serve a purpose, and will they continue to be useful in the future?  Are your daily spending decisions focused on instant gratification or delayed?

• Are you making bill payments on time, and are you stretching your budget (if you've even made one) to last between pay-day's? Do you dig into your savings to make up unexpected short-falls or to pay for random indulgences?

• Do you feel as if you are getting what you want out of your life with the funds you have, or are you still making frivolous spending decisions that leave you wanting?

The way you view money and the ease with which you part with it will determine so much of the clutter in your life. Financial over-stretching, a home rife with objects and the worry of having little financial security, this can all be simplified and eased with more mindful spending decisions.

Read more about overhauling your spending here!

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The Mailbox

• It might be time to hit that unsubscribe button again, because somewhere along the way you may have given out your email address and are now receiving more useless emails destined never to be read.
• Stop ignoring all those unread emails; implement the 'read, delete, reply or move' rule, which is quite simply going to keep your inbox nice and clean. I created folders corresponding to different topics and I move non-urgent or follow-up emails to those folders, or I delete the email.
• Back-up the thousands of photos on your phone to clear the decks and free up some storage space on your devices. The anxiety attached with losing our phones is only heightened when we allow them to hold our precious memories in an intangible and vulnerable form.

• Review your social media and consider if you are really getting that much out of following so many people on twitter or seeing every post into that face-bay group on Facebook. Streamline your feed and reduce the amount of different subjects and people vying for your precious time and attention.

• Did you stick to the idea of only having the most useful apps on your devices, or have you been pulled in by appealing looking ones which now sit idle and forgotten? Delete any apps you haven't used for a month and move your most used into organized folders.

The nature of our electronic habits can lead to divided attention, split across numerous distractions. If we can reduce the number of outlets vying for our attention across our social media and devices, then we can get back some focus and true relaxation.

Read more on simplifying your online world here!

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The minimalist life cleanse isn't really a one-off act; it is a conscious effort and a way of approaching all areas of your life, that just like an exercise regime or a diet, can fall by the wayside.

Its important not to beat yourself up if you feel that maybe the initial thrill of simplifying has died off, and you are going back to old habits.

But it's also important to remember the enthusiasm you felt when you first followed the steps from stage 1, 2 and 3, when you tackled the many facets of your life which weren't bringing anything good to the table.

You can definitely get back to that mindset, one where your life is not paired down or dull, but enriched with quality objects, interests and interactions.

You can create a home and a daily routine that can be purposeful and peaceful at the same time, building a solid foundation for reaching your goals in the rest of your life.

Next to read: Life After De-Cluttering: Finding Fullfillment In Simplicity.

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By the way, before you leave, I recently released my book, Minimalism: Cleanse Your Life, Become A Calmer Person, available NOW! It's a more in-depth guide to de-cluttering your home, organizing your life, refining your spending habits and simplifying your relationship with your technology:

Amazon UK Store / US Store / AU Store / CA Store

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Want more reads like this? You can now find Hannah in her own online space, Good Intentions. Minimalism, mindfulness, conscious living and self-love; all the good stuff centred around being kinder to yourself, and kinder to the world.

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