Minimalism is lame

[ken nubo]

It started off with Zen Habits (great blog btw), the self crowned King of minimalism. Then many "me too" bloggers followed suit. Sub-urban soccer moms with too many Ikea furniture, single dads (their wives left them for a black guy), bored 9 to 5 drones looking for a weekend project.

They started blogging about “how to have less and be happy”, “I got 100 items or less!”, “A beginner's guide to less stuff”.

Of course, the core audience are not starving ghetto black kids in the inner city of America, nor are they third world digital Indian slaves (working for $2 USD an hour on odesk.com. Hey – get back to work “Abul”)

No, it's mostly over privileged sub-urban Angelo Saxons who complains about “having too much stuff and clutter”. And I say, HEY. GET RID OF SOME STUFF.

The simple process of trashing your abandoned Stair Master, Ab Cruncher, and the Slap Chop you got for Christmas is a simple process. Take the stuff, put it in the trash or donate it. You don't need to read a blog post about it.

The most alarming thing, however, is the pseudo Zen philosophy. I woke up one morning, suddenly blog posts everywhere: “The Zen of public speaking”, “The Zen of working”, “The Zen of cleaning your toilet”. Lame, pretentious, pseudo Zen philosophy for those who never meditate in their life. Huh.

But it gets better: suddenly, ebooks about minimalism everywhere. I'm all for peddling ebooks and cashing in (I got a Ph.D in selling ebooks, don't question the doctor), but I begin to wonder – do people really buy these minimalism book? The content within is about “bah, don't multi-task. Be happy with with you got”

If you think about it, Minimalism itself is elitist. You don't have a hard, working class Mexican immigrant in the ghetto questioning if he has “too much stuff”. No, he's hard at work and sending money back to Mexico to feed his family, not to buy ebooks to get rid of stuff.

If you wanna sum the minimalism movement, it's an elitist circle jerk of unkempt sub-urban soccer moms, single dads, and pretentious bloggers.

You know who the true minimalist are? Monks. Minimalist bloggers are just faux posers, much like Hipsters.

[Mounds]

*applauds this fine post*

Double irony: I recently uncluttered my RSS feed by removing all the "unclutterer" blogs and now I am quite happy with my minimal RSS feed.

What we have here is pseudo-minimalism. Were used to having so much that having a normal amount of stuff is considered minimalism.

I like your point that monks are minimalists. It's quite true.

I deem this post rep worthy!

-Tim

[secrets0stolen]

Originally Posted by Mounds

What we have here is pseudo-minimalism. Were used to having so much that having a normal amount of stuff is considered minimalism.

What an awesome point.

I like this post too. Every time I see a "How to be a Minimalist" article I laugh.

"1. Decide what to get rid of. Use your own damn judgment
2. Get rid of stuff"

[Lakshyayidhi Lakshmihi]

I don't know if you realize that materialism was God (and still is for some) until very recently.

For people who identify themselves not through who they are but what they own, the process of decluttering and minimalizing is really about reconfiguring their self concept. To me, the plethora of blogs, the excessive use of the word "zen" isn't all navel gazing, some of it is as much a journal of transformation (for the writer) as the journals you see here. And an attempt to reach for something beyond that which they knew before (material goods and the acquisition of such things).

Check out Freegans. Those guys are INSANE. But awesome.

Of course they trade one self concept for another (materialist to minimalist), but that's what everyone does until they see that there is no real substance to that which they discard and put on.

People from third world countries are the worst hoarders ever. You should see my uncle's house. He can't stop buying junk because he never had any before he moved here, it wasn't even available in his country.

[VinceG]

I'm a minimalist.

I hate having stuff that I don't use. I hate maintaining stuff that I don't use. So I'm constantly engaged in efforts to rid myself of stuff. I've been steadily divesting myself of material possessions and replacing them with virtual ones. I gave away most of my books to a used bookstore. I would love to be able to fit everything I own into something like a van and live in it. I would love to be able to live comfortably with the things on my back, and nothing else.

So I've been reading up on techniques that would let me do this. And you know, all the poor people I see, I can't believe how much easier their lives would be if they learned how to be more efficient with their resources. McDonald's double cheeseburgers are the most bang for your buck, unless you cook beans and rice yourself, with a small portable pressure cooker, or crockpot, they're cheaper and much more delicious than the cheeseburger.

But I wouldn't want to press my lifestyle on others. It's definitely not for the faint of heart. Minimalism isn't just for yuppies. It's also for the poor. I'm amazed at how efficient the lives of the third world are. They waste nothing. They are generalists, know how to get blood from a stone. When there's practically nothing to go around, the people there make do.

I would say that the laziness and idiocy of the poor here in the States is a direct result of how rich the country is. I love living in this rich country, it lets me not have to stress over a lot of things that billions of people in China have to.

[Mounds]

Originally Posted by VinceG

And you know, all the poor people I see, I can't believe how much easier their lives would be if they learned how to be more efficient with their resources.

There's a joke here but I can't find it. My comedic senses are tingling.

You have some good points. If you are willing to live on second hand, there's a lot to be gained.

[WarrenG]

I think some sites overdo the minimalism message, and certainly the over use of the word 'zen' on the internet is annoying. That said, it's not all bad. Placing a high value on money and material possessions is not good for your well-being.

I think for some people, there's an inner voice saying "Do I really need the abmaster? Do my curtains really have to be ****ing lime green? Who gives a **** what sofa unit defines me as a person?" There's a part of them that's uneasy with looking for self-identity and self-esteem in possessions; not to mention that's it doesn't work (even without planned obsolescence, we habituate to our circumstances), and is environmentally unsustainable.

Tyler Durden said it best:

"Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy **** we don't need."

Minimalism speaks to these people, defines an inner feeling and gives them something to do about it.

If people have a yearning for a simpler life, one that is focused on experiences and spending time with others instead of looking for more stuff - and minimalism helps towards that - then I say go for it. And if people don't have that yearning, but get seduced by the minimalism movement and then find it, then for that I can handle a few pretentious bloggers.

[Acting Like Godot]

Minimalism

is like a haiku

making its point.

[votoshka]

Hmm well I'll admit that I don't read "minimalism" blogs or whatever.

But I do have a problem with "too much stuff". Now it's easy to say "just get rid of it", of course it SOUNDS easy... but for those who have a problem with hoarding stuff it's just not that simple.

I'm not exactly a hoarder... I don't have rooms filled with piles and piles and piles of stuff. But I do find it quite difficult to pare down the stuff I have.

Most "things" I have, whether I like them really or not, have some sort of meaning for me... whether they were a gift from someone, or whatever else... and I don't find it at all easy to just remove these things from my life.

So I think maybe there are people who benefit from reading about minimalism, or at least about getting rid of some of that "stuff" that's cluttering up the place. Maybe it helps them on an emotional level too? Because it's usually emotions holding us to this stuff that we surround ourselves with.

[aelle]

Originally Posted by Lakshyayidhi Lakshmihi

Check out Freegans. Those guys are INSANE. But awesome.

My mom was a freegan since before it had a name. It makes me laugh that it's become this hip alternative movement when for us it has always been being both cheap and shameless enough to pick stuff from other people's trash.

[Lakshyayidhi Lakshmihi]

Originally Posted by aelle

My mom was a freegan since before it had a name. It makes me laugh that it's become this hip alternative movement when for us it has always been being both cheap and shameless enough to pick stuff from other people's trash.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, beautiful baby.

[PipHunn]

Minimalism is awesome because it makes morons get rid of books.

Which I then buy, and read whilst in my bath, chuckling to myself and sipping fine Grandfather Port.

My library will be a LUMBERING BEHEMOTH, worshipped by bibliophiles the world over!

[James81]

Minimalism is everywhere?

I haven't read anything about minimalism (besides this post) since 2008 when I read the book America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money.

Perhaps a good shift in focus is in order? Because I'm just not seeing it, and, well, the reason I'm not seeing it is because I don't read the same stuff or focus on the same things as you do.

So, if it drives you wonky, then switch your focus to something else. If you have trouble doing so, even though it drives you wonky, then there's something for you to examine that might make letting go of that focus easier if you were to choose to do so.

[James81]

BTW, even though I have no idea why you think it's "everywhere," I can say that all my earthly possessions (most of them anywhere) are currently residing in a 15 x 20 storage shed right now.

I guess one could call me a minimalist, but it's really not on purpose. Irony.

[Acting Like Godot]

If minimalism irritates, consider alternative labels. Such as simplicity, or efficiency.

It is more a mindset in general, than a mindset about material possessions.

It was interesting to read, in Post No. 5, the poster citing this example of how he practises minimalism:

I've been steadily divesting myself of material possessions and replacing them with virtual ones.

and contrast this with how other posters mention clearing up their virtual items, as examples of how they practise minimalism:

I recently uncluttered my RSS feed by removing all the "unclutterer" blogs and now I am quite happy with my minimal RSS feed.

Meanwhile here we have another take on minimalism:

If people have a yearning for a simpler life, one that is focused on experiences and spending time with others instead of looking for more stuff - and minimalism helps towards that - then I say go for it.

... which differs from my own. In that I do not consider having "experiences" nor "spending time with others" as necessarily minimalist - in fact, many experiences I would personally regard as "clutter".

And spending time with the wrong sorts of people can, in my opinion, really add to the unnecessary complications in your life.

[Johnny Skosnik]

Originally Posted by votoshka

But I do have a problem with "too much stuff". Now it's easy to say "just get rid of it", of course it SOUNDS easy... but for those who have a problem with hoarding stuff it's just not that simple.

I'm not exactly a hoarder... I don't have rooms filled with piles and piles and piles of stuff. But I do find it quite difficult to pare down the stuff I have.

Most "things" I have, whether I like them really or not, have some sort of meaning for me... whether they were a gift from someone, or whatever else... and I don't find it at all easy to just remove these things from my life.

I had the same problem, here's how I solved it:

Periodically I go through my stuff. Anything that I haven't used in a year or that no longer fits my lifestyle, regardless of emotional attachment, I put in a corner in my guest room.

Then for each of these I take a picture of it and store it on my laptop and write a note about why it was so special to me. Then I visualize how someone else might better use it. Then I offer to sell or donate it on a website (craigslist and The Freecycle Network are handy). Typically someone offers to buy / take it, often in a few hours).

So the item is no longer cluttering up my life but I have a record of it. I keep these records in a spare directory, named "mementos" and like to browse it when I'm feeling nostalgic.

I believe the "visualizing it benefiting others" part is key. Personal example: in 1994 I was hunting with my dad in northwestern Michigan and shot a black bear. I had it skinned and mounted the hide on several sheets of plywood with a backframe, it stretched four feet by ten feet (I realize this is a bit graphic, stay with me). There was a lot of memories wrapped up in that, but every time I relocated it was, well, a bear to move. Eventually I decided to donate it. I took several pictures of it and made detailed notes, both technical and emotional (how my dad and I bonded). I then offered to donate it on freecycle and was quickly contacted by an elderly couple who recently bought a retirement cottage in northern Michigan and were looking to decorate it. The look of joy on their face when they came over and saw it gave me a lot of happiness.

Point is, when you make a virtual record of something and then donate it to someone who can better use it, it's a win-win situation. I recommend it.

[Brutha]

I think that minimalism and simplicity are great concepts.
I however agree that most articles that people write on the topic are unneccessary fluff. If the writer would actually practice minimalism they would be a lot shorter.

In some way Ryan Holiday is right when he argues that those blogs are frauds.
They don't think critically about the constraints that exist in the real world.

Some useful cases of minimalist knowledge:
When doing 5-10 minutes breaks during intellectual work, don't fill those minutes with reading or listening to audio books. Nothing that fills your brain with verbal input.

You can however fill the break with excercise because that uses up different mental resources than intellectual work.
If you look want to do computer programming it's quite important to do the least amount of stuff as possible in a single function and always start new functions.

But I do have a problem with "too much stuff". Now it's easy to say "just get rid of it", of course it SOUNDS easy... but for those who have a problem with hoarding stuff it's just not that simple.

I don't think that most of those blog articles will actually make it simple.

[Bricona]

Cool

[goldberg]

I don't really see that minimalism is lame. It is basically reminding us that much of what we have we don't really use, so it makes sense to get rid of it rather than have it clutter up our lives and our thinking.

[Lakshyayidhi Lakshmihi]

In my experience freelancing and writing content articles for various websites....most of them are fluff. 500 topics...by the time I get to 495 I'm really reaching and don't care all that much. Sometimes I can't believe people pay me for this crapola.

[Andrew Brunelle]

I've been what one would consider a minimalist all my life. It's not about people who think they are better than the starving or the Indian people who work for $2 a day. It is about acknowledging our manufactured needs in the first and second world and saying that some of those things truly aren't needs. I understand your point about not needing a book or article to get you to start decluttering, but for some people, it could be crucial. It's not as lame as you think. It saves resources and helps the environment. What's lame about that?

[Daffy Duck]

Ken, aren't you the guy who said he loves the minimalist lifestyle?

Minimalism means different things to different people. Indeed, a Monk is more "minimalist" than Leo of Zen Habits probably is, but that doesn't mean Leo isn't a focused minimalist himself.

At its core, minimalism is really just about simplifying things in your life. Your tasks, possessions, goals, etc. I see it as an application of the 80/20 principle.

[BillyTheAdult]

Originally Posted by James81

Minimalism is everywhere?

I haven't read anything about minimalism (besides this post) since 2008 when I read the book America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money.

Perhaps a good shift in focus is in order? Because I'm just not seeing it, and, well, the reason I'm not seeing it is because I don't read the same stuff or focus on the same things as you do.

So, if it drives you wonky, then switch your focus to something else. If you have trouble doing so, even though it drives you wonky, then there's something for you to examine that might make letting go of that focus easier if you were to choose to do so.

When I first read this I thought I had the same thought "Minimalism is everywhere?" But then later that day (yesterday) there was a story on the evening news about it, how big it had gotten, and how many and popular are the blogs about it. Who knew?

[Angela]

I love minimalism. A girl with minimalist impulses was inspired to empty out her storage unit in a hurry, and that's how I got a beautiful oak hand-crafted bed for free. Win-Win!

[Mounds]

I compare this to frugality and being cheap.

I consider being frugal streamlining your spending. You buy what you have to and once in a while you buy an extravagance. It's not about living in lack, it's about being conscious of where your money goes.

Now, let's talk cheap. Cheap is taping together your shower curtain and making your own laundry detergent (Simple Dollar...). It's where you should spend money but you just don't. If you were to put a value on your time, say $15/hour, it would be cheaper to buy the new shower curtain or laundry detergent. But cheap people don't do that. They only look at the dollar value and seek to lower it at all costs.

Now we will look at minimalism. It's being frugal with your time. Streamlining your life. It's a concept and it's easy as pie to achieve. All you have to do is use your brain and actually be conscious of your activities.
Now, combine the curse of blogging and minimalism. Now you've got a different beast, which I will call micro-managing. First though, the curse of blogging. Blog is driven by readers. Without readers, blog no longer exists. Readers demand fresh content. You keep writing in order to please readers but the well runs dry. So, you start rehashing old topics, creating "7 Tips to _____" type articles and doing nothing but contributing to the clutter of the internet. Leads me into my next topic, blogs should have an expiry date. Next time...

-Tim

[James81]

I think I might start practicing Maximalism.

Just consume the **** out of everything I come across and accumulate all sorts of material belongings.

[Lakshyayidhi Lakshmihi]

Originally Posted by James81

I think I might start practicing Maximalism.

Just consume the **** out of everything I come across and accumulate all sorts of material belongings.

Cliche, most of the west already does this.

[James81]

Originally Posted by Lakshyayidhi Lakshmihi

Cliche, most of the west already does this.

Ok, so I'll wear a clown costume while doing it.

[agsags]

Minimalism is great, but if one engages in a wide variety of activities, he will need to (passively) manage a lot of things, because replacing them is costly - in terms of time and money. It's great to have specialized gear - for biking, for weight-training, for climbing, for hiking - and the more proficient one becomes, the wider the needs.

I think there is a difference between having stuff for the sake of stuff and having stuff to widen the range of life-experiences.

I wish I could keep all the interesting books I have ever read semi-available to me. Sometimes the best reading is re-reading and deepest works have multiple levels. I really appreciate growing up in the house which was full with books and I want to live in a house like that.

[agsags]

Originally Posted by Mounds

[...]
Now we will look at minimalism. It's being frugal with your time. Streamlining your life. It's a concept and it's easy as pie to achieve. All you have to do is use your brain and actually be conscious of your activities.
[...]

I like this definition. To re-iterate my previous point, sometime being frugal with time means keeping and managing a lot of stuff.