The 17 Stages of Minimalism: Where Are You on Your Journey?

Stage 1. You realize that despite buying a bunch of new stuff and gadgets, your life feels strangely empty and all that stuff that you own feels like it is starting to own you. You feel sick of having no control over your life and all the mental and physical clutter is starting to get to you. It is time to make a change.

Stage 2. You emerge yourself in every podcast, book, and YouTube video that you can find on the topic of minimalism and just really get obsessed about it. You want to know how to become a minimalist, and you want to do it right now.

Stage 3. You get all pumped up on your day off, pick a room, and start decluttering it. You throw away stuff mercilessly and get excited about how your life is about to change.

Stage 4. After finishing half of one room and ripping apart part of your house, you decide that it is too much work and give up.

Stage 5. You go back and watch a bunch more videos to get motivated enough to finish tackling that room that is completely destroyed. This time, however, you pick a system and actually make a pretty good impact.

Stage 6. You have momentum. You have a plan. You finish crying and make it to the third room before you break down again. After you break down, have a mild crisis, order a Chemex on Amazon, you make up your mind that you are committed and you get back to work. Inevitably, you repeat most of the first stages.

Stage 7. You finish the first round of decluttering in your home. You have donated or thrown out all of the obvious stuff, like clothes that do not fit. Still, you could not let go of some of the other things.

Stage 8. Things get difficult. You struggle with sentimental items, gifts and things you have not seen in years, and you are finally forced to face the items that you have been pushing off.

Stage 9. You realize it is all just stuff. As you start letting go of those sentimental items, you realize they did not matter to you as much as you thought they would. Instead of feeling a loss, you feel space opening in your life.

Stage 10. You get weirdly into gourmet coffee and become a coffee snob.

Stage 11. You finally sit down and enjoy your home that does not have clutter in it.

Stage 12. You realize that you still have some decluttering to do, but this time it is in your relationships and your technology so that you can gain control back over your life and your time.

Stage 13. You face the struggle with your technology addiction and your toxic relationships that are sucking the life out of you. You suddenly realize how much time you spend on your phone each day, and get angry at the piece of metal that is running your life.

You decide to take a break: reorganize your phone, delete some apps, and stop compulsively checking email. It takes a long time and a lot of work, but eventually, you add some time back to your day.

Stage 14. You gain control back over your time. You start saying no to many requests. You defend your calendar and make sure every appointment that you have is necessary and not just because someone asked.

You start letting go of those toxic relationships with people who always drag you down and hold you back. If you do not take control of your day, someone else will.

Stage 15. You realize that you actually have more time to live your life now that you have gotten rid of toxic people and relationships and the habits that have been holding you back for years.

Stage 16. You finally begin that business or project that you have always wanted to do but have never had time for. You start to reimagine what your life can be like.

The minimalist lifestyle has given you time to spend with family and friends, making memories without being tied down to your devices or stressing about all the chaos in your life. You start to see new possibilities in your whole life moving in another direction.

Stage 17. You think that you have finally arrived: you have conquered all your demons, and now you are a minimalist. Then you realize that it is never truly over. Minimalism is a journey and not a destination.

You realize that no matter how many times you declutter or break a bad habit, new problems will always arise. But as long as you follow these minimalist principles, you know that you can handle them, and you are going to enjoy the journey.

Stages of being a minimalist

Those were the stages I went through on my way to becoming a minimalist. Do you consider yourself to be a minimalist? If so, what was your journey like? If not, what is stopping you? Leave a comment below and let me know!