Sometimes it seems that everything is perfect, clean, white, and organized in minimalism land. We are told that the minimalist journey is wonderful and our lives will be much better if we just focus on whatâs important.
And itâs true in a way. It’s just not that easy sometimes.
Do not ever believe the glossy picture the wonderful world of the Internet paints. Nothing is ever so perfect or easy. There are setback, problems, mistakes, and bad days in every story.
I do believe in a lifestyle based on conscious choices and mindfulness, but that does not mean I am there yet. Or that I ever will completely be.
Never, ever, compare yourself to what you see on the internet. Take the inspiration, advice, but take it with a grain of salt, and focus on your own journey.
In that spirit, here are the five areas I massively failed my minimalist principles.
Personal minimalist fails
 Skincare products
    + The fail: It all started so innocently, with me wanting to upgrade from teenage face washes and Garnier toners to something more adult-like and serious. Googling some basic skin care tips and finding some experts who talked about interesting things. Next thing I know, Iâm reading medical skin care research, am a VIB at Sephora, and have different facial serums and cleansers for every single day of the week.
I even created a nice ideology around it (researching the best quality takes a long time), but in reality, itâs a major addiction and itâs one of my main buying weaknesses. And even though realistically I wonât completely stop in the foreseeable future, it must be managed.
    + What Iâm trying: Various things. Regular shopping bans. I find it easier to not shop at all than shopping less. The 1 in, 1 out rule â I donât buy similar products. I have to use something up before I buy something similar. Not opening emails with 20% off in the subject line if I know I donât wanna buy at the moment (This is surprisingly easy). Having a monthly budget â Iâm OK with this as well.
E-books and Tsonduku (aka constantly buying new books and letting them pile up without ever reading them)
    + The fail: I blame the Amazon Daily Kindle Deals. And the 1-click buy option. Who can resist books for 2 or 3 dollars? If youâre passionate about reading, you know what Iâm talking about. And itâs so easy to buy. Just one click in a moment of weakness and the damage is done.
Iâm a bit better with actual physical books, but I know I will never be the kind of minimalist who exclusively reads on Kindle. Thereâs something about having a personal library that I find deeply attractive and I will always have a place for books in my home. What I shouldnât do though is buying new books all the time without first reading what I already have.
    + What Iâm trying: I have a monthly book budget. When I know I have no immediate need for new books or I maxed out my monthly limit, I just delete my Kindle Deals emails unread. No temptation, no buying. I’m also focusing on my current library for now, and cannot add any new books until I read most of what I have.
The never-ending saga of new notebooks
    + The fail: Thereâs something so pure and exciting about a new, unused, completely clean notebook (here are a couple of my favorite minimal stationery brands). Itâs like a symbol of new beginnings and fresh work energy. The problem is that this quickly disappears after writing 5 sentences in it. And there comes a new one. And another one.
    + What Iâm trying: Using up all my existing notebooks. Yes, as simple as that. A ban on stationery shopping. No new anything, not even using for blog photo props (thatâs one of my justifications). Iâm also trying to find joy in used notebooks and remind myself (with debatable success) that the fact that they are used means Iâm productive and itâs good to track my progress.
Too much time spent on social media
    + The fail: I find myself automatically picking up my phone and scrolling through my various social feeds a thousand times a day. Itâs not even the “Iâm now working on my blog or engaging with people” type of activity, itâs the absent-minded, time-wasting type of procrastination.
    +What Iâm trying: Regular social media breaks. Bulk scheduling. Phones stay in the bag rules during friends or family time. Scheduled social media breaks between focus work sessions.
Trying to convert people to a more minimalist lifestyle
    + The fail: Oddly enough, people do not like to be told that their home is messy and they should really give decluttering a try. Or that they buy silly, unnecessary things. Not even if you say it in the nicest way possible. Or offer your decluttering services. Family members like it even less than strangers. You might even get shouted at.
    + What Iâm trying: change of tactics, lead by example. Maybe discuss the pros and cons of a simpler lifestyle, but never in an aggressive way. Iâm also trying to let go of any urge to help others (whether they like it or not) or offer unsolicited advice because I think I know better. Maybe, maybe not, but in the end, it doesnât matter. Individual lives, personal life choices.
One important thing to note: These are the areas where I would like to be more minimalist, where I donât meet my own goals. Some people could look at my home, wardrobe, or bag collection and say that those are not minimalist per se either. I donât give a damn. As I said previously, minimalism is a personal thing. As long as I find value in my possessions and enjoy using them and they serve a purpose, I donât care that they do not fall under textbook minimalism or what other people think of my lifestyle.
I encourage you to try to make the same distinction. Be honest about what you need to downsize, and find joy and value in whatâs important to you. Most of us could probably do with less, but it matters a lot what that âlessâ is. And it’s not an “All or Nothing” game either, every small step count.
Donât be discouraged with fails or setbacks. As you can see from these examples, itâs a real journey.
I enjoyed this! Also have a similar post coming soon (if I can get my schedule together). But it’s so important to know and be okay with fact that this journey to conscious living is not a perfect smooth ride. When I realized this, I found even more joy in it!!
I definitely need to figure out my social media use and use of my phone in general. My dependence on it has got to stop. đ
Yes, I always say, the journey is half the fun! As for the social media thing, I’m struggling as well. I actually recently unfollowed and muted a lot of accounts on my various platforms, to make sure that I at least enjoy what I consume. Can’t wait to read your post!!
I am terrible with notebooks and books as well. I don’t really buy ebooks frequently, but real books I used to have a major problem with! I’m trying a new thing out where I add the book to a list on Goodreads and call it a day if I’m already reading a book. Similar to your skincare, I try not to have more than 1 book that I buy and won’t start immediately. So far the method’s really worked!
I try to tell myself that I’m not forgetting about the book just because I don’t buy it. It’s going to do nothing for me by sitting around unread and by the time I’m done with all the books I’m reading, I may not even be as excited about the new unread one anymore. I love the idea of a library as well, but I want to really keep only books I’ve read and know I love!
I see new pretty notebooks ALL THE TIME and just have to take a picture of it + the brand so I know the option to buy it is open. But I’ve generally waffled at the store fighting the impulse to buy too many times to count!
Yes, actually not buying on the spot is very helpful for me too. You’re so right, sometimes the impulse just goes away and then you realize that it was not really for the actual thing, but maybe simply for shopping?! I’m going to try this photo taking solution:)I too have a to read list, I think it currently has like 500 hundred titles, not very helpful, right?:) But I agree, I’m serious about what books to keep too, I’m just donating all the books that didn’t make it to my favorite list. I also love used books, that also kind of eases my conscience – it is after all, more frugal to buy second-hand.
Ha! I feel like so many of us will relate to this blogpost!!! Justifying buying stationary ‘for the blog’ or ‘it’s a good price and it’s cute! I’ll find use for it!’ – I’m also banning stationary purchases.. as for skincare, I’m also trying to figure out more natural products but I’m trying not to buy the same thing in different brands, unless the product bothers my skin!
http://www.elleisforlove.com
We’re generally sooo great at justifying purchases:)And this blogging things has been really bad for my finances so far:)
Thanks for reading, xx
Haha I loved this! I definitely have a problem with notebooks! I used to be guilty of trying to convert people, but I realized too that it pushes them more away.
Natalie | http://nataliesalchemy.wordpress.com
Thank you! Yeah, the converting thing REALLY does not workđ My family life improved a lot since I stoppped:)
Minimalism is totally personal, youâre right about that! I can totally relate to when you were talking about skincare because that pretty much happened to me. I was all about streamlining my skincare routine to a more serious âadultâ version and that just meant buying more until I had to cap it off and stop myself! Mind you Iâm in the process of using it all up but the fact that I had to buy more cracked me up. Itâs such a journey and great to remind ourselves not to compare and as long as we use and like what we own, thatâs whatâs important. Thanks so much for such a great read!
Thanks so much for reading and commenting! There are some aspects of the minimalism trend that I really dislike, like the numbers game. What we find essential and ‘minimal’ might differ from someone else, so you’re right, there’s really no point of comparing!