It’s been a few years since I stumbled upon the minimalism movement, which re-energized my tendency towards simplicity. I love learning from the blogs, books, and podcasts about minimalism, but sometimes the “to do” lists you find in these resources can be overwhelming. If you’ve just begun on this path or can’t see even a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, it can become discouraging. Does minimalism really make a difference? As I was reflecting on this one weekend, I realized that some of the biggest changes in my life are not what I do, but rather what I do NOT do. Here are a few:
- I don’t run as many errands: I manage my time better to get the most value out of it, so I consolidate errands, particularly shopping. I use less gas and more importantly, I waste less time.
- I don’t dust as much: This may seem like an insignificant change, but I’ve always hated dusting. Now that I’ve gotten rid of many bookcases and one large china cabinet, I realize that my dusting goes twice as fast.
- I don’t spend a long time cleaning floors: I live in a smaller house with less furniture and fewer rugs. Vacuuming and mopping take half the time than back in my large suburban house days.
- I don’t constantly check email or social media: I turned off notifications for almost everything and what a difference that has made! Those notifications used to call out, “Stop what you’re doing and look at me!” Now I check email and social media at designated times only.
- I don’t send cards or gifts for false reasons: Sure, I’d love to have enough money to shower all my extended family and friends with gifts and be the favorite aunt/sister/friend. But the truth is that sending gifts out of guilt or ego doesn’t add meaning to my life in a positive way.
- I don’t spend as much time tracking my expenses: Why? I don’t shop much these days. The fewer receipts I have, the fewer entries I need to track.
- I don’t care if I wear the same outfits over and over: I’ve never been big on fashion, but I did vary my wardrobe choices. Now I have a few favorites and I stick to those. If people have noticed that I wear the same top when they see me, they haven’t said anything.
- I don’t watch as many shows: I often collapsed on the couch and watched shows when I was tired or stressed. I neglected other activities that I used to enjoy. I still like watching a few shows, but I’ve made an effort to limit my time in front of a screen.
- I don’t go to bookstores as often: This may be relevant only to fellow book lovers, but it can apply to any interest or hobby. Having a large bookstore close to my home invites temptation to spend more and add more to my household. Having reduced my personal library by over 50%, I am now very careful about bringing more books into the house. I use the library much more. Added bonus: the library stores all the books for me!
- I don’t dwell on what I don’t have or can’t do: OK, sometimes I do but less than in the past. I’m much better at focusing on what adds value to my life right now. Minimalism has helped me become more mindful about my present life and less anxious about what the future may or may not have.
Everyone’s “Don’t” list is different, so go ahead and make one of your own! And when you’re in the middle of a pile of clutter or overwhelmed with everything on your “to do” list, take some time to reflect and consider how far you’ve come.
RESOURCES
For resources (books, podcasts, films, blogs), go to this page: Resources
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Shoshanah, thanks for sharing your words. I always enjoy reading your posts that drop into my inbox. I thought this one was especially authentic, original, and added value to my own journey. I also recently analyzed and wrote about my life now that I’m over the initial phase of minimalism and found many similarities to your post. I’ll share here if you’re curious to read about the positive impact your words have contributed to my life. https://minmylife.org/2017/02/14/the-minimalist-report-card-mid-term/
Thanks, Alan, for your kind words! I enjoyed your blog post, too!
Great list, Shoshanah! I like how your library delivers books to you. I’ll have to check to see if ours has that service. Also appreciate your idea on gifting. Now that my husband and I are retired on a pretty much fixed income, we need to be more careful than ever with spending, but sometimes feel guilty when we don’t send gifts to someone with whom we used to exchange gifts. But they (and we) need to remember that things have changed, and our budget isn’t what it once was!
Thanks, Kay! For the last few years I deliberated long about sending out gift cards to many extended family members, but after reflection, I realized that I needed to reconsider my practice. Perhaps in the future, I’ll return to it, but not out of false reasons!
Makes good sense, teach me more…Laura
Thanks for reading, Laura! There are 31 other chapters/posts to read! 🙂
These are great. Minimalism really does make life easier. I find now that even when our house is a mess (I have six busy kids!) it’s not as big a mess as it used to be because there is far less STUFF to be left out.
Exactly! Common, but frequent, tasks like vacuuming, dusting, and mopping, go much faster when the space is smaller and/or less cluttered.
glad I read this. #7 I never considered wearing repeat outfits as minimalism but now I feel good that I do. I disagree with #8, watching TV IS minimalism. It is the cheapest and most convenient form of entertainment. Few alternatives are better given the additional expense and effort.
Thanks for reading! It all depends on one’s perspective. As Courtney Carver discusses in her Project 333, you can get a lot of wear out of fewer outfits if you plan. Too many people have a bunch of clothing they rarely wear. Keep it simple! Some people consider TV a waste of time, and it can be, but as you said, it can be one of the cheapest and certainly one of the most convenient kinds of entertainment.
Cool, I like reading your ‘dont’ list. Very inspiring.
Thanks! I continue to find more “don’t” items to add as I move along this path.
Very good list of Do not do’s! I enjoy reading your posts here, and on Facebook. We are all in mid-life, aren’t we?
Thanks for reading! And yes, since we do not know how long we have, we could all say we are mid-lifers!