Minimalism and decluttering may sound similar at first because both of them essentially mean that you hoard less stuff, right? But it’s way deeper than that, minimalism requires you to be introspective and find out what things matter to you most and discarding everything that diverts your focus from that. On the other hand, decluttering is just about the removal of things, it doesn’t include any mindful changes. In this post, I am going to discuss how minimalism and decluttering differ from each other which should give you a better understanding of both the topics!
Minimalism versus Decluttering
1. Decluttering is physical practice while Minimalism is Mental practice
Decluttering is like managing everything and assuring that things that we own are organized. It’s a continuous process that we execute whenever we feel overwhelmed with the excess of stuff that we’ve gathered.
With minimalism, we consciously choose to remove all the physical distractions that buffer us from focusing on important things. Minimalism is kind of a meditation that requires us to be intentional.
2. Minimalism is a lifestyle while decluttering is just a tiny step
Minimalism is a mental shift that changes our perspective about the things that we possess. It has impacts on each and every area of our life, and with a few possessions to worry about this way of living rewards us with enough time to pursue our hobbies and gather new experiences.
With decluttering we tend to create organized and well-functioning homes that make daily maintenance activities smoother. An organized home will free up some of our time and provide a less stressful environment.
3. Minimalism allows us to buy experiences while decluttering makes us more vigilant of our finances
Adopting minimalism will ensure that we spend less money on home decor, apparel, necessities, and other such stuff. This allows us to spend more money on the things we actually want to incorporate into our life.
Decluttering on the other hand makes us more aware of things that we own in our home, and gradually we buy fewer things that can create clutter in our life. Thus, this helps us to become more mindful of our finances.
4. Decluttering is a part of minimalism and maybe its first step
Decluttering is an essential part of minimalism and that’s one of the reasons why people get confused between them.
Decluttering is often the first step while adopting a minimalist lifestyle for many individuals because it allows them to drastically change their lifestyle without undergoing any mental shifts.
Later when they realize the benefits of having less, they automatically get motivated to go one step further and try minimalism.
The bottom line
Today, many of us don’t want to be a part of this rat race and we are constantly searching for new ways to improve our lives. Sometimes life circumstances and responsibilities refrain us from making any major changes. I genuinely belive that minimalism is a way to acheive clarity and shows each one of us whats really important in life. With fewer things in your home to focus on, you’ll have more time and money to spend on things that actually matter to you the most!
It doesn’t matter if you start with decluttering or adopt minimalism directly, make sure you understand the meaning of each movement before you start!. I would love to know your views on how minimalism and decluttering differ, which of them would you prefer to follow in your life? Leave a note in the comments!
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