Every Monday I post Real Life Minimalists, a profile of one of my readers in their own words. If you’d like to participate, click here for details.
This week, we hear from John. He tells us how reducing his possessions has given him a new mental freedom, and enabled him to focus on the important things in life. Check out his blog to learn more.
John writes:
Greetings Minimalists! My name is John and part of what I write about over at practicalcivilization.com includes minimalism and the avoidance of over-consumption. Recently, I got my belongings below the famed 300 number. I have been living with less than 300 items for about a month now and it feels good! I’d like to share what I have found.
Currently, I’m single and live in a one bedroom apartment. I thought, “What better time to get rid of all the things I don’t need and really focus on what matters in life.” So far, I have realized that living with less is beneficial for a few reasons.
Perhaps the biggest joy of living with less has been the mental space that has been freed up. I no longer have to look at certain items that were not getting any use and were simply collecting dust/taking up space in my small apartment. Gone are the days of rummaging through my closet to find a certain shirt or pair of pants because now all my favorites are clearly at eye level. I don’t have to think about where a particular tool may be because I know right where I have them organized. My kitchen takes a lot less time to organize and clean up due to a fewer amount of dishes/utensils.
This mental freedom is a treasure to behold.
I’ve discovered that by evaluating what “things” I truly use on a daily/weekly basis, this mindset has spilled over into other aspects of my life. I’ve begun to further look at my finances, how many e-mail subscriptions I needed to unsubscribe from, and my social network use. Organization and de-cluttering in these areas is sensible because it allows me to be less distracted by trivial matters and focus on my work, writing, and relationships with family and friends.
Lastly, I’ve come to realize that we live in a world of abundance and uber-consumption. That is, those of us that have the opportunity of reading this article on some sort of computer or mobile device. In other words, we don’t have trouble meeting our basic needs to survive and live a happy life. All the fluff and absurdities of a consumer society have been force-fed down our throats and we can either choose to let the pattern of consumption rule our lives or forge a path of our own. A much simpler, happier path.
{If you’d like to learn more about minimalist living, please consider reading my book, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide, or subscribing to my RSS feed.}
Good for you, John! I like where you said: “Perhaps the biggest joy of living with less has been the mental space that has been freed up.” I have minimalized my home extensively but have now fallen back to too much stuff. On Saturday, I moved my parents from one retirement residence to another (a bit smaller) and now my dining room is filled with furniture that wouldn’t fit in their new home. Relaxing on Sunday, a very cluttered dining room was felt both mentally and physically. It’s amazing how much they accumulated in just the two years at the previous place; it took the movers from 9:30 to 4:00 !! I look forward to selling the excess and returning to a freed up mental space :)
Hi Diane, it is pretty incredible how easy it is to be reminded of how much stuff we can accumulate with a situation like the one you’ve described. By selling some of my old stuff, it became apparent that I was sitting on a small gold mine!
This is one of my favorite things about becoming a minimalist–the mental freedom. I’m right there with you, John. I didn’t have a clue as to how many thoughts throughout my day were focused on things. But when I get rid of those things, I have mental clarity. It’s amazing. Congratulations on living with less!
Rebekah, the mental freedom is truly awesome! I’ve also realized that I’m better able to look at any given situation/activity and discern whether or not it will be worth spending my time on. This is kind of a fringe benefit that comes from minimizing-clear house, clear mind.
Hello John. I am very happy for you. While reading your post, I was reminded of my own journey to a simple lifestyle. As we continually adjust and tweak this new way, every one of us will settle into something different yet remarkably similar. I also have unsubscribed from emails, newsletters, etc. This is such a powerful way of life and I believe we enjoy living in a special manner that most people do not. Have a great day!
Ahsha, I’m always finding ways to minimize the digital clutter. It’s pretty overwhelming at times when you start to look at how many e-mails, social media updates, and news we all receive on a daily basis. Thanks for reading!
Hi John,
As I read your story and got to the part where you talked about how “things” can take up both mental and physical space, my mind immediately shot to my Martin guitar. The dang thing haunts me and takes up space under the bed. My father played guitar and as a child most nights my sister and I would fall asleep to him practicing. Over the years he became very good and the memory of his playing is so strong and pleasant for me.
He mostly played a classical guitar but we got the Martin somewhere along the line and I fell in love with the sound with the steel strings. I never really learned to play well and I haven’t played in many many years. So last year I decided to sell the guitar which would, as you say, free up both physical and mental space. (I regularly feel like I should be playing so it’s on my mind as something I fail at doing.)
Last year I took the instrument to a local guitar shop to be appraised and see about selling it. When the shop owner took it out, tuned it and strummed a few chords, all those memories came flooding back. Did I sell it, you ask? No! Instead I spent $500 to get a few minor issues repaired and buy a new case! Ugh.
That thing still haunts me from its place under the bed…and to make matters worse, I haven’t played it at all. It really needs to belong to someone who WILL play it and create new memories with it.
Thank you for the reminder!
Ree
I’m a bit torn on this one, being a guitarist myself :). And the fact that Martins are awesome! But I can understand how having a constant reminder of something you always told yourself you would learn could detract from your mental well-being. If you end up selling it I understand, but if you need some encouragement to start playing, I will offer you this: it’s amazing how simple famous songs are. When I started looking at classic rock stuff, many of the songs are only three chords! And everyone can sing along. Just food for thought.
Hey John,
Thanks for my weekly minimalism inspiration! Keep it up!
Hi John! Congrats on simplifying your possessions and living the lifestyle you choose! I have been on the journey to minimize for about a year and a half. I’ve found that it is more about the process than the destination. After many life transitions in one year I have been trying to figure out how to go through the transition without letting my things multiply and my schedule get out of control. Not easy, but I’m enjoying the journey and I hope you are too! One thing I definitely need to work on is the internet use and email subscriptions, somehow no matter how many times I hit “unsubscribe” they keep returning! Thank you for the inspiration!!!
Dana, good point on savoring the journey! I’ve found that we always seem to learn more when we take lessons from small steps in any process.
The mental freedom and sense of calm and organisation is definitely the best part of reducing ‘stuff’…also the lack of wanting new things. I spend less time clearing up and cleaning the house, which means more free time for fun. Oh, and less time looking for lost items!
I think the email and digital clutter that you mention is very important, too- I unsubscribed from lots of things a year or so ago and it is fantastic to only get emails that I want in my inbox.
Isn’t it fantastic to receive only 10 emails a day vs. 100?
When we moved into our new house three years ago, the house felt empty. You see, we moved from a 900 square feet apartment to a 1600 square feet house, plus a garage. We soon made it our mission to fill this empty space. Three years later, the house is more than full. We have way too much furniture, way too many kitchen utensils, toys, books, clothes and clutter. I have made it my mission to reclaim our house from all the clutter. One item at a time.
Felix, good job on making it a mission to de-clutter! You’ll begin to feel as if you have twice the amount amount space once you start to get rid of some things! One thing I’ve also found to be awesome is the fact that I now have more time for activities I love to do. I don’t have to be cleaning/organizing on a daily basis or rummage through a bunch of stuff to find an item. Very liberating!
Nice update, John. I have a long way to go but the spirit of Minimalism is now entrenched and as of this past weekend I donated 5 bags of sweatshirts! I like your site and I am now reading your free ebook as well – good stuff so far! I agree with you that learning an instrument can be an inexpensive and clutter free way to enjoy yourself – my wife bought me a keyboard at Christmas and with $50 software and our PC I’m making real progress at learning the piano. Tough, but satisfying for sure when you realize you can suddenly begin to read music and learn more each day!
Thanks for reading my site and ebook Steve! Learning an instrument is by far one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. The coolest part is that it’s a lifelong journey. I’ve played guitar almost nine years now and maybe know one billionth of what there is to know on the instrument. It’s pretty profound! I look forward to getting to know you through my site. Drop me a line sometime.
I’ve been a minsumer for as long as I can remember. I’ve never liked to shop or possess a lot of things. But I do like to look at colors as the seasons change each year. I think I own 4 pairs of shoes including my flip-flops. I wear a lot of navy and black. For a while, I’ve owned a lot of books, maybe 50, but now I keep 1 or 2 from each of my favorite authors and some books on my favorite hobbies. I want to get rid of some of the 10 DVD’s I own but my husband thinks that’s silly. I could get rid of some furniture,too. My husband likes to buy things but even he has been getting rid of things lately.
I change my accessories with the seasons. I have some pearl earrings I wear only in the summer, and some with big flowers I only wear in summer, too. We went to a huge mall today and watched the people doing back to school shopping. I bought a drink and looked at the displays. Since I seldom buy anything new, I forget how many people spend a lot on clothes and accessories for kids.
I realized that over the course of a year, I usually buy 4 new pieces of clothing and get rid of 4 – 6. I cut really bad T shirts into rags. I usually cut up underwear and socks for rags, too. I keep sweaters for about 10 years and then give them away.
I am trying to teach people not to buy junk jewelry. It is easy to buy ribbon or string and buttons or felt and make your own. You can rearrange beads many different ways.
I wore my basic black and pearls today. We had to go to a funeral. My colors are black, navy and brown. With accents of gray, purple, tan, and red. I never wear green, yellow or pink.I can’t remember buying clothes in those colors. I see people wearing all kinds of prints that would make me very uncomfortable.
I got a deep green sweatshirt secondhand. I’ve gotten compliments on it. I wear mostly black, dark blue or gray. We are going to two weddings next year and both will be casual. I have nice slacks and dressy sweaters. I feel better in dark colors.