I started pursuing and writing about minimalism 12 years ago, in 2008, right in the middle of the global recession.
Back then, as you might expect, many were discovering minimalism out of necessity.
I can remember some of the email messages I received back then. One of them stands out as particularly significant. A lady wrote to me:
I was searching for ways to live on less because my husband just lost his job and I found your website. I want to thank you for what you are doing. I am beginning to see that living with less doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
For the next 12 years, the economy grew. Until today, where every indication is that we are going to experience a fall in GDP for two successive quarters—the definition of recession. This recession will be global in nature.
I sat down this weekend to reflect on that fact. And how the coronavirus recession will impact minimalism going forward—not from a health standpoint, but a financial one.
First, let’s be clear, I want as many people as possible to live a minimalist lifestyle. The benefits are incredible: more time, more money, more energy, more focus, more opportunity to pursue those things in life that bring real happiness—however we choose to define it.
Minimalism is a lifestyle that should be adopted by everybody.
But I don’t want anybody to be forced into it.
It is never an ideal circumstance for someone to lose their job or be forced into a situation of having to live on less through a recession or no fault of their own. I don’t want anybody, anywhere to be forced into minimalism.
I want people to choose it on their own.
For two reasons:
1. When people are forced into minimalism, it is less likely to have a long-lasting effect.
It might, but that is a rare case. Instead, when someone is forced into minimalism, they begin to see it as a sacrifice, a trial, or a setback. And as soon as life can financially return to the way it was before, people will return to their previous lifestyle.
2. Being forced into minimalism causes many people to adopt a disaster-focused mentality.
Think of the generation that emerged from the Great Depression and their learned behavior to keep everything just in case they would need it someday.
And it doesn’t require a 10-year Depression for this scarcity-mindset thinking to emerge. Sometimes just a natural disaster—a hurricane, fire, or earthquake—can cause people to respond with a desire to hoard items for the uncertainty of the future.
People being forced into minimalism is never an ideal circumstance. We prefer people to choose living with less on their own.
Of course, there are positive aspects that will emerge from this worldwide crisis that could spark voluntary simplicity:
1. There are a lot of people who are being forced to spend more time at home than before.
When we are forced to spend time at home, we are also forced to confront our stuff and our possessions. We begin to see how much we’ve accumulated over the years—and how much is unnecessary.
Being at home means we can take the time to figure out how our home functions and what we want it to look like going forward. As Michelle Obama said about the quarantine, “It’s a good exercise in reminding us that we just don’t need a lot of the stuff that we have.” This could be a response that many will have going forward.
2. The nature of work is going to change.
Working from home is going to become commonplace in businesses all around the world—not just in the short-term, but in the long-term as businesses recognize the overhead that can be saved and more and more employees demand it. The change in how we work holds great potential in motivating people to declutter their spaces and environments at home.
3. Many people are going to reassess their finances and budgets.
They will ask questions like: “Why weren’t we able to get ahead when finances were good? Where was all our money going? How much were we spending? And how much can we cut back both now and in the future?”
People may arrive at these questions because they are forced into them or simply from a desire to be more financially stable and prepared for the next crisis. Either way, many are going to stand face-to-face with their spending and start asking deep questions about whether their pursuit of physical possessions was really the best use of their limited resources.
4. Whenever we face legitimate concerns about life and death, we begin to ask deeper questions:
“What is important in life? Where should I be focusing my time and my energy? Am I giving my family and friends as much focus as I should? Am I living my greatest life of significance and meaning?”
As we ask these questions about values and purpose, we run into minimalist principles. Minimalism is, after all, about removing distractions so we can focus on those things that matter most. Life’s deepest questions often lead us there.
5. People will become intentional about re-entry into what they used to define as “normal.”
Our lives, just a few months back, were busy, stressed, hurried, and rushed. As life begins to take on a new normal, many of us are going to become intentional and reassess what we desire to bring back into our lives. What commitments do we want back? What hobbies do we want to continue? And what purchases do I want to continue making going forward?
Final Thoughts
Remember this: You can’t control the people around you. You cannot control how the entire world is going to respond to this pandemic and subsequent recession.
We can invite people to minimalism. We can make the case for it. We can argue for why it’s a better way of life than accumulating more and more.
When it gets right down to it, we can invite others—but we can only control ourselves. We can only take control of how we are going to personally handle our lives going forward.
If you have found this blog post because you’ve recently been forced into owning less, I am sorry for your circumstances. But let me encourage you, you do not need to view owning less as a sacrifice. Owning less means you can find a more intentional life, focused on those pursuits that bring meaning, fulfillment, and joy to your life.
If you’ve been pursuing minimalism for quite some time, I encourage you to be intentional about re-entry into the world when this crisis ends—which it will. Stay focused on those things that add value to your life, that bring lasting joy into your life, that help you pursue your values—and not those that distract you from it.
There is no doubt in my mind that this current crisis is going to affect the world in countless ways. Minimalism, as a lifestyle, will be positively and negatively affected—both individually and as a society.
Let’s make sure we learn from it as best we can.
Jill Pontiere says
Well, here we are, right in the middle of “less is best and more is a chore.” We were notified last week we need to move in 90 days! Our landlord is moving back into his house. We have had 5 glorious years here, gourmet kitchen, pool, small house but well laid out. I have had poetic license with the inside and the outside. I love gardening and put a lot of time and money into the landscape and inside. But I was enjoying it all for the past 5 years.
I’m actually excited, because I have been downsizing now for 11 years and it just gets better and better the more I give away my things that I really don’t need any longer. So freeing.
Love your blog and it has helped me many times to make decisions that are lasting and purposeful in learning to live with less and enjoy life more.
So, that being said, today I will walk the property and decide what stayed in the garden and what might go…..actually, I might just take my potted plants….leave the rest for the landlord!
Thanks for your thoughts and articles about a better and simpler life.
Jill
Kim Harris says
This post is so well written and so many truths to be gleaned from it. I wish I had this mindset 30 years ago when starting out life but the one thing I have discovered is that life only moves in one direction and that’s forward. Don’t look back at regret as you wouldn’t be the person you are today without experiencing everything you have gone through. Learn from it and make different choices moving forward and who know’s what joy and fulfilling life you have waiting for you. Change begins in the mind. Thank you Joshua for writing such insightful articles that are always challenging me and asking what do you want out of life? What is important to you? Reiterating that your Life does not consist of the stuff which you possess. Keep doing what you are doing. God bless.
Susan says
Excellent observations, especially ‘life moves in only one direction, forward..’. Thank you.
Bob says
A most excellent article. For years I’ve been voluntarily moving toward minimalizing, and I can proudly say kicking and screaming all the way—or at least doing so with a significant amount of frustration. I would never say that this is a ‘good’ thing coming out of the current crisis (no sane person could say there is anything good about this crisis), but I will say that this crisis has forced many of us to embrace a more focused lifestyle. Achieving goals that I previously intended, often without a lot of success, have now become crystal clear now. As I’m sure happened after the bombing of Pearl Harbor that led the United States entering World War II, the current crisis has forced many of us to reevaluate our priorities and zero in on what’s really important for each of us, and isn’t that part of what minimalism is all about anyway?
Tamara Jenkins says
I have changed during the nation’s distress. I am presently a minimalist and I continue to downsize. My quiet time will increase, such as spending time with nature, conversing with neighbors, chosing lifestyle changes concerning my health. These are the things I have focused on during this challenging time.
Laura says
I have been reading your email posts for quite some time. I look around at my house and think, gosh if I only had time to clean up everything.
I’ve always had kind of a girl scout mentality. I hang onto things I keep them clean and organized but there’s a lot of things. I like to craft so I have projects, projects and projects.
This quarantine has given me the time to deal with all the extras that I no longer need in my life.
I for one am extremely grateful. Thanks for being there with us and encouraging us all the way through.
Eppie Bailey says
Thank you! This is beautiful and encouraging.
Cindy Helton says
Excellent article Joshua. Since retirement, living a minimalist lifestyle has been my goal, so thank you for the inspiration I’ve received from your blog. About this particular article, one thing in particular struck a cord: “we can only control ourselves..” Encourage – of course! But at the end of the day we EACH are either part of the problem, or part of the solution. Hopefully, more of us can fall into the latter group.
Amanda Frumkin says
While these are anxiety-provoking times, they do afford us the opportunity to reflect on what is important and what is unnecessary. I want the fear of illness to end for the world but I do hope that globally, we don’t automatically rush back to “normal.” My wish is for the world to live in a sustainable, compassionate manner. Thank you for your articles.
Lisa says
I intentionally live in a small house because I’m a single woman. A nurse at that. I’ve been working on paring down everything that I own for a while now, but being able to stay home for me has been a Godsend. It allows me to breathe, gives me the TIME to focus on what I CAN do. I’m grateful that the world has slowed down for a bit. I hope many others will take this opportunity to become empowered by what they can do for themselves AND for others around them.
Lauren says
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this potentially life-changing thought provoking article
Telf AG says
This is the place to be here now. Many people lost their jobs and it’s good if there is a cash reserve