Whether you’re busy or not, you always strive to make the most out of your day so that you won’t feel like it’s been wasted. A carpe diem life doesn’t always mean that you have to rush from one thing to another. It can also mean developing habits that prioritize sanity breaks and putting energy toward what you need to achieve your goals.
Now more than ever, as you spend more time at home, designing an environment conducive to the “less is more” mindset can provide mental health breaks from the overwhelming nature of that hustle and driven lifestyle. Seeking tranquility through simplicity and by living more sustainably, you’ll be able to reach your zen sooner when everything else seems too much to handle.
That’s why it’s understandable that everyone is looking for a minimalist way of living nowadays. Aside from living with less, it allows you to save more money and grow as an individual. You’ll become more resourceful because you’ll find ways to work with what you have. You’ll also have plenty of space to develop your mental and physical capabilities through exercising in your home.
Here’s how to take a step further into a minimalist mindset beyond just clearing out your room:
Zero-Waste
You’ve probably already heard about stories of zero-waste advocates storing their uncompostable, unreusable, or unrecyclable trash in a jar. They say that there can be a drastic reduction in the amount of waste produced in a week. Less waste means you’ll have less packaging to throw out. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll consume less. It just means that you won’t buy things with packaging that you can’t reuse, recycle, or compost yourself.
A zero-waste lifestyle means you’ll need to consider investing in net bags, jars, or other containers that can store the things you buy. You can look into purchasing your groceries from a store that doesn’t have packaging on its products. Even though this means that you’ll have extra things in your kitchen, they’re still part of your minimalist lifestyle — they help you minimize the urge to eat out less, and they help you live more comfortably in your home. You’ll no longer feel like you’re always at the mercy of consumerism because you’ll be focusing more on what you need and not the artificial demand created by marketing groups.
Less Brand-Driven
If you haven’t tried or looked into this way of living yet, it’s right along the line of minimalism because you won’t constantly be bombarded with packaging from name brands. Companies use marketing to create greater demand for their products, and, as a consumer, you’ll become enticed to buy their products. That is why minimalism is becoming a desired trend. Many people now want more authenticity with the things they use and put in their homes. Luckily, with the growing minimalist movement, you can easily find elegantly simple yet highly practical products. For instance, look for online stores that carry Muji so that you can get items that are sustainable and consistent with the minimalist lifestyle.
Putting your money toward things that have fewer and more discreet brand names will make you focus more on whether the product is useful and of good quality. You will no longer be tempted to pay extra for the bragging rights of owning a brand because that’s not what minimalism is all about. Down to the core, it is surrounding yourself with the bare essentials.
Multi-Purpose Possessions
Even if you’re a high-maintenance person who needs a lot to live, you can incorporate some things into your essentials list that are versatile. By looking into innovative products that aim to solve many pain points in your daily life, you just might find unique items that will make you wonder how you lived for so long without having any of them. For example, some products can double as a cutting board and as a cover for bowls whenever you need your dough to rise. There’s even one for leftover salad. You’ll be surprised by what people have come up with throughout the years.
Working toward a minimalist lifestyle little by little will help you reach that goal of being more flexible with what little you have. You also won’t find it a great logistic case to move to a new place. It’s great to focus less on having to always declutter, giving you more free time to do or figure out what you really want to do. No longer will you have to be burdened by chores. Overall, it will be a great relief for your mental health and personal growth.
