Reasons to Love Minimalism: 15 Ways Less is More

As someone who writes about and strives to live a simple, minimalist life, it’s no surprise that I think there are many reasons to love minimalism.

Decluttering my home, simplifying my schedule and commitments, and shifting my perspective about “stuff” have done wonders for my life.

The benefits of minimalism are worth the time and effort

There are many reasons to love minimalism. Some small, some life-changing.

As I’ve said before, minimalism will look different for each of us, depending on what you value and prioritize. When you declutter and let go of stuff you neither use nor love, you begin realizing the benefits of minimalism. The more you let go of, the more space you make in your life to experience these benefits.

At the beginning of your minimalism journey, it can feel daunting and seem like a lot of work. Completely overhauling your life, your home and the way you live requires time, effort and patience.

But the results of doing so are very much worth it!

There are so many reasons to love minimalism. The benefits minimalism brings into your life are completely worth the time and effort it takes to get there.

15 Reasons to Love Minimalism

Today I want to share 15 reasons to love minimalism. To encourage, inspire and motivate you to put in the time and effort to start experiencing the benefits of less!

1. More time and energy

Every single thing you own takes up some of your time and energy. Some things take up more than others, but they all take some.

Just think, it starts when you decide to buy something. You research it, shop for it, work to pay for it, and bring it home. Then you have to store it, pick it up, clean it, maintain it, organize it, repair it, etc.

Some things are worth the time and energy they require. These are things you use regularly or bring you joy. Other things aren’t worth the amount of time and energy they take up.

The more things you own, the more of your time and energy “stuff” takes up. The less you own, the less time and energy you spend managing your “stuff”. And the more time and energy you have to focus on what is most important to you.

2. More space

Naturally, the less stuff you fill your house with, the more space you will have in your home.

With less stuff, you don’t have closets and basements jammed full. You have more than enough space because you don’t own more than you use or need. You create breathing room in your home when it has less clutter and stuff.

It’s easy to think you need to buy a bigger home, with bigger closets and more storage space. But if you commit to owning less, and only owning things you use regularly or love, you might not need as much space as you think. And you might realize you have more than enough space already, you just had too much stuff!

3. More money

When you commit to embracing minimalism and owning less, you tend to spend less money. Simply because choosing to own less means buying less. And when you do buy new things, you do so thoughtfully and intentionally. Rather than buying things you don’t really need, won’t use, or are more than you need.

A great side effect and reason to love minimalism is when you commit to owning less and buying less, you also tend to save money! Or have more financial freedom to do the things you really want to do, like travel or explore a hobby.

4. Less mental clutter and more focus

A cluttered home often leads to a cluttered mind.

Your external surroundings are often a reflection and mirror of your internal state. When one is cluttered, chaotic or in disarray, the other tends to be as well. You feel overwhelmed, forgetful or unable to concentrate because your space is full of clutter and in disarray.

When you minimize the clutter, you create a more calming environment. A place where your mind and eyes can rest because there is less visual clutter and more white space. Your mind has a chance to become less cluttered and overwhelmed and you can focus more easily.

5. Less stress

When your home is cluttered and chaotic, not only are you bombarded by visual clutter, but your mind also has to work so much harder.

You have to remember where things are among piles of stuff. You lose things and forget about things, simply because there is too much stuff to keep track of.

There are so many ways too much stuff adds stress to your life. All the way from having to work more to pay for it all, or accumulating debt because of it. To having to worry about cleaning it all up, organizing it and managing it all. Even to losing your keys because they got lost under a pile of clutter.

Owning less simply means you have fewer things adding stress to your life.

6. More freedom and flexibility

Another reason to love minimalism is that owning less gives you so much more freedom and flexibility. Not only will you have more time, more space, less stress, more money, etc. But you simply become unburdened from “stuff”.

You start to recognize what actually adds value to your life, and what isn’t worth the price of owning it.

The freedom and flexibility you gain from minimalism look different for all of us.

Maybe it means you can play with your kids more and be the kind of parent you want to be. Or maybe it means you can work fewer hours because you don’t spend as much money anymore. Maybe you travel more once you are no longer weighed down by so much stuff.

The freedom and flexibility minimalism gives you range from little things, to huge, life-changing things.

But the key is, minimalism and owning less gives you the opportunities to create the life you want. It frees up your time, space and money so you can live your life the way you want to. Instead of living the way you have to because you’re weighed down by stuff, commitments and debt.

7. More time for things you love

You gain more time and energy by having fewer things to take care of. Then, you have the opportunity to use that time and energy for what you really love.

Maybe it’s a hobby or activity you want to have more time and energy for. Or maybe it’s more time and energy to spend with friends or family.

Whatever it is for you, owning less means you have more time and energy to devote to the things you love and make you happy.

8. Improved relationships

Carrying on with that thought, minimalism also gives you the opportunity to improve your relationships and focus more on the people you love.

Again, when you have less stuff, you have more time and energy. Which gives you the chance to focus more on the family and friends who are most important to you.

It gives you the chance to play with your kids instead of just cleaning up all the time. Or to meet a friend for coffee because you have more free time. Maybe it’s more time to spend and connect with your spouse rather than feeling drained and tired at the end of another long day.

Minimalism also improves your relationships by making you more comfortable inviting people to your home.

When you have less stuff, your home stays tidier with much less effort. When you aren’t embarrassed that your home will be a mess or don’t need to spend hours cleaning it up before you feel comfortable inviting anyone over, you’re much more likely to welcome guests to your home.

This gives you a chance to deepen your relationships without stressing about how cluttered or messy your home is.

However it looks for you, having more time and energy to devote to the relationships that matter most to you will help those relationships grow, deepen and flourish.

9. Cleaning is easier and faster

Owning less means you have less to pick up, put away, clean, organize, etc. Basically, your home stays cleaner and tidier because there is less stuff to make a mess with inside it.

Also, the less you own, the faster and easier the actual cleaning chores, like vacuuming, dusting, mopping, etc. become. Not only are there fewer items to clean. But there is also less to get in the way while you’re cleaning, so cleaning becomes faster and easier.

10. More environmentally friendly

When you choose to own less, this naturally leads to buying less.

Everything you consume has an impact on the environment. Everything from pollution caused by manufacturing and shipping, to the packaging materials, all adds up. Owning less and buying less reduces your environmental impact.

Also, when you commit to owning less and buying less, you tend to make more careful buying decisions and begin to value quality over quantity. You usually research what you’re buying, and look for the best quality option. Better quality items tend to be less disposable and last longer.

Meaning there are less likely to end up in the landfill in only a short time. Also reducing your environmental impact.

11. More clarity about who you are and what’s important to you

The whole point of minimalism is to figure out what is most important to you. Then get rid of anything that distracts you from it or doesn’t align with it.

Minimalism allows you to remove the excess from your life so you have a chance to pinpoint your values. And gain a better understanding of your own identity.

You discover what you value. And also what you enjoy, what matters most to you and how you want to use your time and energy.

You may even apply minimalist philosophies to your schedule, looking to simplify it and become less busy.

You start to look at the activities and commitments taking up your time. And begin questioning if they add value to your life or not. You become more intentional with what you allow to take up both your time and your energy. Including both the physical stuff you own, and the ways you commit your time.

12. More self-confidence

When you adopt a minimalist mindset, you realize what you own doesn’t determine who you are as a person.  This helps you become more self-confident.

You quit trying to “keep up with the Joneses” and realize what you own doesn’t determine your worth. Your words, your actions and your deeds show the world the kind of person you are. What you own or don’t own simply doesn’t matter.

The more you embrace this, the more self-confident you become. Simply because you aren’t measuring your self-worth by what you own. You recognize your self-worth is intrinsic. Material possessions will never make you feel good about yourself in the long term if you don’t feel good about yourself already.

By breaking the tie between your perceived self-worth and what you own, you give yourself the opportunity to gain self-confidence based on what really matters.

13. More calm

When your space has less clutter, you tend to feel calmer and more peaceful.

Being surrounded by chaos and visual clutter makes it difficult to relax, feel calm and at ease. But a clutter-free, peaceful home makes it easier for you to feel more relaxed and calm.

14. Easier to stay organized

The less stuff you have, the less time and effort you need to spend organizing.

In fact, the more you declutter and embrace minimalism, the less you even need to organize at all. Your closets, drawers and cupboards aren’t jammed full. There is plenty of room for the things you decide to keep.

When you own less, organizing becomes so much simpler, faster and easier to maintain. You don’t need elaborate organizational systems to find ways to fit as much stuff in a space as possible. In fact, you’ll probably have space to spare.

Some organization is always nice so you have a spot for everything you own, and can always find it easily. But the less you own, the less time and effort you need to spend organizing and maintaining your organized spaces.

15. More gratitude

When you commit to owning less, you become more appreciative of the things you have. You recognize that you already own more than enough of what you need. Your attitude and mindset shift and you become grateful for and content with what you already have.

Choosing to own less begins to cultivate a deep sense of gratitude for what you have, as you become more and more aware of what enough looks like for you.

This is one of my favourite reasons to love minimalism. And the one that surprised me the most.

I was so focused on getting rid of stuff, I wasn’t expecting to become so aware and appreciative of what I kept. The impact minimalism has on feelings of contentment and gratitude is one of the best reasons to love minimalism for me.

We each have our own reasons to love minimalism

Each of us is drawn to minimalism for our own unique reasons. But usually, once we begin to embrace minimalism, we realize there are many more reasons to love minimalism than what initially drew us to it.

Minimalism offers so many benefits, and all you need to do is be ready to let go. Let go of the excess, the “stuff”, the unnecessary commitments. And before you know it, your life fills up with so much more. More time, more space, more freedom and all of the other reasons to love minimalism.

Embracing a life with less lets you experience the benefits and all the reasons to love minimalism.

What initially drew you to embracing or dabbling in minimalism? What are your biggest reasons to love minimalism? Let me know in the comments below!