A few years back, I got intrigued by the word ‘Minimalism’ when one of my favorite YouTubers had a podcast on minimalism on his channel. I have always been a keeper. I believed times might come when I have to use those things and for most materials, it never did. Things got accumulated consuming spaces not only in my cupboards but also in my memory and time. I used to even keep the wrappers of the gift I got on special days. The seed of minimalism was in a dormant state in me for a long time. It was only during the pandemic I decided to dive deep into the concept and the book ‘The minimalist way’ by Erica Layne became a catalyst for my journey. The book talks about how we can derive a life full of joy and peace by integrating this concept into our Home, Workspace and career, Family life, Finances and Budgeting, Time and Time management, and Relationships.
In the book, the author explains how minimalism narrows us down to the values we treasure in our lives and make each of us unique to this world. Minimalism pushes you to identify those three important values for each area of your life and align your life bounding to those values- it can be anything from adventure, authenticity, balance, bravery, citizenship, commitment, community, compassion, consistency, contentment, contribution, creativity, curiosity, dependability, determination and empathy, faith, family, flexibility, focus, friendliness friendship, fun, gratitude, growth, happiness, humour, influence, inner peace, integrity, joy, justice, kindness, knowledge, leadership, learning, love, loyalty, meaningful work, nature, novelty, openness, perseverance, presence, reputation, respect, responsibility, security, self-confidence, self-love, self-respect, self-sufficient, service, simplicity, spirituality, stability, strength, trustworthiness, unity, vitality, wisdom, wonder, etc.
Minimalism brought a tectonic shift in my clothing consumption and helped me to identify the values I need to hold onto while shopping. Today I can fit my wardrobe in a 55 cms American Tourister roller bag.
Keeping a check on my carbon footprint 🙂
We live in a culture of fast fashion. Every time I scroll through my social media account, I see at least 5 ads on various clothing websites with the latest trendsetter kurtas, trousers, and dresses. I am a person who wants to keep in check the amount of non-degradable waste, as a human being is leaving behind. If you are an environmentalist like me, you can also try thinking about methods to cut consumption by keeping ‘nature’ as your core value.
what is your personal favorite?
Open your wardrobe and check which style and color of cloth you find yourself more confident in. Ask yourself what is the reason behind it. It can be the latest trend, or
is it your favorite color?, Does it make you more comfortable? Identify what you prioritize and stick on to your personal favorite element. I live in the hot and humid climate of southern Kerala. So I prefer cotton clothes over other materials and also being a working professional makes me choose something between casual and professional. So you can find light-hearted cotton crop tops and trousers in my wardrobe which I mix and match.
Choose Quality Over Quantity
Keep the quality of buy-in in check. Check if your product lasts for at least five years. Learn how you can mix and match your wardrobe to bring a whole new set of collections. You can get better ideas from YouTube, Pinterest, or Instagram.
The methods I have discussed above are completely personal. What works for me might not work for you. But you can take my example as a strategy that worked for me and can explore yours by understanding yourself. Bringing these values helped me to reduce my decision fatigue and screen time on an average of 10 hours monthly, which I doom scrolled in Myntra, Ajio, Amazone, or any other fashion websites – you name it.
LifeAsWeKnowIt 