The minimalism movement has definitely caught on, and with spring cleaning on my mind, I’ll admit I’ve been curious about what it means to be a “minimalist”. Although I don’t think I could ever take it to the extremes and live my life as a true minimalist, I do see how adopting some of the principles could be life-changing, especially as someone who really does hate clutter.

So as spring inches closer and my need to purge gets more intense, I’ll be keeping these three things that I learned from doing a little research on what it means to live minimally, in mind.

Utilize a proven process

If you’ve ever looked into minimalism or decluttering your life in general, you’ve probably heard of the KonMari Method. This comes from the best-selling book by Marie Kondo, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. It gives cleaning and organizing your home and life some structure and, according to anyone I’ve spoken to who has used this process and people of the internet, actually works. To learn more about the process, go here.

Think about what’s serving you and what’s not

I love this principle because it can apply to both things and people. If you pick up an object in your home and think, “when was the last time this helped me or improved my life?” and you can’t think of a good example, then it’s time to let it go. The same goes for people. This doesn’t mean just discarding those that no longer suit you, but more so letting go of people that maybe used to be good friends, but you really have nothing in common with anymore, or someone you had an argument with, but have never been able to let go of it. It’s simple; if there are people/things in your life that aren’t serving you, move on.

Eliminating discontent and gaining freedom

I think what attracts a lot of people towards minimalism is the idea of not feeling that constant want for more in the back of your mind and loving and embracing what you have. I don’t know about you, but I think that sounds amazing. It’s kind of like making the conscious choice to take yourself out of the consumer rat race and just be satisfied. Objects will no longer have a hold over you, which can also lead to financial freedom, and who doesn’t like the sounds of that?

Minimalism tempting you? Check out the documentary, “Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things” to inspire your spring cleaning this year.

For even more spring cleaning content, see what we’ve created here and here.