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Becoming Minimalist

Own less. Live more. Finding minimalism in a world of consumerism.

harder work than i imagined

Written by joshua becker · 15 Comments

this evening i was talking to a friend.  during the convesation, he asked how the “minimalism” was going.  i replied, “i feel bad. it’s been so hectic at work the past couple weeks, i haven’t been able to do much around the house.” 

something hit me as i finished the sentence – for the first i recognized fully that becoming minimalist is not an easy thing to do.  it is hard work!  it takes time and energy to sort possessions.  it takes effort to decide what we truly value.  it takes time to determine if an item is necessary to keep or can be removed.  it takes time to sort, sell, recycle, or discard.  it takes time to reorganize and find “homes” for every belonging. 

stuff… takes your time when you own it and takes your time when you try to get rid of it.  i think the best solution is to not buy it in the first place.  and that’s something i wish i knew 10 years ago.

Comments

  1. MP says

    April 21, 2015 at 11:21 PM

    Own your stuff else the stuff will own you!

    Reply
  2. di says

    August 19, 2013 at 5:31 PM

    It just takes time. It teaches patience and discipline.

    Reply
  3. di says

    August 19, 2013 at 5:29 PM

    How much stuff do you really need to survive?

    Reply
  4. di says

    August 19, 2013 at 5:28 PM

    I spend short episodes. I like to survey an area for a while, think it over and then proceed. In this way, there are fewer regrets. It gets easier each time.

    Reply
  5. Davon says

    October 10, 2009 at 1:27 AM

    it is a mental challenge to suddenly decide to rid yourself of an item, sentimental thoughts come around, whether it’s to remember why you purchased, why you never used the item or do you honestly want to keep the item ‘just in case’

    Reply
  6. Katherine says

    September 16, 2008 at 12:25 AM

    I’ve only started to work on becoming a minimalist, but as a student just start off (away from home!) I figure it’s a good time!

    The one thing I seem to have lots of is books. Whether it’s old novels, textbooks, or other books, I seem to have a lot! I found a neat way to get rid of them, but still trust they will be used! There is a site called bookcrossing.com that lets you “release” your books and track them! I thought it might be a fun way for some of your readers to get take some old books off their shelves and start putting them to work!

    Reply
  7. becoming minimalist says

    September 15, 2008 at 1:36 PM

    Yes, I seem to want to put off the minimalizing because of the emotional energy spent, needing to remember I hold on to memories not the items that represent them. Even in the case of honeymoon photos…

    -the wife-

    Reply
    • di says

      August 19, 2013 at 5:57 PM

      Take a picture and store it on your computer.

      Reply
  8. Christy says

    September 14, 2008 at 11:46 AM

    Agree here too — it takes emotional energy to make decisions about things. And it takes maintenance time to keep the flow going out the door and not in. ;)

    Reply
  9. Meg says

    September 14, 2008 at 1:06 AM

    So true!!! I’m still trying to get rid of stuff that a roommate left behind when she moved out a month ago (sooo generous of her….).

    I’m also giving a lot of books away to a friend so she can keep what she wants and take the rest to the library. I could sell them, but it’s just not worth it to me right now. I’m thinking of selling one, but that’s it. And if I don’t, I’ll take it to the library.

    And then there’s the stuff for Goodwill. And the stuff that Goodwill won’t accept. And I know I can freecycle a lot of it, but it doesn’t always seem worth the hassle, as easy as it is. I just want stuff to be gone.

    Even though I’m really decluttering more than minimalizing, it’s still tough work. I don’t know how minimal I want to go, but it’s nice to know I’m at least going in the same direction in case I do decide later on I want to take things further.

    Reply
    • di says

      August 19, 2013 at 5:50 PM

      Giving things away seems to be the easiest thing to do. When someone visits, ask them if they’d like to have something you’d like to discard.

      This saves time for you and money for them.

      Reply
    • di says

      August 19, 2013 at 5:55 PM

      There are many different places to donate, such as a church, school, shelter, etc.

      Reply
    • di says

      August 19, 2013 at 5:56 PM

      Direction and discipline.

      Reply
    • courses online philosophy says

      May 1, 2014 at 10:10 PM

      That’s a brilliant answer to an interesting question

      Reply
    • done through says

      October 20, 2014 at 5:21 PM

      That’s an apt answer to an interesting question

      Reply

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