Do you spend time on unnecessary things? Do you feel that all your time is spent on tasks that you really don't want to do deep down? Then it's time for a change. It's time to take hold of your life. Minimalism can change your life in the form of more peace and more time for things and people you really love. Sure sounds like a dream. Is it really possible to have more time for other things? Yes it really does but as the saying goes, you can't eat your cake and save it at the same time. You will have to work for it but I promise you it will be worth it.
But how to do it, you might be thinking. Let me give you the answer to that question. It might seem annoying that you first need to start looking over your things. I will not go into detail on how to declutter because I have several other blog posts about that. Just go to my blog (www.marysdeclutterlife.com) and select the declutter chapter. There you have a wealth of inspiration for dealing with this area. I intend to write more here about the reason why you should declutter your things.
In fact, in today's society, our things own us. I think all people think, I own my things but that's not the case if you feel like you can't do all the things you wish you could because you don't have time for it because "home" takes up all your free time. Let me explain.
When there are a lot of things around us, it drains our energy. The bad energy means that we often end up in front of the TV instead of really doing something about the mountain of dishes, the toys on the floor, the dusty bookshelf and so on. Many things make us tired, which comes from our brain having to work extra hard to handle all the impressions that things give us. You may not feel it that way, but it shows in all this TV watching. There you actually have the answer to why so many minimalists have thrown out their television, it's because they don't have time to watch television anymore because all their free time is spent on things they love to do. Yes I hear you, some people actually love watching TV. I agree, I loved watching TV and could sit all day just staring into that square but now I rarely sit in front of the TV anymore and when I do it's for the weekly movie night which actually it's about doing something together with the family so the movie itself is not that important to me, the important thing is that I get to spend time with my family and have time to spend time with them too. Having a cozy time on the sofa together at the end of the week.
You will have more time for yourself after you declutter all these things. Think of all the things you could do if things didn't keep you at home. Although there is nothing wrong with being at home. I spend almost all my time at home but I do things I love to do when I'm at home. Of course I take care of my home, but the fact is that minimalism has greatly reduced my cleaning time. I can quickly sweep through the home and get the dust off all flat surfaces in under 20 minutes. In other words, I can have a fully presentable home, with all the toys picked up, all the clothes sorted and no laundry strewn about, all the dishes done and the house in good order in under an hour and I have 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 hallways, a living room and a kitchen as well as a kitchenette.
And then you might wonder what I do with all my time and what you should do with your time. I can't answer what you should do with your time but I can advise you on one thing. Write down your dreams and goals in life, things you really want to achieve. Can be different but for example writing a book, starting a blog, starting a youtube channel, taking long walks and more. But you know what, I manage all this even though I study full-time. How can I do that? Well I have reduced all the things that took up my time. The more things you have, the longer it takes to clean and organize your home. The more clothes you have the more you will say, I have nothing to wear and the more laundry you will have too.
We are a family with children and I wash 1-2 washing machines a week with clothes. I gradually fill the washing machine during the week so that when it is full, I can just press the button and start it. It makes it incredibly easy not to have to sort the laundry, fill the machine and then start it in order to, when it's finished, hang up the laundry. It's about finding your smart tricks that make everyday life easier.
Back to those with time and own time. Most people who have extremely many things usually say that there is no time to declutter while continuing to buy new things. It takes time to buy new things. Trade that time for decluttering instead. When you have the list ready with your dreams and goals, you start spending 15 minutes a day, come on it's only 15 minutes, to do something to get closer to your goals. I took 15 minutes a day to write on my book, then I switched to preparing material for a lecture I wanted to give. It is recommended to work for 15 minutes with one and the same goal, but if you are like me and want to see several goals get closer to the horizon, then rotate the time towards the goals. I divided them into months so that for one month I focused on one and the same goal and then I switched. If you have been working towards the goal of 15 minutes per day, you will have gained 1 hour and 45 minutes in just one week. Then think about what you can do with a month, half a year or a year. The dream may not be as far away as you think.
Of course, it's not all about decluttering your things. It's about a completely new lifestyle. It's about shifting your focus to things you love to do instead of spending time on things you don't love but only do out of duty. What also happens is that less shopping and a shifting shopping focus towards more sustainable materials leads you to more environmental thinking and more sustainable thinking. Recycle, repair what you can, and buy quality over quantity. Then you might be sitting there thinking, but I can't afford to buy quality. Then I ask you to think again, because then you need to calculate how much you really need. Let's say you need 10 t-shirts in your closet to get by before you need to do laundry. Then have 10 quality t-shirts that last wash after wash instead of 30 poor quality t-shirts that you know will break quickly in the wash. Believe me when I say that it doesn't get that much more expensive to buy quality if you instead buy fewer, and match the number to your personal needs. Automatically you will eventually realize how little you actually need, but if you are new to this I will be honest and say that decluttering happens in layers and you are never done, it is a lifelong theme that will come back because you can never prevent new things from entering the home. But the more you've practiced, the faster it goes and the more natural it becomes.
In fact, many minimalists have been able to reduce their working hours because they are more aware of where their money is going and with a reduced shopping pattern and a shift in lifestyle, many have been able to change their professional life to reduce their working hours for more time with family. However, I must point out that there are different degrees of minimalism so don't think that you have to live with a mattress on the floor and otherwise empty in every other room. I have an fully furnished home with what I need but I don't have what I don't need which is a big difference.
Then I also want to briefly say that decluttering doesn't just have to be done with physical things, but can also consist of mental things. Declutter among your acquaintances and devote yourself only to people who really go out of their way for you and like you no matter what, don't forget the digital junk we accumulate and try to clear things out of your mental state that you no longer need. For ideas on how to train your brain to only take in things you are interested in see this blog post, https://marysdeclutterlife.com/minimalism-train-your-brain-to-take-in-the-important-things -in-life/
If you want to know more about minimalism, you are welcome to read one of my other blog posts which you can find here: www.marysdeclutterlife.com, where you will also find information about declutter and slow living.
