The 5 Minimalism Levels… The Colossal Purge and Beyond

So, an article on minimalism levels? Well first of all, before I start, there’s a disclaimer: This is meant to be fun and light hearted. There are no ‘levels’ and no elusive (or exclusive) minimalist grades or clubs (although some people seem to go at it like there are). There aren’t. Our own version of minimalism is simply what works for us.

But I do find it interesting to see that being a minimalist does continue to change us, and to teach us throughout our time living this way. I acknowledge and believe that wholeheartedly. And I have witnessed myself change throughout my years living a minimalist life.

Let’s just have a little fun discussing some possible minimalism experiences that we may have noticed throughout our time with less. So without further ado, here are (as I see it) the 5 levels of minimalism: from the colossal purge and beyond.

Level 1: The colossal purge

I’ll venture to say that this one is the most exhausting, heart wrenching, life altering, and harshly awakening of all the minimalism levels. This level is the the big ol’ demolition ball smashed into our precariously poised (and overfilled) life. It’s like bootcamp… it brings us to the ground so it can build us up in a new and more effective version of ourselves.

Am I being too extreme? Perhaps. But the truth is, if you had gotten to the point that you were ready to give minimalism a real go; by the time you decided to take it on you likely have a lot of work ahead of you, a lot of decisions, and a fair bit of ‘saved for later’ overwhelm coming your way. Luckily, the following levels, although just as powerful, have a lot more subtle loveliness to them, and some true and lasting joy. Yay for for level one! Onward!

Level 2: The glorious gift of calm

Level 2 of our minimalism levels comes as we are working diligently through our massive purge of possessions. As we slowly dwindle away our boxes and bags of excess, as we sell and donate, and as we reorganize what remains, the calm ever so slowly lights up the room. It creeps up quietly and gently. And then one day you’ll open a drawer, or step into your home after a busy day out, and you’ll be filled by it. Just calm. Contentment. Ease.

Where once there were things screaming for our attention, throwing us off the plan we had… now there is just… what we need. And it feels like a soft, easy breath out. This level stays, but the first time you notice it is profound. And it’s addictive. And so very appreciated. In a world filled with chaos and disorganization, when this calm comes to us it can be palpable. Absolutely stunning in fact. And with the work we did to get here, we sure do deserve it.

Level 3: Learning to not purchase or acquire as a twitch

The third of the minimalism levels comes up when we start to feel that old familiar urge… that need to get whatever it is as soon as we can! When I finally got all of the stuff sent off to value village, and sold it on kijiji, and threw out all that garbled trash from the depth of my closets… once I set things up, I thought that was it! I had the loveliest little curated spice drawer, and my home was painted in neutrals. I thought, “This girl is a bonafide minimalist”!

And then, a few weeks later we were out at a store and, well, didn’t I just see the cutest little backpack? And here I was… stumped. Under pre-minimalist circumstances, I’d buy it without thought. But, wasn’t I supposed to be wise now? I’d been through a war with my own little army of collected backpacks only a few weeks ago. Of which I had given all five of them away to family and donation. So why was this hard!? Because I hadn’t figured out level 3 yet.

It’s when we are confronted by the traits in us that got us to the mess that we were in before the purge that we figure out how to get through level 3. And slowly we learn how we’re going to deal with the desires, and the urges as they come up. My recommendation if you are struggling with this level is, if you get the urge, put it on the wish list. Buy nothing that isn’t planned, and think everything through.

Level 4: Spontaneous creativity & the superpower of not needing

Level 4 of the minimalism levels is when we really start to hit our stride. It’s when we begin to feel at home and at ease in this glorious way of life with less. You’ve got a handle on level 3 and you know how to deal with the urges. And slowly, you start to realize how absolutely fun and oddly exciting it is to use your creativity to find a way to use what you already have to get what you presently need.

So before you’d ever think about buying something, you get your creative juices flowing and go wandering through your home, rummaging through closets to figure out something you can use INSTEAD of buying something new. The creativity of a minimalist in their element is truly awe inspiring! And it is literally blissful to find something that works better than some ol’ plastic thing you could have ever purchased on amazon.

Level 5: the slow realization that it’s not actually about the things

When I started my minimalist journey, and even a few years in, it really was all about the stuff (or the lack thereof). Regardless, it was the items. But after a bit, I started to realize that it’s actually about what can happen without the stuff – now that our possessions are not drowning us.

Now that I take for granted knowing where my fountain pen ink lives, and that I know I have three notebooks left until I’ll need to get another; now that all those easy little details of my life are clear, unmuddled and squared away, they open up room for a new space within me. The understanding of what I need physically, unlocks a spot to explore what I need and desire for myself beyond the superficial.

Because we’re not buried under the mountain of uncertainty and confusion, we have space to experiment in our life. To be creative, to become!

When you are not wrapped up in getting by, and acting as a vacuum, pulling more random things in, you have space to patiently listen to your soft, silent and innermost thoughts and ideas. What do you want to do? What do you believe, what do you wish for? There is space in minimalism for way more than can openers and extra socks. But you have to deal with the can openers and extra socks to be able to get to the other stuff. That is the 5th level, and it is without question worth the challenges and strifes that may be built into the first 4 levels.

What have I learned from a minimalist lifestyle?

Living this way offers up the space for you to figure yourself out. It doesn’t give answers. It doesn’t solve problems. But it offers us the opportunity to cultivate confidence. And the space (literal and figurative) to see what we have, to decide what we need, what we want, what is right for us, and what our next step should be, in our own time. It offers a quietude where you can get to know yourself away from the chaos, the noise and the hurrying.

And the journey it takes us on brings us towards agility, creativity and grace.

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About the Author: Lyndsay Allison is a writer and YouTube creator who is passionate about the power that minimalism has to bring us greater contentment and ease. Her website, lyndsayallison.com is filled with articles and videos on mindfulness, minimalism, and simple living.