Minimalism tips

I often shopped for clothes before because I was bored. I didn’t have anything else better to do. That’s why I went to the mall regularly. I went out too often and I spend all of my money on clothes and clubs. If you don’t know how to fill your spare time you should start exploring yourself, you should spend some time to know yourself and understand your interests and your desires. There are other better things you can do than staring at your phone, buying new clothes, watching television… All these activities are passive ones. You don’t do anything productive. Instead of reading emails and your social media feed, say something, write something. Express yourself and try to do something positive to the world. In other words, give back to the world.

While we are on the subject… Are you storing your winter clothes? I stopped doing this exercise. Now all of my clothes are inside my wardrobe. The only thing I put under my bed is my winter shoes. I own only a few sweaters (3 pairs) but they don’t take a lot of space. The t-shirts I wear during the summer are the same t-shirts I wear during the winter. I only change the jacket. Naturally, when you get used to having just a handful of clothes you will learn to have and wear the same clothes throughout the whole year regardless of the season.

One of the hardest things about keeping a well-organized home and wardrobe is probably learning how to live with the right amount of clothes. This was especially hard for me. Through the years I’ve learned to buy a lot of clothes, quite often. I lacked confidence and I tried to hide my flaws with new trousers and fancy shirts. Killing this habit required time. I didn’t happen overnight. Working for an IT company helped a lot. As you probably all know, it’s not like working for a corporate firm where you need to dress in a suit. The dress code in IT companies is casual and you can wear pretty much whatever you want. Not that I was dressing like a guy who works and lives in the village, but I get used to wearing t-shirts – before that, I was mostly wearing blazers and shirts. As the time went by, I finally understood why Mark Zuckerberg and previously Steve Jobs, are/were both wearing the same clothes every day. I knew this fact for years but I never thought deep to understand why they actually do it. I thought they are crazy when I first found out about this habit of theirs. Now I know. Wearing the same clothes every day saves you precious time and helps you concentrate on the work you’re doing. If you’re still not ready to dive deep into minimalism and create a capsule wardrobe, you can do the following: Pick around 20 (+/- one or two) items for the next two weeks:

• 3 pairs of jeans/trousers/shorts;
• 7 t-shirts/shirts for going out;
• 1 tracksuit;
• 5 t-shirts for exercising and wearing indoors;
• 1 jacket;
• 3 pairs of shoes;
• 1 belt. Here I’m not counting the socks or your underwear. I’m positive that you will know how much of those you will need for two weeks. Live with these clothes for 2 weeks and see what will happen. I’m sure you will see the benefits of owning less clothes. Most importantly, you will stop asking yourself “what to wear” every morning.

Often we are alone in the simple living journey. Our spouse might not like the idea of owning just a few pairs of clothes, which is potential scenarios for argument. Our friends probably don’t even know what the terms minimalism means and are often asking us why we wear the same clothes every day.2 My girl is surely not a person who will stop shopping for clothes. Not that she is obsessed with the idea of having tons of clothes, but she does have a lot. Even though I will never understand why she needs more than 20 pairs of shoes – I believe all women are in love with shoes – I respect her decision and I try to understand her point.3 She is a girl and she loves to look pretty. We do, however, have arguments about the home decoration. When I want to throw away something sitting on our shelves that it’s only collecting dust, she’s always saying that we need to keep it because it’s a gift, it looks nice, or whatever. Nevertheless, I do everything possible to put myself in her shoes and understand her point. Not everyone wants, or are ready to throw away most of their possessions and write blog posts all day, like me.

I might as well say that it’s a marathon, not a sprint but I’m kind of exhausted with this expression. I see it too often used in a lot of articles and it’s getting boring to read it everywhere. But let’s return to the main point: Being a person who advocates simple living is a way of life, a choice you made for yourself. It’s surely a good choice.1 You can’t become a minimalist for a day or a week and mark this task as Done. Buying a few black t-shirts, watching the documentary about minimalism and getting rid of all of your junk won’t make you a minimalist. Yes, it’s surely a good starting point but it’s not the end. Minimalism is a way of living. It’s a conscious decision and it’s a continuous process. Once you declutter your home, you should “defend” it from all the outside junk that will try to sneak again inside your apartment and make your living space mess again. Imagine junk attacking your home and your mind consistently. That’s exactly what happens. The first tip is this: Understand that achieving simplicity in life is something that needs to be practiced every day. It’s a continuous process that requires certain actions, or inactions to keep your mind and your physical space clutter free. It’s not something that you can set and forget. You need to work for keeping everything simple, arranged and tailored towards your specific needs. As for the things you don’t need, get rid of them as soon as possible.

Shoes are too often forgotten when it comes to decluttering the wardrobe, but they are so sinister in how quickly they accumulate and in how much space they are capable of taking up. You essentially need shoes that are appropriate for work, special occasion shoes, workout shoes, errand running shoes, shoes for outdoor work, and perhaps a pair of boots. You don’t need to get rid of anything you love and wear often, but you probably don’t need 30 pairs of shoes. Related article: The Best Sustainable Shoes