minimalism

The most valuable lessons I’ve learned since becoming a minimalist 

March 1, 2021 — Leave a comment

Minimalism made me reevaluate what time means to me and how much of it is wasted doing essentially nonsense. 

Minimalism makes you wonder, do I enjoy spending all my free time cleaning and doing maintenance? Do I like spending so much time in stores? Do I enjoy working so many hours and/or side jobs to pay for stuff that is mostly wants or impulse buys instead of needs?

The beauty of minimalism is that it doesn’t force us to do anything, it’s all about the freedom to choose and the power that comes from making decisions based on awareness instead of being ruled by unconscious impulses and societal conditioning (hello neuromarketing).

I don’t know why it took me so long to realize this, but having fewer dishes or less clothes doesn’t allow it to pile up. If you want a clean plate or outfit, you have to keep them clean.

About that, here’s a short and yet perfect story on how to deal with laundry, by Matt d’Avella.

To take this a step further, since becoming a minimalist, I noticed that I now need less self-discipline, since there is no other option than to wash whatever is dirty, and since there isn’t much to maintain and keep up with.

This could be summed up in an extremely simple reasoning: minimizing entails having less work to do.

How ? A simple equation:

Less stuff = less work = less stress

When my go-to isn’t buying more or calling anyone for help, I become more resourceful and creative with what I have. 

The other amazing thing about minimalism is that the momentum of enthusiasm created by downsizing/organizing one area of your physical life carries over into others.  You want to experience the thrill of accomplishment again and again.

Moreover, as a minimalist, I’ve stopped ignoring my problems, and instead started focusing on them, and minimizing them.

Less stuff also means less decisions, which undoubtedly leads to less decision fatigue.

Once you do not use up your decision making power in non-essential things (such as what to wear or which cup to use) you have more energy in making more important decisions.

A personal uniform could be the answer for some, not necessarily something that works for me though ^^

Last but not least, I think minimalism promotes self-mastery.

Minimalism helps you question everything and consider how temporary the ecstasy of (insert thing) will be. 

I think that’s deep. 

Minimalism: removing things that remove you from your life

April 5, 2019 — 2 Comments

From owning 51 pairs of shoes to less than 40 overall clothing items, how did I get here?

I could write a whole book about the many benefits of minimalism.

I talk a lot about minimalism and mindfulness on my podcast.

I truly and wholeheartedly believe this lifestyle can spark a change in the world, help people feel happier, lighter, achieve financial stability, work less and live more.

There are no good arguments against minimalism, just like there are none against veganism, but that’s another story.

That said, lately I’ve been exploring a different terminology. I felt as though the term “minimalism” wasn’t impactful enough.

Hear me out.

Most of us think we know what minimalism is, or what it entails. We don’t, not really.

The word “minimalism” is somewhat self-explanatory, which, IMHO, doesn’t do it justice.

This really got me thinking, so I decided to come up (or explain further) my own work-in-progress minimalism, which is a bit extreme, so I call it mindful essentialism, or just essentialism.

Why “essentialism” you ask? Simple: because I own the bare minimum, or rather, essentials only, no extras.

As an essentialist, one of the main focuses of my lifestyle is protecting the environment.

Consuming less leads to cutting down waste and living with a smaller ecological footprint. Simple.

I obviously still own and need some stuff, but the things I own and buy (when need be) are 100% environmentally friendly, and absolutely necessary. I also live frugally, and try to repair and repurpose all my belongings.

I’ve talked about this time and again on my podcast, but consuming less helps reduce the harmful impact of mindless consumerism on our planet. This makes essentialism a pro-environment and anti-consumption mindset and philosophy above everything else.

From shopping second hand and eco-friendly to investing in quality products (that last longer), my new shopping habits (close to nonexistent nowadays) help me reduce my carbon footprint significantly.

For instance, mindful shopping and making sure I don’t bring any unnecessary things into my life is the first thing on my mind when I’m out looking shopping;

Having the preservation of the planet in mind, essentialists like myself usually follow a vegan lifestyle as the two philosophies go hand in hand.

My other focus as an essentialist is to experience the world without getting tied down to a permanent place and financial burdens.

Instead of embracing materialism, I believe creating memories of my experiences is one of the two most important aspects of my life, the other one being giving (time and money) to charity and NPOs.

  • Travel-wise

As a lifelong traveler, I’ve always had trouble finding the right amount of things to pack up, so I always ended packing way more than I needed.

Since embracing this philosophy, I’ve noticed how traveling with fewer distractions allowed me to be more present and get the best out of each and every experience. It’s the little things, right?

For some nomadic minimalists, this lifestyle is just a practical way of moving around. For me, it’s challengingly fun to experience how little I (and now WE) can live with.

  • The mindful part of essentialism

As an essentialist, peace of mind is an integral part of why I chose this life.

Owning fewer things automatically reduced mental clutter for me, which is the number one cause of stress and anxiety for most people.

Owning less also reduces distractions and gives me the ability to focus on self-reflection (hence this post), self-love and personal development (once again, hence this post).

As a mindful essentialist, owning less possessions and being more present in the moment with my thoughts, my loved ones, my feelings and emotions has increased my quality of life in a significant manner. It’s made my life more meaningful and fulfilling.

Now, I’m not there yet, and I will keep working on shaping a better version of myself, pursuing excellence (a religious principle in my case) and adding value to other people’s lives.

I started my essentialist journey to escape the suffocation of stressful and expensive lifestyles, but I ended up finding a whole different facet of myself, a more relaxed and positive one.

In short:

Cutting down on “stuff” helped me become more mindful about self-care and my core values as well.

Essentialism has become a powerful tool in my journey of developing a better me. It’s helped me become more thoughtful as well.

Thank you for stopping by!

Here’s a short list of my favorite minimalists:

  • Leo Babauta from Zen Habits 
  • The minimalists
  • Sorelle Amore
  • Colin Write
  • Youheum from Heal your Living (personal fave)
  • and of course Matt D’Avella