I Tried the Minimalist Lifestyle for 30 Days
By: Ananya Dube
Tags: The Ascent, Minimalism, Inner Peace, This Happened To Me, Mindset Shift

I Tried the Minimalist Lifestyle for 30 Days

I’m a hoarder. Oh wait, I was a hoarder. My coping mechanism for the most part of my life has simply been to add things to my cart and proceed to checkout. Anytime, I’m low, upset, or even in a slightly bad mood, shopping lifts my spirits up.

So when I decided to clean my closets at the end of 2020, I was surprised to find things that I didn’t even remember getting. It was terrifying. Not only to clean my closet but to look at all that money that I’d wasted on shoes and clothes that I’d obviously not worn in the last 1 year! That was it, the last nail in the coffin. I had to bid adieu to the whole swiping spree.

I spoke to my best friend, complaining how I had no space to accommodate all of my stuff, after having ample amount of closet space. And he simply said, “Maybe you don’t need to own all this stuff?”

That simple statement made me question all my items.

And that’s it. A minimalist was born.

The realization dawned upon me pretty quickly, because the gazillion clothes, bags, shoes, accessories, etc did not bring me any joy. In fact, if anything they were distracting me from all the happiness I had in my life. They were meaningless and purposeless purchases that were made in the spur of the moment, and did not serve any purpose in my life.

This journey towards this simple lifestyle has been far more life-changing and life-giving than I expected. The possessions in our lives define who we are on a far deeper level than we realize. And as a result, the process of removing them teaches us valuable truths about ourselves and the lives we live.

“The process of living seems to consist in coming to realize truths so ancient and simple that, if stated, they sound like barren platitudes.” — C.S. Lewis

I started by adopting the 30-day minimalism challenge.

So here’s how the 30-day minimalism challenge works: on day 1 of the challenge you pick one item to declutter by donating it, recycling it, or throwing it away — (whatever makes the most sense for the item you picked) — and on day 2 you declutter 2 items, and on day 3, three items, and so on up until day 30 where you’ll declutter 30 items!

Now, doing this can be a little overwhelming. Because you may think, how do I give away 25 or 30 items, in one day, but trust me, the process becomes easier as you embark on the journey. It’s a liberating feeling, to know that you’re not defined by the things you own. In fact, they no longer own you.

Alternatively, you could also consider trying the Marie Kondo method.

The KonMari Method™ encourages tidying by category — not by location — beginning with clothes, then moving on to books, papers, komono (miscellaneous items), and, finally, sentimental items. Keep only those things that speak to the heart, and discard items that no longer spark joy.

By the end of 30 days, I had two empty shelves in my closet and significant space in my shoe closet. It was simple. If I hadn’t used the item in the last 1.5 years, it had to go.

While I achieved my goal of having more space in my closet, there are certain other things too that I learned in the process. Minimalism truly comes with its own perks.