Minimalism has many definitions, and what it means to you will depend entirely on your relationship to material possessions. For some people, a completely minimalist lifestyle works for them in keeping their heads clear, while for others, the pressure to be overtly minimal can introduce another stressor into their lives. Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum, minimizing your possessions can help you lead a more focused, peaceful life. If you want to get started on cutting back and paring down, here’s what minimizing your possessions can look like.

Prioritize
If you’re someone with a lot of possessions, or with things spread out over a lot of space, it can be helpful to prioritize not just which possessions you want to keep, but also where the most important spaces are that you need to create more serenity in your home. When beginning the decluttering process, it can be helpful to go room by room in order to break up the process, and so you can figure out the most important things to start with.
Declutter
Within the actual decluttering process, it’s all about finding what actually sparks joy, what you truly need in your day-to-day life and which things you can do without. You may be surprised at the number of things that don’t serve you, and how good you’ll feel when they’re out of sight.
Think About Where You Want to Be
This one is a bit more existential, but it’s still important to consider. When you begin to minimize your life, it can bring about questions of where you see yourself living and what you see yourself doing with your time. For example, if you have multiple cars or residences — or even other structures like boats — you may begin to realize which ones actually matter to you, leading you to where you actually want to be.
Recognize the Evolving Process
One of the most important things to remember about going more minimal with your possessions is that the process of owning — and not owning — things is ever-evolving and lifelong. There will be times in your life where you need to own next to nothing — think backpacking across Europe — and there will be times when you need to own a few more things — think expecting a new baby. Regardless of where you are in life, allow yourself to evolve.
Move Forward With Focus
If one of the primary reasons you’re drawn to minimalist living is to live a focused life, lean into that focus. Of course, you’ll find it much easier to focus when your space is clean and clear, but reminders can never hurt — when you get into your minimalist lifestyle, find the focus you’ve been craving, and harness it.
Minimizing Your Possessions for Focus and Peace
Living a minimalist lifestyle is about so much more than cleaning things up — it’s about really looking inside yourself to find what truly matters to you, so you can live your best life. Where do you plan to start your personal decluttering process?
AUTHOR BIO: CORA GOLD
Cora’s passion is to inspire others to live a happy, healthful, and mindful life through her words on Revivalist–wholeheartedly convincing them that everyday moments are worth celebrating. Cora has spent 5+ years writing for numerous lifestyle sites – hence her sincere love for both life and the beauty of style in all things. Keep up with Cora on Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook.