What do you think of when you hear the word minimalism? Tiny homes? One outfit and pair of shoes?
Minimalism isn't a set of rules you must follow. It's a mindset that allows you to determine what your values are, and let go of everything standing in your way. All the societal pressures, the stress you've placed on yourself, the clutter that seems to constantly accumulate.
Getting started is always a bit overwhelming. Mindset shifts take time. Decluttering takes time. So where to start?
I'm a list maker, so I created this method to help us discuss as a family and determine what fits with the life we want to create for ourselves.
FAMILY PRIORITIES AND GOALS
Love Jesus
Love others
Save for our children's future Travel Experiences with our children
Music Active, healthy lifestyle
More time to invest in our children (less cleaning/organizing)
Open our home to others
Every family's list will be different. I suggest doing this exercise alone first, then discussing as a family to make additions and edits to the list.
After you have determined what your families' values are (keep in mind, you may need to return to this list every few years as children grow older or stages of life change), start a new page. On this page you are going to list out practical ways to move towards these priorities and eliminate things that are not priorities.
Prioritize:
Church
Saving vs. spending
Plan a trip each year (even if it's small)
Make a bucket list of experiences for each season
Play music more often at home and sing together
Gym membership for us, Dance Lessons for the girls (and sports when they are old enough)
Determine division of labor and create a daily cleaning routine that works and is manageable
Be intentional about playdates and dinner invites
This is a very simplistic version, you can expand on it in as much detail as you would like!
How has doing this changed our lifestyle?
We let go of one of our couches to make room in our living room for my husband's drum set. We want our children to see us using the skills that we have and this includes practicing our instruments.
We've invested in a gym membership each month even though we could workout at home. Paying the money forces us to use what we are paying for. Our gym also has a pool so we have benefited from family pool trips!
The simple act of writing these out has also helped change our perspective. Knowing what our priorities are has caused us to evaluate our purchases more, our use of our time more. It's served as such a wonderful reset for our family! I highly recommend doing this exercise with your family. You'll be amazed how it helps you to refocus and achieve your goals!
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