Minimalism is not just for the young though you could be forgiven for thinking so. Many of the blogs, podcasts, and books about minimalism are written by people who began simplifying in their mid-20s to mid-30s. The 2016 film, Minimalism: A Documentary about the Important Things, created by Ryan Nicodemus and Joshua Fields Millburn (aka “The Minimalists”) includes many interviews from this age group and yet, I saw a lot of mid-life and older viewers at the showings I attended.
I’ve also noticed a good number of mid-lifers in the minimalism groups on social media. Why aren’t we mid-lifers creating blogs and podcasts and books? (I’m including myself in the mid-life group even though I’d have to live past 100 to be a mid-lifer in the literal sense.) There is clearly something appealing about minimalism to a whole lot of baby boomers and aging GenX-ers.
Minimalism is for all ages, but each generation has its own challenge. Younger people may think it’s easier for those who have already have homes and established careers. Parents juggling jobs and home life with children may think empty nesters have it easy. The kids are launched, so no more toys or school supplies or all the paraphernalia that goes along with raising kids. Almost everyone thinks it’s easiest for younger, child-free people. After all, they probably haven’t collected too much stuff yet, right?
But younger people, especially those who came from lower-income families, may yearn to acquire all the stuff they didn’t have growing up. Ryan Nicodemus and Joshua Fields Millburn fit this profile. They didn’t have much when they were kids and were determined to make up for it by succeeding at well-paying jobs and buying a whole lot of stuff. It took them nearly a decade to realize that a lot of stuff doesn’t make you happy.
I’m at the tail end of the baby boom generation and a single empty nester. Becoming minimalist should be a snap, right? No spouse or kids to run interference in my decluttering, and yes, that does make it easier as well as the fact that I’ve leaned towards simplicity for a long time. But despite my efforts, I managed to accumulate quite a lot over the last few decades of raising two kids (not to mention accumulating my own stuff). Even after going through a house fire, downsizing to a much smaller house, and later getting rid of many possessions before moving across the country, I find that I still have too much stuff.
Why didn’t I notice all this extra stuff before I packed up and moved halfway across the country? Partly because of time – there’s never enough time before moving to examine everything in a thorough and thoughtful manner. A big move also represents a big change. During the first year in a new place, my perspective about life shifted, or perhaps more accurately stated, circled back to simple living. I discovered new books, blogs, and podcasts by people calling themselves “minimalists,” which revitalized my interest in simplicity and motivated me to re-evaluate my life and all the stuff in it.
What have I done to minimalize my mid-life empty nest so far? I’ve taken a second, third, and sometimes fourth survey of my clothing, jewelry, shoes, and purses, asking myself if they truly “spark joy.” I’ve done the same in the kitchen. Do I really need a huge crockpot as a single empty nester? Nor do I need 12 of every kind of dish. Even if my two adult children were visiting and I had guests over, I doubt I’d ever need more than 8.
Then there’s the decorative and sentimental stuff I’ve acquired from travels or family and friends. Which items add true value to my life? I’ve kept some, but I finally realized that while I may have enjoyed an object for a decade or two, I don’t necessarily want to have it around for the rest of my life.
Books are the hardest category to declutter. I am a lifelong bookworm and have degrees in language and literature. I probably have more books than the average person, let alone minimalist, but I’ve halved my collection so far. I realized I was keeping some books merely because they represented my fantasy self (no plans to research literature, so no need to own the reference tomes) or past stages in my life (dissertation is done, so no need to hold on to outdated books) or good intentions (plans to read everything about world history, science, and more). I thought it would be painful to donate so many of my precious books to the library, but I discovered that instead, I felt lighter, even relieved to limit my collection to those books that I currently love and value.
Am I done? Nope, it’s definitely an on-going progress. I haven’t even begun the difficult task of going through the clothes, toys, and books I’ve saved from my kids’ childhood. I imagine that I’ll keep some, but I’m also sure I can “curate” this collection, slowly but surely. I can see the challenges ahead, and I’m trying to minimize my stress and not get too overwhelmed by my stuff. Luckily, the only deadline is my own.
RESOURCES
My first blog describes the year after my house fire:
After the Fire: Rebuilding House and Life after a Fire
Facebook group for discussions: Mid-life Minimalist Group
Facebook page: Mid-life Minimalist Page
Twitter as Mid-life Minimalist: Mid-life Minimalist
Instagram: Mid-life Minimalist
Becker, Joshua The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own
Kondo, Marie The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
Millburn, Joshua Fields and Ryan Nicodemus Essential: Essays by The Minimalists
Everything That Remains: A Memoir by The Minimalists
Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life
Minimalism: a Documentary About the Important Things
For more resources, go to this page: Resources
Related Blog Posts
Minimalist Wannabe: An Introduction
To Move or Not To Move: My Reasons + Some Advice
Starting Over in a New Place: Why Orlando?
Living with Seniors: Life with Aging Pets
Mid-life Blues, or Shouldn’t I Know What I Want To Do By Now?
An Unemployed Minimalist: How I’m Spending My Unpaid Vacation
I am solidly in the Gen X generation (1971) and have been wondering where my fellow Xers and the Boomers are in the minimalist movement! Like you, I’d seen Xers and Boomers on Facebook groups, but not so much with their own blogs or YouTube channels. I was so glad to find your blog!
We are “DINKS” (dual income, no kids) in a fairly affluent exurb and are surrounded by folks constantly upgrading to bigger houses, bigger TVs, Teslas, etc. Our goals are to cull out the 20+ years of accumulation that we haven’t really used or that we aren’t using any longer — simplifying and being relatively frugal, rather than “keeping up with the Jonses.”
Looking forward to continuing to read your blog!
Thanks for reading! I’m sure there are more mid-lifers (and older) out there, but I haven’t found very many writing about it. If you’re not in the FB group or follow my (new) page, please take a look.
I’m also a Gen X (1969). I think the reason there aren’t more of us writing is that we didn’t grow up with technology and putting our lives online like the younger generations. I have also noticed that ALL of my friends are getting bigger houses, larger cars, & more excess, even though their kids are either grown or in college. It boggles my mind. We downsized 24 years ago when we moved simply because we couldn’t afford a larger house in the new area. We have a small ranch and thought we would add on someday since we have a large lot. My oldest was 9 and it seemed tight with 3 of us.What we found was that we got along just fine, despite adding a second child. Eventually, the oldest moved out and we just didn’t care any longer. It was nice to have plenty of money to pay off our home and now live completely debt-free. Maybe you should start a blog and write about your journey. I’m getting mine set up now!
Carrie – Thanks for your comments. This is actually a blog and I’ve been writing about my journey all along! Take a look at the Table of Contents in the menu bar at the top. You can read more about my journey and pick out the topics you’re interested in.
I knew that. I’ve been following you for a while and have been active for the last week or two. Thank you for your inspiration!