Can I be a messy minimalist? Is that a thing?

Can a naturally messy person be a minimalist? If you're interested in minimalism but feel like a total slob, rest assured, messy minimalism is a thing. Here's what it looks like to be a messy minimalist and things to know if you're interested in going clutter-free but not so interested in a new cleaning hobby.

While the two lifestyles can definitely influence each other—less clutter leads naturally to less mess— they aren't the same thing.

Truthfully, what drew me to minimalism in the first place was the idea of a more supportive space that didn't require as much from me (it's one of the many perks).

But while I still believe that we all need a supportive where we can relax and unwind, messes happen. 

Perfection isn't a real thing.

Many people think of minimalism as some vain attempt at perfection—visions of whitewashed decor and refusal to hang a picture come to mind. The truth is that many of the more attractive side effects of a minimalist life are a stark contrast to the side effects of perfectionism.  

Regardless of what level of minimalism you are or aren't working toward, we all consume things. It's a fact of life.

We have to consume food, clothes, and products.

Because of that, messes will always be inevitable in some form or for some period of time (even if it's just for the brief period of time between eating your meal and loading the dishwasher). 

Am I a bad minimalist if I'm a messy minimalist? 

I know so many minimalists who absolutely kill themselves for the perfect aesthetic (I won't lie; I occasionally fall into that trap myself). But it's really not the point.

So, maybe you left dishes on the counter overnight and are waking up in a pig sty. That doesn't mean you have too many dishes.

You may have the perfect number of dishes that all happen to be adorning the counter at the moment. Honestly, even the most devout minimalist would look like a hoarder with every worldly possession displayed on the dining table. 

Even messy minimalists get the benefits. 

Having said that, if you hate messes and don’t love cleaning, going clutter-free is a pretty good option. I've found it to be the most effective method of keeping messes to a minimum with the least amount of effort.

The appreciation of cleanliness is kind of baked into our psyche. Sure, those natural disgust factors can be overridden by life experiences and a pounding headache, but there will always be some amount of stress caused by chaotic and messy spaces.

A bit of minimalism simply makes it more manageable, with fewer things collecting dust and grime or tumbling back into your main living zones.  

Plus, you can't organize your way out of a mess. 

We want our thoughts, schedules, and lives to have a semblance of order because it makes sense to our frazzled brains when things are categorized. We think in patterns and categories.

So, it makes sense that we can often get the urge to plan it out, write it down, label it, box it, store it, and file it away until everything feels peaceful.

But you can't organize your way out of clutter. Mass is still mass, and clutter (i.e., excess) will always take up some amount of space- even if that space is gorgeously color-coded and abundantly organized. 

It will almost always creep back out. Or you'll have to dig through and past it every time you're sifting through your archives of labeled bins.

In fact, people who are not naturally organized may have an advantage. While naturally organized people have the urge to pull out the labels and bins, someone who isn't might opt to get rid of the stuff to avoid the trouble.

Only getting rid of stuff (decluttering) removes excess from the equation entirely. 

Decluttering might even cause messes.

If your basement has been accumulating 2 decades of stuff, from the bursting drawers to the random linens shoved under the coffee table, it's going to look worse before it looks better.

In short, it's totally normal for heavy-duty decluttering in the process of minimizing to lead to a mess. 

Think of it like purging your skin (a gross concept that I came across on the internet recently). Sometimes, when you exfoliate and treat your face after neglecting your skin for years- everything comes to the surface at once and clears away over time.

Yeah, that.

Seeing this happen in your home can actually be a good thing because it means that you're reaching areas you don't normally reach. You’re making progress. 

 So, what I'm saying is that not only can messiness and minimalism coexist, but there will be a period of time in any decluttering person's journey when the mess might just be called forth.  

I do have a shortcut that I share in my free workshop that will make the process much less cumbersome. 

So, can you be a messy minimalist?

Absolutely, you can 100% be a messy minimalist. Minimalism calls you to discard excess, not label, categorize, or bleach the counters. And any person can discard—messy or not.