Extreme Minimalism Tips to Become Super Minimalist
How do you become an Extreme Minimalist?
So much stress is tied to the things we own, which makes the concept of minimalism an appealing idea.
And while living a minimalist lifestyle isn’t for everyone, if you’re intrigued about learning how to live with less, minimalist just might be for you.
Becoming a minimalist is a popular concept because it’s a great way to live more frugally and become more grateful for the things you have.
But many people are starting to take the concept of minimalism a step above.
If you’re interested in learning more about this popular trend, I’m here for you!
With the help of these extreme minimalism tips, you can take the philosophy of minimalism to the next level.
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What is Extreme Minimalism?
Before we can start diving into how to live an extreme minimalist lifestyle, it’s important to understand what you’re getting into.
Extreme minimalism is based on the concept of living with only the absolute essentials and nothing more.
Minimalism is based around two basic concepts:
- Reducing the amount of possessions we keep to a minimum
- Removing excess from our life in order to focus on the things that are truly important to us
But unlike traditional minimalists, extreme minimalists take the idea of reducing the number of possessions they own to the limits by only possessing items that are absolutely essential to their daily lives.
Benefits of Extreme Minimalism
Living as an extreme minimalist isn’t always easy.
But there are a variety of amazing benefits that come along with embracing this unique lifestyle.
Living with less means you may end up with:
More money
Reducing the number of possessions you own is one of the easiest ways to improve your finances.
On top of allowing you to spend less on the purchase of new things, you’ll also see that you’re able to save more money to use for other things – like planning for the future or enjoying more quality time with your family through shared experiences.
More time
Fewer possessions means that you’ll be able to spend less time cleaning, organizing and shopping.
That allows for more time to spend doing the things you love with the people you love.
Less stress
Owning fewer things gives you more freedom and less anxiety.
All the stress and tension tied to owning the biggest and best stuff drifts away, allowing you to see what’s important in your life.
More gratitude
After ridding yourself of most of your material possessions, you’ll probably be able to find more gratitude for the things you have.
When you’re not weighed down with the burden of unnecessary possessions, your mind is open to appreciating the things and people in your life in a deeper, more meaningful way.
How do I Become an Extreme Minimalist?
Becoming an extreme minimalist means discarding everything you own unless it’s absolutely essential to your daily life.
That means the first step to becoming an extreme minimalist is taking a good hard look at what you deem “essential.”
Taking on this challenge won’t happen overnight.
That means you’ll need to work your way toward extreme minimalism in phases to help you adjust to your new, less-cluttered life style.
The first step to becoming an extreme minimalist is learning to let go.
Understanding that you aren’t defined by the things you own is the most basic idea behind the philosophy.
Once you grasp the idea that throwing things away is an essential part of life, you’ll be one step closer to becoming an extreme minimalist.
After grasping this idea, the next step is to declutter your home and life, removing everything that isn’t absolutely essential to you.
But if this concept seems difficult for you, keep in mind that extreme minimalism doesn’t have to happen overnight.
While it may seem tempting to clear out everything you own and start with a clean slate, that option isn’t always the best choice.
Instead of attempting to become an instant extreme minimalist, give yourself time to work your way toward the lifestyle you want.
That means taking your time to declutter your life and giving yourself grace when things get hard.
Extreme Minimalism Mindset Tips
Getting into the right frame of mind is essential to becoming a minimalist.
And that means understanding a few key concepts when it comes to letting go of the things you own.
Use these mindset tips to help you stay on track when it becomes difficult for you to let go of the things you own.
Start with the things you don’t want or need
Decluttering and minimizing your home can often be a difficult process.
That’s why it’s always a good idea to start off by discarding the things in your home that you know for certain that you don’t want or need.
As you’re looking for things in your home that you can get rid of, grab the things you know you no longer want and throw them away instantly.
This simple act will give you the desire and inspiration to move on to more difficult items later on.
Throw it away if you haven’t used it
Once you have ridded yourself of the things you don’t want, you can start clearing out more unnecessary stuff from your home.
But figuring out whether you need something isn’t always easy.
Another simple step toward letting go of the extra stuff in your house is to think about the last time you used the item in question.
If you haven’t used it in more than a year, it’s time to get rid of it.
If the item is still in working order, donate it. Otherwise, simply throw it in the trash.
Know the difference between wants and needs
After you start getting rid of obvious items you no longer need in your home, it can start to become more difficult to let go of things.
That’s when it’s important to help yourself distinguish between things you need and the things you want.
Taking the time to consider what is really important to you will help you distinguish between essential stuff and things you can let go of to live a more minimalist lifestyle.
Let go of the price tag
Many people gravitate toward minimalism because it allows them to save money.
And while living a minimalist lifestyle is a great way to be more frugal, you have to be willing to let go of the past investments you’ve made in your stuff.
You’ll never recoup the money you paid for the majority of the stuff you have in your home.
And if you put pressure on yourself to make money from the stuff you’re decluttering, you’re most likely setting yourself up for failure.
If your goal is simply to live an extreme minimalist lifestyle, getting rid of the stuff in your home should be your first priority.
Instead of trying to recover your losses from the things you’ve purchased, look to the future.
The next time you find yourself hung up on how much you paid for something in the past, think about how much time and money you’ll save in the future simply by getting rid of the clutter.
Your memories will stay long after the stuff
One issue many people have as they work to declutter their home is the fact that they connect their memories to the things they own.
If you find yourself struggling to get rid of a sentimental item, think about this – the memory you have will not disappear if you throw that item away.
This can be a difficult concept for many people to grasp.
One simple way to help alleviate that worry – especially in the beginning stages of living a minimalist lifestyle – is to take a picture of the special item with your phone.
After that, you can transfer the digital photos to a storage device or upload them to the cloud.
And every time you look at that photo, you can be reminded of the fond memories associated with the special item without having it cluttering your home.
Live a one-for-one lifestyle
When you’re finished decluttering your home and you’ve started living like a minimalist, one of the best philosophies to have is the idea of one-for-one.
This concept means that every time you bring something new into your home, you must get rid of something you already own.
Using the “what goes in, must go out” motto is a great way to ensure your home never becomes cluttered again.
In addition to forcing you to think about every purchase you make, this idea also helps you stay in control of the amount of stuff you have in your possession at any given time.
And it makes you think long and hard about making another purchase.
Before you buy something new, always ask yourself what you’ll get rid of in its place.
Extreme Minimalism Tips at Home
Living an extreme minimalist lifestyle often starts at home.
That’s because your home is the place where you store the majority of your possessions.
To help reduce the amount of stuff you rely on, try implementing these extreme minimalism tips throughout your home:
Figure out your essentials
Since the idea of an extreme minimalist rests on the fact that you should live with just the “essentials” in life, knowing what your essentials are is extremely important.
Your minimalist essentials are the things that you rely on throughout the day.
And since every person is different, what one person deems essential might not be important to someone else.
To take your minimalism to the extreme, that means you need to understand exactly what is important to you.
Start by taking some time to think critically about the things you use on a regular basis.
What items are part of your daily routine?
Which ones can you do without?
The answers to these questions will help you determine which of the things you currently own you can part with and which things are ones that you must keep in order to get through your day.
Keep only those essentials
As you’re decluttering your home and removing the things you no longer need, do your best to keep only the items that are essential to you.
While sorting through the stuff in your home, ask yourself whether the item in question is bringing value to your life or distracting you from the life you want to have.
If you’re still having trouble figuring out whether you should keep something or throw it away, try asking yourself a few simple questions:
- Why do I have this?
- Do I use it?
- Do I need it?
- What would happen if I didn’t have it?
The answers to these questions will give you a chance to see for yourself whether that item is truly essential to your life.
If it doesn’t pass these criteria, it’s time to let that thing go.
Downsize your house
One of the best ways to help reduce the amount of stuff you think you need is to reduce the space you have to store that stuff.
By downsizing to a smaller house, you’ll be forced to think about what you really need to live a comfortable life inside your home.
On top of reducing the amount of storage space you’ll have to hide away unneeded stuff, downsizing also helps you reduce your spending.
Your rent or mortgage payments are likely to be much lower. And you won’t need to spend as much on utility payments.
Declutter your décor
Another simple way to help you on your path toward minimalism is to take a good look at the decorations throughout your home.
Small decorations not only add clutter to your home, but they also create more work for you.
Every item you have sitting out on display needs to be cleaned and organized on a regular basis.
To help make your home more minimalistic, start by reducing the amount of décor you have sitting out throughout your house.
Try to limit your decorations to functional items, like mirrors, to avoid adding unneeded items to your home.
If you’re looking to DIY your decorations, here’s a post that has 15 DIY minimalist Christmas decoration ideas on a budget.
Work on one room at a time
Removing all the nonessential items from your home can be an overwhelming process.
To make it easier to manage, try working on one room of your home at a time.
Pick the easiest room in your house to declutter first, then start sorting through everything in the space.
Begin by working your way through the visible areas of the room.
After that, you can move on to the hidden spots, like cabinets and closets.
Once you have successfully decluttered that room, you’ll have more inspiration and energy to move on to the next space in your home.
Limit the furniture in your home
Another thing to consider when creating a minimalist home is the amount of furniture you have in your house.
Refrain from adding or keeping decorative furniture in your home, which only adds clutter to the space.
In each room, think about the functionality and usefulness of every piece of furniture in the space.
If you don’t use a piece of furniture every day for a specific use, it may be time to get rid of that piece to help reduce the amount of unnecessary stuff inside your home.
Create a capsule wardrobe
Your closet is likely one of the most cluttered spots in your home.
That means you’ll need to take a good hard look at the clothing, shoes, and accessories you currently have to determine how many of those items you actually need.
Once you’re finished decluttering your wardrobe, one of the best ways to stick to a minimalist lifestyle is with a capsule wardrobe.
This type of wardrobe is typically made up of a handful of classic pieces of clothing that can be mixed and matched to create a variety of different outfits, allowing you to drastically reduce the amount of clothing you need to own.
Make your own rules
When all is said and done, minimalism is a lifestyle choice and you’re in total control of how you live your life!
That means you can decide what extreme minimalism means to you.
Taking the time to think about why you want to be a minimalist and how it will impact your daily life is the most important step you can take to embrace this lifestyle.
Use the ideas of the movement to help inspire your own minimalist journey. After that, come up with your own rules to live by to ensure you make the most out of your minimalist efforts.
Related Ideas for Extreme Minimalist Tips:
- Simple Minimalist Tips For Beginners
- 30 Day Minimalist Challenge Checklist with Tips and Rules
- Minimalist Essentials to Reduce Clutter and Stress
- Best Quotes on Minimalism to Motivate You to Be a Minimalist
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