Lets Talk Minimalism

[Scumbag]

Minimalism means many things to many people.

Minimalism to me, is: Asking yourself the simple question, Is this making my life more productive? If the answer is no, it goes.

I'm in the process of purging all my unnecessary stuff. I dropped off three bags of stuff today at the goodwill, and more will follow. I'm selling my desktop computer, dresser, TV, Entertainment Unit, PS2, and anything else that really isn't necessary.

When all the purging is complete I'll be left with some cool shirts, nice jeans, a couple pairs of shoes, my laptop, my dog, a foreman grill, microwave, a folding table, and a mattress.

All this stuff bogs us down. Weighs on our minds. We start accumulating stuff to fill voids. Thinking that it will make our life better, but all it really does is hold us back.

Many people have replaced positive character traits with corporate brand worship.

People will pay 20 dollars more for a simple cotton t-shirt with a Nike logo on it.

I'm sure you've seen those shows where a group of designers come into somebodies house that has a ton of junk and makes them sell it in a yard sale. Most of those people are so reluctant to do that. Why? Because their belongs are their identity. Their core persona is so weak that old record collections are their mascots.

What camp do you fall in? If someone told you to donate your favorite pair of shoes to a charity would you? Or would the idea of giving away those shoes strip you of your precious identity that you so carefully constructed.

Being a minimalist has it's advantages.

1. You are upwardly mobile. No longer does it take you 3 days and a team full of strong men to help you move. You can pack all your worldly possessions in your car and be gone.

2. It's better for the environment. You simply don't consume as much.

3. You feel better and are more organized. No longer are you bound by the chains of your stuff. You can easily find that paper you need.

4. $$$ When you live a minimalist lifestyle you can spend your money wisely. No more plopping down 200 dollars on clothes. That money is now invested or spent in ways that better mold you as a person.

5. Bang for your Buck - Now when you do go to buy something, you throughly research it and make sure you are getting the absolute best thing available in your price range.

[daisylover26]

I wouldn't consider myself a minimalist (I do like my "stuff"), but I definitely prefer a streamlined life for the reasons you mentioned. Everything in my house has a place and if it doesn't, I don't need it. My husband and I try hard to follow the "one in, one out" rule. We're preparing for a cross-country move, so it's been a great opportunity for me to really evaluate what I own and whether it's enhancing my life or just taking up space. I've gotten rid of a lot!

As I said, I do like my stuff. But, it IS just stuff. And I have yet to get rid of something that I later regretted, so I think that's a good sign

[Akashic_Librarian]

I LOVE stuff. A rooms just not a room without a pile of useless clutter not needed for years...how do YOU know that the copy of Good Food magazine from 1997 won't come in handy one day? You just don't. I prefer to be on the safe side :P


p.s/ Yes I am 16 year old Boy who reads Good Food magazine, GET OVER IT

[Jes]

Minimalism has really done a lot for my OCD.

I used to constantly be spending money on the latest technology, making sure all of my collections were complete, making sure my apartment was the perfect bachelor pad, etc. But then I realized that none of that stuff mattered.

Now I don't buy anything unless I NEED it. I own a bed (my mom threw out my mattress for Christmas), a desk, a computer (which I hope to ween myself off of this year), a filing cabinet, some music equipment, and less than a week's worth of clothing. I obsess a lot less because there is a lot less to obsess about. And I don't have to worry so much about the bills because they are very, very minimal. It's just great.

[madgeylou]

i'm definitely not a minimalist ... but i used to be waaaay more of a maximalist than i am now. every trip to the thrift store would end with me bringing more and more "treasures" into my home. these things were really lovely and very madgey, but after a while it just got to be way too much.

right now i think i'm at an appropriate level of stuff. i have everything i need, some things i want, and nothing that bogs me down or makes me feel bad.

[openeyes]

I prefer to only have as much stuff as I can fit into my car. I could grab up the near-essentials (important papers, notebook pc and some clothes) within a few minutes. Where I'm at I don't really even need a car or computer, as the town's so walkable, and there are plenty of accessible computers at the various libraries.

Right now my main piece of furniture is a bookshelf which I'll be leaving behind. My bed is a floor cushion. I've been selling off some of my books that have held or increased their value well, and will likely be giving away quite a bit more soon.

We have something called the "Really Really Free Market" here on the first Saturday of every month, where people bring nice items that they no longer need. There are also free lessons in a number of things. This month a girl gave a free class in self defense and next month I may be giving massages.

While I'm young, it's simply more convenient to be able to fit my most valued possessions into a backpack, and move freely with the wind. Someday it'd be nice to have a garden again though, and I'd be quite happy to have my bed in a few years be a flotation tank

[YouseffTheSheep]

So, if you're not a minimalist, you're being weighed down by everything?

[Scumbag]

Originally Posted by YouseffTheSheep

So, if you're not a minimalist, you're being weighed down by everything?

Ask this question better and you'll get an answer.

[Mark Lapierre]

Originally Posted by Scumbag

Asking yourself the simple question, Is this making my life more productive? If the answer is no, it goes.

What if it doesn't make your life more productive, but does add to your enjoyment of life?

For example, chatting to friends on MSN doesn't make my life more productive. In fact, it's quite the opposite in some cases. Does that mean I should get rid of it? But what about the enjoyment I get from it? Rather than getting rid of it entirely, I could substitute face-to-face interaction, or ensure I get all my work done before chatting. But considering the enjoyment it provides, dumping it completely doesn't make sense as long as I consider life to be about enjoying myself, rather than purely being productive.

For a more concrete example, I have a sizable collection of books, and once in a while I'll pick up and old one and read it again. In the case of fiction there's nothing to learn from them. I still enjoy it. And while a good new story is often better than a good old one, that's not always the case. There are some stories that I could read over and over again and still enjoy each time.

That said, I've gone for long periods without MSN, and lost/given away old books that I loved, and not felt any negative feelings.

I agree that forming attachments to objects is not healthy, but I also believe that objects are fine if you get something out of having them, and don't lose anything because you've got them. And what you might "lose" is subjective.

[Scumbag]

This isn't a black/white issue.

That's why i said minimalism means many things to many different people.

There is room for down time. Room for enjoying ourselves.

[Rin]

This post is right up my alley. I have always aimed to live a very simple, uncluttered life (not always successfully mind you, it's been a learning curve at times) and that goes for relationships as well as things.

In fact, I wouldn't just say I was minimalist. I would say that I'm downright spartan. Ruthless, even.

Early in my adult life, I found a "look" and stuck to it. I don't own any colours, I simply wear all black, all the time. Neither have I changed my hairstyle in the last couple of decades. I even keep it short and neat, because I can't be bothered messing around with it all the time. What a waste of time and money that would be.

I go clothes shopping about once every two years. Whenever I find an item of clothing (or shoes, or tote bag or whatever) that I really, really like, then I immediately buy several duplicates. All in black, of course.

I eat the same food every single day, because I can't be bothered with grocery shopping. I have a food budget and I stick to it very, very strictly. Hence I never do any impulse shopping. And I'm healthier than many of my contemporaries too, because I don't overload my system with so much crap. I can't remember the last time I ate an ice cream. Ice cream is for other people, not me. My one wicked indulgence is good coffee (and I can afford it, because my money is not tied up with all that other crap).

I never bother keeping magazines, newspapers or books, as soon as I've read them, out they go. What's the point of keeping them?

Housecleaning is a breeze, because I have so little furniture, and I'm always challenging myself to live with less. Whenever I'm sorting all my stuff out, I ask myself one simple question: if I got hit by a bus tomorrow, who would get this? Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, the answer is "nobody, it would simply get put in the rubbish." And so out it goes. Really puts things in perspective.

If it sounds as though I am living a joyless and spartan existence, think again. I firmly believe that simplicity equals freedom. Over the years I've seen so many friends hock themselves into debt so that they could keep up with the Joneses. Some of them are in their late thirties and are still paying for crap that they charged in their twenties, how crazy is that? They used to laugh at me for my wacky ideas, but looks who's laughing now!

I am the Queen of Simplicity.

[openeyes]

Originally Posted by Mark Lapierre

What if it doesn't make your life more productive, but does add to your enjoyment of life?

If one of my goals is to enjoy my life (it is), then anything which promotes that is productive in those terms. For something to not be productive, that would mean that it's either not helping me reach my goals (whatever they may be), or it's actually impeding them. Working 100 hours per week thus would likely be seen as destructive to one's goals of personal enjoyment, while laying in a hammock could be quite beneficial.

[Susie]

I strive for minimalism, but I don't go for stark. It's important to me to let go of things I don't need/aren't useful anymore-- when I was in my early twenties I had a hard time letting things go, I think because of having times in my childhood when we were really poor and I felt deprived-- the result of not letting things go was total chaos. But in my later 20's I really started working on getting control over my life which included my stuff and things got better.

I moved overseas two years ago and got rid of everything except what could fit in 2 suitcases, plus a box of books, and I shipped a box of photographs to my mother's house for safekeeping. Now I work hard to try to keep things minimal, it helps that I live in a 400 sq foot apartment together with my husband so we don't have much storage space.

My thing is I don't want to get stuck in the past, I want to keep things fresh, and I think letting things go to make way for the new is a good way to contribute to that.

[skinnyninja]

I'm sure there are plenty of people who could benefit from the idea of minimalism.

But strong minimalism feels wrong to me. A healthy balance is what I need to shoot for. Sure, if I'm being "defined" by my stuff, then I have a problem. On the other hand, if I'm purposely denying myself from having certain things, that seems extreme as well.

Balance.

[Vipa]

Minimal is also an emerging new form of house music I'll have you know.

Apologies, not very relevant. Just felt like sharing that with you seeing I'm a dj.

Personally I think a certain degree of temperence is the best approach. Purge certain items, but keep some that are unneccesary for the hell of it, otherwise life might seem a little austere.

Memories are valuable too, and some things that may seem surplus to requirements, may be regretted later. As I said. Balance.

[RT Wolf]

I think the topic of conversation might be austerity, when one has few material posessions except those necessary and doesn't want to be gaudy.

That confused me a little first. I'm familiar with minimalism and with austerity, but they're not the same. Minimalism being an art/design movement and austerity more of a way of life. Many religions and religious sects (such as Islam and the Puritans) suggest this kind of living because it simplifies your life and, as Scumbag suggested, prevents you from identifying with your stuff, thus feeding hte ego.

[Angela]

RT Wolf, yes that's what "minimalism" evokes for me, too: the style of interior design, which feels stark to me and I wouldn't want to live with. Austerity, though, with it's implication of roughness or a lack of luxury, also isn't a lifestyle I'd choose.

Streamlined is the style for me. I like to live with a very few items that are either very useful or very beautiful. I like to live with lots of streaming space through which people, joy, air, and love can freely flow. My apartment is 305 square feet, so it takes constant editing to have it be as vital as I desire.

Watch out for that insidious ego, though! Believing who you are is a minimalist (or austerist, or streamlinist) is ego-identification, just as much as identifying with your stuff is.

[Brutha]

No single book?