What’s up.
The new term at work has begun so it’ll be a while before I settle in to a comfortable rhythm. Not to worry, over the summer I created a comfortable backlog of ideas for this newsletter so there will be no disruption to the weekly posting schedule. This week I’ve been saying “Do Less, but Better” a lot in relation to curriculum design and lesson planning, so why not go all the way and focus on that. You guessed it – this week’s newsletter is about minimalism.
I don’t really talk about minimalism because it is such a trivial and background part of my identity that it simply does not merit talking about. I don’t identify as a minimalist because it is something ingrained in my actions to the point that it isn’t an identity.
Also, minimalism seems to be trendy at the moment even though I can’t for the life of me understand why. Perhaps we’ve reached Peak Stuff and people are realizing mo’ stuff = mo’ problems. Perhaps it satisfies some innate hunger many people have for control in their lives. It certainly does for me. Will be to the first to admit that minimalism has been at some point a coping mechanism in times of stress or anxiety. At a deep and unspoken level I am simply more inclined to identify with the ultralight/nomadic way of life than its opposite – the mainstream maximalist/accumulative credo.
But contrary to what people like Marie Kondo or whichever minimalist influencer is trending at the moment say… I don’t believe that one should restrict their belongings to some arbitrary number. The notion of living with 100 things or having a 33-item capsule wardrobe is certainly a novel experiment but hardly how I want to live my life. Anyway, I’m writing this because enough people ask me if I am one. So here we are.
How does minimalism fit in to this newsletter’s stated focus on health, philosophy, and postindustrial society?
As it turns out, quite much.
Minimalism is the sensible default mode of living as as a young adult/uni student. This occurred to me in early 2013 when I was a uni student travelling to my mother’s house for term break. My luggage got lost in the shuffle (it wasn’t a big deal, all I had in it was a couple changes of clothes, a jacket and a tub of whey). The stuff eventually came back. But the lesson stayed. Made me think: why did I need so much stuff anyway? I was only packing for a week. Surely there has to be a better and more efficient way of getting there and back. One thing led to another and before I knew it I had whittled down my belongings to the point I basically lived out of two suitcases1. This has led to a lifelong fascination with nomads and the art of living with very little material possessions on a permanent basis.
Prior to 2103 I thought the concept of living with less was a fruity concept, something only monks, nomads and ascetics chose. Isn’t it better to have more stuff? What the hell is the point of working if you’re not going to make your life better with more stuff? I still had so much to learn.
The average American household has somewhere around 300,000 items. Not an exaggeration and you can look it up. This is counting every pencil or cotton pad of course. Even if you don’t live in the United States you probably have in your house somewhere upwards of 100,000 items. We are all Americans now in that sense. And yet.
Most of your ancestors didn’t have much in the way of material objects, and they still managed to live a decent, enjoyable, meaningful life. Imagine that.
Nomads are more crafty than the settled. They are truly not domesticated. Civilization and its trappings are for many a gilded cage. You have a lot of stuff and some, to be fair, is nice to look at or use, but ultimately it is a prison. Must ask yourself what your best and highest values are. To die with the most toys or live a life that offers you the liquidity and flexibility to move across continents at a moment’s notice?
There is a seductive allure to the extreme forms of minimalism practiced by eccentrics like Andrew Hyde or the new-wave Japanese minimalists like Fumio Sasaki. It is fun for some people but for me it is about the process and not the goal. I don’t see the need to limit myself to an arbitrary number of items like 100 things. What matters is first principles. This is where I get to shoehorn philosophy and fitness into it – great success. Consider:
One of the greatest lifestyle changes you can make for yourself is to internalise the logic that you can be maximally happy with very little. The key is to want very few things, but want only the best.
Wouldn’t it be great if everything you wore was a favourite? Everything is my favourite now.
Minimalism qua minimalism is an aesthetic in and of itself.
Most of us, in some deep part of our minds, think that once we’ve attained a certain income, a certain size house in a certain neighborhood, that new car or that elevated status in the office that then we’ll be content. The truth is that contentment is a choice. To a minimalist, contentment isn’t achieved by accumulating stuff — it’s achieved by meaningful, intentional experiences.
Practically speaking, minimalism , which I refer to as The Way of Less, is an intentional decision to live mindfully and with an approach to material items that is firmly rooted in a grasp of values, priorities and first principles.
The Way of Less is not really about saying No to everything or tossing everything out or doing nothing. Sometimes it involves those things, but that’s not what it’s about.It’s about saying Yes to what really matters. Paring down to the essentials that matter most to you, and making space for those.
That more or less covers the theoretical/philosophical basis of minimalism. How does it look in practice? There’s a lot of old timers on the scene who have developed truly effective methods for decluttering one’s life. My approach is a synthesis of the elements of different approaches I have found most useful/applicable to my life.
My approach, and you can try this if you wish, is to start with a blank sheet of paper and pen. Write 3 headings: What Matters Most; Possessions; Projects & Deeds.
Then ask yourself the following questions and record your answers in the relevant categories.
What Matters Most:
What are your essentials? Assuming everything your life vanished and you got to choose to reintroduce only the elements that you know you couldn’t live without?
My list might look something like this:
My mission (my life’s work, including training, coaching, teaching)
My loved ones
Learning
An active, healthy, mindful life
The last one might seem like a cheat, but it’s flexible: it mainly revolves around lifting weights and CrossFit but could include walking, hikes, sports, meditation, yoga, cycling, swimming, surfing or more.
That’s my list. What’s yours? I’d love to see it in the comments.
Possessions:
You then make a list of essential possessions. A common yet effective question to ask yourself to know this is to ask: If your house was on fire and you had only 1 minute to take as much as you can before you escape the burning house, what would you take with you? Mine would include:
Hard drive containing 20 years of memories;
My laptop & phone;
Passport and vital documents e.g. birth certificates, titles, etc.
Projects & Deeds:
How much do you have on your plate? If you could whittle it down to the essentials, what would it look like? For me, it might look like:
My mission — one project at a time. At the moment that is refining my lessons and teaching resources. Once this is done I intend to craft and deliver a professional development course for my colleagues;
Working up to a 100kg (225lbs) clean and jerk;
Spending time with my loved ones.
I’m not saying these are the only things I ever do – I’m hardly going to limit my activities to just those – but they’ve become my “projects & deeds” essentials lately.
In closing, some thoughts that come to mind when I contemplate whether to acquire some new piece of clothing or material possessions:
The less I own, the happier I am.
The less obligations and commitments I have, the better I can focus on what remains.
My burden is light and my spirit is free. To be used for the good of all.
Simple and light equals freedom, agility and mobility.
Next week I’ll discuss minimalism in theory and practice in further detail.
Until then,
Stay Solar.
This made packing up my life to return to Malaysia exceedingly pleasant. For reference, my sister moved back home with 7 pieces of luggage. It’s been over 6 years and she has yet to finish unpacking.
Absolutely love your style of writing. I found this through your Instagram page a few months back and I'm marveled by the way you can express your thoughts so effortlessly while providing such valuable information at the same time.I personally enjoy it and find it greatly insightful and thought-provoking.A lot of love and gratitude.