Minimalism is a lifestyle that aspires to rein in consumerism and focus on reordering one's life. A family may decide to adopt it in order to save money, have fewer things and spend more quality time together. This can be put into practice by developing and implementing a plan. You can then focus on maintaining this new lifestyle so that you and your family can lead a life based on simplicity.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Develop a Minimalist Plan
Step 1. As a family, exchange views on the importance of minimalism
Before you start putting it into practice, discuss this change and how important it is to make it. Get together to talk about all that a minimalist lifestyle entails and the benefits that each member of the family will derive from it. This way you will be sure that everyone is willing to change and will clarify the expectations you have towards minimalism.
- For example, you could discuss the savings you will make by selling items you no longer use and buying only the essentials. You could also talk about the fact that having fewer things will allow children more space to run and play.
- You might also argue that adopting a minimalist lifestyle will help simplify your everyday life so everyone will have more time to relax, focus, and enjoy family time.
Step 2. Identify the parts of the house that could be changed
Examine the home to find out which areas need attention. You could make a list of the items you want to get rid of in each room, and then decide which ones to throw away, sell or give away.
You might also be thinking about how to rearrange a room to make it look less cluttered and cleaner. You could take notes for each room and then make changes once you start implementing the plan
Step 3. Evaluate your things
Every single member of the family should think about the things they own to determine what they need and what they don't. Go through everything you have and consider any items you haven't used in the past year or two. You should also spot broken or worn items. Make a list of the things you would be willing to give, sell, or throw away.
If you are a parent, ask your children to review everything they have in the room. You might suggest listing at least 20 things they would be willing to get rid of
Step 4. Review your family's daily commitments
Together you should consider how to reduce the time you spend on activities that drain your energy or prevent you from having a satisfying private life. Sit down and list activities that you find exhausting or less than pleasant. You may also be thinking about commitments that are particularly expensive and that you find complicated or stressful.
For example, maybe you spend a lot of time and money going to fast food. Instead, think about how to save on food and eat indoors so that the family can spend time together at dinner time
Part 2 of 3: Putting the Plan into Action
Step 1. Prepare a dedicated tidying basket
A simple way to adopt a minimalist lifestyle is to prepare a basket for tidying up and place it in a strategic place in the house. At this point, invite family members to put things they don't want or need. You could also use three: one for items to donate, one for items to sell, and one for items to throw away. This could further simplify the process and clarify where each item will go.
- To motivate children to tidy up their spaces, you could give them an incentive: if they tidy up for an hour, they can play their favorite toy or gadget for half an hour longer than allowed. This may encourage them to take this challenge seriously and keep their belongings in check.
- If you have teenagers, you could encourage them this way: if they do their part to tidy up the room, they can spend more time on their computer or cell phone.
Step 2. Go through each room in the house together
As a family you should work together to tidy up spaces and take a minimalist approach to your things. Evaluate each room together and throw away any items you no longer use or no longer need. Proceed quickly and efficiently, otherwise you run the risk of clinging to certain objects or getting caught up in sentimentality.
- You may come to a compromise to keep the items you think are important. For example, each family member could keep one or two items of sentimental value in their room, throwing everything else away.
- If you can't throw out a lot of things, you can try storing them in a box so they don't get in your way and the room stays tidy.
Step 3. Modify your schedule to become more minimalist
You may decide to adapt this lifestyle not only to the things you own, but also to what you do. Review your commitments and agree to minimize the activities you engage in individually or as a family. Work together to understand which ones are really important or essential and abandon those that do not benefit or take too much time.
- For example, you might ask your children if there are activities they find excessively stressful or less enjoyable than others. At this point, authorize them to leave them to streamline their commitments.
- You and your partner may also discuss how to limit your weekly activities. Maybe you can agree to do less charity or extracurricular activities to streamline your schedule.
Step 4. Implement minimalist traditions in the home
To adopt this lifestyle, you and your family must also begin to consider your home traditions differently. You could all agree to create new ones or streamline old ones, in order to imprint your life with minimalism. For example, at Christmas you could use half of the decorations you usually use or start volunteering in homeless shelters instead of giving yourself gifts.
You can start small and make small changes to your daily tasks. For example, on Friday evenings you cook and dine at home, then play a party game. You could also organize a movie night instead of spending money to go see a movie, this way you can save money and better embrace minimalism
Part 3 of 3: Maintain a Minimalist Lifestyle
Step 1. Limit your stuff
To follow a minimalist lifestyle, a family must be aware of everything they have in the house. You should agree not to buy new things, unless they are essential, and think twice before accepting anything from other people. The goal should be to have tidy spaces free of unnecessary things.
- You may also decide to tidy up the house once a month to get rid of all the things you no longer use or need. If you adopt this habit, it will be easier to maintain a minimalist lifestyle.
- You can invite family members to do small actions like keeping their rooms clean and tidy, but also put away dishes and other kitchen items as soon as they finish using them.
Step 2. Evaluate your commitments once a month
You should all look into your daily schedules, thinking about how to minimize and simplify them further. Discuss the results achieved so far and think about how to streamline commitments even further. You can also discuss the strategies that have worked and those that have proved ineffective to improve the system.
For example, if eating at home seems to help you cut costs and spend more time together, talk to your partner about doing it more often. Talk to your kids to invite them to spend less time playing video games, while using it to do more family activities instead
Step 3. Collaborate to maintain this lifestyle
Practicing minimalism at home can be a real challenge, especially since everyday life is hectic. To adopt this lifestyle and achieve noteworthy results, you must all support and encourage each other. You can do some little things about it, like remembering the reason for this choice. You can also support each other by getting rid of the things you don't need and by being willing to give up on acquiring new things.
