A main value of minimalism is the idea that less is more. I definitely can’t call myself a true minimalist by any means, but I am striving to follow minimalist practices like buying less, questioning what things I value, and maintaining less clutter in my life. To me the benefit of having less is gaining more space whether physical, mental or emotional.
So when is it better to have less?
Some might see this picture and think, “Well that’s a lot of books for someone striving for minimalism. Why do you keep buying paper books when you can read on an e-book?” Here’s the thing, I spend a huge portion of my day staring at a computer so that last thing I want to do before bed is continue to stare at a screen while reading a book. And it helps that they nicely accessorize my living room too! 😂. So for me, having less books does not equal more.
But there are many things that I value having less of in life. Here are a few things where I’ve found this to be true:
- makeup
- clothes
- paper/old documents
- plastic containers without the matching lid
- socks that don’t match, a cord that I don’t know what it goes to
- any kitchen appliance I haven’t used in the last year
- uncomfortable shoes.
Then there are the “non-things” I’ve tried to eliminate like comparing myself to others, negativity and committing to scheduled events that don’t align with my priorities. I’m sure there is more to reduce and I’m continuing to edit down other things taking up space.
What do you value having less of to have more space in your life?
