A home improvement show blared over the 50-inch TV in the car mechanic’s lobby as I waited for the oil to be changed in my Honda Accord. While I rarely watch television shows at home, my one-hour wait prompted me to look.
A woman was getting a home makeover, and seemed quite happy. Tears streamed down her face. She was excited to restart life in her new home.
Then came a commercial. And another. And another. And another. And… well, you get the point.
I was glued for a few minutes, though.
The TV seemed to be suggesting I needed to repaint my home, update my wardrobe, take heartburn medication, get better sleep at night with a new mattress, and enter a sweepstakes for my own home improvement project.
These were all companies, ideas, and items that I had never heard about nor considered.
When I caught myself mulling over the prospect of buying two sweatshirts for the price of one, I laughed about the power of these advertisements and gently refocused my attention on the book I had brought to read.
But this moment stuck with me.
Companies spend billions each year on advertisements because advertisements spur spending more often than not. I’ve been promoting the countercultural philosophy of minimalism for a lot of years, but I am still not immune to the subtle pull of consumerism. I was humbled knowing that I still have the potential to fall for these marketing messages.
As humans, we are consumers. From the indigenous peoples of Canada to the billionaires of Manhattan, we all need sustenance and shelter to survive. Life requires consumption. However, when we buy more than we need, can afford, or continue to occupy ever greater amounts of space, conspicuous consumption is likely present.
Fortunately, we are also social creatures. And properly applied, we can tap into the power of relationships for healthier living.
For instance, when I’m tested to consume, I fall back on my values, family, friends, and the Becoming Minimalist community.
Each article I write. Every conversation with a friend. All the time with my family. They all provide accountability.
If I were to come home driving a brand-new luxury vehicle, I know my wife would question how this fits with my values. And heck, how would I explain it to you all?
You’d probably be quite upset or, at least, confused, right? You might think, “Why’s that guy driving a luxury vehicle when he just said he liked his Honda?”
Therein lies the power of an accountability loop: I strive for minimalism, writing and talking about simple living, which helps me sustain this value. To do otherwise, would likely cause me embarrassment and shame, and make you question what I preach.
This discourse acts as a very public—albeit informal—contract about my values, intentions, and dreams.
The question now is how you can find resolve for when you are tested.
Here are five quick steps you can take to create an accountability loop in order to consume less—especially in a world that constantly promotes consuming more:
1. Talk to a close family member or friend about being a minimalist.
Tell them about your hopes, dreams, and rationale for owning less. Whether you’re considering or already committed to it, you’ve already taken a significant step towards accountability by talking aloud. Ask them what they think about your values. Now they’ll know what matters to you, and might notice positive changes along the way. Additionally, you’ll be giving them permission to speak up if your actions do not align with your dreams.
2. Share a specific goal for minimalism on social media.
Facebook and other social media platforms can be distractions when you need to get things done. But they can also be used for good. Maybe you’re considering downsizing your home, decluttering your child’s unused toys, or donating that clothing from an ugly-sweater party seven years ago. Write it in print. Put it out there that you intend to achieve this goal, and see how people respond. You might just be surprised at the level of encouragement you receive from your friends and family
3. Take a before and after decluttering photo of your house.
Recognizing change can sometimes be difficult when decluttering takes weeks or months. But that doesn’t mean you haven’t made meaningful changes. With visual goals around minimalism, take a photo of your space you want to change—before you’ve even touched a thing. Then, set out on your mission. By capturing your efforts before and after, you’ll have a consistent reminder about your growth and what you live for.
4. Create a private and/or public place to catalog your journey.
Plenty of my friends use private diaries to reflect on their efforts. When they’re unsure about what they thought or believed, they refer back to it. The same can be true about public spaces like a blog. Writing diary entries or online articles cements your philosophies—much like talking aloud. I started this blog only days after being introduced to minimalism and often credit it for supplying great motivation during our journey toward owning less. A nice bonus, others can check in with you, be inspired, and follow along when you write publicly. For more info, read our article on how to start a blog.
5. Invite others to declutter and/or make your own support community.
There’s a classic truism that says the best way to learn anything is to teach someone else. By employing your values and philosophy to inspire others you can further your own learning. Join a minimalist community—they are expansive and worldwide. There are countless meetup groups, message boards, and websites where you can become a member.
The minute you speak, write, and share your desire to become a minimalist, the concept will become more real. And you’ll suddenly be more accountable to your values.
Allow yourself the opportunity for community and support as you embrace a better life with less.
Gina Bisaillon says
It would be a good idea for parents to explain to their kids the difference between “spending” and “saving”!
When an ad says “save” and what they really mean is “spend”, that is twisting the truth. (Creating an alternative fact?)
We must tell them that saving is taking money that we have and putting it aside — not taking that money and buying something with it!!!
Abbie says
Yes!!
Barbara says
We are seniors planning a move to Florida in 2 years. Now is the time for us to get rid of all our un-needed stuff. I think this is a great opportunity for us. We’ll be saving on moving expenses. We also won’t have the problem of our kids having to rummage through a ton of junk they really don’t want.
Betsy says
Good decision Barbara. My husband and I emptied out both sets of parents homes and it changed our outlook on “stuff” forever. We are so much more mindful now of not leaving our children with the job of dispensing with unwanted items.
Lachlan says
Always enjoy your posts! Thanks ? I get a kick out of the folks who seem to think that minimalism is all-about being some in-the-woods Luddite with no tv, modern conveniences… so I appreciate your rational and “real” approach and attitude that minimalism is a truly individual undertaking and understanding…
Tammy says
Well said. I totally agree!
Lindsey of This Miss Cooks says
I have invariably used all of these at one time or another to keep myself on plan. There’s a joke I’ve seen bandied about in financial planning circles I like to be a fly on the wall of: “If your retirement plan involves changing your investments in response to an economic downturn panic, you never had a plan in the first place.” I know it’s not exactly pithy, but I always think back on it when I might want to make a big (or small) random purchase of an item I have no use for. I have an increasingly minimalist life plan for a reason, and seeing an ad shouldn’t change that. It doesn’t always work, but it does way more often than not.
Gayle says
I figured the Honda link in this ‘don’t fall for advertisements’ article was going to be you making money on an ad link that tries to get us to buy a new Honda. But happily I was wrong — it was a link to an article you wrote about being happy just driving an older car rather than always wanting a brand new one. You rock with yiur consistency! ?
Denise says
I followed your advice, Joshua and started a blog. Turns out…it’s true. A public face for accountability to *myself* helps keep me pointed toward true north. Encouraging others along the path is just “trail magic”…an unexpected blessing. Thanks for pointing us all toward the good path.
#merciful minimal
Denise says
You can kind of think of Merciful Minimal as your “grand blog”, she says with a grin. :D
Candy says
Even though I consider myself a minimalist with the right mindset, I would never be shamed or disappointed about buying something new and you shouldn’t either.
We are all human and strive to be the best we can. We work daily to be in the right frame of mind and take on new ideas . A good example is dieting. We work daily to eat the right foods, exercise and stay on track. Every now and then we pass the ice cream stand and find ourselves pulling in. While we sit there licking the cone we may beat ourselves up. What we need to remember is that for the past 30 days we have stayed on track. We need to get back to it and stay fast as soon as that last bite is gone. With that said, we need to remember that we now daily refrain from buying the tons of junk that end up in land fills .
The journey of where we are going is the important piece. The best words I have heard go something like this ” we need to use things and love people, not the other way around” this I carry with me daily. You have no idea of the ways in which you have helped change my life alone. You should be proud. To rethink the idea of what we own and the effects of consuming have on our world is powerful knowledge.
I started reading your posts just last year and the change has been profound. I unloaded the tons of stuff I didn’t have room for in my house. I downsized everything from my clothes to my kichen ware and closets. The biggest change however didn’t come from the stuff. It was a change in the way I thought about money, work and happiness. My whole idea of success that I had been taught as a child changed. I quit my job in order to take care of myself (something I had to learn to do) . I stopped making money the important thing in life and started really living for the first time ever. I now garden, paint, draw, and have family time. I have never been happier. Thank you from the heart for sharing your message.
Suzie says
Great post. I have found in
my own journey towards
minimalism and weight loss,
that they both require a
similar mindset. Once you
change your attitude about
stuff and food to reflect your
goals, that is where you begin to see results. The trick is to maintain that mindset.
littleblackdomicile says
Or, somewhat in a joking way, you can encourage everyone to become a blogger! Everyone of your points can neatly fit with the time, energy and awareness it takes to publish a successful post. We are just an infant in the wonderful world of blogging but already can see the benefits…our brains are in overdrive creating and consuming less is a welcomed by product!-Laurel
Jack says
Why do you still have a television in your home? We are minimalistic. We have a smallish tv and a ROKU box that gets us everything with no commercials. We watch PBS, weather underground, Netflix etc etc. We read books, listen to music and talk to each other. We take our dog for her daily romp on the beach.
When our grandchildren are here we swim, eat, play games. It took them a bit to understand that we don’t have a tv but they still love to come here. They can use their IPhones when we read, not when we eat. And they do not get to sleep with them either. And these gkids are 13-16 with active lives. And they get to bring their friends with them as well.
Abby says
Also think about AdBlock Plus on the computer. Since I added it, I have missed 3.107 Million (yes, million) ads when cruising the net. If you don’t see it, you are less likely to be entranced by the possibility of buying something unneeded.
Nick says
Great idea! I’ve also made a policy of never looking at ads (newspaper, magazine, web, etc) unless I need something. It it’s on sale, fine. But I never ‘shop’ as such. When I go into a store and ask if I need help, I might ask where the item I want is, and then buy it. Period. No ‘shopping’ allowed.
Paula McClelland says
And unsubscribe from newsletters – that’s always my downfall and I’m off to do so right now.
Tina says
When my husband of 45 years and I travel we each take a carry on bag and a tote bag for pills and other necessities. When we go away for 10 days or so, we do some laundry. Friends of ours have mentioned taking 4 suitcases for a week or 10 days. We don’t take anything we can’t carry ourselves, so we can take escalators and public transportation.