A minimalistic view on life

Today’s materialistic world often urges us to own the latest of everything rather than something that truly means something. Not to say that there is anything inherently wrong with owning things. The problem, however, lies in us giving a quantitative rather than qualitative meaning like “#timefulness” to these materialistic possessions and in turn, forsake our relationships, our personal growth and our dreams. We become unsympathetic, unfeeling and while perpetually thinking “Why can’t I ever get to this place in life?”

How can minimalism solve this?

This is where minimalism comes in. Minimalism is a tool that can assist you in finding freedom. Freedom from fear. Freedom from worry. Freedom from feeling overwhelmed. Freedom from depression. Freedom from the trappings of the consumer culture we’ve built our lives around. Real freedom.

By reducing our distractions, we can concentrate on things that do matter in life, giving us a radical change to a new and improved lifestyle.

So what is minimalism?

The common misconception about minimalism is that there is a set of rules to live by, such as the need to own less than a stipulated number of things, or the need to get rid of all your favourite things to get into the minimalist club. Well, minimalism is not white-walls, small and sparse homes or the need to only use reusables and what not.

Minimalism is defined as a design or style in which the simplest and fewest elements are used to create the maximum effect. It is about owning and choosing what adds value and meaning to your life (as well as the lives of the people you care about) and removing the clutter that stops you from achieving those goals. After all, our time on earth is very limited.

Getting started with minimalism

Here are a few starting tips to help you get started in your journey to living more freely:

• Learn to say no to events and agendas that do not bring value to your life
• Selling or donating stuff that you do not need periodically to create more space - #DoesthisSparkJoy
• Simplify your spending with budget systems to keep track of your finances
• Discarding duplicates like similar shirts and similar electronics.
• Cutting back on social media, which is a huge catalyst to our materialistic wants
• Designate a place for everything so that everything has its purpose and place

Remember that minimalism is not a project that can be completed in a window of time. It is a lifestyle that requires a constant need to stay focused on organising your priorities and keeping your mind and physical space clear for the things that really do matter. While these tips might be small, sustaining them is always the real mission at hand.