Key points
- Minimalism helps people feel more in control of their lives and clearer headed.
- Minimalism also saves time. The less possessions you have, the less time spent organizing them.
- If you want to be more minimalist, make decluttering and donating belongings a regular habit.
Now that I have a five and a nine-year-old, I feel like my role has shifted to Organizer of All the Things. My children have acquired a quantity of toys and clothes that feels overwhelming and relentless.
When it was just me, I lived in a studio apartment. It was about 300 square feet of minimalist simplicity. I had the exact right amount of clothes and books. I could imagine in my mind’s eye all my possessions because everything had its place. Even though it was a tiny apartment, there was room to breathe because of the lack of clutter.
Now, I’m constantly battling other people’s possessions. They’re kids, so they tend toward maximalism. More is more is more. Sometimes it seems that none of us even know where these belongings came from. They seem to reproduce on their own accord, and no organizational system seems to keep them tidy.
Inevitably, they pile up in a way that makes me snap. I tear through their rooms with big black garbage bags, asking the girls which things we can donate. They comply because they know more stuff is on the way. There are birthdays and holidays. There are aunts and grandmas soon to visit, bearing gifts, of course.
The Psychological Benefits of Minimalism
Minimalism has its mental benefits. In one interview-based study, participants reported that they’d arrived at their minimalist lifestyles due to autonomy or competence. The burden that clutter brought prompted many people to choose another path, one where they could better align their lives, free from overwhelming amounts of possessions. Less belongings also helped some people feel more competent, like they had more control over their lives.
Owning too many things means managing too many things. The more belongings one has, the more time must be spent organizing and thinking about those things.
I’m not the only one who feels better when all their things have a place. Participants of the study also reported feeling clear-headed when inhabiting a minimalist environment.
How to Be More Minimalist
To feel freer, more competent, and mentally free, there are a few things you can try. My favorite minimalist move is to constantly be decluttering. Instead of trying to figure out where everything should go, I always declutter as I clean. It’s easier to get rid of something than create a new organizational system for it to fit in your home.
Use every cleaning opportunity as a chance to rid your life of unnecessary possessions.
Another trick is to have as many blank surfaces as you can. Stop filling every shelf, and see how you feel when there’s more room to breathe.
Finally, remove some of your storage. The more shelves and drawers and bins you have, the more you’ll fill them with stuff. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that your organizational system is going to save you from your clutter. Less storage means fewer belongings.
None of this gets at the root cause of why we over-consume in the first place, but thinking about how good you’ll feel when your space is more minimalist might be just the thing you need to simplify your life.
In the meantime, I’ll be roaming my house like a maniac, searching for excess, desperately trying to cut through the clutter and live more simply and freely.
Lloyd, K., & Pennington, W. (2020). Towards a theory of minimalism and wellbeing. International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology, 5(3), 121-136.
