Not utopia
“If your decluttering principles get in your way, then declutter those principles.” – The Minimalists
Not utopia
Minimalism will not solve all our problems.
Unfortunately, we often believe that the goal of simple living is to own as few things as possible — to declutter our homes, organize our lives, and clear our minds. Once we do this, we’ll each find our own private utopia and bask in the glory of our newfound happiness, right?
Not exactly.
Real life doesn’t work this way.
Minimalism is not the end game. Chucking material possessions does not necessarily equate to happiness. You could get rid of all your stuff and still be miserable.
Removing the excess will, however, help you discover what does in fact bring you joy — experiences, people, passions — because it’s much easier to find the path once the debris is cleared.
Simplifying may never usher you to your utopia. Even the simple life has its moments of tedium and drudgery and sadness and pain. But letting go can lead to a better life, one that’s worth more than any shiny object.
You can start small, but it’s worth getting started today.
Words by The Minimalists
00 – Phone wallpapers
We created a series of technical drawings inspired by some iconic and beautifully designed objects to the homepage of minimalism.com, and we wanted to further explore this line art direction. So we continued our collaboration with Bakir Fazlic to produce additional illustrations for an aesthetic and minimal wallpaper pack designed for smartphones.
Take a look at the wallpaper pack
01 – Journal
Read entries from the archive of the Minimalism Life® community journal
We get to choose: A minimalist life may not be what everyone is seeking...and that’s OK (by Karen Weissert)
A minimalist approach to tech: You don’t need expensive gear to do great things (by Shashank SN)
Simplifying teacher appreciation day: A minimalist educator’s response to gifts (by Leslie Watson)
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
The light phone 3 (tool/hardware)
(Basic) bookmarks (tool/software)
Dead simple sites (blog)
04 – Minimal lifestyle
Explore our list of curated lifestyle resources for simple living
Perfect days (book/video)
Going slow by Jon-Kyle (article)
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:
Cubo: Simple adaptive bags
Luca Faloni: Luxury Italian men's clothing
Collars&Co: Minimalist polo shirts
Stiksen: Premium caps from Sweden
ODA: The modular everyday bag and essentials
Nordic Knots: Rugs inspired by the beauty of the Nordic light
CDLP: Luxury essentials
Crown Northampton: High quality minimal footwear
Mismo: Bags and accessories from natural materials
Meller: Minimal shades
Oliver Cabell: Minimalist Italian footwear and accessories
Dalgado: Timeless accessories made to last
JAK: Portuguese leather sneakers
Void Watches: Simple Swedish timepieces
Steele & Borough: Vegan, lightweight and water repellant bags
Void Watches: Simple Swedish timepieces
Floyd: Unique and distinctive travel cases
Wahts: Minimal monochromatic menswear
Discover more minimal brands on minimalism.com