Millennial Minimalism: Simplifying When It's Simplest

Millennial Minimalism: Simplifying When Its Simplest

I finally got around to watching the documentary from last year by the Minimalists, Josh and Ryan, and I enjoyed it! It reaffirmed everything I already believe in and talk about here on the blog.

I couldn’t help notice though, that every person speaking about the concept were 5, 10, even 40 years older than myself.

Why was there no voice of a millennial?

Maybe someone young, supposedly naive to real life, only at the beginning of their adult-ing journey, wouldn't appear a credible minimalism advocate...

Or maybe it’s because so many people had to have a decade or more of adult-ing, a long period of working, acquiring and consuming, before they felt the call of minimalism.

I suppose I had my mid-life crisis super early, 22 to be exact, when my first ‘corporate’ type job sucked the joy out of my life and the hope away from my outlook.

There was nothing too terrible about the job itself (I worked in a bank) and its a job many people do happily for years, their whole lifetime. But either way, it was still a job where I felt like I was inducted in the hall of life cynicism and I was supposed to just deal with it and make the best of it (with my debit card).

I had aspirations, and they weren’t being met even slightly.

I had skills and abilities that were irrelevant in that environment.

I had something real that I had worked hard for and truly thrived at, my degree in Media, and yet I was working in a customer service job with a heavy dose of sales thrown in.

It all felt like a whole load of bullshit to be frank.

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My life did not suit me, and I wore my new reality like a straight-jacket.

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Over the next year I found myself changing, responding to what I had been through; a depressing job where spending was my only release, and where my mental health suffered immeasurably as a result.

Now 4 years later I call myself a minimalist, albeit one who remains a work in progress, but the belief is there, the true passion for living a simpler life. And I’m not 45 and talking about it in a documentary, because I luckily got to this place a little sooner than some of my counterparts.

I was just finding my feet, only just stepping onto the carousel of adult life, when circumstances conspired to create a disillusionment, within my own mind, at probably a similar time in the late 2000's, as my older counterparts too begin to debate the idea of mindless consumerism.

I feel fortunate that events conspired when they did, to afford me a clear and open passage into the minimalist mindset.

The concept was increasingly providing a true solution for so many individuals feeling disengaged and disenfranchised, and I knew I had nothing to lose (except of course, most of my stuff and my consumerist habits).

I like to think that the sooner and earlier you welcome the minimalist mindset in, as a millennial, the better it is for not just you, but all those around you, including your unborn distant children, and your ageing parents.

Soon, as in now.

Before the boxes of 25 toys make their way to the attic, before they are even bought.

Before you find yourself feeling gut-wrenched, clearing out 10 rooms of your parents belongings.

Before you feel the need to spend more than you earn to finance a bigger life, and enter into debt.

Before you climb the property ladder and invest in a house with more rooms than you can hope to fill.

Before you slump down, surrounded by reams of things in your own space that don’t even belong to you, on top of those that do.

Before the task of change appears too giant to even begin.

Simplify your life and your lifestyle, while its still simple enough to do so. Set a precedent for generations to come and generations behind you, and change the way the world works.

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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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8 Ways To Simplify How You Communicate: Creating Intentional Interactions.

8 Ways To Simplify How You Communicate: Creating Intentional Interactions.

The journey to minimalism is not in itself entirely minimal...there are many facets of your life that you choose to simplify, or not.

For me it went:

1. Clear debt

2. Discard clutter

3. Consume less

I entertained the notion of leading a simpler existence, less reliant of money and things, because I wanted to become a nomad.

At first I very much focused on the visible side of minimalism, the noticeable changes obvious to myself and those around me; I halved my wardrobe, discarded trinkets and random furnishings and stopped bringing in more random stuff.

Over the last two years, I have embraced minimalism wholeheartedly whilst travelling, gradually learning to that I can live happily with less things, and love what I do have more.

I cherish what I have, seek quality over quantity and try to maintain a feeling of lightness and freedom.

An entirely different area of simplifying has only recently come into my mindset.

So, I have always been a rambler. I love words, it’s as simple as that. I love that our vocabulary and language can be ever-changing and growing, something we expand with age and exploration.

But I have come to realize the benefit of stopping, thinking, speaking a little less, and choosing my words better.

In terms of written and spoken communication, the value of less can still very much apply.

Our style of communication can actually hold us back, with an over-abundance of words meaning our purpose and points get lost in a sea of confusion. Sometimes we don't say enough in fear of what others will say.

For example, I sometimes lack assertiveness and directness in how I interact with others and I have been known in the past as the person who might mutter or say a little too much when less would have sufficed fine.

I have tried to overcome this, not by suddenly pulling inner confidence from thin air, but by thinking about how I speak before I do so.

I try to be clearer, more concise and leave no doubt in the mind of the person I am communicating with in what I mean, want or need.

I don’t desire to create drama any more, directly or indirectly, by either letting my words run away from me or by not speaking up enough.

I don’t want to be a mutterer or a mumbler any longer. I don’t want to make others feel like I don’t know who I am or what I mean.

Maybe years of letting others make me feel inferior or insecure in myself has brought me up to this point.

I have come to a place where I want to live intentionally across the board so why wouldn’t I also deal with the issues that prevent me asking the universe for what I want and deserve via purposeful and intentional interactions?

It got me wondering about how can I de-clutter the intangible e.g. from my thoughts to my speech.

How can I realistically still be the fun, chatty and interested person I try to be in a conversation whilst also being less wordy and more to the point? Do I not risk coming across as a boring person void of personality?

I really want to pour my energy into my written words and generally feel a little less overwhelmed in the creative process. I therefore believe its important to conserve emotional energy where possible, and help others understand me even better, to ultimately reach my broader goals in life a little quicker.

That is part of the reason for me simplifying my communication style, but it's also because I want to quell my tendency toward irrational and anxious thinking. I often go from 0-10 on a scale of worry and trepidation and it shows itself in scattered, fast, emotional and unthinking speech.

I no longer ignore how my mind makes me behave and defeatedly believe that my anxiety is a natural thing; I have taken the time to regain some control and assess ways that I can minimize its impact on my daily life, most prominently by fostering more intentional interactions.

I believe that I have developed a clearer mind and an even calmer life by simplifying my communication style; from shorter emails and quicker responses, to facing head on the conversations which make me uncomfortable.

If you feel it's time to find simplify your life even further, for whatever reason, then keep reading:

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8 Ways To Simplify How You Communicate:

Think Whilst You Speak

Apply the age-old idea of ‘Think before you speak’ but put a twist on it, and make it ‘Think before and as you speak’.

You can do this by talking slower, choosing your words carefully, not feeling as if you can’t take a moment to craft exactly what you truly wish to say.

People are often rushing, from one place to the next, from one idea to the next, and never stop to see what fresh inspiration can come from the pauses in breath we take between speaking.

Embrace being able to think through your ideas before and whilst you discuss them because in a conversation, new ideas emerge and your point might clarify even more in your own mind.

Write It Down

If you are struggling with a particular thing you wish to communicate with someone, write down some bullet points with a few keywords on the topic.

Do this prior to a conversation, be it via phone or email, and help yourself be efficient and clear in what you want to say and need to achieve.

Try to avoid mentally forming a long monologue in your own mind and building a sense of anxiety before you talk.

You needn't pour out a raft of information and stumble over yourself, resulting in your original message getting lost in a sea of language.

Appreciate Being Quiet

Celebrate the ability to be quiet and selective with how much you talk each day. We can expend a lot of mental energy if we try to be talkative or engaging every moment the opportunity arises.

Sometimes I prefer to sit and think more instead of externalize my every idea and whim.

Or, I write my ideas down in a brief form and I find I can return to them far easier later on, having not verbally put ideas out into the world that I then forget about.

I embrace how nice it is to just be still and peaceful, even in a world where it’s pressed upon us that we must speak up loudly and proudly.

Don't Paint The Silence

I am especially guilty of talking too much when someone asks me a question, in that as soon as the silence after the answer happens, I try to fill it with even more detail.

I think I'm just trying to stave off awkwardness or believe that the silence is indicative of my failure to get my point across.

I have learned recently that I do not need to fill those quieter moments, and instead realize that a conversation is a two-way thing; if the other person chooses not to immediately respond, let them.

Don't pounce on the quiet moment and recognize it as a natural and important part of allowing others to process their thoughts.

Keep Calm

During any heated or difficult conversation, listen closer, remain calm, and keep eye contact with the person you are speaking to.

We are all human, all afflicted with the same inner crisis and neurosis, it's just that some of us hide it better beneath a veneer of intimidation. But we are all just trying to appear strong to in-turn, feel strong.

The best way to ensure you don’t leave behind a conversation with words unspoken or ideas poorly gotten across, is to overlook the individual you are talking to.

Overlook how they make you feel or how you appear to make them feel. Focus only on why and what you are trying to achieve from the conversation.

What is your desired outcome and can remaining calm and patient help you achieve it more easily?

Don't Neglect Others

Don’t put off replying to those lingering conversations or messages and instead view it as if you having a real life talk, and you simply stop talking, for days on end.

Surely it can be pretty confusing for others, leaving that time for them to build up negative ideas in their mind about you e.g. so and so doesn’t care enough to reply, there not a true friend.

Sometimes we see a message, we put our phone down and it lives our mind completely. Then days pass and the message remains ignored. Often this is accidental, the symptom of a busy life, but other times we simply put off talking to people when we can’t predict how or when they will respond back.

But it’s time to take charge of this and endeavour to provide some kind of quick reply to each message we receive even if it's simply to say ‘I will get back to you later when we can properly talk’. The difference between a simply reply and no reply at all is hurting someone’s feelings or not hurting them.

Our fundamental human need for the interaction, companionship and the attention of others needn’t always be superseded by our supposed busy-ness.

Accept People's Differences

Recognize that no matter how clear and confident you speak others will not always deliver an equally measured response. But you can still retain your calm and concise approach, and you don’t have to lose your control to feelings of anger.

Sometimes a blow up will happen, and it will often come from you, but if we practice ‘Keep calm and carry on’ , on our side at least, we can stop things escalating beyond what we need to be dealing with. Arguments are often fuelled by passion but they can equally be fuelled by using thoughtless, unkind or defensive words.

When you shout, they shout back even louder and when you go silent, they press you harder. By no means should you back down but you should try to argue differently. Argue but argue in a way that is more likely to deliver a better mutual outcome than if you rally someone into agreement.

Life is too short to spend it trying to constantly fight with our loved ones and the change the mind of another when all we should be doing is living by the example of our own values.

Postpone Irrelevant Thoughts

As a chronic over-thinker, an anxiety-sufferer and a generally argumentative personality, I find it incredibly hard to shut my mind off. I find it near impossible to not play out entire conversations in my own head way before they are due to happen.

Newsflash, to myself, I am neither psychic nor do I need to take every thought that enters my mind and give it hours of my life. Neither do you!

I have gotten into the life-changing habit of mentally pigeon-holing a thought or idea. I acknowledge the thought, file it under 'Emergency' or 'Completely non-emergent and just plain silly', and act accordingly.

I don't need to map out conversations I might not even have or don't need to have until some future point. I certainly do not need to act immediately on my every thought because time changes your mind and so much of what we go to say or do is driven by a passing mood or emotion.

Practise acknowledging thoughts and then post-pone them; you can ruminate on any idea you wish, but only when its appropriate and healthy to do so.

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It's easy to feel powerless to the way our minds work, and its harder to change than to stay the same.

The way we communicate with the outside world is more than just sounds or performance; it can be a vehicle through which we positively change the way our brains work.

We can create the space and the peace needed to figure ourselves out and attract the things which make us happy.

It is possible to create a minimal way of life, one that builds deeper connections and more fulfilling interactions; we just have to balance the silence with the noise and equalize the thinking mind, with the quiet one.

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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!

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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After more Minimalism Inspiration?

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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 Stage 2 [Simplifying Your Online World]

The Minimalist Life Cleanse Stage 2 [Simplifying Your Online World]

In stage 1 of this series, we talked about minimalism in the home..

Focusing some energy on stripping our homes of the things which really add no value to our lives, and only bring mess and stress, you may have began to feel lighter and less weighed down by your material junk.

Maybe you discovered beautiful treasures beneath the clutter, re-lived old memories, or found special artefacts to proudly display in your newly cleansed space.

Hopefully you took the steps put forward, and will take forward an attitude of loving the things you have, instead of bringing new distractions and items into your life.

Of course it doesn't take a day to clear years of amassed bits and bobs, but you have made a start and can continue at your own pace, knowing you have done the hardest part, which is to begin!

You might now feel all the more ready to tackle stage 2 of this series...

THEME: Minimalism in your Technology.

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Social media and the internet influence every aspect of modern life. We live in a world where in many western countries, the government is investing in high-speed internet; it is that much entrenched in contemporary culture, it's no longer just entertainment, its has become a right and to many, a need. 

The world of new-sites and online editorial content, is steadfastly replacing print media, and now most people stay in touch with important news, blog''s of interest and other things which they enjoy exclusively via the internet. It really is at the centre of peoples everyday lives and behaviours.

...so goes the sign-of-times saying “Home is where the WIFI connects automatically”.

Many of us feel anxious when our internet doesn't work, or we go somewhere without wifi.

Temporarily disconnected, literally and mentally, you are sure that you are going to miss out on some vital piece of information, news, meme or dog video.

It's not wrong to feel this way, it just the natural result of our constant repeated use of our devices. I personally hate when the internet fails or I am out of a free wifi zone. I feel adrift and like I am going to be behind on something everybody else is in on.

Why do we feel this way?

Many of us live out our entire lives online, reporting it all in vivid colour and vibrant language, whilst others build a career based on online creativity; the internet is where some peoples whole businesses are founded and maintained.

The net (I feel like I am writing this in the late 90's or something...) has somewhat replaced television for many, with sites such as youtube and Netflix providing an array of entertainment, springing forth a new-breed of celebrities in the form of Vlogger's and Bloggers; the online world covers even more niche's than TV ever has or could. 

The internet is there for all manner of weirdness, hobbies, fetishes, obsessions and escapism.

Despite most people agreeing on the usefulness of the online world, due to its potential for creating connections, fostering learning and of course building commerce, many despair at just how much we have been drawn into the inter-web.

And when you begin to look at your relationship with social media, your mobile phone and the whole world of apps and websites, you will observe the complexity of it, and often, the repetitive and dullness of your daily absorption within it.

I realized recently, whilst scrolling Instagram for maybe the 3rd time that day, that I was skipping past a lot of images. I was not really giving anything any real attention, yet I had chosen to follow these accounts at some point when the person or subject must have been vaguely interesting to me.

But this interest was clearly short-lived, and the result is me now mindlessly passing over things instead of taking a brief moment to un-follow these people, and escape from an endless conveyor-belt of thumbing over content.

So now it's time to bring back some more organization, purpose and clarity to your online life!

By the way, before you read on, this phase of the life cleanse is expanded upon, alongside the rest of the series, in a my new book, available NOW.

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

Deleting Apps

Our phones and tablets will soon contain more contain apps than the actual app-store.

• Count how many apps you have on your phone/tablet.

• Now count how many you actually use.

• Delete any apps you haven't used in the last month.

• Re-arrange your used apps into folders labeled for their theme. I have 'WRITE''WATCH''READ', so I use short names which are fairly self-explanatory.

• Look at your most used apps again and assess if you can now delete even more apps, the ones outside the category you consider most important or worth keeping.

Unfollow

Maybe some of us are too polite (or lazy) to un-follow people, but really, when you look at it realistically, someone's follower count really isn't something you should be giving much worry to...

• Is it really that engaging for you or beneficial for the person posting stuff, to have their offerings ignored and scrolled over all the time?

• Maybe its time to cut-down on the things you give your time and attention to.

• Consider cutting down on who and what you follow....

• Twitter: If you still want to follow someone but are bugged by their updates, then just mute them on your feed! That way you can keep in touch with their updates in your own time.

• Facebook: The same thing applies here – you can streamline your time-line without causing any offence, by simply un-following peoples status updates. No need to see everything they have to say, but you can still check in on them now and again! And as for un-friending, well, I like your style, you're thinking big.

• Instagram: I am so guilty of scrolling repeatedly over the same people, and I never stopped to observe my behaviour. When I finally did I started de-cluttering my account, I un-followed lots of people and made it so I only saw the things most interesting to me!

• Myspace: Go on Myspace, re-activate your account, try to remember the now-defunct email address you used for your login, spend hours trying to locate this address to no avail. But once you do get it, login, and scroll through all your college friends, check out your pictures from those house-parties, and decide on whether that friend is displaying good HTML skills. And change your automated song to something more fresh.

Obviously, we're joking on that last part... how to improve your Myspace is in next weeks post.... :P

Clear Your Inbox

This is the virtual room that you need to de-clutter. It has shelves and shelves of things you have never read, or ever will....

• Yes, you took the time to set-up which incoming junk-type emails to automatically send to your 'Filtered' folder, which is the same as saying “Go here, you will remain in my inbox but I will not read you and you will remain there until the end of the time”. Tut.

• Now it's time to go and actually un-subscribe to those emails never read or which you no longer want to receive. Check the very bottom of the email, you will have an option to receive no further contact. Hurrah!

• Clear that spam folder, and your (now quickly filling up) deleted folder.

• Look at your other saved folders – are you keeping emailed bills from 5 years ago? It should be easy to find lots of things to send into the abyss of deleted emails!!

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If your online activities, or the mass of information stored in your own personal online accounts, aren't adding to your happiness, helping you, or bringing inspiration into your life, then, why are you giving them so much of your time? Time you cannot get back.

Taran has found that deleting the Facebook app off of his phone made perfect sense; he didn't want to keep finding himself on that endless scrolling spree, and so he fixed that quite easily!

You could take that drastic step, or, alternatively, follow the above steps. The more you delete, the more you will want to delete! Editing, refining and creating an online space that meets your own personal wants and needs is such a satisfying process. 

You'll realize that nowhere in this post am I explicitly telling anyone to cut down on their online time; being a blogger and a blog-lover I am permanently in the internet matrix, I never leave.... I am simply offering advice to help you enhance your relationship with your online practises, and make them more fruitful and fulfilling.

And if you happen to find yourself online less, or become more inspired by your new de-cluttered inter-web space, then you've taken a positive if unintentional step towards even more minimalism and simplicity. 

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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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4 Steps To A Minimalist Life: Nomadifying Your World

4 Steps to A Minimalist Life: Nomadifying Your World

*This is one of our first post's about Minimalism from way back in 2014. We have come a lot further down the road of simplifying, and we did indeed follow our nomadic dreams, and currently live in Australia. For more recent and expansive reading on this topic, check out the minimalism section*

Life is somewhat defined by accumulation; gathering memories of special experiences, meeting people and forming loving relationships.

We accumulate these connections when we are living our lives to the fullest and they are part of what constitutes happiness and fulfillment for most people.

The flip-side to this, is the accumulation of things, material goods and random accoutrements; many people also associate being wealthy and acquiring 'things', with happiness.

I disagree on that point, and so do followers of the minimalist movement. Many steadfast simplifiers come from big money backgrounds, who traded in the corporate lifestyle when they realized it wasn't the key to deep and lasting fulfillment.

An article written by Rebecca J. Rosen of The Atlantic interviews people who changed their lives radically and improved their all-round happiness and stress levels tenfold...

How did they do this? By adopting a minimalist style of living.

I had been thinking about making a blog post about de-cluttering your surroundings and your life, for quite a while, and happened upon this article which perfectly highlights the ideas behind my own changing relationship with consumerism.

The interviewees are consciously selective about what they do acquire, and seek to add only things with meaning and true usefulness.

That's only further spurred on my desire to Nomad-Ify my own life.

Nomad-ify?

Apart from seemingly inventing a word, I really mean, simplifying your surroundings and belongings, so that you are truly prepared for a nomadic travel lifestyle.

And if you aren't planning to travel any time soon, you can still follow these ideas, and achieve the same positive effects for your own life.

Wouldn't it be nice if every time you moved home, it wasn't such a stressful process, because you simply had less stuff to move?

How pleasant might it feel if your cleaning routine took half the time and you suddenly created a more productive day with time to spare?

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Step 1: Time To Off-Load

1. Pick a drawer. Pick a cupboard. Pick a whole room in your house if you like. Just begin somewhere. Choose the space which is stressing you out the most, or, select the smallest space.
2. Question your possessions. For example, go to the kitchen cupboard and question, why do I have 40 mugs, when I only have one mouth? Now go up to the bathroom. Why do I have 8 varieties of shower gel on the go, when all I do is wash it down the drain?
3. Before you try and fix everywhere in your home, really focus on the space you either spend the most time, or the place you go to feel relaxed. For me, that is the bedroom... I love having a minimalist and tidy feel to mine, it creates a really relaxed feeling in there. I have cultivated that by spending months slowly getting rid of stuff. Go over to the wardrobe or drawers....it's time to tackle the clothes. Get some plastic bins or baskets, and label them Charity, Donation and Bin. Charity for the charity shop, donation for those huge bins they have in supermarket car parks where you can donate clothes that are not quite good enough for resale, and then the bin, well, that's for the stained pair of comfy jogging bottoms you can't bear to part with. Of course the clothes you want to keep, put to one side. Also, if you wish to sell some things, create a separate pile for this. Bear in mind that we often set aside clothing we believe will make us some money back and we just never set aside time to actually list them for sale!

We're not just discarding stuff without thought here, we are reassessing it's value in OUR lives and whether these items are useful to US. When the answer is no, then this stuff becomes useful to others, or is just junk, and it's time to say goodbye to it.

RULES: HAVE I USED THIS ITEM WITHIN THE LAST 6 MONTHS? WOULD I BUY THIS IF I SAW IT IN A SHOP TODAY?

If you answer No, then put it in the chosen pile.

Pheww! you are already nearer to the minimalist life.

Step 2: A Shopping Detox

Is it a big hobby of yours to peruse local supermarkets or head into town to the shopping centre, just to mull around, even though you always end up buying SOMETHING. Well, you are now on a shopping ban. Don't worry, you can still buy food, we aren't talking about de-cluttering our bodies here (food is my one spending vice, it keeps me sane).

1. If you are shopping to quell boredom, find escapism or seek that momentary buzz associated with acquiring something new and shiny, could you be using that time and money more healthily?
2. Do you struggle to pay bills or are you unable to repay your debts because of what you spending on random things?
3. Confront yourself. Are you guilty of needless and impulse spending? Are you one of those people who comes home with several shopping bags a few times a month? STOPPPP ITTT. For a while at least. It's more of a bad habit, not a fun hobby; you need to see it that way in order to realize you can stop doing it so much.

RULES: DO I REALLY NEED THIS DRESS? IS IT OF SUPERIOR QUALITY TO ANYTHING I ALREADY OWN? DO I NEED THIS PAIR OF HEELS WHEN I LIVE IN FLATS? DO I NEED ANOTHER THROW CUSHION WHEN ALL I DO IS LITERALLY THROW THEM OFF THE BED EACH NIGHT?

Be honest with yourself, nobody needs eight cushions. 

Step 3: Make Money, Make Room

So you've tidied up, and thrown lots away. Now it's time to tackle the stuff you could make some money out of.

1. List items of quality on Ebay or gumtree (craiglist if you are American) and set yourself a target of how much extra money you want to make selling your things. If you a figure in mind you will feel more motivated to follow through on listing, advertising and selling.
2. Go to a car boot sale (or have a garage sale), and let your things find a new home. Just because you no longer need this item, doesn't render it useless or unappealing to someone else.
3. Consider if some of your things could be repurposed, like old furniture or decorative items, that you could then re-sell at a decent value.

RULE: WILL I BE USING THIS AGAIN ANY TIME SOON? WILL I BE ABLE TO REPURCHASE IT IF I EVER DO NEED IT AGAIN? DO I SOURCE ANY DAILY ENJOYMENT OUT OF THIS OBJECT?

Step 4: Envision A Simpler Life

When I clean or tidy, or throw stuff away, I feel physically and mentally lighter.

Whether it's all in my head or whether its my energy responding to something different in my surroundings, it brings a sense of calm and peace. I feel so much more prepared for my nomadic dreams knowing my clutter footprint is reduced.

The idea of travelling becomes even more exciting to me and the thought of leaving behind what belongings remain, incredibly easy.

As I witness myself saving money and not buying more random stuff, I imagine enjoying a day on the beach in Australia, where my last concern will be for the stuff I threw away; it will just be Taran, me, a towel and the sea.

What do you see when you imagine a simpler life?

What steps do you need to take to reach that? Maybe begin with the above 3.

Possibly it's about changing your attitude towards consumerism.

Maybe you need to take up some hobbies which don't rely on accumulating stuff or spending much money. If we can develop passions that are independent of our financial state, that can withstand times of difficulty, we will learn to be happy with less; less stress, less push for money and less financial commitment, but, more joy.

It's not just about throwing things away, it's a re-imagining of your relationship to material things; your happiness can come from so much more than what's in a shop window. When I felt lost and passionless, I also had massive debts and a huge shopping addiction. I was miserable and misguided in how I used my money. When I fully embraced the multiple benefits of a minimalist life, I did indeed find my dreams, follow them and start afresh.

Your bank balance does not define how full your life can be. It's how you use your money, your time and your energy that will lead to long-lasting fulfilment.

So take control, de-clutter, and Nomad-ify yourself.

Why? Because it feels really, really, good.

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Hey, before you go...

In 2016 I released my Book: Minimalism: Cleanse Your Life, Become A Calmer Person

If you're into minimalism or reducing stress, its really worth a read!

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Thanks for reading!

Hannah and Taran here. We hail from Southern England, where we met online and are now realizing our mutual passion for travel here at NomaderHowFar. We discuss Nomadic Living, Simplifying your Life and Long-term Travel, to empower, motivate and inspire our readers. Get to know us here!

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