Minimalism Archives - The Road Is Life https://theroad-islife.com/category/minimalism/ Have Less, Travel More Wed, 06 Sep 2023 09:04:03 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9 https://theroad-islife.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/cropped-Logo-1-32x32.png Minimalism Archives - The Road Is Life https://theroad-islife.com/category/minimalism/ 32 32 157299839 How to Boost Your Travel Savings with a Minimalist Mindset https://theroad-islife.com/minimalist-mindset-travel-savings/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=minimalist-mindset-travel-savings https://theroad-islife.com/minimalist-mindset-travel-savings/#comments Sat, 27 Jun 2020 04:31:08 +0000 https://theroad-islife.com/?p=4154 Do you have dreams of overseas travel or more frequent holidays? Have you ever found yourself perplexed at how some people seem to be on constant trips and holidays whilst...

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How to boost your travel savings with a minimalist mindset

Do you have dreams of overseas travel or more frequent holidays? Have you ever found yourself perplexed at how some people seem to be on constant trips and holidays whilst you’re stuck in the daily grind?

The answer often isn’t that they’re ‘lucky’ or are making vastly more money. Read on to discover how cultivating a minimalist mindset can help to boost those travel savings and help you achieve your dreams of adventures in exotic lands!

Sunrise at the desert village of Ait Ben Haddou

Exploring an exotic desert village called Ait-Ben-Haddou in Morocco

How To Develop a Minimalist Mindset

The first step to developing a minimalist mindset is to understand what it means and to separate it from the strong association with interior design that is prevalent in today’s culture.

Minimalism developed originally as an art form which gained in popularity during the 1950’s. The art and sculpture of minimalism sought to strip away anything deemed non-essential so as to point to the essence of the subject.

When applied to the aforementioned form of interior design, you are removing distracting items to focus on what is necessary or valuable. In order to remove that which is non-essential or distracting, you are simultaneously forced to decide where your focus lies and make judgements on the relative value of different elements. In this way the art or design is both a product and a producer of the minimalist mindset.

How to develop a minimalist mindset to boost your travel savings

The Two Key Aspects of a Minimalist Mindset

The first aspect of a minimalist mindset then is the ability to focus on that which is most valued and make judgements on the relative value of any distracting or superfluous elements.

The second aspect of the mindset would be the ability to take conscious and decisive action to remove those elements that are not deemed valuable or essential.

Now that we’ve identified what a minimalist mindset might look like, let’s apply these two elements in view of saving money for travelling. If you determine that your goal is to boost your travel savings and take an amazing trip, the trip of a lifetime, you are assigning value to that goal.

This isn’t the end however; there are many people who desire to travel, and are therefore assigning value to it, but they somehow never quite make it off home soil.

travel planning

Making Value Judgements

“The first aspect of a minimalist mindset then is the ability to focus on that which is most valued and make judgements on the relative value of any distracting or superfluous elements.”

Every choice we make is a value judgement, whether we consciously perceive it or not. Everything we do provides some form of value to us, otherwise why would we do it? Short term value is easier to identify than long term value and thus often wins out.

Specific value judgments that provide clear rewards also tend to win out over vague value judgments. An easy analogy is the choice between a salad and a greasy burger; they both provide the value of satisfying our hunger but the burger provides the short term and specific value of making us feel good, whilst the salad provides the long-term and vague value of making us ‘healthier’.

You can see why the burger tends to win out, unless of course someone has set the short-term and specific goal of dieting to tip the scales of value. If you want to boost your travel savings then you need to think about your personal hierarchy of value. You also need to set specific and short term goals so that you have something solid and real with which to measure value against.

boost travel savings

Focus on Clear and Specific Goals

The choice between eating out with friends 3 times a week, against maybe wanting to travel next year is a no-brainer, you’re going to go out. How about eating out 3 times a week vs going on a one month trip to Nepal to hike the Himalayas in October; having experiences and memories and photos that will last a lifetime. Now does the choice sound a little less obvious?

The minimalist mindset focuses on the essence of your goal or what you value and strips away the distraction. Make a plan of exactly what you want to do, I’m not saying you need to plan every detail of your trip, but get as specific as you can. Set a starting point and a starting month, decide how long you’re going to go for and exactly how much money you’re going to save.

If you’ve never been travelling then it can be hard to recognise the value of the experiences you might have, so read others accounts and the value they gained, maybe take a short trip so you can get a small taste. Once you have identified and are focused on the value of your travel dreams, now you can begin to determine your hierarchy of value and strip away the distraction.

hiking himalayas

Your Personal Value Hierarchy

Keep in mind that even the greatest and most specific travel plan in the world probably won’t be at the top of your value hierarchy. You still need a place to live, food to eat and some kind of social life (maybe?).

This is fine, minimalism doesn’t require you to strip down to your underwear and live in the forest! Having a place where you are comfortable and happy living is important, having nutritious and tasty food is important.

How the first aspect of the minimalist mindset works to boost your travel savings is to constantly assess the relative value of each aspect of your life in comparison to your goal. You need a roof over your head but is having a big house more important than having amazing travel experiences?

You need to eat but is eating out at your local pub all the time more valuable than trying different cuisine all over the world? You want a new phone but how many weeks of life changing travel are you willing to sacrifice for a slightly shiner toy? (hint: the newest models will cost you about a month’s worth of backpacking!!).

mobile phone 10 Day Morocco Itinerary

Taking Conscious Action

“The second aspect of the minimalist mindset would be the ability to take conscious and decisive action to remove those elements that are not deemed valuable or essential.”

This is where the second aspect of the mindset comes in. You’ve identified your goal, made a specific plan and decided on the relative value of the different things in your life. While this isn’t always easy, the harder part of the operation is physically taking action.

Just deciding something is less valuable than something else is all well and good but modifying behaviour patterns and subconscious values you’ve held for years is no easy task.

Major value changes don’t happen overnight and it’s important to understand that what I’m describing is a process and not necessarily a quick fix. We have a constant torrent of thoughts, feelings and urges that spring up from our subconscious; the first step is to become more aware of these arising and to practice separating yourself from them.

mindfulness

Practising Mindfulness

Say the urge to go out shopping arises, often leading to you convince yourself that you just need this one thing and fantasising about how good you’ll feel when you get it, creating this overwhelming push to go.

Instead, you interrupt this process by thinking about your thoughts, your subconscious really hates when you do that! Identify why this urge has arisen, do you have a habit of going shopping on this day? Are you bored? Are you upset?

Take conscious control of the feeling, consider the real value of the item you want and place it in your hierarchy, is it more important than your travel savings?

This is the practice of mindfulness and I’m not going to harp on about it any further because there are plenty of amazing resources that can help you learn more and apply it in your life.

Mindfulness Resources:

I don’t advise trying to majorly change your life overnight, no matter how awesome your travel plans sound! Too much change in too short a time tends to create an elastic band effect, with the bounce back leading to the opposite outcome. Once you have started to become more mindful you can begin to make conscious and decisive changes little by little.

Maybe you’ve become conscious that you’re going out too much and once you start drinking you end up spending a couple hundred on a night? You do need to socialise but maybe you could survive with one less night out per week?

If that’s still too much then maybe you can invite people over on that night instead of going out. Once you have adjusted to the new normal maybe you can make another small change. The small changes add up.

Developing a minimalist mindset to boost your travel savings

Discipline and Habit

Don’t rush to do it all at once but be decisive in each individual action, don’t make a change and just let yourself off the following week or modify the plan after you’ve made it. Self-control is like a muscle and your mind is malleable, the same reward system that is giving you a positive kick from surrendering to your urges will begin to give you the same kick from following your plans.

When an urge or thought arises you will begin to be able to choose to act or not-act, rather than just re-acting based on ingrained behaviour patterns. As every small change is made, not only will you boost your travel savings and reap the rewards of overseas travel, but you will experience all of the varied benefits of the minimalist mindset.

For an article on boosting your travel savings I realise this has gone pretty deep! However if it was easy to save money and travel all the time then everyone would do it. Thanks for sticking with me this far and good luck with the savings.

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How to develop a minimalist mindset so that you can travel more often How to boost your travel savings with a minimalist mindset

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Minimalist Lifestyle Tips – 21 Steps to a Simplified Life https://theroad-islife.com/minimalist-lifestyle-tips/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=minimalist-lifestyle-tips https://theroad-islife.com/minimalist-lifestyle-tips/#comments Sat, 18 Jan 2020 01:16:46 +0000 https://theroad-islife.com/?p=2768 Struggling to find a balance between a cluttered, busy life and living the life of your dreams? Wishing you had the freedom to be able to travel more? Maybe you...

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Collect moments not things

Struggling to find a balance between a cluttered, busy life and living the life of your dreams? Wishing you had the freedom to be able to travel more? Maybe you just want more time with your loved ones, or more time and money to spend on your hobbies.

Before we dive into these 21 minimalist lifestyle tips, what exactly is minimalism and how can it benefit you? To sum it up, it’s all about living with intention. When you ditch the clutter and noise, you make room for what’s important i.e. the things that add value to your life.

Living a minimalist lifestyle is so much more than just throwing away a few clothes and hoping for everything to improve over night. That’s a good place to start but it doesn’t quite work that way. First, you need to determine your why.

What’s your end goal? Living minimally can look different for everyone because each person has their own vision of what their trying to achieve. For me? I just want to be free to travel more and minimalist living allows me to do just that!

Travel more often by following these 21 minimalist lifestyle tips

I just want to travel to more epic places like this desert town in Morocco!

Do you want to save money? Have more freedom? Travel more? Be more focused and productive? There are truly an endless number of benefits to living a minimalist lifestyle but it can be confusing and difficult to know where to start.

So, I’ve created this list of simple and effective minimalist lifestyle tips to help you simplify your life and as a result of that, be free to spend more time on the things that add value to your life!

These minimalist lifestyle tips apply to anyone who is trying to achieve more clarity, happiness and freedom by letting go of clutter and excess!

The key to any lifestyle change is to start small and don’t overwhelm yourself. You shouldn’t try to implement all of these tips at once. Start from the top and work your way down the list at your own pace.

A solo traveller walks across an ancient aqueduct at sunset

Minimalist living = more money, more freedom, more travel

Minimalist Lifestyle Tips for Decluttering

Go Paper Free

You know that pile of papers that seems to endlessly accumulate in your kitchen? How much of that stuff is outdated and either belongs in the bin or could be sent to your email instead?

It’s time to switch your bills to be sent out electronically! Most companies offer this option nowadays.

It’s hard to avoid being completely paperless so you should go through your paper pile every week or least once a month. Address the important documents and bin the rest.

The benefits of minimalist living

Simplify Your Wardrobe

An easy way to get started with decluttering your wardrobe is to pick out anything that is ripped, stained or damaged and toss them all.

Next, go through again and pick out anything you haven’t worn in one year. I always use one year as my gauge because if I haven’t worn something in 12 full months, the chances that I will actually wear it again are pretty slim. These items are all perfect for donating to charity shops.

Try to ignore the little voice in your head that says “I’ll hold onto this for another year, just in case.”

Lastly, go through your wardrobe again and pick out any duplicate items. These are items that are very similar to things you already have. Add those to the donation pile.

Now, go ahead and repeat this process with your shoes!

Minimalist lifestyle tips

Tidy Your Workspace

Because less distractions equals more productivity, am I right? Whether you work from home or the office, if you’re workspace is constantly cluttered and messy, your mind will be too!

I work so much more efficiently when there are zero distractions. When you have an organized and tidy workspace, this will help you to stay focused on one thing at a time which leads to better productivity.

Get rid of anything and everything that doesn’t improve your workflow.

A minimalist workspace

Keep Your Car Clean

Simplifying your life applies to everything, even your car. If you’ve organized your house and your workspace, it doesn’t make sense to be driving around in a filthy, cluttered car!

Ditch all the fast food wrappers and garbage, clear out all unnecessary items and give it a good vacuum. Don’t forget to put a rubbish bag in there to ensure it stays tidy in the future.

Buy One, Ditch One

For every new item that you buy, get rid of something similar that you already have. For example, if you buy a brand new handbag, get rid of an old one that you no longer need.

This is a great rule to live by, especially when it comes to your wardrobe, shoes, and accessories.

Being consistent with this rule is a very effective way to manage your belongings so that you don’t end up with a cluttered space and too much stuff.

Minimalist Lifestyle Tips

Toss the Old/Expired

It’s easy to forget about things when they’re tucked away in the back, hiding behind other food etc. So, every few months you should go through your cupboards and fridge to check for anything that’s expired and throw it out.

This also applies to your makeup and bathroom stuff. Makeup collections always have a way of accumulating over time. Take some time every few months to pick out items that you don’t use or have become expired. Toss the expired stuff and give away the unused items to a friend.Minimalist Lifestyle Tips - Get Rid of Old and Expired Makeup

Say No to Extra Space

Living in a large home is attractive and most of the time, people’s living spaces are much bigger than they need to be.

If you have a few extra rooms in your house, it’s natural to want to fill them with more furniture and decorations that aren’t necessary. Another downside to this is that having more space equals more time spent cleaning.

A larger home also comes with more storage space and the possibility to store clutter and old items that you no longer need. Even if you can afford the extra living space, ask yourself if you really need it.

A minimalist living space

Minimalist Lifestyle Tips for Saving Money

Limit Gift Giving

Giving and receiving gifts is nice, but is it really necessary to do it for every single holiday or birthday? Think about it, if you’re receiving and buying gifts 5+ times per year, you’re probably accumulating a bunch of stuff that you don’t really need or use.

If you’re one of those people that goes crazy at Christmas time and drains your bank account buying epic gifts for everyone, that’s not really necessary or practical.

The solution? If someone wants you to buy you a gift, a gift card to a spa or your favourite restaurant is a better choice than some random item you’ll never use. Think along the lines of experiences vs. things.

Instead of forking out hundreds every year on buying gifts for everyone, set yourself a limit to how much you will spend on each person. Whether that’s $15-20 each, this way you’re more likely to stay in control and not go overboard.

Just remember, you don’t always have to buy gifts for everyone at Christmas!

Minimalist Lifestyle Tips

Cook at Home

How often do you eat out for lunch when you’re at work? Do you grab multiple coffees at Starbucks every day or go out for dinners regularly? While eating out is convenient, it’s no surprise that it starts to add up quickly.

If you’re not paying attention, you could end up spending a few extra hundred bucks every month when you don’t have to. Take a sandwich to work instead or better yet, come up with a meal plan and prepare your lunches for the week every Sunday.

When I’m saving up for a trip, which is most of the time these days, eating out is the first thing to go.

Sell Unwanted Items

This is a win-win situation. Get rid if your junk and make money from it. Go through your house and find 10 things that you haven’t touched in the past year that you could sell. Line them up, take photos of them, upload them to Facebook market place and watch the money roll in.

We recently did this when we made the move from England to Australia and you wouldn’t believe how quickly the money starts to add up when selling small things. Ok, we ended up selling way more than 10 things but still!

Look around for hidden items that you haven’t used for years and have probably forgotten about.

Board games, old phones (yup, I recently sold my old iPhone 4 and made $50!), electronics, kid’s toys, old books, extra hair straighteners/curling irons and anything that’s collecting dust in your garage or basement, if it’s still in good shape, get rid of it!

A woman holding money

Consume Less

These days we are constantly bombarded by ads telling us where we should be spending our money and making us feel like we always have to “keep up” by having the latest and greatest stuff.

Even if you’re already a budget conscious person, ads have a way of getting into your head whether you’re aware of it or not. The less time you spend watching TV or scrolling through social media feeds, the less likely you are to be tempted by these persuasive ads.

Limit Your Shopping

Are you one of those people that goes shopping when you’re bored? Or maybe you can’t walk past your favourite store without popping in ‘just to have a look.’ Stop doing that. It’s dangerous.

Habits like this are terrible for saving money and usually result in an over-cluttered wardrobe.

I’m not saying to stop shopping forever, but instead you should go in with a plan. Make a list of the exact things you need. Set out with a goal and you will be more likely stay on track and not get carried away.

A woman carrying shopping bags

Live Within Your Means

This is easier said that done as a lot of people have debts or loans to pay off. If you’re serious about moving toward a minimalist lifestyle, it’s really important to get on top of your finances.

Paying off any outstanding debts should be a priority and I would go even further by saying, don’t use a credit card unless you really need to!

I’ve found that once I stopped using a credit card, I’m forced to only use the money I already have which makes me question whether or not I really need to buy that new thing.

This results in a much more organized and simplified life.

Cancel Unnecessary Subscriptions

How many subscriptions do you currently have on the go that you really need? Sure, Netflix is cheap enough but do you really need to have Netflix and cable TV? Keep the one you use the most and get rid of the other.

Make a list of all the monthly subscriptions you currently have set up and cancel the ones that you can live without, but especially the ones that you don’t actually use!

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Collect moments not things

Minimalist Lifestyle Tips for a Healthy Mindset

Digital Detox

How much time do you spend throughout the day mindlessly scrolling through social media? The answer for most people is likely hours. These are precious hours of your life that add up quickly and amount to nothing.

I’d be lying if I told you I never do this myself but it’s important to be aware of it and designate time where you’re completely disconnected from social media, checking emails, replying to texts etc.

Unplug for an afternoon every week or even a full day if you can. Put your phone away, read a book or go catch up with a friend and be completely present without the distraction of checking your phone every 10 minutes.

Minimalist Lifestyle Tips - Digital Detox

Yoga/Meditation

In today’s world, our attention is in in constant demand. Our brains are struggling with information overload and if you don’t make an effort to turn your mind off once in a while, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and anxious.

Practising yoga and/or meditation on a weekly basis is an excellent way to reduce stress in both the body and mind which has a positive effect on all aspects of your life. More focus, less stress and anxiety, and an improved mood are just a few of the benefits that you can look forward to when you make time for these activities.

Headspace and Calm are the meditation apps that I’ve used, both are free with the option of paid add ons.

Yoga with Adriene is a popular YouTube channel with a ton of awesome free videos to easily follow along at home.

Minimalist Lifestyle Tips - Yoga and Meditation

Spend More Time in Nature

Another effective way to reduce stress and improve mental well-being is to get outside and go for a nature walk. Surround yourself by trees and remove yourself from busy city life for a while and you will be glad you did.

Many studies have proven that spending more time in nature improves your mood, reduces depression and anxiety, and greatly decreases stress. Scheduling in just 30 minutes per day to go for a walk or a run surrounded by nature could do wonders for your mental health and it won’t take long for you to start feeling the benefits!

Standing on the edge of the Beachy Head Cliffs

Experience the healing power of nature

Stop the Comparison Game

It’s easy to get caught up in comparing yourself and your possessions with your friend who always has the latest and greatest. Consumerism is an endless cycle that leaves you feeling empty and unfulfilled.

Besides, it’s expensive and wasteful to upgrade your things when your current ones are doing the job just fine. Yeah, my Samsung Galaxy from 2015 could probably do with an upgrade but it’s still working fine and that’s all I could really hope for with a 5-year-old phone!

Happiness cannot be found by spending all of your money on keeping up with the next guy, I can promise you that.

A minimalist workspace

Experiences vs Things

Part of living a minimalist lifestyle is about realizing that experiences provide so much more value to us than material items do. This is something I really began to understand once I left home at 22 years old to travel the world.

I used to love shopping, buying the latest gadgets and keeping up with the latest trends. I didn’t know how much my life would change once I said goodbye to that lifestyle forever.

Those years I spent solo travelling were some of the best of my life. I look back on those times with joy and nostalgia. No material item can ever give you memories like that.

Experiences provide greater happiness, better memories, and as an extra bonus they result in zero clutter.

So, get out there and do the things you love. Make time for your hobbies and the things that bring you joy because what is the point of everything if you’re not truly happy?

You were not born to just pay bills and die

Don’t Over Commit

Do you feel like you’re constantly running around from one commitment to the next? Stressed out and craving some time to yourself?

Stop overbooking your life; this applies to work, social commitments, family responsibilities etc. Mental health is important and if you’re constantly living in a state of stress, all other areas of your life will be negatively affected.

Remember, you are in control of your own schedule so don’t fill it up with stuff that you don’t enjoy doing just because you “feel like you have to.”

Sometimes you just have to say no. This might even mean cutting down a day or two at work.

Your time on this earth is precious and making time for yourself and the ones you love should be a priority that isn’t overlooked.

Change Your Mindset

Like I’ve said before, minimalist living isn’t about throwing all your stuff away and hoping for the best. It’s about living with intention and creating room in your life for the things that matter the most and the things that bring you joy. Ditch the clutter, cut out the negativity, and get rid of anything that doesn’t add value to your life.

Ultimately, becoming a minimalist requires a mindset shift. This takes time and consistent effort by making small changes each day. No lifestyle change happens overnight, but if you take one step at a time, you’ll get there and it will be worth it.

Because in the end, you won't remember the time you spent in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain

I hope you’ve found these minimalist lifestyle tips helpful and that they’ve inspired you to start taking the steps toward simplifying your life. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll start to see all the amazing benefits of minimalist living across all aspects of your life!

Let me know in the comments if you’ve enjoyed this article and feel free to share it with someone in your life that you think could use some help in this department 😉

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Follow these 21 Minimalist Lifestyle Tips for a simpler and more meaningful life Follow these 21 Minimalist Lifestyle Tips for a simpler and more meaningful life Follow these 21 Minimalist Lifestyle Tips for a simpler and more meaningful life Follow these 21 Minimalist Lifestyle Tips for a simpler and more meaningful life

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Minimalist Living – 5 Ways It Can Change Your Life https://theroad-islife.com/5-benefits-of-minimalist-living/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=5-benefits-of-minimalist-living https://theroad-islife.com/5-benefits-of-minimalist-living/#comments Thu, 27 Jun 2019 17:24:47 +0000 https://theroad-islife.com/?p=1183 When you hear the term “minimalist living” it’s easy to imagine having to ditch all of your stuff in an effort to fit the requirements of being a “minimalist”. It’s...

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5 different ways that minimalist living can improve your life

When you hear the term “minimalist living” it’s easy to imagine having to ditch all of your stuff in an effort to fit the requirements of being a “minimalist”. It’s common to picture a bare, empty house with nothing on the walls and very little furniture. Minimalism is often confused with anti-materialism which is impractical and not what it’s all about.

Minimalist living is all about focusing on the things we value most in life and removing everything else that distracts us from them. That means holding on to all the things that contribute positively to your passions and hobbies. Getting rid of the clutter and unnecessary things in your life will make way for you to live a more fulfilled and meaningful life.

The benefits of minimalist living

How Can Minimalist Living Change Your Life?

Minimalism is different for everyone, as each person lives a different life. It’s about finding what’s right for you in terms of fitting to your own unique lifestyle. You need to determine what your goal is and how minimalist living can benefit you.

For us, our main goal is the freedom to travel more. After living abroad and travelling for the past 7 years, I’ve learned that minimalist living isn’t about being deprived of having stuff, it’s about living an enriched life full of experiences that I wouldn’t trade for anything!

I’ve put together a list of the 5 different ways that minimalist living has helped to change my life:

1. Freedom

As humans, it’s normal to become emotionally attached to our possessions. More often than not, as we accumulate more and more we begin to feel like our possessions own us, a feeling of being trapped. When you let go of the things that don’t serve a real purpose, you then realize that your belongings don’t have anything to do with your identity.

This feeling is liberating and it gives you a greater sense of self. Having more and better stuff will not make you a better person. You are more than your possessions.

Minimalist living is liberating and freeing

2. Save Money

Everyday we’re bombarded with ads telling us where and how to spend our money and it’s natural to want to keep up with the next person who has always has the latest and greatest stuff. Consumerism is an endless cycle that will leave you feeling inadequate and unfulfilled.

Are you trying to get out of debt? Or are you trying to save up to travel? Buying less stuff and getting out of the consumerist mentality will naturally help with either of these situations. Easier said than done, I know. By making an effort to ask yourself “do I really need this?” before you buy another unnecessary thing is a start in the right direction!

3. Travel More

Owning less possessions is the main reason we’ve been able to travel as much as possible over the years. We currently live in a one bedroom flat in a small town in Kent (the southeast of England). We don’t own a car (it would be nice to have one but this forces us to be more active as well as save tons of money!), we eat out on occasion, we buy what we need and we live a pretty basic life while we’re at home.

All of these things contribute to the fact that we love to spend our time, energy and focus on being able to see the world; this is our number one priority. By not having things like pets, kids, mortgage etc. tying us to one location, we gain the freedom to travel whenever we want.

I know this isn’t possible for everyone as we all have unique responsibilities, however if your goal is to travel more often, you need to ask yourself: what can I live without?

Watching the sunrise at Ait Ben Haddou was the experience of a lifetime

Watching the sunrise together at Ait-Ben-Haddou, Morocco has so much more meaning to us than owning a house full of stuff

4. More Focus

It’s been proven that having less clutter and distractions lying around helps you to have a clear mind and improves your focus. Being able to concentrate on only one thing at a time without getting side tracked leads to better productivity.

When I’m trying to accomplish things (ie. trying to write a blog post and checking Instagram 100 times), it’s best to completely remove all distractions from my sight, because if I don’t see them, they can’t distract me right?

Well, imagine having a clean house without all the clutter and unnecessary things taking up space in your day-to-day life. Having a tidy, organized living space not only improves productivity and focus but it also helps to lift your mood and brings happiness.

It’s the process of clearing out the physical junk that helps with de-cluttering the mind so that you can spend more time and energy on the things that you actually want to accomplish. Whether that’s more travel, achieving fitness goals, or spending more time with your kids.

Minimalist Living - Burg Eltz

Exploring Burg Eltz castle in Germany

5. Prioritize Experiences

In 10 years from now, will you look back with fondness at that epic shopping spree you went on? Studies have shown that experiences like spending time with loved ones, travelling the world, hiking in the mountains etc. provide far greater memories than accumulating the things we think will buy us happiness.

Nearly a decade later, I look back on my first solo backpacking trip with fondness and nostalgia. There isn’t one single material item that makes me feel this way. Those were times that cannot be replaced or recreated, forever living on in my memory, immortalised by photos.

To sum things up, experiences provide more meaning, lasting memories, and more happiness than any material possession has the potential to. I’ll let my favourite quote do the talking:

“Collect moments, not things.”

5 ways minimalist living can change your life

Island Hopping around the Maddalena Archipelago in Sardinia, Italy was the experience of a lifetime!

We don’t consider ourselves to be “true” minimalists (we still own stuff, dare I say more than we really need to survive), but we have seen many positive outcomes from adopting a more minimalist approach to life. From simply shifting our focus away from the societal expectations of settling down, buying a house and filling it with a bunch of stuff, we’ve been able to find our own version of happiness in the freedom that we’ve created for ourselves.

Minimalist living will look different for everyone as we all have our own goals and priorities in life. Now, we’re not telling you to go and throw all your stuff in the bin and expect immediate happiness, it doesn’t really work like that. Minimalism is about living with intention and finding meaning in each day. It’s about living for the things that make us happy, the things we often neglect to make time for because we’re too caught up with life’s daily demands.

Exploring Seville, Spain together was an incredible experience

Enjoying life in Seville, Spain

You have to remember that these things ARE just as important as the mundane tasks we find ourselves consumed with on a daily basis. We only get one chance at this thing called life. Stop putting off that trip you’ve been dreaming of, what if that day never comes? Do you want to look back on your life with regret that you didn’t take that chance on doing something you’ve always dreamed of?

The benefits of minimalist living are simply too good to be ignored and we hope we can inspire you to see things from a different perspective.

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5 different ways that minimalist living can improve your life 5 benefits of minimalist living

5 different ways that minimalist living can improve your life 5 different ways that minimalist living can improve your life

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