It’s the last day of 2023, and I can’t help but think about the year I’ve had. Life is so unpredictable, and this year taught me to embrace change. I’ve taken on minimalism with enthusiasm and excitement. But, like most things in life, the greatest results come from habits, not goals. Which is why I want to share a list of minimalist habits to build in the new year.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but minimalism is a mindset.
To live simply is at the epicenter of this mindset, and I wanted to extrapolate the lessons of minimalism used in decluttering and cleaning a home to other areas of my life.
Since simple and necessary actions produce the most results, here are a few minimalist habits to build for better financial, physical, and mental health.
A quick note: Atomic Habits is a book written by James Clear on the science of building habits. It is my favorite book on the topic and has helped me to become a consistent blogger and writer by focusing on the process of becoming 1% better every day.
Grab a copy here on Amazon for the new year. It’s a game-changer.
Moving on…
Build These Minimalist Habits With Me
1. Drink smoothies for breakfast
It is easy to transform your health or maintain a wonderful body with a nutrition plan that is simple to follow.
Far too much time and money gets spent relying on cravings and takeout food.
Since I have only a limited amount of time and energy in a day, I don’t want to spend it in the kitchen.
But I also want to eat cleanly and enjoy what I consume.
The solution?
Smoothies! 😀
For a simple breakfast option that meets those needs, drink smoothies.
I’ve started this routine already, but I plan to continue it for an entire year.
Here’s my minimalistic breakfast smoothie recipe:
- Blueberries (packed in antioxidants and phytochemicals)
- 1 Banana (a healthy source of potassium and natural sugar)
- 150ml almond or coconut milk (easier to digest than lactose)
- 1-2 tablespoons chia seeds (packed in healthy omega 3’s)
- 1 Probiotic supplement (optional)
- 1-2 tablespoons of yogurt or kefir (optional)
- 150–200 ml of spring water or reverse osmosis water (free of chlorine and rich in minerals)
I purchase frozen blueberries because they are cheaper and easier to store.
It takes about 5 minutes to prep and clean up, which saves a chunk of time in my day.
One of these smoothies pulls me until lunchtime with ample energy to work. For a more satiating smoothie, try adding oats.
2. Wait 24 hours before making an impulsive purchase
I’m an impulsive shopper who used to buy into the idea of retail therapy.
I wasted too much money and accumulated unnecessary items that created clutter in my home.
More often than not, those impulsive purchases that were rooted in desire could have been avoided if I just waited a couple of hours to think about them rationally.
Often, after sleeping, I wake up with clarity on whether I truly want and need something or not.
To avoid wasting money and accumulating more things, I will wait 24 hours before making a purchase that is unessential.
Related article: The advantages of owning less (a minimalist’s experience)
3. Make your own coffee
We’ve all heard about this before, but the amount of money you can save in a year by preparing your own coffee at home is astounding.
But this idea goes beyond simple coffee.
It’s about being conscious of the way we spend money and our relationship with convenience.
Often, many of us trade valuable dollars for convenience at the cost of our financial goals.
$5 per day on coffee doesn’t seem like much, but when you zoom out for a year, that’s $1825.
Over 10 years, that’s $18250!
Imagine if you were to invest your yearly spending on coffee. What could the return be in 10 to 20 years?
The fascinating part about this idea is that you can still have a cup of coffee every day, provided that you are willing to make it at home.
It could cost as little as 27 cents per cup of coffee made at home, and by the end of a year, you’d save $1726.45!
4. Clean your own car
I love supporting local businesses, but when you have to get a full house package regularly, the dollars add up.
I’m on a tight budget because I want to save for my future.
Also, to fund my way of life, I must be frugal and intentional with my money.
That’s just the cost of pursuing entrepreneurship during the early days of growth.
Washing my car on a Sunday morning doesn’t seem like a bad way to soak up some sunshine while saving money.
It’s also a great way to develop a healthy appreciation and respect for my possessions.
4. Buy duplicate t-shirts and pants
I don’t want to spend too much time on fashion, but I also want to look smart, fashionable, and well put together.
Thankfully, the two do not have to be mutually exclusive.
Rather than looking for multiple styles of different clothing, it makes more sense to me to buy two to three duplicates of a t-shirt and pants I like.
For variation, I can choose different colors.
This is a great way to incorporate minimalism into my wardrobe without sacrificing style and comfort.
5. Keep an empty mailbox
I used to overcomplicate things by not making a habit of replying to emails and deleting spam regularly.
But, going into the new year, I have decided to make it a habit to keep an empty mailbox.
Here’s how:
- Unsubscribe from unessential services and newsletters.
- Delete non-work-related or unimportant personal emails after reading them.
- Set aside 15 minutes in the morning during breakfast and at night to reply to unanswered emails.
- Archive emails older than a month since any communication.
6. Follow the One-in, One-out rule
To prevent clutter and hoarding, donate, sell, or trash something whenever you get a new item.
This only applies to certain categories of belongings, like clothing, appliances, and devices.
It’s difficult to do this at first, but it certainly is a useful habit to maintain a clean, organized, and minimalistic home.
Related article: 8 Tips to clear clutter from your home
7. Stop replying to every chat
To ease a troubled mind and heart, look inwardly, and if the problem cannot be found, look outwardly.
Sometimes, it is the people we associate with who cause the greatest amount of stress and mental clutter.
I’ve come to realize that it is far better to maintain a small circle of good contacts than to reply to a large circle of people who drag you down.
Not everyone deserves to have your attention on a daily basis.
Take inventory of the chats that positively influence you and stop replying to those that don’t.
I’m really excited for what I will be able to accomplish with these habits over the course of a few years. I’d love to hear your thoughts as well as your experience with building habits like this. Please share them with me in the comment section below 🙂