Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of everything that distracts us from it. It requires a conscious decision because it is a countercultural lifestyle that stands against the culture of overconsumption that surrounds us.
The world we live in is not friendly to the pursuit of minimalism. Its tendencies and relentless advertising campaigns call us to acquire more, better, faster, and newer. The journey of finding simplicity requires consistent inspiration.
For that reason, I hope you will make an effort this weekend to find a quiet moment with a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy some of these hand-picked articles to encourage more simplicity in your life.
Sorry, Nobody Wants Your Parents’ Stuff | Next Avenue by Richard Eisenberg. For the first time ever, two generations are downsizing.
How to Fail at Minimalism | Rosie Leizrowice by Rosie Leizrowice. Make these 5 mistakes and you are guaranteed to fail at minimalism.
Sex Doesn’t Sell Any More, Activism Does. And don’t the big brands know it. | The Guardian by Alex Holder. From Starbucks supporting refugees to Kenco taking on gangs, big businesses are falling over themselves to do good—and to let us know about it.
How To Actually Get Stuff Done After Work When All You Want To Do Is Watch TV | Elite Daily by Anna Johansson. If you want to be productive, you need to learn how to swap out time-wasting activities for things that actually matter.
The story about dealing with your parent’s stuff rings true. When my Dad passed I worked with a reseller for some things, donated others and discarded much. It taught me to downsize with my stuff. Which is why I embrace minimalism now.
When I de-clutter, I often look at it through the eyes of what others will see when I am gone. I don’t want to leave someone else with the task of throwing out things I should have addressed myself.
John and Judy, I can relate to your “why” and approach to minimizing. Makes so much sense.
U20
Maing
“Sex Doesn’t Sell Anymore, Activism Does. And don’t the big brands know it.” Should really be “Big Brands add activism too their advertising arsenal.”
The idea that sex doesn’t sell anymore is an overblown conclusion when the companies in question have either always been activists (Starbucks) or aren’t really selling sexy anyway.
When beer commercials start promoting social change maybe then we can say “Sex Doesn’t Sell Anymore, Activism Does.”
Well, this year’s Bud Superbowl ad got political… https://youtu.be/HtBZvl7dIu4
Joshua, would you be willing to allow me to share your statement:Minimalism is the international promotion of the things we most value, and the removable of everything that distracts us from it. Joshua Becker. ?
It took me a loooong time to become minimalist. It is the best thing I’ve ever done! My next step is to replacing as much as I can with everyday household items instead of cleaning agents, etc. you can buy in supermarkets, etc.
It was such a surprise to see myself on this list! Thank you for sharing, I really appreciate it
Thanks for sharing the articles. They are actually a good read.
The article about wasting time – was so riddled with ads about credit cards and buying things – I couldn’t take it seriously. Maybe on a desktop you can block ads – but I haven’t found a way to do that on my phone.
Thanks for these articles, in them I see exactly what my siblings and I are experiencing right now! And it does 2 things for me 1) It causes me to think about my own life’s journey and mortality. 2) It encourages me to believe in mimimalism that much more! That simply living……is definetly best!
We take so much for granted, things and people!
Thank you Joshua, for allowing God to use and direct you! ♥
I love Rosie’s list. In regards to the article about TV (and other stuff) getting in the way if other things, I’ve had great success cutting back my TV time. My trick was I didn’t focus on cutting back TV time, instead I focused on the things I wanted to do more of. For me that was writing, reading and sleeping. I made a few simple changes, like reading before I switched the TV on (sometimes I didn’t and just kept reading)l I also made a rule for myself I couldn’t start an episode after ten. It has really worked for me, I’ve gone from regularly watching two hours a night to less than one.
Re: How to actually get stuff done… by Elite Daily
Referring to #5, she probably doesn’t live in L.A.
I receive you emails and always read the articles you suggest. Very interesting reading. Thank you.
I love the first paragraph of this article. I need to print that out and write it on my mirror!
Minimalism is something that we must strive for yet we live in a world that is in direct contrast to what it teaches. We need to step out of the norm to be able to see the wisdom in minimalism.
Isn’t it a little disingenuous to recommend minimalist purchase magazine subscriptions?