Minimalism Mindset: Making Minimalism a Lifelong Habit
Show Notes:
Summary:
In this episode of "Aging with Grace and Style," Valerie Hatcher dives into sustaining minimalism for the long haul. Valerie shares practical tips, mindset shifts, and inspiring listener stories to help you keep the minimalist magic alive. From handling the temptation of sales and managing well-meaning gifts to honoring sentimental items and overcoming the "just in case" mentality, Valerie provides actionable strategies to make minimalism a sustainable lifestyle. She also discusses the importance of daily habits, mindful shopping, and redefining success and happiness to align with minimalist values. Tune in for a comprehensive guide to maintaining a clutter-free, intentional, and enriched life.
Timestamps:
00:00 Continuing minimalism episode: practical tips, mindset shifts.
05:02 Adopt minimalism: one in, one out rule.
10:19 Simplify relationships and commitments; prioritize goals and energy.
11:16 Streamlined wardrobes simplify daily dressing and curating.
14:32 Share or comment: sustaining minimalism, challenges, successes.
Key Takeaways:
- Acknowledge and overcome common hurdles to sustaining minimalism, like sales temptations and sentimental items, with practical strategies.
- Implement daily habits such as the one in, one out rule and a 5-minute daily declutter to maintain a minimalist lifestyle consistently.
- Embrace mindset shifts by prioritizing experiences over possessions and redefining success and happiness beyond material items.
- Regularly reassess your needs and adjust minimalist practices to adapt to life changes, focusing on quality over quantity and multipurpose spaces.
- Practice mindful shopping by questioning the necessity and value of new purchases, and using a 24-hour cooling-off period to avoid impulse buying.
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Transcript
You've decluttered. You've experienced that
Speaker:amazing sense of freedom. But now what?
Speaker:How do you stop the stuff, the emotional baggage,
Speaker:and even the mental clutter from creeping back into your life?
Speaker:Today, we're diving into exactly how
Speaker:to sustain minimalism for the long haul. If
Speaker:you've been wondering how to keep the magic of
Speaker:minimalism alive, then this episode
Speaker:is for you.
Speaker:Hey, friend. Ever feel like those old fashioned
Speaker:ideas about aging just don't fit you? If you're ready to
Speaker:own this incredible chapter with grace, style, and a touch of
Speaker:sass, this is your space. Welcome to the aging with
Speaker:grace and style podcast. I'm Valerie Hatcher, and I'm here
Speaker:with empowering tips, inspiring stories, and a whole lot of
Speaker:fun just for us, women over 50. So grab
Speaker:your favorite beverage, turn up the volume, and let's get
Speaker:started.
Speaker:We're picking up right where we left off in our
Speaker:August 6th minimalism episode. If you haven't
Speaker:heard it, make sure that you check it out. We talked
Speaker:all about the life changing magic of letting go, but
Speaker:I've heard from so many of you, how do I
Speaker:keep this going? Well, today, I'm answering that
Speaker:question. I'm diving into practical tips,
Speaker:mindset shifts and even some listener stories on how
Speaker:to sustain minimalism long term. Let's
Speaker:explore how to keep that minimalist
Speaker:mindset alive, not just for a few
Speaker:weeks or months, but for life. Now,
Speaker:I know what some of you might be thinking. Valerie,
Speaker:I decluttered my home, but somehow the
Speaker:stuff keeps creeping back in.
Speaker:Or I started strong, but I'm finding it hard to
Speaker:stay motivated. Don't worry. You're not alone.
Speaker:Sustaining minimalism can be challenging, especially
Speaker:in a world that constantly encourages us
Speaker:to consume more. Some common hurdles that
Speaker:we face include the temptation of sales and good
Speaker:deals. We've all been there. You see something
Speaker:on sale and think, I might need this someday.
Speaker:But remember, a good deal on something you don't
Speaker:need is still clutter. Here's a tip.
Speaker:Before buying, pause and ask yourself,
Speaker:would I still want this if it were full price? If the
Speaker:answer is no, then it's likely an impulse
Speaker:by implementing, say, a
Speaker:24 hour waiting period before making a purchase
Speaker:can also help curb that temptation.
Speaker:The next would be, I'd say, gifts from well meaning friends and
Speaker:family. It's always great to receive
Speaker:gifts, but sometimes, they just don't
Speaker:align with our minimalist goals. Here's how
Speaker:I navigate this. Now don't tell nobody.
Speaker:First, I receive the gift with grace and gratitude, of
Speaker:course. But then remember, the
Speaker:value is in the thought behind the gift, not the
Speaker:item itself. So it's okay to donate
Speaker:or to regive something if it doesn't serve you. You
Speaker:still honor the giver's intent without holding
Speaker:on to unnecessary items. Then there's
Speaker:sentimental items that are just hard to part with.
Speaker:So sentimental things like old photos,
Speaker:children's artwork, and heirlooms, they're
Speaker:tough. One way to honor these items
Speaker:without keeping every single one is to take pictures
Speaker:or to create a digital archive. You can
Speaker:always choose a few meaningful items to display and
Speaker:to let go and let go of the rest of them.
Speaker:Then there's the this is a good one. The just in
Speaker:case mentality. Now how often have you kept
Speaker:something just in case you might need it one day?
Speaker:Here's how I tackle this. I ask myself,
Speaker:what's the worst that could happen if I didn't have this?
Speaker:Often, the answer is that you can borrow the item, buy
Speaker:it later if absolutely needed, or just
Speaker:live without it. Trust that you have what you
Speaker:need for the life as it is right now,
Speaker:not for the hypothetical future scenario.
Speaker:Now the key to long term
Speaker:minimalism is making it part of your everyday
Speaker:life. So let's talk about some habits and routines
Speaker:that will help you maintain your minimalist mindset.
Speaker:The one in, one out rule. For every new
Speaker:item that you bring into your home, remove one
Speaker:thing. This keeps your space balanced, and it
Speaker:prevents accumulation. I really, really,
Speaker:really try to adhere to this, especially when it comes
Speaker:to clothes and shoes. Now, I sometimes fall off the
Speaker:wagon, but I get back on. Then
Speaker:there's the daily 5 minute declutter.
Speaker:So this is just spend just 5 minutes each day
Speaker:tidying up and putting things back in their place.
Speaker:Small, consistent efforts will prevent clutter from building
Speaker:up. I've been pretty good about this since we
Speaker:remodeled. I love my kitchen and my downstairs so much
Speaker:that I refuse to clutter it. Now this month,
Speaker:with a lot of travel, I've had my moments. But when I take
Speaker:a look at it and I see these things are piling up, I quickly
Speaker:readjust. Then there's regular reassessment.
Speaker:Set a reminder, say, every few months to go through your
Speaker:belongings and reassess what you truly
Speaker:need and use. I'm thinking maybe every
Speaker:3 months would be great, but that's probably not that realistic.
Speaker:So twice a year. So, say, every 6 months,
Speaker:go through and reassess what you need or what you don't need.
Speaker:And then there's mindful shopping. Before making
Speaker:a purchase, ask yourself, do I really
Speaker:need this? Will it add value to my
Speaker:life? And as I talked about the 24 hours
Speaker:before, a 24 hour cooling off period
Speaker:before your buying can also help avoid
Speaker:impulse buys. I know this might be easier said
Speaker:than done, but you think if
Speaker:you wait, then it might
Speaker:not be here. Let
Speaker:me do that part. So then there's mindful shopping.
Speaker:Before making a purchase, ask yourself, do I really need
Speaker:this? Will it add value to my life?
Speaker:A 24 hour cooling off period before buying can
Speaker:also help avoid input impulse buys. I
Speaker:know this might sound easier said than done,
Speaker:but you think, if I wait,
Speaker:it might not be here. But just think about it.
Speaker:If it's not there, maybe that means you didn't really need it.
Speaker:Sustaining minimalism isn't just about decluttering physical
Speaker:items. It's also a mindset.
Speaker:Now here's a mindset shift to help you live minimally.
Speaker:Number 1, focus on experiences over
Speaker:possessions. Invest in experiences that
Speaker:create lasting memories rather than accumulating
Speaker:more things. The funny thing is that on our
Speaker:recent vacation with our friends, we were all sitting around
Speaker:talking one day, and we had this conversation about,
Speaker:at this stage in life, our trips and and
Speaker:things that we consume should be more about
Speaker:experiences. Number 2, redefine
Speaker:success and happiness. True happiness comes
Speaker:from relationships, personal growth, and purpose,
Speaker:not material things. Remind yourself that
Speaker:you are enough as you are, and your worth is
Speaker:not tied to the things that you own. And number
Speaker:3 is embrace
Speaker:imperfection. Minimalism doesn't mean that
Speaker:your life has to be perfectly organized. It's okay to
Speaker:have moments where things feel a bit cluttered. As I mentioned
Speaker:earlier, I've gone through this lately. The goal
Speaker:is progress, not perfection. And each
Speaker:day is a new opportunity to realign with your
Speaker:minimalist goals. Now one of the
Speaker:biggest shifts that I've made in realizing that minimalism
Speaker:isn't a onetime project is it's a
Speaker:lifestyle. It's about being intentional
Speaker:in every part of your life, not not just your
Speaker:your home. That means simplifying your
Speaker:relationships, your commitments, and even your
Speaker:healthy habits. For example, I've started
Speaker:applying minimalism to my schedule. I asked myself,
Speaker:is this commitment really serving me? If it's
Speaker:not, I don't hesitate to let it go.
Speaker:And I found that by saying no to things that don't
Speaker:align with my goals, I have more time and energy
Speaker:for what truly matters. And trust me, I have a lot on my
Speaker:plate, so I don't have time to do things that I don't wanna
Speaker:do. Now I love hearing
Speaker:from all of you about how minimalism has impacted your
Speaker:life. Here's some listeners' stories that I know will
Speaker:inspire you. So Susan from Florida shares
Speaker:how she maintains a minimalist wardrobe by using
Speaker:a capsule system. She says, I limit my
Speaker:wardrobe to about 30 pieces per season, and it
Speaker:makes getting dressed every day so much easier.
Speaker:Susan, this is something that I probably really need to try because I look
Speaker:at my wardrobe, and lord knows I have way more than 30 pieces,
Speaker:and I don't wear half of them because I work from home most days. So
Speaker:this is a good learning for me. The next one is
Speaker:John from Oregon. And, yes, we do have male
Speaker:listeners, and that makes me so happy. And so
Speaker:John talks about his one in, two
Speaker:out rule for books. He loves reading,
Speaker:but this rule helps him keep his collection curated
Speaker:and meaningful. And then last one is Maria from
Speaker:Texas. She explains how she and her husband have
Speaker:embraced minimalism in retirement,
Speaker:focusing on experiences rather than possessions.
Speaker:As we age, our needs change, and so
Speaker:should our approach to minimalism. Maybe you're downsizing
Speaker:or perhaps grandchildren are coming to visit more often.
Speaker:Here's how to adapt. 1, regular
Speaker:reassessment. As your life changes, reassess your
Speaker:needs and adjust your minimalist practices accordingly.
Speaker:2, flexible spaces. So create
Speaker:multipurpose areas in your home that can adapt to
Speaker:different needs. 3, quality
Speaker:over quantity. Invest in fewer
Speaker:high quality items that serve you better.
Speaker:And then 4, digital minimalism. Don't
Speaker:forget to clean out your digital life regularly.
Speaker:Oh, boy. That's a hard one for me, and that's one that I am
Speaker:constantly thinking that I need to work on.
Speaker:So let's quickly recap what we've covered
Speaker:today. Sustaining minimalism starts with
Speaker:recognizing the common hurdles from sales
Speaker:temptations to sentimental items and having
Speaker:strategies in place to overcome them. Build
Speaker:daily habits like the one in, one out rule
Speaker:to keep minimalism sustainable. Be mindful
Speaker:of emotional triggers and mindful consumption to
Speaker:avoid recluttering. Minimalism is
Speaker:a lifestyle. It's about being intentional in
Speaker:all areas of your life. So as we wrap up,
Speaker:remember, minimalism is a journey, not a
Speaker:destination. It's about finding what works for
Speaker:you and making room for the things that truly matter,
Speaker:whether that's peace of mind, meaningful relationships, or
Speaker:simply more space to just breathe. I
Speaker:encourage you to take a small step this week,
Speaker:whether it's applying the one in, one out rule or
Speaker:taking a mindful pause because before your next
Speaker:purchase. Little by little, those
Speaker:small changes will make a big difference. I'd
Speaker:love to hear how you're sustaining minimalism in your life,
Speaker:what's working for you, and what what challenges that you
Speaker:faced. Feel free to drop a comment below,
Speaker:or as always, leave me a voice message at pod.aging
Speaker:with grace and style.com. We're all in this
Speaker:together, supporting one another along the way. If you
Speaker:found today's episode helpful, please consider
Speaker:subscribing, leaving a review, or sharing it with a friend
Speaker:who could benefit from some minimalist inspiration. Until
Speaker:next time, keep living with grace,
Speaker:style, and just the right amount of stuff.
Speaker:Thanks for hanging out with me today. I hope you're feeling
Speaker:inspired and ready to own your awesomeness. I love
Speaker:sharing this space with you, and if you loved today's episode,
Speaker:do me a favor, share it with a friend who could use some
Speaker:extra inspiration. A quick rating and review
Speaker:really helps too. Don't forget to subscribe so
Speaker:you never miss an episode. Let's keep this conversation
Speaker:going. Head over to pod dot aging
Speaker:with grace and style.com to sign up for my newsletter.
Speaker:Until next time, keep shining with grace,
Speaker:style, and a whole lot of sass.
