Lowering life requirements
minimalism.com
“You can’t teach minimalism to somebody who hasn’t felt the pain of having too much stuff. They need to feel the pain of having to look after too many things and having a cluttered house.” – Derek Sivers
Lowering your life’s requirements
What happens when your requirements start piling up?
I was walking through an airport in the early morning, and wanted to get a cup of coffee to wake me up. But then I saw a long line at Peet’s Coffee, and decided I didn’t need the coffee to be awake, happy or alive.
When something becomes a need, a requirement, it locks us in. We have to have it, which means we start structuring our lives around it.
For lots of us, it’s more than just coffee: we need a glass of wine (or beer) in the evening, we need some quiet time alone, we need things to be neat, we need to watch some TV to unwind in the evening, we need the Internet for entertainment and news. There’s nothing wrong with any of these things, but soon the requirements for a happy life start piling up.
What are your requirements, things you can’t do without? For some people, it changes depending on the circumstances: you need a travel pillow on an airplane, a soft bed and nice pillow in order to sleep, music in order to run or do a workout, some alcohol in order to socialize.
What happens if you can’t have these things—does it make you unhappy or stressed out? Is the trip or social occasion or run less enjoyable?
What happens when we let go of these needs, and just keep them as a “nice-to-have” option?
For the next month, my wife and I joining my friend Jesse in a no alcohol challenge, just to push into the discomfort of not relaxing with a glass of wine at night. It helps me to remove one of my daily requirements.
I might do similar things with coffee (which I have pretty much every morning) or reading things on the Internet. But to be honest, I think most of my requirements are minimal.
The fewer requirements we have, the less of a burden these requirements become. The more often we have the same thing every day, the more likely they are to become a requirement.
This isn’t a prescription for how to live your life, but just something to consider.
Words by Leo Babauta
01 – Podcast
In the Minimalism Life Podcast, one half of The Minimalists and New York Times–bestselling author Joshua Fields Millburn reads and comments on essays published in our book titled Inside Minimalism. Each episode is just a few minutes long.
02 – Community journal
Read entries from the archive of the Minimalism Life journal:
03 – Share your experiences
Do you have an interesting story you would like to share on minimalism.com? We want to read about it. Here, you have the opportunity to get involved and contribute to our journal.
04 – Found on the web
Other things on the web you might be interested in reading:
05 – 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 (less but better). Here’s several that you might be interested learning more about.
Wahts: Minimalist, monochromatic men’s fashion
Form & Thread: Mindfully sourced garments
Nordic Knots: Rugs inspired by the beauty of the Nordic light
Collars & Co: Minimalist polo shirts
Luca Faloni: Luxury Italian men's clothing
Pini Parma: Italian clothing for the modern man
ODA: The modular everyday bag and essentials
Cariuma: Sustainable sneakers
The Resort Co: Eco-conscious and artisan vacation wear
ASKET: Ending fast fashion by making covetable everyday essentials
Escuyer: Simple and functional accessories
Pedestal: Minimal stands for your screens
Void Watches: Simple Swedish timepieces
Selfmade: Handmade designer eyewear
Rent the Runway: Rent designer clothing
Discover more minimal brands on minimalism.com
Less is more!
Thanks for this. We need to revisit our unmindful routine. This short article is icebreaker to resorting our daily lifestyle.