I WAS looking for an extra adapter for my computer last week and I had to look through three boxes of wires and plugs and two cabinet drawers of knick-knacks before I finally found it. The search took me almost an hour.
When I looked around, I realized there were so many things I had not used for the past year. I opened my clothes cabinet and realized I would only use about three pairs of shorts and four shirts at a time during the week whenever I work from home, and rotated four pairs of pants and five shirts for work. I realized I was holding on to so many clothes which I had not even used for the past year.
Weeks ago, a good friend recommended I watch The Minimalists on Netflix because he said it was a good documentary. I started watching it, but it took me some time to finish. I have always had this preconceived notion that being a minimalist means letting go of everything I had and just living with the essentials—food, shelter, and the bare minimum for clothing. Little did I know that it was more than just a fad, it was a way of life. And it does not mean letting go of everything.
Joshua Becker, author of Becoming Minimalist, says that “minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of anything that distracts us from it.” In short, living intentionally. Minimalism is knowing which ones are worth keeping in your life—be it the things we own, and even the people we associate with. It means living purposely by building an environment where you are free to focus on things that matter most to you.
At the heart of discontent, according to minimalism, is the want to have more. Why is wanting to have more making us unhappy? It makes us unhappy because it highlights our discontent with our current state. When we are unhappy with our current state, we focus more on the future which creates that discontent. And when it does not happen, it makes us feel slighted. It then accentuates our frustrations especially for unrealistic expectations.
Sometimes, getting more than we can handle could also make us restless and discontented because we tend to ask for more. This is what is known as the Diderot Effect. Denis Diderot, the renowned French chief editor of the “Encyclopédie” during the Enlightenment, was in a quandary because his daughter was getting married and he did not have enough money for her wedding. Catherine the Great of Russia heard of Diderot’s predicament and offered to buy his encyclopedia collection. Suddenly, he had more money than he needed and bought himself a scarlet robe. This robe became so out of place with his common things that he bought other things to go with his new robe. In time, he bought more things just so everything goes well with his new robe. Does this sound familiar? What have you bought together with your new phone?
Minimalism seeks to counter the ubiquitous consumerism that has plagued modern society. It is so widespread but hardly noticeable because you are not even aware of its effect on you. Marketing professionals have mastered the art and science of persuading you to buy something which you do not actually need through the clever use of color and design. They would even go so far as employ psychological tricks to exacerbate your fear of missing out. This propaganda of needing more creates and highlights your wants more than your needs.
Does this mean we need to get rid of everything we own? Definitely not. Minimalism is about freeing up space so more important things can occupy them. It also does not mean being a miser but being intentional in adding value to what is significant in your life by carefully curating your possessions to only those things that add value to you every day. Bottom line is the intentionality of what goes into your space. Look around where you are right now and ask yourself this question: Do you use all the things that are around you?
The concept of minimalism forces you to focus on what is important in your life and having them within easy reach. This means less distractions from unimportant things resulting in less stress which in turn helps you to have peace of mind because you do not needlessly have to worry about other things. Everything you need is accessible and right where you need them. You can then have time to devote to more important things because you quickly find what you need. Moreover, and equally significant, it would be easier to clean the entire house because you do not have any more dust collectors on your cupboards. Everything has a purpose, and everything is in their proper place.
You also deliberately stave off the compulsion to buy whatever you see on television or on social media because you know what you really need because everything in your house serves its purpose. This in turn helps you save money and time. You get to save your money on things which you really need and deliberately avoid those which are just a fad. You are forced to examine not just if you really need the item, but the quality of the item itself. Eventually, you will discover you have spent copious sums of money and inordinate amounts of time for things which you will not use in a week. By focusing on what you really need, you get to save your money for things which really matter to you.
One other thing I like about minimalism is the effect on your community. Imagine people sorting everything they owned and giving away to others in their community the things which they do not need. This would create a domino effect where people only get to have enough and others can benefit from things which just rot away in boxes, the basement, and even storage facilities. Also, this will lessen residual waste, which in turn would mean lessening pollution.
Minimalism is for everyone. It does not require special skills or a timeline. You set your own pace in getting rid of whatever does not add value to your everyday life, so you can start focusing on what really matters. You can start where you are seated at right now. Look around. What should you give away?
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