Learn to love less
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Learn to love less
“The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.” — Socrates
In that one little line, Socrates summed up one of the major problems with our modern society, and offered a simple solution.
Pretty brilliant, I’d say.
In fact, he negated the need for me to write more, but stubborn as I am, I will proceed. I’d like to talk about this capacity to enjoy less.
Is it difficult to enjoy less? No, not really, but it takes a change in mindset, which as with many such changes takes time and adaptation.
If you enjoy chocolate ice cream, as I do, when confronted with a tub of it would you also enjoy eating as much of the tub as possible? I know that’s what many of us do when faced with delicious food.
But what if you learned to enjoy just a few bites of the ice cream? And with each bite, savor the flavor, the coldness, the creaminess, the chocolatiness. (Yes, that’s a word, spell-checker—I made it up.)
If you love clothes, instead of buying more and more each weekend, can you learn to cull your wardrobe into a few quality, beautiful pieces that you can wear often, and enjoy more?
The same applies with anything we love … including online reading and communicating (email, Twitter/X, Facebook, forums, even Substack). We often seem obsessed with more of it. But instead, consider reading just the quality stuff, and if a blog or social feed doesn’t deliver quality consistently, consider dropping it.
Learn to love less television, movies, chatter, spending, shopping, eating out, junk food, technology, consumption, productivity. You get the idea.
When you focus on enjoying less, you focus on full enjoyment. You learn to be content with little, and when you do that, a life of happiness is at your disposal. The only limit to your happiness, then, is how much you can learn to enjoy less.
Words by Leo Babauta
01 – Journal
Read entries from the archive of the Minimalism Life® community journal
Obsolete things — The objects that add value today may not add value tomorrow
Words by The Minimalists
A well-edited life — Sometimes the best way to grow is to subtract
Words by Joshua Fields Millburn
Impulse purchases and the benefits of retroactive intentionality — If you buy a thing, use the thing
Words by Shawn Mihalik
Share your story
Do you have an interesting story you would like to share on minimalism.com? We want to read about it. You have the opportunity write about your experience of how minimalism has impacted your life and get your words published in our community journal.
02 – Minimal art
From our curated gallery
03 – Minimal design
Explore our list of curated design resources
Brick (tool/hardware/software)
04 – Minimal lifestyle
Explore our list of curated lifestyle resources for simple living
05 – Shop
Discover our hand-picked minimalist products in the Minimalism Life® shop
06 – Brands anchored by simplicity and sustainability
Minimalism can be about frugality and owning less, but it can also be about supporting ethical brands with sustainability at their core. Here’s several that you might be interested learning more about:
Escuyer: Accessories designed in Brussels
Collars&Co: Minimalist polo shirts
Luca Faloni: Luxury Italian men's clothing
JAK: Portuguese leather sneakers
Dalgado: Timeless accessories made to last
Monbrey: classic timepieces
Oliver Cabell: Minimalist Italian footwear and accessories
Nordic Knots: Rugs inspired by the beauty of the Nordic light
CDLP: Luxury essentials
Meller: Minimal shades
The Resort Co: Eco-conscious and artisan vacation wear
Void Watches: Simple Swedish timepieces
Floyd: Unique and distinctive travel cases
Mismo: Bags and accessories from natural materials
ASKET: Ending fast fashion by making covetable everyday essentials
Stiksen: Premium caps from Sweden
Discover more minimal brands on minimalism.com
Nice design in the letter! Thought it was funny to include products but cool stuff
Gosh I need to embrace this. Releasing items marinated in memory is, however, very difficult.