Become A Minimalist In Seven Days

You want a new iPhone, the third pair of white sneakers, and a new change of sofa cushions. You listen to music on Spotify, you watch series on Netflix. You are connected with your friends and complete strangers through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

If you don’t accept this entire offer, you’re not “normal.” Actually, there is an alternative: do not succumb to all possibilities, be very selective and join the minimalist movement. A lifestyle that is based on simplification.

How to become a minimalist in 7 days

Minimalism as a conscious and sustainable lifestyle is a proposal that has become popular thanks to Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, authors of the book Minimalism. For a life with meaning (Editorial Kairós). One of his main ideas is that abundance, something that seems so desirable, actually distracts from the essential. Minimalists avoid exposing themselves to abundance. The main question is what is really important in life?

Minimalism has nothing to do with resignation, nor with restriction. On the contrary: if you live in a minimalist way, you can no longer be restricted by the necessities of doing, consuming or possessing certain things. But where and especially how do you start to free yourself from this invisible compulsion?

The first step of the week that you should take seriously is to stop using. Just don’t buy anything for a week except food and toilet paper. Because if you don’t buy anything, you don’t buy anything you don’t need.

Day 1: What do you really want?

Minimalists are aware of what matters to them. You can do that too. It is better to write what you really want. It can be things like playing a sport or eating a healthy diet, enjoying friends or family, or setting a career goal. Always keep the question in mind: “Do I really want this, or do I just have the feeling that I have to want it?”

Mindfulness exercises can help you focus on what is important. Best of all, you don’t need anything other than yourself to do it.

Day 2: Clean your house

Of course, you probably won’t get rid of everything you don’t need in one day. If you have a larger apartment or house and you don’t live alone, you can probably plan a week for cleaning. But the less unnecessary things besiege your home, the lighter you will feel. Better to start cleaning right away.

Being minimalist does not mean living in an empty room with a white mattress as the only piece of furniture. Rather, it is about getting rid of the unnecessary, so that in the end only what you really need remains, but what you need may be a painting or a sculpture that excites you, although to other people those objects may seem superfluous.

Day 3: Clean your mobile, your email inbox and your social networks

You shouldn’t just separate yourself from useless clothing, appliances, or furniture. Even on your mobile phone, on your computer, or on your social media channels, all sorts of “junk” have probably accumulated over time, simply filling up your mailbox, your hard drive, or your communication flow.

So get down to digital cleaning today. Remove unnecessary applications from your mobile phone, empty your email inbox and unsubscribe from unread newsletters. Order your downloads on Spotify, delete and unfollow people and pages on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram that no longer interest you or with whom you have nothing to do.

If the digital flood is overwhelming you, try a digital detox.

Minimalists also keep their computers in order. For example, delete unused programs. You can also get rid of movies, music, documents, and photos that you no longer need.

Also clarify your free time. Is there a gym contract that you don’t really use or that doesn’t give you any pleasure? Unsubscribe. Are you a volunteer in three different organizations? Decide if dedicating yourself to one is no longer enough

You can learn to love yourself, and you must start today. Think about what you like about yourself and write it down. This can also be part of your morning routine, for example. Treat yourself and your body as you would like others to treat you. Cook good and healthy food, get enough sleep, take some time for yourself.

Day 5: Creating space is important, letting go is even more important

Most of us have a clear idea of ​​what we need to be happy: a big house, an expensive car, a great job, a luxury vacation. For that we need income, power and prestige. But fighting for it doesn’t really add anything to anyone. It puts you under pressure, stresses and overwhelms you, triggers negative thoughts and leads you to constantly compare yourself to others.

So you should put those thoughts aside. It is not always easy. Minimalists use meditation to get out of the negative spiral of thought. It helps us to be more focused and more relaxed.

Day 6: How do you stay minimalist?

It’s easy to incorporate minimalism into your everyday life. These tips and tricks can help you stay there.

• Make a wish list of the things you need.
• Think twice if you really need it and then buy only what is on the list. This is how you avoid impulse purchases.
• Find out about each purchase: do I really need it? What does purchasing this product mean for the environment or the people who make it? Is the product of good quality? Will it last long?
• Finally, when you decide to buy something new, say goodbye to something old.
• And very importantly, no matter what the publicity says, satisfaction, happiness and love cannot be bought with money.

Day 7: On the seventh day you can relax.

You’ll do better with this mindfulness exercise:

• Be aware of what you have learned in the last week. Do you think minimalism is for you?
• To what extent do you want to continue implementing the concept? Write down the benefits of minimalism.
• Maybe you enjoy the fact that you now have more space on your floor or that your house is now more orderly.
• Maybe as a minimalist you save a little money, you have more time, less stress and you are more flexible.
• Another advantage may be that you are now more aware of your surroundings and, have you achieved your goal?