7 Minimalist Goals For a Simple New Year

On this road towards a simple life there have been many ups and downs. There have been times when I didn’t care about stuff at all and got rid of a lot. And then there were times I seemed to buy one thing after another and worry about stuff way more than I should.

It hasn’t always been easy to reach my minimalist goals but overall my life has become simpler with each passing year.

Because I believe that minimalism is a long game, a journey with twists and turns that requires we give ourselves a lot of grace I have let myself have those ups and downs. I encourage you to do the same. Mostly, never give up. Keep trying to reach new minimalist goals and you will find yourself enjoying the minimalist lifestyle more and more!

Why Should You Try Different Minimalist Goals?

As I write this article my car is acting up. We don’t know what the problem is yet but we are having a family friend look at it. There are few different ideas in the works but it is probably going to take a bit of trial and error.

Our lives are kind of like my car. Sometimes you feel stressed but you aren’t sure what is causing the stress specifically. Maybe your schedule is full because you aren’t saying no enough. Perhaps your closet is stressing you out cause you can’t find anything to wear in the morning. Or is it your finances? Are things a little tight? Do you need to save money?

When you try out different minimalist goals you can not only continue to simplify your life, you can find the pressure points that are really getting to you!

So let’s get started and find some minimalist goals you can try out this year!

1: Try a Capsule Wardrobe

Maybe you have decluttered quite a bit. You probably even got rid of lots of clothes but on the list of minimalist goals you might want to experiment with is having a true capsule wardrobe.

Now I’m the first to admit that my closet is not quite capsule territory. I love clothes and I have a unique set of circumstances that requires variety in my wardrobe.

But that’s really just an excuse. I learned a lot from the 3 months I did Project 333, a minimalist fashion challenge designed by Courtney Carver to help you experiment with having a capsule wardrobe. What I was surprised to find out is just how few clothing items I really need.

For just 3 months choose 33 items of clothing to wear and put the rest away. Items that don’t count are pajamas, undies, and workout clothes you actually work out in. Items that do count are coats, belts, scarves and jewelry.

It’s a great way to see if a minimalist capsule wardrobe is what you need. And at the end, if you love it but want to tweak it you can always break the rules!

2: Pack in a Backpack

Do you have any trips coming up this year? Are you wondering what to pack? Do you want to have more flexibility as you change planes and hotels?

Here’s your chance to achieve another one of the minimalist goals you never dreamed you would try! What is it?

Pack in a backpack!

I know it sounds crazy. I used to over pack like crazy but since I’ve been married (13 years) we have only owned carry-on size luggage which we have used for every trip big or small. Then last year we went to Paris and London with just our backpacks!

Packing in just a backpack (and my large purse) was a bit of a challenge but it payed off! It was so easy to grab public transport from the airport to the city, walk around and see the sites till we could drop off our luggage, and get the train and planes without long lines waiting to check or retrieve luggage. We also didn’t risk losing it!

If you have a trip coming up learn to pack like a minimalist and see how freeing it can be to pack in a backpack!

3: Only Give Experiences

You are a minimalist which means you are trying to simplify your life. That being said, do you help others simplify their life as well? Do you set a good example? Or do you give your friends and family useless goofy useless knick-knacks as gifts.

Make it one of your minimalist goals this year to only give experiences. What does it mean to give experiences?

Well gifting experiences can including inviting your friend or family member to join you to do something fun. It can also mean giving them a gift card to an entertainment venue they enjoy, a massage, a class, or a restaurant. It could also mean booking experiences for them using services like Get Your Guide or Airbnb (they have experiences in every location).

Another way you can give an experience is to thoughtfully think of something the person enjoys and finding something that would enrich that experience. This is technically giving an item but it lends to your friend enjoying an experience like a hobby that they enjoy.

Last but not least you can give an experience by gifting consumables like chocolate, cookies, tea or coffee, beer or wine, fruit or even soaps and candles. Consumables are generally well received because we all like something yummy or luxurious that goes away when we are done using it.

4: Simplify Your Schedule

As you know the minimalist lifestyle isn’t just about the stuff. Instead minimalism is about finding the things that really matter to you and getting rid of all the distractions. A lot of that has to do with how we spend our time.

One of my biggest minimalist goals for the year is finding ways to simplify my schedule (again). Before the Pandemic I was really busy and during the Pandemic I enjoyed spending my days doing things I found truly interesting. Now that we have been “back to normal” for a couple years things have gotten kinda crazy again.

Do you feel the same way? Maybe, like me, you are trying to hold onto hobbies and interests you found during the Pandemic while keeping up with work, errands, and all the people who matter to you.

Let’s work on this together. Let’s make one of the most important minimalist goals on our list this year simplifying our schedule by figuring out what is necessary, what is rewarding and what we can let go of or say no to.

5: Focus on People

What is the point of living the minimalist lifestyle? For me minimalism is all about making my life more simple so I can have more time for the people I love and doing cool things with them.

Because of that my minimalist goals for this year involves staying in better touch with friends I don’t see every day, finding practical ways to help those who are going through struggles, and taking time to listen better and dignify those around me.

Also, I hope to have lots of fun with my husband and all the “peopling” he loves to do even though I’m an introvert.

How about you? Can the minimalist lifestyle help you focus more on the people in your life?

6: Try a No Buy Challenge

While minimalism is not only about the stuff it is at least a little bit about the stuff. As a minimalist you are trying to resist the constant pull of the consumer society we live in. You are trying to resist the desire to “buy happiness” cause you don’t buy into that lie anymore!

In harmony with your minimalist goals you may try a no buy challenge.

One famous minimalist blogger, Cait Flanders, did a no buy challenge for an entire year in which she didn’t buy anything that wasn’t absolutely necessary or on a pre-planned list. She did the no buy challenge to break herself of her shopaholic ways and completely transformed her relationship with stuff.

Many people do no buy challenges that last a month in which they buy nothing besides groceries, needed toiletries and needed necessities like that for a month. That is another great way to break bad shopping habits.

I personally like to do a 10 day no spend challenge every single month. For at least 10 days in a month I try not to buy ANYTHING. That means I drink my coffee at home, pack a lunch, avoid Amazon and Target and keep my wallet in my pocket. I enjoy this type of no buy challenge cause it teaches me to be prepared and resourceful while saving money and avoiding impulse purchases I will regret.

Will you try a no buy challenge this year? It’s a great way to slow down the influx of stuff in your life.

7: Experiment With Less

The last of your minimalist goals for the year is to experiment with less.

What do I mean by that?

Well, you may have simplified a lot already but you can always experiment with less. And the best part is no experiment is permanent. It’s just a test.

If you are wondering if you could live in a smaller home close of one room in your house. Maybe try just one bathroom.

Maybe you are wondering if you could go down to using one car as a family. Try it for a week.

Did you enjoy the simple provisions at your last Airbnb? Put half your dishes away for awhile.

Longing for a sleeker look in your home. Pack away some of the decorations and see how long it takes for someone in your family to notice.

There are a million little ways to experiment with less and see if the things that you take for granted as necessities in your life are really that necessary at all. You might be surprised!

What Minimalist Goals Will You Try This Year?

I look at my minimalist goals as a fun way to stretch my muscles and find the parts of my life that could be simpler than they were before. Sometimes I keep doing things in a simplified way and sometimes I go back to the old way I used to do things. That’s part of finding the doable simplicity I want in my life.

What about you? What minimalist goals will you try? Will you do something simple like saying no to an obligation you don’t enjoy or will you go big and live out of your van? Please comment below because I really am curious!

If you would like more help simplifying your life grab my Doable Simplicity e-book which is full of practical tips to simplify your stuff, your schedule, your chores and even your goals so you can find the type of minimalism that works for your unique life!