Saba Waqas |
In this rapidly evolving world, innovation is a continuous process. Our needs and desires are increasing accordingly. For a successful living, one cannot have it all. Set the foot down at some point and lay certain ground rules to attain a peaceful mindset. As an alternate, the wishlist you acquire can wear you down and lead to depression or worse outcomes in life. I’ve come up with a better lifestyle: incorporating a minimalist approach towards life.
Quality over quantity
Believe in the term, “quality over quantity”. This is the basis of becoming a minimalist. If you develop this habit, I’m sure half of the junk lying around your house which is largely untouched for years can be taken care of in a better way. If someone has the habit of splurging or buying random unnecessary stuff, one idea is to make a list of things you actually require before shopping. Jot them down and keep yourself a little restricted to the list, this way you not only save money but also valuable space.
On a dark side, not intending to sound gloomy, but it’s a fact that you leave everything behind at the time of your demise.
Try to discard old stuff that you are looking to replenish, for example, while buying a new mirror, pick up your chutzpah and get rid of the old one. I’m sure many of us hold on to old items just in case we might need them at a later stage. Though this doesn’t happen most of the time and piles of things lay gathering dust and space only. We actually don’t have the courage to discard things or we have a miserly nature that we rarely dispose of used belongings from our houses. On a dark side, not intending to sound gloomy, but it’s a fact that you leave everything behind at the time of your demise. Nothing goes in the grave rather you leave a copious amount of garbage behind and burden for others. Make life easy for those who we leave behind.
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Less Is Good
“Less is good”, live your life on this mantra. Pick good quality stuff albeit of the fact, they are expensive but it is better from picking lots of things in poor quality which you replace over and over again. Collect things little by little. Have patience and in no time you’ll have a tastefully decorated home of your own.
Tidying up approach to decluttering gives you a head start if you are hesitant in initiating to discard your stuff.
To help and encourage you in regards of purging things from your house, there’s a very popular method called “Konmari method”. A Japanese organizing consultant and author, Marie Kondo, has written four books on organizing and decluttering. Her technique is given the name “Konmari”. Her book “The life-changing magic of tidying up” is a bestseller in Japan and in Europe and is very handy in improvising your lifestyle.
The method consists of gathering all of one’s belongings, one category at a time and discarding items which are not dear or useful to you and keeping only those which “spark joy” to you. Her tidying up approach to decluttering gives you a head start if you are hesitant in initiating to discard your stuff. Her writing is infectious and you literally start itching to toss stuff aside. Your life becomes manageable and you’ll have more time to yourself because there will be lesser storage, dusting, and organization required. In order to follow Konmari and its folding techniques, you can watch her videos online.
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Donate
Your home space is a reflection of your personality. Hold onto those things which make you happy. Incorporate new ways to modify your lifestyle. Becoming a minimalist leads you to fulfillment. I would like to mention here that there are many well-known and authentic organizations working for poor and needy people to provide provisions and basic necessities of life. One such organization which I myself donate is called “Bazeecha”. They provide shelter to orphan girls and boys and make arrangements for their education and later on their marriages. It’s better to support these girls for their dowry requirement. I feel a sense of achievement while purging and assisting them side by side.
Imperatives to become a minimalist
Meanwhile, I would like to pen down a few organizing tips and tricks which may help you in decluttering:
1. Start with room by room, then wardrobes, then drawers and so on; in this way, it will be less tiresome.
2. Don’t hold onto things. Always ask: Will it be useful in a longer run? Just take a plunge and discard it.
3. Buy space saving furniture and other items. Watch YouTube videos to get motivational ideas on how to declutter. Look up for Ikea style furniture for stacking or storing.
4. Prefer quality over quantity.
5. Make life simple. A neat and clean environment of your house will save you from a lot of hard work and time. Less maintenance will be required.
6. Donate your stuff to deserving people around you.
I’ll wrap it up by emphasizing that little things bring big changes in other’s lives. Less stuff is equal to less stress. Hence, live simply to live happily.
Saba Waqas lives in Islamabad. With interests in cooking, traveling, and exploring various cultures, additionally, she writes articles regarding social matters.