What Simplicity And Minimalism Isn’t About…

It’s not about “inbox zero”.
It’s not about owning only 100 items.
It’s not about living in an empty house devoid of any personality at all.
It’s not about perfection.
It’s not about having a complicated system in place to deal with your email.
It’s not about buying a $1,000 “minimalist” watch when a $50 one will do fine.
It’s not about riding a bicycle with no gears or no brakes.
It’s not about claiming you are a minimalist who doesn’t even own a bed yet needing to crash at various friends’ houses every night.
It’s not about sitting in the dark under your only light bulb.
It’s not about bragging about how minimal your life is.

However, it is about finding a comfortable balance where you don’t feel overwhelmed by your belongings but you also don’t feel as though you are going without only for the sake of doing so. Way too many simplicity and minimalism websites encourage readers to ditch everything, live out of a backpack, keep only 1 fork/knife/spoon, and forego anything that may involve owning something. I call bullshit. That is not what trying to live simply or minimally is; everyone should have their own definition of it. If you tread too far in a direction that a website is telling you to head in, you won’t be comfortable if it’s not the right one for you. What works for me may not work for you – and that’s ok. That’s the way it should be. My aim here is to share what does work for me and maybe inspire you to start thinking about what may work for you. You don’t have to subscribe to the “I only own 1 pair of socks” school of minimalism to succeed at living a simpler life, so please be wary of those preaching about it. Take stock, look for advice, ask questions, and do what works for you. THAT is living simply.

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