15 Reasons To Try Out Minimalism (And Three Why You Shouldn’t)

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The minimalist lifestyle has an alluring quality to it. Who doesn’t want to simplify and de-stress their life? There are many reasons to try out the minimalist lifestyle as it has many benefits for your health, your stress levels, and your wallet.

Check out these 15 benefits of being a minimalist and see if the lifestyle would be a match for you. Or if the three reasons minimalism would not be a good fit apply to you.

What Is Minimalism?

There are a lot of different definitions of minimalism, broadly, it is a lifestyle where you only keep the things in life that add value or meaning, and you declutter or remove everything else. The purpose is to eliminate any distractions, stop chasing a lifestyle of buying things you don’t need, and increase the amount of time you have to yourself. Ultimately, it’s about making life easier and yourself happier.

Minimalism doesn’t have a rigid set of rules but instead uses guiding principles to challenge people to question their purchasing behaviors and their attachment to things and objects. Minimalism is a way of life that puts greater value on free time, relationships, and simplicity over material possessions, following the trends and maintaining an outer facade.

Check out whether any of these reasons for becoming a minimalist applies to you.

1. Increase Your Happiness and Satisfaction With Life

One of the biggest reasons people adopt a minimalist mindset is because it makes it easier to enjoy life. You can focus more on richer experiences and suppress the urge to fill your home with possessions. This simpler life is appealing and, for some people, even spiritually rewarding.

2. Improve Your Relationships With Your Family and Friends

At the base level of just having less stuff in your home, you will have fewer distractions and, therefore, can build deeper relationships with your loved ones. The time you can now focus on them instead of on the things you own will be extremely valuable.

3. Enjoy More Free Space in Your Home

Owning fewer possessions means having more free space in your home. The aesthetics of this alone are pleasing, but it also means you can be creative with the blank canvas you’ll now have – add more items that provide value or downsize your home. A tiny home can feel huge with minimalist interiors.

4. Sleep better and Feel More Energetic

Removing the clutter from your life can be very soothing, and this can help you to enjoy quality sleep at night. You’ll enjoy great peace of mind, with fewer harmful distractions as you wind down for sleep, helping to set you up for the best rest possible. In turn, this means more energy for the things you find valuable during the day.

5. Enhance Your Creativity

Owning too many things can stifle your inspiration and easily distract you. Removing these obstacles can free up your creative self, allowing you to explore your hobbies and artistic flair. You could even put this time towards creating minimal art pieces that give you personal satisfaction and value.

6. Improve Your Productivity and Focus

Again, when you have fewer distractions in your home, you will benefit from a freer mind, and part of that will mean you can be more productive. A cluttered home is filled with procrastination potential, whereas a minimalist home is perfect for routine and focus.

7. Spend Less Money

You will likely buy fewer things when you make the positive change to try a minimalist lifestyle. You shouldn’t be spending as much money on new possessions because you’ll only be purchasing those items that give you value.

8. Buy Higher Quality Products

While you’re buying fewer material possessions, your bank account will grow. And this means that thanks to minimalism, you’ll have more money to spend on the things you still need to buy, whether it’s pantry staples or larger furnishings like stylish sofas. The stuff you acquire can be much higher quality, whether it’s everyday necessities or the more significant buys in life.

9. Spend Less Time Losing Things Around Your Home

It may seem trivial, but don’t let the five to ten minutes a day you spend looking for lost items fool you. They add up quickly. The average American spends 2.5 days every year looking for misplaced items. That adds up to over 192 days if you live the average American lifespan of 77 years. Fewer purchases mean less stuff filling your home, fewer places for things to hide, and spending your time on more important and enjoyable things than locating lost items.

10. Lower Your Stress and Anxiety Levels

Studies have shown that a minimalist life approach can help lower cortisol in your body. Cortisol is a hormone that triggers stress and anxiety, and excessive levels can cause severe conditions such as depression, weight gain, and even heart disease.

11. Stop Comparing Your Success With Others

Many people spend a lot of time comparing their achievements and failures to those of their friends and family. They frequently base these comparisons on possessions – who has the bigger house, the newer car, and so on. This isn’t healthy, but minimalism helps to negate these feelings, again making you happier.

12. Less Cleaning and Tidying Around the Home

Very few people actively enjoy cleaning and tidying, and if you choose a minimalist approach for your home, you won’t have as much to do. According to the National Soap and Detergent Association, decluttering can reduce the amount of housework in the average home by 40%. Fewer objects mean fewer things to put in their place or to attract dust, so less cleaning is needed.

13. Lower Your Impact on the Environment

Minimalism also benefits sustainability. Every time you make any kind of purchase, you’re impacting the environment. Old products go into landfill, new products have the packaging, and there’s the cost of picking them up or shipping them to you.

14. Kids Enjoy a Higher Quality of Play

One specifically for the parents here, but it’s been shown that children with fewer toys tend to get more enjoyment out of them. This isn’t about depriving your kids but making sure you don’t paralyze them with too many choices. A smaller selection not only helps kids be more imaginative but also makes the job of toy organization a lot easier.

15. Make Healthier Food Choices

Being minimalistic around the home means organizing everything, including your fridge and pantry. When you don’t keep stockpiles of wasted items and everything is arranged correctly, it becomes easier to make healthier food choices. Your brain is more relaxed and willing to choose the more nutritious options if they are prominent and easy to reach.

16. When a Minimalist Doesn’t Live Alone

If you share your home and life with people who do not subscribe to the minimalist lifestyle, it can be challenging to live more minimalistic on your own. Maybe the true minimalistic life will have to wait for a more quiet stage of your life.

17. When Collecting Things is Your Passion

If hunting for that allusive missing element in your collection is the thrill of your life. If you just love to be surrounded by sentimental memories of every trip you ever took. Or when you have a multitude of talents and interests that come with their own necessities, then going minimalist might not fit your lifestyle.

18. When Staying Committed and Invested Might Be a Challenge

Going minimalist can be time-consuming and challenging because it starts with remove the fysical and mental clutter from your life. It is also a never-ending process that you must commit to for it to work. If the thought of the work involved in making this lifestyle change is too stressful, it might not be the right time for you.

This article originally appeared on Wealth of Geeks.

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