What Is The Minimalist Lifestyle?

Architect and writer John Pawson says that “minimalism, more than architecture, is a way of life”. It was understood in this way by a group of families who created a platform to teach what a minimalist lifestyle is.

The platform in question is called The Minimalists , and on it they try to make sense of life. Like? For example, creating alternatives for the material need that arises from advertising and that society itself ends up enhancing.

What is the minimalist lifestyle?

According to the minimalists, today we live in a very stimulating environment. Furthermore, many of these stimuli are advertisements focused on motivating consumption; this makes, every day, we believe that there are more objects considered essential for our well-being.

Following minimalist thinking, each new purchase makes us heavier. In other words, our emotional plane becomes overloaded, and we end up leaving aside some essential parts of being human, such as freedom.

That’s why advocates of the minimalist lifestyle Ryan Nicodemus and Fields Millburn define it as a tool that serves as a catalyst for getting rid of excess. For what? So that we can focus on what is really important and what will bring us happiness, freedom and fulfillment.

If you are interested in the minimalist lifestyle, there are a series of characteristics that define you, starting from a unique idea that structures and inspires you: eliminate material and artificial needs and focus on the personal part.

Eliminate what is accessory or superfluous

Basically, they preach that we must eliminate everything that is not necessary. If, during your life, you have been storing useless objects, it is a matter of doing an organizing exercise to empty these spaces so that they can be released or filled with elements that cover real needs.

The most traditional wisdom reminds us that the attachment to material goods makes us, in some way, slaves. Accumulation makes us waste time cleaning up, organizing or maintaining all this, which is an obstacle to using our resources on those matters that are really important. In this way, minimalists invite people to empty drawers and cupboards, eliminating everything that, in fact, is useless.

Combat attachment to material objects

Sometimes we get attached to objects and, therefore, we don’t throw them away. In fact, they can be full of memories for us. However, minimalism reminds us that, in reality, many memories are in the person’s memory, not the object itself.

Minimalists claim that we should project ourselves into the future, not the past. So, the attachment must be with people, starting with the individual himself, and not with material goods.

Organization and simplicity in the home

Minimalists also advocate the idea of ​​having an organized home, where simplicity is the dominant theme. Every thing we keep must have a specific use, and for that reason it has to have its own space. Also, if we always put objects in the same place, it will be easier to find them.

Consumer control

Another important aspect that minimalism values ​​is the control of consumption. We must be careful with our purchases, since, on many occasions, we acquire goods that are useless.

They also advocate another maxim, which is to replace every thing that enters the home with something that must be thrown away, given away, or sold. So, if any of your assets have already lost their useful life, don’t accumulate it.

Scanning

Another option adopted by minimalists is digitization. They advocate the idea of ​​doing away with photo albums, bills, letters, invoices, tickets, etc. First we must take a photo or scan the document, then we will store it scanned, and finally we throw away the original.

Other minimalist options

There are other guidelines adopted by the minimalists. As you can imagine, they all bet on simplifying life and reducing material goods:

• Simplify the technology. That is, not having a cell phone, iPod, iPad, laptop, desktop computer, etc. The ideal is to try to reduce all this to the smallest possible number of devices.
• They also encourage us  to control the consumption of information. Since we are exposed to too many stimuli, we lose concentration and valuable time without being really well informed in most cases.
• Selecting appointments is another maxim. Don’t waste your time on dates that won’t add anything to your life. We need to be more productive, and that’s why it’s sometimes necessary to say no.
• Accumulating experiences instead of objects is also another of its characteristics.
• Finally, they try to  control the mind, focusing on what’s really important and seeking emotional balance.

This is the minimalist lifestyle. Learning to live in the present, moving towards the future, taking advantage of small experiences and accumulating only the necessary goods. Are you attracted to this approach?