Minimalism doesn't mean having less. This means making room for what really matters.
Minimalism is not just a trend to follow. It can truly change your life.
We can all practice minimalism in different ways.
As a result, we will each have our own advantages, and minimalism will change the lives of each of us in its own way.
Efficient use of the kitchen
This happens for two reasons:
- There is less clutter in your kitchen. You use fewer gadgets and it's easier to find what you need. This makes cooking much easier.
- You simplify the cooking process. Minimalism permeates various aspects of life. And your cooking style is simplified too. Of course, sometimes you can cook something elaborate for a special occasion. However, there is no point in doing this every day. Simplifying the way you cook will save you a lot of time.
Aesthetic preference
The art and pop culture of the 60s was imbued with minimalism.
Interior design, painting - everything in this style seemed attractive. For this reason, many people still turn to him. It's also quite practical when it comes to interiors - neutral color schemes, functional furniture and accents in the form of laconic decorations are used in both large and small spaces. For those who love visual volume and freedom from clutter, minimalism is a great option.
You know your style
Many people buy things that look good on them, but do not reflect their style and inner world. Surely you have experienced the fact that you are wearing something that looks good, but you are uncomfortable in this clothing. When you become a minimalist, you buy things that fit you, that make you feel good, and that you will wear for a long time.
A consumer society that dictates rules to us
The person who realizes that what he has is all that he needs becomes truly happy. (Lev Tolstoy)
A small digression. You and I are representatives of the so-called consumer society. Numerous companies encourage us to buy more and more things we don't need. Discounts, holiday sales... It's hard to resist the temptation to buy. Why not? The more things we have, the more comfortable our life will be, right? But in reality, owning more things makes life more difficult.
Wikipedia has a list of arguments against consumer society, the first paragraph reads: “ Consumer society makes a person dependent and dependent. " Why is this happening? The following two questions will help you understand the essence of the topic:
- Do you find it difficult to choose what to wear to work or to a party?
- Is it because you don't have clothes?
It's not that there are no clothes. On the contrary, many people find it difficult to choose from what is available. Clothing is just an example, this question can relate to any aspect of life.
Another example is the constant rush for new smartphone models. We buy them at least once every couple of years, although most do not use even half of the technical capabilities of new gadgets. Mobile phones are becoming more expensive every year, because we will buy them anyway. What I'm saying is that we don't buy things because we need them.
We think we need these things because we've been told so. (Minimalism, documentary about important things)
Instead of organizing our lives and communicating with loved ones, we work from morning to night to buy a new thing we don’t need, and then move on to buying the next one or even take out a loan for it.
What does this lead to:
- Extra costs of money;
- Distraction of attention and waste of life on unnecessary things;
- Reducing the value of each thing;
- Cluttering your home and your head.
I'm not saying that we need to stop buying; after all, we depend on material goods. I suggest paying attention to what we buy and how much stuff we keep.
Enjoying simple things
People who are maximalists get a lot of pleasure from buying things. They go to malls and buy something new to get that feeling of instant happiness.
The best things in life are not things.
Minimalists enjoy the simple things in life. It could be a walk in nature, reading a book, spending time with friends - it could be anything.
Less desire for material things
During the pandemic and economic hardships, many people are thinking about having less stuff and saving more. Because of this, the worldview of materialism weakens and tends towards minimalism.
People tend to spend money on self-development, health or experiences, rather than on things. They also give preference to quality over quantity. These are the basics of minimalism that become attractive to thousands of people every year.
Note that minimalism forces many people to participate in renting rather than purchasing things. You can find out more about this here.
Digital minimalism
Digital minimalism refers to email, social media, and the time you spend on your phone. Many people spend a lot of time in the morning reading the news and email. Minimalists reduce the time they spend on their gadgets. You start to appreciate the time you spend on your phone.
Advances in Technology
With the advent of modern computers and smartphones, many technologies have become outdated and simply no longer needed. CD and DVD players are considered collectibles rather than everyday items. Photo albums, newspapers, and notebooks are becoming a thing of the past.
Minimalists refuse the abundance of things that can be replaced by a smartphone or computer. Of course, you shouldn’t throw away a photo album with old photos if it’s dear to you. But you can think about storing new photos in digital format if minimalism is close to you.
New life: Limit everyday life to 50 items and live to the fullest
— I was inspired to embrace minimalism by the girl with whom I lived together: she was a classic plushkin, we constantly quarreled, and that’s why, too. I could, for example, court her for half an hour to have sex, now we are already undressed, and then the alarm goes off - a sale has begun in one of the online shopping clubs that she monitors. It gets blown up and, like an eagle, swoops down on cheap things, which are then lying around, sometimes not even unpacked, and I sit there like a fool. My great-grandmother, by the way, was the same; during the lean Soviet times, she accumulated three wardrobes and lost her mind when moths ate her treasures. In general, when my girlfriend and I had a fight, I left in what I was wearing, just took the computer, and thought it would be great to start with a clean slate and an empty suitcase. Here's what I have today:
Computer
I have a four year old Macbook Air and it provides everything the average person could want in a computer. If you clean the disk at least once a month, I think it will last another ten years. I store the archive on the cloud.
Flash drive
Titanium SanDisk 8 GB, it’s a hundred years old, but it works without problems, enough for work documents.
Backpack
Caterpillar city backpack with laptop compartment. Durable enough if you don’t carry bricks in it, it started to wear out in my third year of constant wear. I take him to the office, to the pool, and on the plane.
4, 5. Glasses
Two clear IKEA glasses. They seem to be made of tempered glass, in any case, they can withstand boiling water when brewing tea, I also make cocktails in them. Two glasses are enough to drink with a friend or girlfriend at home, but for a large group you have to collect disposable tableware, like at student drinking parties. But it's even more fun this way.
Pot
A three-liter saucepan from Ikea is the most convenient size. You can mix a salad or cook soup in it and then eat it for three days. I left the frying pan with a friend and I don’t miss it at all.
Aluminum bowl
For eggs, sausages, porridge, heating the first and other small things, there is a bowl with thin walls; it heats up quickly. She's a salad bowl.
8, 9. Table set for 12 items
Ikea, 400 rub. I bought it when I was expecting my mother to visit - my habit of using disposable forks and spoons would have horrified her. 12 items at once is not a scam, I will still leave them with the owner of the apartment when I move out, but for now I only use two.
Knife
Victorinox - knife, corkscrew, beer opener. Does not rust, does not dull, the best gift I have ever received.
11, 12. Two deep plates
Ikea again. Previously, I took for granted this entire dimensional and shaped series of plates, dishes, bowls and bowls, but now I understand that this is all a useless multiplication of entities.
Towel
The big stupid towel with a camel on it that my ex and I bought on our vacation together in Egypt seems to be the only thing that reminds me of her. I make do with one; in the kitchen, paper towels on a roll are more convenient.
14-17. Phone, cord, charging case, headphones
I have an iPhone 5S, with the latest update the power saving mode finally began to save the battery, but in general I travel a lot, no smartphone lasts that long without recharging. A friend gave me a case with a built-in battery; it makes the phone a little heavier, but it doubles its life and serves as a bumper. Well, charging from the network, a cube from an iPad, it charges faster. Apple headphones, their price is absolutely justified by their lifespan and sound quality.
My phone and computer replace my library (I bought a Kindle, but never used it, gave it to my sister), so there are no analogue books in my apartment at all. Of course, I won’t be able to impress an 18-year-old Foucault fan, but I didn’t really want to.
18, 19, 20. Panties
Marks & Spencer 3-pack, they have the best value for money of anything I've tried.
21, 22. Jeans
Montana, blue, warm, and dark gray Jack & Jones are lighter. In general, the fewer things there are, the more universal they should be, so that you don’t look like a poor man who has forgotten about his image. I used to have black and khaki.
Pants
Uniqlo, their knitwear is cheap and feels good on the body.
24-28. Socks
5 pack of black socks.
Winter boots
Rieker - the quality is acceptable, the price matches.
Demi-season low shoes
Skechers - I buy the same model every year, it wears out zero over the course of a year (spring, summer and fall), but it’s convenient and there’s no need to accumulate a collection in the closet. For the gym, of course, you need sneakers and at least pants, but now I’m running around a lot for work and don’t have time for fitness.
31-33. Three black T-shirts
Mustangs are dense, do not stretch, do not wrinkle, do not fade. In general, eternal.
34-38. Five T-shirts with prints
Zara, Jack & Jones, Thai noname. I try to avoid huge letters and memorable pictures all over my chest; only Superman can do that.
Shorts
Semi-military shorts for the summer and for home - it’s easy for a lonely man to become ostracized, so I keep myself within limits and don’t walk around the house in just shorts.
White shirt
Zara, sometimes you have to wear it to business meetings with people who respect the dress code.
41-42. Two hoodies
Old Navy with an insulated lining for winter and Pull & Bear for a lighter weight.
Warm wool sweater
Dark gray, with a high throat, of unknown origin and weighs one and a half kilograms, but it completely justifies itself in the cold and when I’m sick.
Long sleeve vest
Uniqlo, good to wear in the cold.
Demi-season jacket
Windproof black Jack & Jones with lining.
Winter Jacket
This green Uniqlo down jacket is the thickest they have.
47-49. Hat, scarf and gloves
Springfield and leather with an already unidentifiable label.
2 sets of bed linen
One is Ikea, the second is some fashionable satin from friends as a hint that it’s time for me to think about a new girl.
How has my life changed after switching to minimalism?
At first I was afraid that she would become poor and I would sit in an empty room like an orphan. Nothing like that happened, on the contrary - I stopped procrastinating, staring at all the junk, stopped getting annoyed at the sight of things being dumped, began to read more, fall asleep faster and concentrate better on what I want to do. When there is the Internet, it replaces most offline entertainment, and whether a person progresses or degrades in it is only his decision.
A separate point of pleasure is moving. Acquaintances are rushing about, packing, loading their belongings into gazelles, losing and breaking something, getting upset because they are so overgrown with rubbish that it is a pity to throw them away. And I take a backpack, two 120-liter garbage bags and get into a regular taxi with them.
What do I spend the money I save on?
For healthier food and travel, I buy e-books in my specialty through Amazon. I go to concerts, help my parents, put something off.
What advice can I give to those who want to try minimalism?
If you have ever rented an apartment through Airb'n'b, remember what items were there in the kitchen and bathroom; usually the owners leave only the essentials.
It is clear that living in your own home, you will accumulate more things: I rent an apartment with an electric kettle, washing machine, lamps, that is, I do not have to transport all this. But even in the process of furnishing your home, try to emerge from the euphoria of spending and think: is this thing something you’ve been wanting for a long time, or just a “lucky purchase” on sale? How often will you use it? For example, you are used to a classic stove with oven, but you only use the oven once a month. Wouldn't it be better to save three hundred dollars and space by buying a cooktop and an air fryer instead, or even just one slow cooker?
It’s easier for us men to live than for girls, who feel uncomfortable without decor and a lot of little-functional things. I would recommend to them Marie Kondo’s book “The Magic of Tidying Up”, which, among other things, says: if an item makes you happy, leave it, if it doesn’t warm you up, throw it away. Or don't buy it. This is a very correct principle.
Regarding clothes: believe a marketer who has taken upgrade courses in consumer psychology - the number of rags and shoes in your home is directly proportional to the volume of neuroses in your head. Superman and Jobs and Zuckerberg did not wear the same thing for the sake of image or to minimize the number of decisions - they simply had more logical recipes for how to self-actualize and impress the world.
Cost control
How to become a minimalist and thrifty owner? Controlling expenses is an essential part of the idea of getting rid of everything unnecessary, but there is a big difference between the frugality of an economist and the reasonable approach to spending of a fan of the concept. By limiting himself in purchases, a minimalist does not feel regret, and uses the accumulated funds for intangible benefits - for example, travel or education.
To better understand where your money is going and find ways to cut unnecessary expenses, you need to train yourself to write down your expenses every day. In a few days it will become clear which resource is consuming the searcher's budget the most. It is very important not to stop monitoring your spending, constantly analyzing the necessity of each episode of your purchasing activity.
Desire to reduce debts
Many people paying off large loans are adopting a minimalist lifestyle to pay them off faster.
They also refuse to borrow funds from the bank for purchases they cannot afford. With a minimalist approach to life, it is easier to manage your finances or pay off debts that are inevitable. Agree, it’s easier to reduce the amount you spend on things than to urgently look for funds to pay bills.
Demeanor
From childhood to this day, this guy stands out in any company with his special style of behavior.
There is absolutely no desire to show off and attract attention at any cost. It is this equanimity, calmness, modesty that arouses the genuine interest of others.
A minimalist is quite static in his movements and gestures: he can stand or sit for a long time without changing his usual posture. Impressiveness and some relaxation, combined with his natural hard work, make an impressive contrast!
The guy moves harmoniously: no unnecessary body movements, walks straight, calm, measured gait resembles swaying scales.
In communication he is simple, quite easy and unemotional. He can remain silent for a long time if he has nothing to say, and does not chatter in vain. Not hot-tempered. He is polite with strangers, but keeps his distance.
Sometimes he replaces words only with nods, interjections, or a special facial expression. Facial expressions are not rich, but expressive.
Not only in personal dialogue, but also in correspondence, this young man shows the qualities of a minimalist : laconic phrases, mostly to the point, a minimum of “emoticons” and other expressive means.
Influence of bloggers and celebrities
Many famous people and bloggers on various platforms share their impressions of minimalism, which makes their followers think about the impact of things on their lives. Because of this, there are more followers of minimalism - having tried this lifestyle, many find benefits in it for themselves personally. This has led to the idea that owning fewer things leads to a truly rich life, and more and more young people agree with it.
