Minimalist Living for Students: How to Declutter and Simplify Your Space.
How often do you read about the “fast-paced world” with “rapidly evolving” tech, business landscape, or rhythm of life?
Both expressions have already become a cliché, but they perfectly describe what’s going on around us right now: Endless streams of information, possessions, and commitments accumulate, clogging not only our brains but also the space around us. This pressure can get especially unbearable when you’re a student living on campus and overloaded with academic and extracurricular responsibilities.
Result?
It’s stress, anxiety, academic burnout, and messy life that you wish you could organize and turn into a peaceful and meaningful one. Adopting a minimalist lifestyle is one strategy that can help you clean up that mess and bring order and happiness to your space.
Let’s see why and how it works.
Understanding Minimalism: Common Misconceptions
In plain English, minimalism is a lifestyle that promotes intentionality and focuses on what matters to you. As Lesley Vos, an expert essay writer at Advancedwriters, says, minimalist living for students involves decluttering their workspace and carefully choosing each object, task, or commitment in their academic life.
In short:
● Challenge your customer-driven mindset and FOMO
● Learn to prioritize the essentials
● Eliminate the excess
● Make every task and commitment serve a purpose
● Create a space that brings you joy and contributes to your well-being
The idea of minimalism isn’t new, but a few misunderstandings and misconceptions about it still exist. Here are the most common ones:
1. Minimalism means living with nothing. False: It’s about living with things that have value to you.
2. It makes you follow strict rules. False: Minimalism is flexible and more about finding the level of simplicity that makes you happy.
3. Minimalism is only about decluttering. False: While decluttering matters, minimalism is more about priorities, not just throwing things out.
Minimalism encourages people to shift their focus from acquiring more to valuing experiences, relationships, and inner peace.
The Benefits of Minimalist Living for Students
● Less stress and anxiety, thanks to a more organized space promoting mental clarity
● Improved focus and productivity, thanks to a distraction-free workspace
● Financial freedom, thanks to buying less and reduced financial stress
● Enhanced communication skills and relationships, thanks to building meaningful connections and shared experiences
How to Declutter and Simplify Your Space
And now, to practice:
What can you do to adopt a minimalist lifestyle? How do you start, and what are your first steps to take?
Start small:
Whatever article or blog post on the corresponding topic you read, this tip will be there. Begin decluttering one area of your home, like a room where you study or your wardrobe. Tackling a smaller project makes the task feel less overwhelming and brings a sense of achievement, motivating you to continue.
Sort like a boss, using the four-box method:
Divide all your belongings into four categories: keep, trash, donate, and relocate. By placing each object in a different category, you will not pointlessly shuffle clutter around but consciously choose what remains and what goes.
Make decluttering your daily/weekly routine:
Go through your belongings regularly, donate something, recycle stuff that doesn’t serve you anymore, you name it!
Create functional areas in your home:
Think about how you can create practical, multi-functional workspaces. When a student, ensure that you have a well-organized study space with a comfortable desk, an ergonomic chair, and clutter-free surfaces. You can double this home office as a guest room or use it as an eating area when you don’t work there.
Such an approach may reduce the want for extra furniture. Also, opt for simple decor and fun colors to get more open space in your apartment that delights you.
Declutter your digital space:
Minimalism isn’t only about decluttering your physical spaces. Do your best to organize your digital life, either:
● Delete unused apps
● Clean up your email inbox and laptop
● Unsubscribe from brands and people who disturb or make you feel bad
A smooth digital environment brings improved focus and less pressure.
Bonus: 5 Rules to Try for Minimalist Living
The below rules for minimalism can help you better organize the process of decluttering and simplifying your space:
1. The 90-90 rule: Ask two questions about objects you aren’t sure about while decluttering: “Have I used it in the past 90 days? If not, will I use it in the next 90 days?”
2. The 20-20 rule: Get rid of just-in-case items you can replace for less than $20 in less than 20 minutes from your home.
3. The 30-day rule: Start the first day by getting rid of one thing; the second day — two things; the third day — three things, and so on.
4. The 1 in 1 out rule: Before buying an item, purge a similar one you currently have.
5. The 15-minute rule: Spend 15 minutes walking outside, clearing your mind, writing, or telling something good to your friend.
Ready to start?