Minimalism has become a buzzword for the past several years, but it’s not just a trend. Becoming a minimalist is a lifestyle that involves simplifying your life and focusing on what truly matters. Minimalist time management for example allows a person to say yes to more of what they love.
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t enjoy your life more when you say, no, to activities. Happiness in life comes from saying yes to the right things.
Fortunately, minimalist time management does not focus on squeezing more productivity into your limited hours. Instead, minimalist time management focuses on reducing distractions, aligning activities with goals, and living out your vision.
There are seven factors that create my minimalist time management philosophy.
Reduce Distractions
Minimalists have less distractions in their life as a result of their lifestyle choice. Things have a tendency to unnecessarily occupy our time. Once we eliminate the pointless objects, they will no longer divert our attention.
Everything from video game consoles to the broken towel warmer you’ve been meaning to fix can distract you from living your life. Understanding how to eliminate distractions is one of the key elements of minimalist time management.
Prioritize
The vast majority of your minimalist journey will center around mindset. Instead of letting external forces dictate how your time is spent, you will begin to reclaim that power.
You will use your time and energy on activities that are meaningful to you instead of pleasing others. Allow yourself to value your time. Use your time first on the things you deem most important before diluting your time on less important tasks.
Decision Fatigue
Every day you make upwards of 35,000 decisions. From the moment you wake up you must decide if you will use the restroom or put on a bathrobe, what to eat for breakfast, what clothes to put on. Within each task there are multiple micro decisions leading to mental calculations all day every day.
Reducing the number of coffee cups and clothes in your closet actually help streamline your day. Less choices makes for faster decisions with less disappointment. You have eliminated that coffee mug that doesn’t sit flush on the table and the shirt that always makes you look wider than you are. Instead of having to remember not to grab that mug or that shirt, you’ve prevented your mind from even needing to consider those possibilities.
Eliminate Organizing
The actual time lost on organizing and re-organizing junk is mind blowing. You actually gain time purely based on the fact you won’t need to spend hours messing with possessions.
Every time you search for something in the garage or re-organize the linen closet you are taking time away from enjoying intentional activities.
Mindfulness
You will feel entirely differently about how you spend your time when you practice mindfulness. Instead of feeling constantly spread thin, you can feel fulfilled and satisfied with your efforts.
What is the point of living a life you are constantly barely present in? If you feel as though you’re never doing enough and you have thoughts on countless other things then it’s time to start getting mindful.
Scheduling
Before minimalism I would go crazy with glitter pens and stickers to dial in the perfect calendar each January. My excitement for new beginnings and all the fun activities was always high at the beginning of the year. But, shortly after that high wore off the overwhelm would set in.
The stress of all the things on my calendar that were a drag would cause me to stop opening my calendar. I let external factors make my schedule so overwhelming that I shut down and didn’t want to do anything. Now because of minimalist time management I am back to glitter pens and stickers, but my calendar only has things I WANT to do. I’m in control of my schedule.
Calm
Everything in life becomes easier when you come from a place of calm. Minimalism mindset includes decluttering your brain. Get rid of the thoughts, stories, and narratives that don’t serve you.
Fill your mind with thoughts you enjoy, stories that motivate you, and narratives that move you forward. Your life begins and ends with what you allow to occupy your brain.
Your Guide to Maximizing Your Time and Life
You are not your productivity. Embracing minimalist time management mindset is not about increasing productivity for the sake of someone else. All the little moments you spend accumulate to either create the life you want or one you are unhappy in.
One way to empower yourself to take control of your time is to create a vision for your life. If you know where you’re going then getting there is a whole lot easier. Align your goal with your values and vision for your life. Doing more will never make your happier. Only doing more of what you actually want to do will satisfy you.
By incorporating these seven elements, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a minimalist time management expert. With time, you’ll find that you have more time and energy to focus on what truly matters to you, and your life will become more fulfilling as a result.
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