I don’t own much stuff.
In fact, I can fit everything I own into my small car.
This is my greatest flex, and something I’m very proud of.
You might think this is the result of an avoidant personality trait, a reluctance to bring things into my life, a wariness of attaching meaning to them, a fear of bogging myself down with an excessive collection of material possessions making it harder to escape a situation if I ever need to run away quickly.
And when you put it like that… yes, that could be part of it.
But, for the sake of this article, let’s focus on the healthy reasons instead.
Leonardo da Vinci once said “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
This simplicity, minimalism and intention extends far beyond the material possessions one owns.
When you learn to buy less, you learn to live with less.
When you learn to live with less, you learn to find joy in more.
That, my friends, is the precursor to a damn good life…
If you do it right.
Simplicity Actually Changed The World
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” was one of Steve Jobs’ favourite mottos.
He repeated it in his biography, saying it was an idea he always did his best to live by.
Jobs was known for craving simplicity and perfectionism, so much so that his mansion remained largely unfurnished for most of his life because he couldn’t decide what to fill it with.
He even questioned the need for essentials like a sofa, deciding instead to use a couple of lawn chairs in the living room.
This craving for perfection is what made Apple and its products so great.
Jobs only kept the things that truly added value, both in his personal life, and in his products.
I’m using Steve Jobs as an example to prove two points.
Firstly, adopting a simplistic, minimal lifestyle can lead to great things.
Focusing on what truly matters can give the necessary space needed to create products that literally change the world.
But secondly, and most importantly, minimalism can reach a tipping point where it becomes borderline obsessive, ultimately detracting from its original purpose.
Jobs wore the same clothes every single day (he had 100 black turtleneck sweaters), owned a mansion with nothing in it, and was a fruitarian (as in he literally only ate fruit) for large chunks of his life.
We can sit back and smile at these quirky traits because it’s Steve Jobs – the man’s a genius.
But you are I are not Steve Jobs.
And I can guarantee you that these personality quirks won’t lead to the creation of the next device that will change the world, they’ll just make your life suck a bit more.
I’ve identified three areas of my life where I’ve done my best to adopt a minimalist approach.
Here’s how it’s helped me, and how I do my best to avoid becoming obsessive (most of the time).
Physical Minimalism: Defining What’s Essential
Let’s start with the most obvious.
I don’t have to go into detail about why owning less stuff is cool.
It benefits your mind, your wallet, the planet and the physical environment around you.
It’s taken me years to get to the point where I’m comfortable with what I own, which is not much.
I hate spending money, and I have to really want something to bring it into my life.
That’s a result of the mindset shift that comes from this process when it’s done slowly over a long period of time.
The most difficult part for me, and most likely for you, will be working out your own definition of the word ‘essential’.
That is something you can’t find the answer to on the internet.
There are a lot of things I don’t own that would be considered essential by most people.
But you know what I do own?
This framed meme of a pixelated polar bear… and you better believe it’s one of my favourite possessions.
What holds ‘value’ to you can be defined in many different ways.
Value to me either means usefulness or joy, and this cute little polar bear brings me a hell of a lot of joy every time I look at it.
You are not getting rid of stuff just to own less.
You’re getting rid of stuff that doesn’t belong in your life.
There is a huge difference.
Emotional Minimalism: Managing Your Circle
“See, you’re a product of your environment. My environment’s a product of me.”
Yung Lean – Violence
Emotional minimalism could be defined differently depending on who you ask, so take this definition liberally.
To me, emotional minimalism means placing emphasis on the quality and simplicity of your circle (the people and environment around you).
To evoke the philosophical mind of Yung Lean, it’s about making your environment a product of you, not the other way around.
Don’t you think it’s funny how most of us are free to do anything we want with our time, yet we often find ourselves hanging around people who don’t motivate us, in situations that don’t inspire us?
When you focus on the quality of these moments, and the people in these moments, you’re making your environment a product of your own choosing.
You can choose the people and places in your life, but you need to develop the strength to say no.
Environmentally, this requires money (saying no to jobs, bosses, situations).
In relationships, this requires courage (removing people from your life doesn’t feel good at first).
If life doesn’t feel too great right now, stop looking for things to add to it, and instead start looking for things to subtract.
Emotional minimalism is underrated.
Digital Minimalism: Why Is It So Hard?
Physical minimalism: mastered.
Emotional minimalism: getting better.
Digital minimalism: oh boy.
This is my kryptonite, as I’m sure it will be for generations to come.
There is so much value to be found in reducing our consumption of content and, in turn, the screen time that comes with that.
But I’m not going to recommend doing something that I can’t even do myself, so this is where the importance of intention comes in.
I try my best these days to consume content that, in some way, will make me a better person or a better creator.
If I’m learning something, anything, then I’m heading in the right direction.
But when a screen becomes a digital pacifier to numb whatever emotion it is that I might be feeling, that’s a problem.
If reducing your screen time is too difficult, try increasing your intention instead.
Consume to inspire, not to numb.
