Minimalist, Apartment Living in Times of Isolation: What it’s Been Like for This Family of Four.

People have been asking us lately what it’s like for a family of four “sheltering in place” in a 1,000-square-foot apartment. 

Do you go stir crazy? Do you have enough space with everyone home all day? Do you have enough to do all day?

This time has been trying for us, like many, although everyone is affected in different ways. Everyone’s struggle now is legit and it’s a time for empathy and love – not comparison. We are incredibly blessed to be healthy, safe and secure right now. We know this could all change at any time, so we are doing our best to focus on gratitude and are living below our means to help others in need. 

We’ve been intentionally living simply and practicing gratitude for over a year now, as it best reflects our personal values. Living in a small space and owning just what we need has resulted in more time, more joy, and less stress.

We haven’t regretted this simpler way of living, and certainly don’t regret it now that we’re home more.

Here are five reasons we are thankful to be living a minimalist lifestyle in a small home during times of isolation:

1. Stronger family bonds 

Being in a smaller space, we are naturally around each other more. We talk more and interact more as a family. Sometimes this looks like helping one of our daughters work through a difficult emotion and sometimes it looks like cracking up laughing after overhearing a song our 2-year-old composed. We share more moments together simply by being in closer proximity.

“Sheltering in place,” we’ve set up family rituals and routines, like eating meals together, completing morning work daily (making beds, tidying up the kitchen), having set prayer times, playing family games after dinner and having an ice cream/game/movie night every Saturday evening. These routines give us family time we look forward to and help add consistency to our days. 

2. Increased respect for each other’s needs and boundaries 

We all know how to take time alone when we need it and we respect that person’s need for a break when they take it. We all even own a pair of noise-cancelling headphones, which are used if things get too loud or chaotic and someone feels they need a noise break right away. 

When we interact more with each other, we also have more opportunities to respect each other’s boundaries. When someone says “no” we work to respect that and understand the reason behind it. (This doesn’t include “no’s” of disobedience, like if it’s bedtime and one of our girls is refusing to brush her teeth or put on jammies). If our six year old wants her two-year-old sister to sit on her lap during breakfast and is adamantly telling her she has to (yes, this happens), and our two year old says no, this has to be respected. Teaching a child that his/her no is respected helps them know they are valued and helps them learn how to set boundaries in the future. 

3. Less socially isolating (while still staying safe by practicing social distancing)

Living in an apparent complex, we frequently see people from a distance. Even now when neighbors are in isolation, many are still out and about on nice days. We go for walks and have brief, 6-feet-away conversations with fellow residents. 

We talk to next door neighbors over our patio fence. Our 6-year-old daughter will even invent word games to play with the neighbor girl. Their favorite game is to hide an object on their own patio, while the girl on the other side of the fence guesses where it is. Kind of like an outdoor game of “Battleship,” except they’re guessing the location of a hidden hula-hoop, not a submarine.

4. Able to maintain order and cleanliness

During all this time at home, one thing I’ve been most thankful for is that I don’t feel overwhelmed with housework. I used to feel overwhelmed daily by picking up after people and cleaning. But since transitioning to a minimalist lifestyle, overwhelm and housework haven’t appeared in the same sentence. Not once in the past year. And not now, when “sheltering in place” keeps us home all day.

Having just what we need or love in our home keeps maintaining it manageable. Sure things get out of place, but knowing the home takes minutes to reset gives me peace of mind. And it allows me to focus more time, energy and attention on what matters most. Like the people in our home – not the stuff in it.

5. More space for creativity

With fewer things in the home, especially fewer toys, we’re realizing we have more space to be creative. We often find ourselves engaged in activities that require very little. Some of these include: games like Simon Says or Mother May I, Cat’s Cradle (all you need is a string or piece of yarn), indoor tag, hide-and-seek, limbo, dance parties, gymnastic shows, hand claps, puppet shows, and singing performances. These all also serve as great breaks on Kindergarten homeschooling days (which we are now embracing since schools are closed for the year).

On nice days we spend a lot of time outdoors (thankfully, we still live in an area where walks are permitted) skipping rocks in nearby ponds, collecting dandelion and clover bouquets, watching the ducks that live at our complex, jumping rope, blowing bubbles, examining nature (pine cones are still so exciting for our 2 year old), and making dandelions crowns. 

When kids aren’t given things to do constantly, they have space to create their own imaginative play. When I take quiet time for myself or work in the kitchen, I’m constantly amazed at the imagination of our girls as they play together (if they’re not too hungry or tired – let’s be real, they don’t always get along but usually do). I haven’t heard the phrase “Mom, I’m bored” once since “sheltering in place” started. And even though it may come, I’d welcome it, because oftentimes the most creative play comes right after expressed boredom.

So what’s it like being in isolation in a minimalist apartment? 

Some days are definitely “do over days” while others are more “up and down” days, and that’s to be expected, especially during times of transition. We’re practicing gratitude, focusing on bringing joy to others through letters and phone calls, and taking things one day at a time. 

I encourage you to consider minimizing during these days. This might not seem like the best time to simplify your life, but maybe it actually is. Why not make your life easier and less stressful by removing stuff you don’t need, use or care about?

For us, a minimalist lifestyle in a 1,000-square-foot apartment leads to more joy, more fulfillment, and more family togetherness.

And for that, we’ll continue to be thankful.