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. 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.
Could you go a year without buying anything new? | Daily Life by Josefa Pete. Here’s how one woman is meeting that challenge.
Minimalism: I threw out more than 20,000 items | Daily Life by Brooke McAlary. Now we have enough. We have enough clothes, enough toys, enough space, enough light, enough throw cushions (which is to say, none at all).
Letting go of things. And history. | Medium by Louis Rosenfeld. What personal rubbish lurks under the stairs of your basement? Or in your mind? Let it go. And make your life awesome.
How I made $2,145 last month by decluttering | ChristianPF by Bob Lotich. A few months ago I began a journey towards minimalism.
Thank you for a very helpful post. I’m looking for guidance as I continue to simplify and streamline my life. I appreciate the links to these articles, and I plan to read several of them this weekend.
I love reading your links. They always spur me on to keep going with my somewhat slow efforts. I walked away from reading these and spent an hour finding things to donate/throw away/recycle in my basement (it has been a shambles ever since it flooded during the summer). Ah, it feels so good to get rid of excess stuff! I am working on our home office now…
“The world we live in is not friendly to the pursuit of minimalism”. How true, Joshua. Some lady was whining and whining on a blog over a coupon that was expired. I couldn’t help myself and I told her that the BEST way to save money was not to spend it in the first place…and that she probably didn’t NEED that new top anyways. I typed, “Your closet is probably FULL of clothes already!” She and other bloggers went crazy and “laughed” me off the blog. Of-course they didn’t get it…and I didn’t expect them too. :) lol —I just threw that out there at them to see how average shoppers would react! (They didn’t like it!) :)
Great posts, I would so love to see a picture of the doll’s house Josefa made please!
The purge of achieving minimalism is the most satisfying thing I think anyone can experience. Nothing beats the feeling of just letting go of all the unnecessary materialistic possessions we have but don’t need.
I loved this post and i’m a new fan of this blog. Can’t wait to read more!
I love your weekend reads! They are in my inbox on a Sunday morning. I love to make a cup of coffee, find a quiet spot on our verandah and be inspired! Thank you.
I started the journey a few weeks ago. Its been amazing. I feel more clear and I can think better. Its awesome
Ooh, thanks for the links! Any and all reading material to help this packrat wanna be minimalist is appreciated. :)
I decided to not purchase any clothing or footwear for myself in 2014. I was inspired by an article posted on your website. It has been a fantastic exercise for me, and surprisingly easy!
Thank you for the inspiration in my constant quest for minimalism.
I love the first line of this post. I recently packed up more than half of our dishes, flatware, and cookware, and donate much of it as well. Time spent washing piles and piles of dishes was taking away from time I could be spending with my son or on activities that have much more value to me that dish washing. It has made a huge difference in our lives!