Like any significant life event, journalling can be a useful tool to help you make sense of the things you’re experiencing and to assist you in making a plan. Minimalism is no different and if you choose to go on a journey to a simpler life, you are bound to have some feelings and reflections about it on your way- here are just a few reasons to start your journal today!
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To give you a purpose: Before you start, you can write down your most important reasons for wanting to change- whether that is to spend more time with loved ones, to downsize your home for retirement or to go travelling with a single backpack, there is always a ‘why’. Be sure to write this down and keep it at the forefront of your mind as you go through the process.
To explore emotions: Only you know how certain possessions make you feel- even the most understanding of partners, family members or friends won’t know the extent of your attachment to something. If you choose to part with a piece that is difficult- you may need to unpack the emotions that are attached to it and remind yourself of why you are now deciding to declutter this item from your life.
To keep the momentum going: If you have a lot of stuff to shift, it can be easy to lose your way. Journaling about your progress each night can help you to see how far you’ve come and thus spur you on to persist in your efforts. If you sense that your enthusiasm is waning, you can make a promise to yourself to do something smaller the next day to ensure you don’t stop altogether.
To remember how it feels: Sometimes we do things and it feels great at the time but then instantly, that elation goes away. If you record it as you are on a high this can be hugely positive when you are tired or need a boost to move you into the next section or room. If you got a buzz from finally organising and purging your sock drawer- write it all down and capture the moment. It may seem small at the time but it's significant all the same.
To keep a record of your progress: Like anything that takes time such as training for an event or studying for an exam, it’s good to see where you began and the steps that were required to get you to where you are now. Reading back over this will give you an incentive to approach the finish line and, most importantly to maintain things once you’ve reached your minimalist sweet spot.
To help you focus and plan: You can map out what rooms you want to tackle and when, think about when you can carve out some time around work or your children and have a completion date in mind. If these alter as you go on- that’s ok- life sometimes gets in the way- but you can use your journal to draw up a new schedule that is more in keeping with what’s happening in your world at the time.
Who knows where it might take you... So many people have decided to turn their minimalism journey into the basis of YouTube channel, book or blog, so if you do feel the pull to do this later down the line, you will have a day by day account of everything you did and when, which can be tidied up and embellished upon ready for public consumption.
RELATED: Minimalism: Seven common mistakes people make when journeying into minimalism
Believing everything you see on social media: YouTube videos, Instagram stories and Facebook pictures can be weeks, months, if not years in the making. Take for instance a mother who is doing one final decuttler of her children’s toys- she may have been on her minimalist journey for several years. Don’t believe that a 20 minute video is just the result of a few hours of work. It’s not, so avoid putting pressure on yourself to keep up with these unrealistic expectations...
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