How to Become a Minimalist in 30 Days

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

An experiment by culinary blogger Claire Lower.

One day it dawned on me: my life will never be elegant, easy and relaxed. While I only dream of a future wardrobe, in which only tailored things in muted tones, shirts and sweaters in natural shades of ivory and stone will hang, I will continue to order jumpers with painted donuts at sales in the online store and buy necklaces in the form dinosaur skeleton.

I gave up on the idea of reducing my wardrobe to basic, but at the same time decided to find opportunities for a minimalist life. I am constantly distracted by my phone, writing something on the Internet, wondering what they will say about me. And I lose the ability to carry on a conversation like a normal person.

I stumbled upon, a blog about a simple and measured life with the least amount of stuff. The blog is run by Anuschka, a chic and happy woman who looks like she knows everything.

I decided to learn from her and rummaged through the entire site until I found a plan "" - that's what I needed. I propose to go along this path with me. Who knows, maybe you'll start buying chic loose shirts too?

Day 1. Spend 24 hours offline

Oh no. I assumed that the path to perfection would start with something like this. But I didn't even know about the complete rejection of the Internet.

I live and work on the Internet, so I couldn't start acting for a whole week. Had to wait for Saturday not to go crazy at the thought of missed posts from editors or angry users.

I turned off all social media notifications and went for a walk with my husband, enjoying nature, rather than taking photos for Instagram. I did take a couple of pictures, because the places around were beautiful. But these were nature photos, not selfies! This is already worth something.

Since I did not make a record of every step I took, but could simply admire the trees and streams, I never even stumbled over a stone. But when we got home, I started to worry. I imagined mocking comments from hostile anonymous Twitter accounts.

What if someone is attacking me right now on the Internet, and I can't even defend myself and figure out the situation?

The next morning I checked all my accounts and found that nothing significant had happened. And I felt very stupid.

Day 2. Meditate 15 minutes

I have meditated twice in my life. Once in a yoga class (I didn't even know it was meditation), another time with a special meditation app. I was about to download another app, but instead I found an answer to the question of how to meditate on WikiHow. I wanted to start the meditation looking at the crystal, but I don't have any crystals, so I stopped at the fact that I just sat down and began to concentrate on my breathing.

It was raining outside the window, so the soundtrack was great, but it was difficult to meditate. Songs were spinning in my head, but by the middle of the meditation I managed to achieve the result. The sounds that usually made me white-hot, such as when the dog chews or scratches something, did not bother me anymore. I felt like sleeping.

I can't say that I noticed serious changes, but I became a little calmer. Even if I'm terribly busy, you can always find 15 minutes and devote them to yourself. And nothing terrible will happen.

Day 3. Organize your digital life

I used this assignment as an opportunity to unsubscribe from many mailings. Then I tried to reduce the number of unread messages to zero. I just tried, because somewhere there were still two unread letters lying around, which I could not find, having looked through the entire inbox.

I was terribly upset about these emails, but the two incoming messages are less bothersome than the 1,723 I started with.

Day 4. Spend a day without complaints

I'm not sure I coped with this assignment. I don’t know what the difference is between “definitely expressed dissatisfaction” and simply “remarking that something is not optimal”. I preferred to speak only in a positive way, and allowed myself negative statements only in situations where it was impossible to do without it. Let's say when my feet are on fire.

Everything was fine until a friend sent a message warning me that someone on the internet was scolding me! I told my husband, and then I remembered that this can be regarded as a complaint. Then I limited myself to retelling the key moments of the story with a minimum of emotions, then I decided that there was nothing to be done about it, and was able to speak calmly.

I don’t know why it became easier, but I managed not to repeat the same thing to my husband a million times, for which, I’m sure, he is very grateful.

Day 5. Highlight three to six critical tasks

It was complicated. I didn’t know for what period to set priorities: for a day, for a month, for a lifetime, or I need to outline current tasks. Then I made three lists: current goals (from now and for three years ahead), goals for the near future (for a period from three to ten years) and goals for the whole life. Based on the results, I identified five most important tasks that I would like to work on:

• my book;
• fitness - I want to run half a marathon next year;
• finance;
• marriage - you need to remain good partners for each other;
• family - to devote more time to parents, brothers and sisters, over time to have or adopt a child.

Day 6. Start every morning with a ritual

When I started working at home, my imagination painted a beautiful picture: getting up early, doing yoga, having a healthy breakfast. But I rarely eat breakfast, and I do yoga even less often.

Anushka recommends starting the day with a relaxing and energizing ritual, rather than rushing to check the number of incoming messages (and how does she only know?).

Morning exercises are not suitable for me, it is too hard to write something before I do the work. My morning ritual is very simple: I cuddle and talk to my dog before getting out of bed. It may not be very similar to a ritual, but it is relaxing and uplifting.

Day 7. Organize your reading lists

At first I thought that Anushka was talking about books and that this was a pointless exercise. But she meant everything I read on the internet. It was necessary to unsubscribe and delete bookmarks. Since I only subscribed to two blogs that I like, all the attention went to the bookmarks, which were in complete disarray. I created separate folders for bookmarks: "Old", "Current", "Other projects", sorted everything and enjoyed the neat and tidy result of work.

Day 8. Learn to love loneliness

Ready. I already love loneliness.

Day 9. Throw the excess out of your cosmetic bag

The instructions for this day looked intimidating, and at first I did not want to follow them: “Make a list of all the products that you use all the time, starting with hair care. The rest should be thrown away."

But then a loophole was discovered in the instructions, and I made the list as vague as possible, writing simply "lipstick", "probes". Since this was not a completely honest move, I threw away all the makeup that I had never used, spoiled lipstick and chemical peels, the whole effect of which was in a reddened face.

Day 10. Don't check email and social media until lunchtime

I stepped back from directions a bit and checked my mail because I was waiting for an important letter. But I didn't look at social networks. It helped that I turned off the alerts on the first day.

I did a lot that morning. I'm beginning to suspect that my dad was right when he said that social media only distracts from business.

Day 11. Assess Your Commitments

I will not describe the details, but I agreed to carry out a project that did not need to be undertaken. I didn’t get any reward for the time I spent, and while it was good to know that I was doing a service, the lack of compensation began to affect my work. With so many tasks around that you get paid to do, it gets harder and harder to do anything for free.

Day 12. Set goals for the year ahead

It's simple. This year I want to earn my publishing royalties, finish my book project, and learn how to butcher meat and poultry.

Day 13. Clean your closet

Relatively recently, I was already sorting things out, preparing for a trip around the country. But that didn't change the fact that the closet was in complete disarray. When a pile of rubbish from the far corner went to the trash heap, they managed to put a laundry basket in the empty space. It immediately became easier for me.

Day 14. Start learning a new skill

As the 12th day showed, my goal is to learn how to properly butcher meat. My husband gave me a book on this subject, so I took the next step and opened it.

Day 15. Examine your daily habits

My habits are to sleep after nine in the morning and sit hunched over the computer, forgetting to drink water. I have studied these habits and I doubt that they can be changed significantly. But you can try to sit more evenly and drink more water.

Recently I have developed a good habit, albeit not a daily one. I started running and I love it.

Day 16. Don't buy anything in 24 hours

It was not possible because I have to buy ingredients to write for a food blog. So the task of the day remained unfulfilled, but that doesn't upset me.

Day 17. Do one thing at the same time

I usually have 10 tabs open, and I constantly check social media and check inboxes while I write articles. I closed all unnecessary windows and dealt with only one problem. When nothing distracted me, words were found faster.

But I felt psychological discomfort because I don't know how things are going in my mail.

Day 18. Sign out of friends and followers on social networks

I have unsubscribed from hundreds of Twitter followers. This is really great.

Day 19. Go for a walk and be aware of the moment

Technically, I didn't go for a walk. I had a run on schedule and decided to practice mindfulness while running. It turns out that it helps to run. I set myself the task of running 6.5 kilometers (which is already more than the last result per kilometer), and ran 8 kilometers.

Mindfulness - an attentive attitude to my body and the things around me - allowed me to check with myself every second, change my posture and stride width, and regulate muscle work.

Honestly, it helped me run more than usual.

Day 20. Reading instead of TV

Forgetting to warn my family not to turn on the TV because of my decision to become a minimalist, with peripheral vision I watched the news in the kitchen, but after lunch I picked up a book and went to read. I learned a lot of interesting things.

Day 21. Keep a journal for 20 minutes

This task upset me, because for some reason I wrote down all the bad things that happened to me and made this day the least productive. Therefore, I do not keep a diary. It always ends with me writing about something bad, and the worries recorded on paper become more real. And I will not rest until I tear all the pages and flush them down the toilet. Maybe I'm not keeping my diaries wrong.

Day 22. Create a relaxing bedtime ritual

At the moment, my evening ritual is this: I watch the TV show until my eyelids start to stick together, hastily wash my face and brush my teeth. Not very relaxing.

I decided to change my ritual and pamper myself before going to bed. I often wash my hands, and they are not yet used to the dry climate. I have loads of unused hand cream tubes, and one of them has settled down next to the sink. So evening skin care turned into a ritual. In addition, the time of hygiene procedures has changed. If I used to run to the bathroom after a few episodes of the series, now I wash my face before I turn on the TV. It helps to avoid eating before bed.

Day 23. Don't wear makeup

Made. Nobody screamed or ran away from me in horror, so everything is fine. Plus, I didn't have to rinse off my makeup before jogging. (A mark from poorly washed eyeliner doesn't count as makeup, does it?)

Day 24. Give thanks

I've made a long list of things I'm grateful for. It had big things like "a healthy body" and "support from a loved one", as well as a lot of little things like bath bombs and daffodils.

Day 25. Don't plan your day

It turned out awkward, but in the evening I made a to-do-list. I decided not to forget about him, but also not to strictly adhere to plans, allowing events to happen. I didn’t end the day as planned, but nothing special happened.

Day 26. Identify the factors causing stress

Here are the top factors that make me nervous:

• letters to which there was no answer (it doesn't matter if they were written to me or by me);
• clutter in the house;
• imperfect life situation;
• reading my old texts (what if I find a mistake?);
• irregular income, which is inevitable for a freelancer;
• a mess in the refrigerator full of suspicious foods that no one eats.

Most of the stress can be avoided, such as answering emails on time and cleaning the refrigerator shelves, but a lot needs to be done to address the financial issue and change the life situation.

Maybe if I tidy up the little things, it can help me cope with higher stress levels?

Day 27. Clean the trivia drawer

I don't have a dedicated storage space for small items, but I panic every time I open a cabinet or refrigerator. So I cleaned it up. Honestly, nothing calms me better than order in the kitchen.

Day 28. Free yourself from purpose

Many years ago, when I realized that I didn't want to be a veterinarian, I changed that goal to “become a PhD.” Obviously, this goal was not achieved, although I constantly returned to the idea of continuing my studies. Interests ranged from the scientific approach to products to communications.

Now I can give up this goal. I will never do that because I don’t want to go back to school.

Day 29. Turn off alerts

This was done on the first day! One action gave me so much freedom! I no longer waste time looking at my phone, tweets and likes no longer distract me.

Day 30. Rate your five most recent purchases

My last purchases were unnecessary and the result looks like this:

1. River Running, by Joan Didion ($ 9.99) - I loved the novel immensely and never get discouraged buying books.
2. A bottle of sparkling wine that my friends and I opened while watching a documentary about champagne ($ 20). The wine had a strange aroma with hints of blue cheese. Sounds strange, but I liked it.
3. Promotional lunch at a restaurant ($ 30) is a bad waste. I don’t know if they have something worthy on the menu, but I don’t want to check it anymore.
4. The new desk ($ 93) is a great buy, I'm tired of working at the kitchen table.
5. The chemical formula swimsuit ($ 85) is a complete disaster. I returned it and got the money back.

It can be concluded that I need to eat less in cafes and restaurants, sit at home more often, read and drink wine. Not the worst plan that will definitely make my life easier.

I did it

Not every day was able to change something in my life, but I learned something new about myself:

• my face looks good without makeup, I don't need it for my daily activities;
• keeping my refrigerator tidy works wonders for my mental health;
• jogging is more effective than meditation, for me it is the only way to listen to my body.

Most of the time I don't need to be online, there is nothing on the Internet that can't wait.

Overall, I started to pay more attention to the things that are worth it, and I hope that the new habits will stay with me. The plan worked a lot, although I still dress like a teenager.

Have you ever run a similar marathon? Do you want to live easier? Fancy wearing loose-fitting shirts in natural shades?