7 Essential Minimalist Mindshifts – Reframe Your Mindset To Become a Minimalist

minimalist Mindset experiences

Minimalist Mindshifts are important markers to hit when you are on your own journey to minimalism. When you support these mindset shifts with actions, you hit the milestones faster, which helps you clear clutter even faster. Sure, you could work on shifting your mindset with thought, but I have found the best way is to go through the actions associated with them. It makes the whole process so much easier!

Most people think minimalism is all about the stuff. It is, in the beginning. Think of it as a commitment to acquire and consume less – rather than decluttering and organizing more. Minimalists do this in order to be able to focus on what truly matters to them.

Most people don’t realize what the mindset shifts are, but they gradually move through them, naturally during their own process of letting go of items. This is why I say that the minimalist mindshifts are changed through actions.

Here are some of the Minimalist Mindshifts:

  1. Happiness is not attached to things
  2. Experiences are Valued more than Things
  3. White Space is Valued
  4. Less is Better
  5. Success isn’t attached to comparison
  6. Productivity isn’t attached to doing more
  7. Organizing More isn’t the answer

1. Happiness Isn’t Attached To Things

At the beginning of the journey, most people have quite a few items that they struggle to let go of. They feel like they are sentimental to many items rather than having little to no attachment to their things. This is a struggle for a lot of people to work though because throughout life, we have been taught to identify who we are with our stuff. If you’re wondering what this looks like think of these phrases, “I’m a Ford guy.” “I’m an Apple gal.” “I’m a Cubs fan.” There are whole studies based on how we process attachments to physical items throughout life.

minimalist Mindset experiences

2. Experiences Are Valued More Than Things

When beginning your journey, you won’t likely notice this mindshift right away. You will probably start requesting no gifts for holidays. You might start finding greater joy in time spent with your loved ones. This isn’t a mindshift that starts at the beginning, it’s one that will pop out at your a little later on in your journey. Mainly because you will have the time and energy to spend the time and energy doing things that fill you up, rather than managing all the things and responsibilities at home.

3. White Space is Valued

Decluttering and Minimizing are different. Decluttering means to let go of the clutter and excess. Minimizing is all about seeking white space. White space is simply the empty space between objects. At the beginning, you may be used to every wall and surface having things on it, that it will feel weird to do a spatial reset and clear them off. The shift happens when you start feeling weird about clutter creeping onto the clear surfaces. At this phase, you also tend to look for white space in cabinets and drawers. This is the shift between decluttering to minimizing.

4. Enough is More

Owning your right amount of stuff  is better than accumulating more and decluttering more. At some point, we want to feel like we are maintaining this minimalist lifestyle, not just decluttering and recluttering. During this shift we become detached from guilt and worry revolving our stuff. The guilt part is usually attached to feeling like we wasted money or our items are attached to loved ones somehow. The worry is what keeps people stuck when they are deciding what to let go and they “might” need that items in the future. A minimalist will feel free and at peace with less stuff.

5. Success Isn’t Attached To Comparison

Trends and keeping up with the Joneses. The Jones Effect is when people choose to follow what is popular or trending today – or have what other people have. They measure their success based on outside parameters. A minimalist tends to define success and happiness based on their own ideals and steps outside of trends. They don’t accumulate based on outside influences and tend to be very aware of marketing tactics to get them to buy more and consume more.

6. Productivity Isn’t Attached to Doing More

This was one of my favorite mindshifts. I was happier and found more fulfillment in doing LESS. I guarded my time and energy fiercely. When you stop doing the things that don’t matter and get clear on what does matter, you end up completing more in a day. I spent so much time before minimalism procrastinating and being overwhelmed with doing all the things, that I never did any of the things.

7. Organizing More Isn’t The Answer

Don’t get me wrong – organizing is a good thing. Systems and tools to keep your home and family functioning well are really needed. BUT buying things to organize the excess of things, is not the answer. I used to think I had to be more organized. Now I understand that it wasn’t an organization problem I was having, it was a stuff problem. No amount of organization would fix that issue. I needed to release and let go of items to make way for a better functioning home. This is one of the first mindshifts that people go through in their journey, usually out of frustration because they can’t find things or items topple out of cupboards at them.

Minimalist Mindshift Quotes

“Real luxury is not working like a maniac to take an expensive vacation–it is living a life you enjoy every day.”
― Kathy Gottberg

“Being content with less, creates space in the heart for more love.”
― Margo Vader

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