New Decade to be defined by minimalist living

Are you someone who loves “living large”? Are someone who loves living in a room stuffed with gadgets and clothing all over? Do you sometimes feel that you need more room/space just to accommodate your belongings? Have you ever thought of rearranging your room and just putting things in order?

In most cases, we live thinking that we are in a small space because of the things we have when in the real sense, all we need is a little rearrangement and things will fall in order. The coming of technology has revolutionized everything. We no longer say that the “world is a global village” but that the “world is a small room where everything is within reach.”

Technology is changing how people live and arrange their living rooms. Experts say that the new decade that just kicked off, will be dominated by people trying to “live more in less”, that is, maximize their spaces through enhanced designs and storage. This mode of living is known as “minimalist” living. Here, like-minded individuals commit to downsizing many aspects of their daily lives.

According to the majority of the people, especially those of the older generation, “bigger is better”, that is why you will find most of them in big offices, big living rooms, scattered electronics, and other materials. The younger generation seems to be shifting from “bigger is better” to being minimalists through better arrangements and utilization of the available technology.

Living small does not necessarily mean changing one’s lifestyle. Some believed that it is about living in less expensive homes/houses, paying less in terms of utilities among others but in the real sense, it is about living a “more fulfilling” life. In minimalist living, one can still maintain the same lifestyle but in a well-organized manner. 

The idea of minimalist living is not only in real life but also widely coming out in what has come to be known as the “tiny house movement” which is gaining real momentum as TV shows like Tiny House Nation, Tiny House, Big Living and Netflix phenomenon Tidying Up with Marie Kondo captivate larger audiences across the globe. Kondo is also behind the best-selling book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, which posits that more possessions can mean more challenges.

Having fewer things in a smaller environment can be surprisingly calming, more so when matched with a minimalist lifestyle. This lifestyle can be quite liberating as well but shouldn’t be confused with simplistic living. To start your journey towards minimalist living, ask yourself the following questions:

• Are you comfortable with your living room?
• Do you think your room needs some rearrangement?
• Do you think you need some more space?
• Do you need everything that you have?

Well, the first step to the minimalist lifestyle is to find out the things you don’t need. You will be surprised to find out that you have so many things in your living room that you can do without. With these things, you can either sell them or give them out to friends. The second step is to think of reorganizing your room by utilizing storage materials such as bookshelves, TV stands, thinner furniture among others. You can save a lot of space by organizing your room.