4 Minimalist Mistakes

Let’s talk about mistakes I have seen people who start on this journey make. 

1. Focus on a certain number of items.
   These “lists” you find on Instagram and Pinterest were some of the first things I found when I looked up minimalism. The lists I’m referring to were the ones that list how many dishes, cups, bowls, books, and towels I need to own. Now, I love a good list. And I think they can be tools to help us make decisions. But minimalism isn’t about a number of items you own. What might be just the right amount for you, might be not enough or it might be too much for me. Don’t get hung up on lists. Decide what you and your family need or don’t need and go with that.

2. Getting hung up on one item.
   When we are purging a certain area, we always find that one thing. Something we forgot we had or something that takes us down memory lane. Many times one item can derail and entire closet clean-out if we aren’t careful. If you can’t make a quick decision, set the item to the side and come back to it later. And if you can’t part with it now (even if you know you probably should), don’t! Keep it. Address it next time! (See mistake 3)

3. Think it will take one pass and be done.

   This is a big one. I have been on my minimalism journey for almost 3 years now. I have gone through the same cabinets and closets dozens of times. Yet I will find something that I wasn’t ready to get rid of before and I this time I am. I have decided I am better without it. As I have progressed through this journey I have grown lighter without so many possessions and I also realize how little I use a particular item when I go back through the same drawer 6 months later and realize that article has yet to be disturbed, so I decide it’s finally time to let it go. This journey is a process, not a one time event.

4. Think your journey has to look just like someone else’s.
   Your journey to lighten your burden of possessions will not look exactly like mine. It won’t look exactly like your best friend’s. This is your journey. This is your process. Your life. Decide what works for you. I am certain many people think I have too many coffee cups. And you might have quite a few more purses than I do. I went in full force and took everything out of all my kitchen cabinets in one day, getting rid of a table full of items. You might be taking this one cabinet at a time. And that is ok. 

If one of these “mistakes” have been something you have struggled with, I hope this blog post today gives you the boost you need to know you can do this! And you can do this the way that works for you!