The start of a new year provides a great opportunity to reflect on all of the ways that you have grown over the last 12 months. It’s also a great time to set new goals and resolutions. If you follow the minimalist lifestyle, becoming a better minimalist may be on the top of your list of goals for 2023.
If you want to be a better minimalist in 2023, here are 10 actionable ways to approach life with more presence, intention and simplicity.
Let’s get into it!
What Is the Minimalist Lifestyle?
The minimalist lifestyle is a choice to live more intentionally. As a minimalist, you identify what is essential in your life and let go of everything that isn’t.
Although minimalism is most commonly associated with the ownership of physical belongings, this minimalist mindset can translate into all aspects of life. You can become a minimalist in all aspects of life by adopting a ‘less is more’ mindset.
10 Benefits to Being a Minimalist in 2023
Being a minimalist has a number of benefits in 2023, including:
1. Financial Savings
Minimalism will help you save money by reducing your desire to buy unnecessary items. The minimalist lifestyle encourages the use of what you already have which can lead to tremendous financial savings.
2. Increased Creativity
With fewer distractions and possessions to worry about, minimalism can help you focus on your passions. This can lead to an increase in your creativity.
3. Improved Relationships
By simplifying your life, you’ll have more space, time and energy to focus on your relationships with others.
4. Increased Focus
A cluttered space can be very distracting. With fewer distractions you’ll be able to focus on what is most important to you.
5. Increased Freedom
Owning fewer possessions can give you more flexibility and freedom to change your living situation, travel, or pursue new opportunities.
6. Improved Mental Clarity
Minimalism will help reduce clutter and distractions. This will lead to mental clarity and a sense of calm.
7. Improved Physical Health
By simplifying your space, you’ll be able to create a more organized and functional environment. This can have a positive effect on your physical health. Just think about all of the dust that’s collecting underneath your unused things. Clearing space in your home will help you keep it clean and allergen free.
8. Increased Sense of Gratitude
By appreciating what you have, rather than constantly striving for more, you’ll develop a greater sense of gratitude.
9. Improved Environmental Impact
Minimalism has a positive impact on the environment, as it involves consuming fewer resources and generating less waste.
10. Greater Sense of Purpose
By eliminating the distractions of excess possessions and commitments, minimalism can help you focus on your passions and purpose in life.
10 Ways to Be a Better Minimalist in 2023
If you follow the minimalist lifestyle but haven’t experienced the benefits listed above, there may be areas in your life that can be simplified further.
Below is a list of ways to become the best minimalist you can be in 2023 (rhyming definitely intended).
1. Set Limits on Your Possessions
If you aren’t benefiting from the minimalist lifestyle, it may be because you just haven’t simplified enough. If that’s the case, try setting strict limitations on your possessions this year.
Instead of making general decluttering goals such as, ‘I’d like to declutter my shoe collection’, make them specific. Set specific goals such as ‘I want to pair down my shoe collection to only three pairs of shoes’.
Setting limits on your possessions will ensure that you are being as intentional as you can be with what you own.
2. Make a List of Your Values and Priorities
Before you start decluttering your space and simplifying your life, identify what is truly important to you. Make a list of values and priorities and use it as a guide for making decisions about what to keep and what to let go of.
For instance, if you value your hobbies, don’t declutter all of your gear in pursuit of being a ‘better minimalist’. However, if you value simplicity more than some of your current hobbies, go ahead and declutter your gear this year.
3. Simplify Your Routines
The best minimalists simplify their routines as well as their material possessions. By simplifying your routines, you will have more time for the things and people in your life that truly matter.
For instance, if it takes you 30 minutes to get ready in the morning, find areas where you can streamline the process. Try wearing less makeup and see how that feels, or, let your hair air dry instead of blow drying it every morning. These small, simple changes will save you so much time in the long run.
4. Learn to Say No
Learning to say no will be your greatest strength as a minimalist in 2023. If you learn how to say no, your choices will better align with your minimalist values. You will save yourself so much time, money and energy.
Learn to say no to gifts that will only add clutter to your home. Learn to say no to plans that you know will drain your time and energy. And learn to say no to people that you know won’t add value to your life.
5. Seek Out Minimalism Inspiration
Seek out minimalism-related resources and communities for support and inspiration. There are many online communities and resources available to help you along your minimalism journey.
If you are looking for some high quality, inspirational bloggers to follow, here are my favorites for 2023!
6. Change Your Spending Habits
The most common mistake that minimalists make is focusing on decluttering their belongings instead of changing their spending habits. As inspired as you may be to start decluttering, it’s important to change the habits that led you to the place of needing to declutter in the first place. You’ll need to change your habits so that after you get rid of your things, you don’t find yourself back where you started.
7. Follow the “One In, One Out” Rule
Most successful minimalists follow the “one in, one out” rule. The rule is simple. For every new item that is brought into a space, one existing item must be removed or discarded. This rule is used to help people declutter and manage the amount of stuff they have, as it helps prevent accumulation of unnecessary or excess items. The rule can be applied to a wide range of items, including clothing, books, kitchen tools, and other household goods.
8. Make Do With What You Already Have
Try to make do with what you already have. Learn to repair and maintain the things you have. Rather than constantly buying new items, try to learn how to fix and maintain the things you already own. This can not only save you money, but it can also help you to feel more connected to your possessions.
9. Surround Yourself With Like Minded People
Surrounding yourself with people who share your values will make it easier to stay motivated and focused on what is important to you.
If your goal is to be a better minimalist, surrounding yourself with people who also value minimalism can help keep you accountable. You may also find that you enjoy similar activities.
10. Embrace Minimalism in All Aspects of Life
Although minimalism is most commonly associated with owning (or not owning) physical belongings, this minimalist mindset can translate into all aspects of life. You can become a minimalist in all aspects of life by adopting a ‘less is more’ mindset.
By simplifying your relationships, habits, the food you eat and the job you have, you can fully align yourself with minimalist values. Embracing minimalism in all aspects of life will make you better minimalist. Interested in learning more? Click here to learn how to apply minimalist values to all aspects of your life!
How do you plan to be a better minimalist in 2023? Let me know in the comments below!
Lorena Espinoza says
Thank you so much for this!
barefootminimalists says
Hi Lorena! Thanks for reading
Excellent write up. You know I am a Muslim woman and the interesting thing about minimalism is, we have learned to lead minimalist lifestyles from our holy book Qur’an and other religious teachings. But by reading your article I could able to understand the value and benefits of this lifestyle. Thanks a lot
Yes,less is more!
Hi Tasneem, that is very interesting! Thank you for reading and I’m glad that you found value in this post.
Very interesting I may say and do at my paces.
But I know 1 of my great-niece can use this minimalist approach.
Hi Padilla! Thanks for reading 🙂