Rachel Aust - Less: A Visual Guide to Minimalism

Before you get too tangled up in decluttering your closets, organizing your schedule, and learning how to keep the mess at bay for good, lets start with the basics. You may be asking yourself questions such as, what is minimalism, exactly? Why is it important? And who is it for? This section will give you an idea how you can fit minimalism into your life regardless of your aspirations, career goals, or family dynamics.

Minimalism is

unsubscribing from the idea that how much you own equates to your level of happiness.

letting go of the unnecessary.

the removal of distractions.

a way to reclaim your time.

an intentional way of living that allows you to identify whats important to you.

simplicity.

freedom.

Novices have so many questions about this lifestyle, and common misconceptions arise regularly in conversation and online. Lets address these before you start down your own minimalist path. The most important thing to remember is that youre shaping your own lifestyle to contain only what you love and enjoy, and there are no hard and fast rules to follow to achieve that.

YOU CANT OWN NICE THINGS

This depends on your approach to minimalism. You can be frugal, purchase only second-hand items and cut all your bills to just what you need to survive, or you can restrict your spending to purchase fewer items that are higher in quality. You choose how to invest your money.

MINIMALISTS HAVE TO KNOW THE EXACT NUMBER OF THINGS THEY OWN

A few minimalist bloggers initiated this concept after counting and announcing the exact number of things they own. For some people transitioning to minimalism, this can be a useful approach to help cull items; for others it may feel too restrictive and stressful. The choice is yours.

MINIMALISTS ONLY WEAR BLACK, WHITE OR GRAY

Many minimalists gravitate to a wardrobe in a restricted color palette for versatility. Working with fewer colors allows more combinations to be created from a smaller number of items. But this isnt a rule. Incorporate as much color into your closetand your lifeas you like.

MINIMALISTS ARE ALWAYS SINGLE

Its commonly believed that you can only be a minimalist if youre single and/or live alone. This is simply not true. You can still apply a minimalist lifestyle to a family household to reap the benefits it provides.

YOU HAVE TO BE VEGAN TO BE A MINIMALIST

Some minimalists wish to simplify their diet, consume lower on the food chain, and eat food that creates less packaging waste, so they choose veganism. However, diet is definitely a lifestyle choice, and you dont have to go vegan in order to call yourself a minimalist.

MINIMALISM IS JUST AN AESTHETIC CHOICE

In the last few years, it has become quite trendy to use the phrase minimalist in interior design and fashion-marketing pitches. Aesthetic minimalism does exist, but its actually fundamentally different from adopting a true minimalist lifestyle.

You should feel free to follow your own path when it comes to minimalism. Its your own journey. However, one aspect of the lifestyle that appeals to many of its adherents is the reduction of their carbon footprint upon the world. Through minimalism, youll purchase less, which also means throwing out less later.

DITCH FAST FASHION

Fast fashion is the reason your clothes are on trend and then out of style so quickly, prompting you to buy more to keep up with what everyone else is wearing. New designs are sent to stores weekly, delivering the latest styles to customers. Fast fashion comes at a low pricebut at such a cost! The garments are generally made at a lower quality to be sold a cheap price point, so they fit poorly and fall apart quickly. Fast fashion helps creates a cycle of boredom with your wardrobe.

Investing in quality clothing means youll buy items that will last longer, so you wont continually add cheap apparel to the landfill every few weeks.

MAKE WISER FOOD CHOICES

When it comes to food, if you shop in bulk rather than purchasing lots of prepackaged goods, youll contribute less plastic waste to the environment.

TAKING IT FURTHER

As an additional step, many minimalists embrace veganism and a zero-waste lifestyle. You dont have to adopt these habits, but you may find them illuminating as you strive to consume less of the Earths resources.

Vegan minimalists opt to eat low on the food chain. They dont eat or use any animal products whatsoeverno meat, no eggs, no dairy (and no wool or leather, either). Vegans generally prefer to buy fresh produce whenever possible. This means almost all the food they purchase will be used, and if its not eaten it can be composted.

Zero-waste minimalists attempt to bring next to no waste-creating products into their homes. Some of these include plastic bottles containing commercial cleaning supplies, wrappings and plastic containers for foods, and other short-term disposable goods.

While you may not want to go this far, be aware that your lifestyle as a minimalist can help reduce the amount of waste you contribute to the worlds landfills. Remember to shop smart and live intentionally.

MINI MAL CHALLENGE

Recycle a broken item in your home by taking it apart and repurposing it, or using some parts from it, or making some part of it useful again.

This section takes you through the basics. To ensure you dont get overwhelmed and go overboard culling your possessions, youll begin with the clutter and other items that you dont often use. This will ease you into sorting through everything you own to figure out whats important to you, your family, and your lifestyle, and help you get rid of things you own merely because you forgot you even have them.

The basic process of decluttering can begin in an area as small as a single drawer, or as large as an entire roomchoose the approach you find the least overwhelming. To begin, youll need four boxes, bags, or piles. Label them trash, sell/gift/donate, keep, and repair.

If youre serious about becoming minimalist, you should answer the questions honestly and do as the flow charts direct without hesitating.

STEP

Pick up each item in turnhandling each item forces you to make a decision about itand ask yourself the following questions.

Remember to focus on what you need to keep, not on what youre getting rid of.

STEP

After finishing step 1 with all items, revisit all the things you set aside temporarily. Holding each one in turn, ask yourself the questions in this flow chart.

STEP

After finishing step 2, turn to the next page.