If you are here, make sure that you read my blog on the minimalism game first. Because this blog is the aftermath of it all. What I learnt and what I missed after the minimalism game.

1. It made me aware of how much unnecessary stuff I consume. When I discarded periodically, I didn’t realize the volume of waste that I was creating. Doing the exercise in a 30-day span, showed me this.
2. I knew I love organizing. But organized junk is still junk. So decluttering is any day better than organizing.
3. I have evolved. My needs have evolved. My clothing style, my workout requirements, my interests, reading appetite, eating habits have all evolved. Things I needed earlier are not needed now. And this is going to keep changing later as well.
4. Decluttering is great to learn to let go. Sometimes I just cried while throwing away a greeting card or a souvenir. But as Marie Kondo says, you thank the object for the purpose it has served and then just let it go. Take a picture if you still feel attached. This is why you deal with gifts and souvenirs at the end of the decluttering game.
5. This game gave me ideas to live more frugally and sustainably in the future. For example, I will now think about the ways to dispose of something even when I buy it. If it is a burden, I would not own it. Borrowing or renting would be a better option in that case.
6. This game has pushed me to get rid of old hobbies that I no more enjoy. A lot of my sketching materials, painting materials lie around unused. I keep telling myself that I will get back to it but I never do. Its time to clear those stuff and let go of the longing to get back to such activities.
7. Minimalism game inspired me to cook more often. I instinctively downloaded a meal planning app and started listing the groceries that I need to buy. Initially, the goal was to keep the kitchen clutter down. Later, I realized that the side effect was increased cooking.
8. This particular learning maybe a little too much for some of you. I created an inventory of my clothes using an app. This helps me track how often I wear each item. The goal was to not throw away something that has not been used enough. My criteria are that I want to use a piece of clothing item at least 30 items before I let go of it.
9. This exercise provoked me to be more mindful of my expenses. I might try a no-buy month or a no-buy year in the near future. For now, I ‘ll just focus on monitoring my expenses and budgeting better.
10. I do not miss any of the things that I decluttered. In fact, I didn’t even remember some of those things that existed in my house. Either because I didn’t need them or because they were tucked away neatly under a lot of other useless stuff. I told myself that I will go ahead and buy it again if at all I miss it. So far nothing. It helped that most of the things I discarded were not too expensive, to begin with.

Endnote

The most important take away from this challenge has been momentum. Performing any habit consistently makes you familiar with the typical mental blocks, benefits, and disadvantages. You get to know whether you want to keep doing it or not. I certainly want minimalist philosophy to become ingrained in my living. And this game has helped me to build momentum in taking action towards minimal living.

Please leave a comment if you found this blog helpful. Share your experiences with decluttering and downsizing as well.