The Path to Minimalism: Wake-up Calls and More

Changes in lifestyle are often triggered by major events in our lives. A new home? A move to a new city or state? A marriage? A divorce? A new job? Retirement? A flood, hurricane, or fire? We often seek to make changes internally as external events disrupt the flow of our daily routines, though sometimes the changes may be gradual and less obvious. I’m always curious to learn how others found minimalism (simplicity/essentialism/whatever label you prefer) and why it appealed to them, so I ask people for their stories.

As expected, many people begin their journey when moving households. The move may be due to a major shift in one’s life as mentioned above. Packing up our stuff often pushes us to re-evaluate everything that needs to be packed in a box. We wonder how our kitchens, closets, and the rest of the house became so cluttered. Why are we holding onto it all?

Sometimes the trigger comes from clearing out the household that belonged to our parents. It falls to the next generation to decide what to clean out or keep, and it is often overwhelming. Joshua Fields Millburn writes that one of the events triggering his move onto the path of minimalism was going through his mother’s possessions. He first thought that he would pack most of them up, take them back to his home, and then rent a large storage unit to save everything. During the process, he realized the senselessness in this. Would he forget his mother if he didn’t keep all her stuff? Of course, not. This is often why we hold onto our loved one’s possessions, no matter how many. Do we really want to put our kids through that?

Wake-up calls come in many forms. Some people talked about their travel experiences and how living with less on the road woke them up to how little they truly needed. Observing life in other countries can open our eyes and push us to rethink our assumptions about what is necessary in our lives back home.

Others mentioned how transitioning to a new stage in life, especially becoming empty-nesters or retiring, changed their priorities. Some found themselves drowning in clutter as they tried to keep up with a new time in their life while still holding on to the stuff from a previous time.

Sometimes a serious health issue forced a change. That was the beginning of Courtney Carver’s journey. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which caused her to re-examine her lifestyle and eventually led to simplifying life and her wardrobe.

Many mentioned reading Marie Kondo’s bestselling book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Watching thought-provoking documentaries or listening to podcasts also contributed to some journeys. In a desire to organize or declutter, some stumbled upon Joshua Becker, The Minimalists, and other writers who promote simplifying life.

Not everyone has an alarming wake-up call to direct them towards minimalism or simplicity. One woman related how she had been searching for something unrelated and the topic autocorrected to “minimalist.” She read about it, looked at the images, and something clicked. She realized that she used to live a simpler life but had gotten off track. Thanks, autocorrect!

One woman experienced a loud message to change, literally. She was taking out a baking sheet and all seven came crashing out! Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang! She and her husband are empty-nesters and certainly didn’t need seven baking sheets. Some people didn’t need a wake-up call at all. They were always drawn towards a life of simplicity or minimalism. Sometimes they just needed a reminder.

My own story is a composite of many reasons, some of which I have written about earlier. I, too, have always been drawn to a simpler lifestyle though I’ve run into some detours. I’ve traveled, lived abroad, changed households and cities and states, gone through the highly-cluttered parenting phase, been married and then not, experienced a house fire, and survived cancer. All have played a role as I have walked on this path.

As mid-lifers and older minimalists, we’ve experienced a lot over the years, and sometimes the path has been bumpy. But as long as our desire to change and simplify is clear, we can keep moving forward on our journey.

RESOURCES

Becker, Joshua The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own

Carver, Courtney Simple Ways to Be More with Less

Soulful Simplicity: How Living with Less Can Lead to So Much More

Kondo, Marie The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

McKeown, Greg Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

Millburn, Joshua Fields and Ryan Nicodemus Essential: Essays by The Minimalists

Everything That Remains: A Memoir by The Minimalists

Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life

Film

Minimalism: a Documentary About the Important Things

For more resources, go to this page: Resources