This post
is about the benefits of owning less stuff. I got inspired by the fact that I
was moving 2 times recently. I had to pack all my belongings into bags and
could only fit limited number of items. This made me realize that I did not
have that many items as others, but I was twice as happy with them. Some people
call it minimalism I call it common sense.
What is
minimalism? This YouTube video represents it quite well:
To put it in
the nutshell, more stuff won’t make you happy. Pretty obvious right? Well, not
for most of us as the society told us that we should always want more. More
money, more clothes, bigger houses, best smartphones and the list goes on. But
why should we do this? The reality proves that it will only make us happy for a
very limited amount of time, shot of dopamine when we buy something new. Then,
after you have it, you start to want to have more. It’s a never-ending story
and many companies benefit from it. Fashion industry is one of them. With fast fashion
we are constantly filled with the new items and want more and more.
Minimalism tries to stop that to focus on things we have and only buy things we
will love for long amount of time.
Another video
that is quite interesting about owning less stuff that I highly recommend watching
(it’s only 5 minutes and down to the point):
All of
those make you think how easy it is to move places without tons of stuff we
don’t need at all. If we want to be happier in life we should focus more on the
experiences rather than on the material things. Of course, we need clothes or
food to survive but not in a way big companies try to sell us. I highly
recommend imagining moving house tomorrow with limited storage space, would you
be able to do it? Or would you let your stuff to stop you?
I also want
to mention that for me being happy with less stuff doesn’t mean I have 1 pair
of jeans and 1 spoon. No, that’s not true. It means that I find more time and
space for things that matter in my life. I have a big collection of games that
bring joy to me every time I use them. If I want to buy a new one, then I
should get rid of 1 from my collection. This way I only keep things that I
truly value.
Questions
to you:
1. Have you
heard about minimalism and its benefits?
2. Do you
value experiences more than material items in life? Why or why not?
3. Do you
find moving to new places challenging?
Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzyENavtLFo
https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/reorder-your-routine-with-these-books-on-minimalism-simplicity
About year ago, or maybe two years, I came across this idea on some blog, I also heard about some books about it, but I haven’t read them. Idea of minimalism convinced me, but I find it difficult to implement it. As I observe other people, I see that I buy less things and don’t need as much as others, but I still have a lot of stuff. Sometimes I get useless things and be caught by tricks in shops, which cause people to buy more than they want, but even if I don’t buy many things, somebody from my family sees my “need” and buys me, what he or she perceives as very useful and necessary. Once I suggest Christmas without gifts, A loud scream rose up that Christmas without presents is not the same. Of course is not, but I would be happy to not focus on shopping whole December to satisfy all my family members. Of course I can’t say that I would be minimalist if my family was different. I don’t blame them. However it’s difficult to prove others not to make me happy by things and unfortunately it is easier for me to make others pleasure by buying than find something different.
ReplyDeleteThat's really brave idea with spending Christmas with no gifts. I mean why do need to spend so much time, energy and money trying to guess what other person might want- it's pointless for me.
DeleteGood tip from me is to invest in experiences in life rather than possessions.
I heard many times about minimalism in recent years. I feel like there is a connection between our society becoming more richer, more connected to internet and the fact that more and more people is not happy with their life. I think that we need simpler life, without constant looking at screen, maybe more close to nature.
ReplyDeleteOur society and many companies try to persuade us that we constantly need more. New phone every year, more likes, more clothes. It's vicious circle that just makes us depressed and miserable.
I try my best not to get cought in this kind of thinking but it takes a daily practice especialy if you live and work in a city. I think it' easier in a countryside.
One year ago I discovered that I need very little when I travel and now I can pack myself in one small backpack. It was a librating feeling!
I definitely agree that we need simpler life with being less connected to the internet and screens and yes we are losing contact with the nature. Of course companies are trying to constantly sell us new stuff and feel bad about the old one.
ReplyDeleteThat's great you can pack light, save money and your back will thank you for it.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe definition of living minimalistic is not something completely new for me, however I didn't know that you're a person who lives in such way. I truly believe that this lifestyle is something we should aim for, however I do not really like finding myself in a position where I do not buy something just because I have something similar already. I do enjoy buying some new toys, just for my own selfish pleasure. There are benefits of minimalism, no doubt, obviously we will have our pockets less empty ;)
ReplyDeleteMaterial stuff and our achievements are things that will truly matter when it comes to the end of our stories. Experiences will be buried with us alongside, unless you will store them somehow or pass to the next generation. I literally have no issues or whatsoever while moving to a different place. I do that very often and it's actually nothing new for me. It also depends on the place you're moving to.
A lot of friends of mine are telling me a lot of minimalism and getting rid of a lot of unnecessary stuff. Well I won't say that I'm hoarder but I like collecting some items which mean something to me or are some kind of hobby. If someone asks me if I value experience more than material items I wouldn't answer that question. I think that both are important and shouldn't be comparable. We can love to gain new experience, visit interesting places but that doesn't limit us to only live by experience. We can enjoy new stuff and buy some stuff. This how your home or apartment is decorated often describes your personality and story and it's helping me with identifying with myself.
ReplyDeleteI can't tell a lot about moving because all my life I've changed home 3 times and everytime it was in range of few hundred meters. I would love to try and live spontaneously for some time and change places often but for now too many responsibilities are keeping me.
I did heard about minimalism before, but to be honest before reading your article I didn't fully understood the point of it.
ReplyDeleteHedonic adaptation mentioned in second video speaks to me the most, and I can really relate to it. It's a bit scary how easy it is for us to just get used to our current material situation and just start craving for more, but on the other hand I think having less stuff won't make everyone automatically happier, there are a lot more factors to it.
In around half a year I will be moving to my new flat, and while packing I might take into consideration what I read here, I definitely have too much stuff I don't actually need ;)
I heard about minimalism before, but to be honest I wasn't much interested about it. On the one hand, I'm not attached to any kind to stuff like clothes or furniture, but in the other hand I'm kind of collector and electronic equipment. So it's hard to answer whether I value things more than experiences. I think I value them both of them. Moving to new places is challenging for me, I prefer places I already know.
ReplyDeleteI heard about this way of life some time ago, but I wasn’t convinced enough to put this concept into practice. Recently I’ve discovered that my continuous pursuit of material goods not only doesn’t make ma happier but also makes me more anxious. That gave me sufficient motivation to give it a try. For me it meant to get rid of the feeling of emotional attachment to things which are just…, no surprise, things. Realizing this simple fact helped me distance myself and get the right perspective on things. I live in Warsaw for a few years now. I was moving several times and actually I feel I like that process. It’s great moment to get rid of a lot of unnecessary things :)
ReplyDeleteOf course and I use it everyday in some level. I try to have little things in my apartment and thanks to it I can move easily to another apartment if there would be such necessity.
ReplyDeleteYes, I have. First of all, my family and my closest friends. There is also health. What's more - my imagination and dreams. I find them all very valuable. Without them no material things could make life happy.
Moving to new places can be challenging because of a few reasons. First of all a frequent problem is lack of time. Secondly if you have plenty of things, there is problem with transport. Last but not least there is sometimes a sentiment and leaving your old place makes you sad. The biggest problem for me I think would be the problem with time. I have no many things to move with me, as I told before but still there are some, so it could be a litthe challenging anyway. And about sentiment, sure I have it but I also get used to changes a little already so I try to look for it as a new beggining rather than ending of the old.
Minimalism is pretty hot topic nowadays so it's pretty difficult not to hear about it. I believe it's the trend that came of necessity and actually dislike this spiritual aspect of its.
ReplyDeleteYes, I value experiences much more than material items, since they are much more impactful in our life but at the same time items remind us about those experiences so they also tend to be quite important for us.
I find moving to new places quite challenging and it's not because I have so many items but it takes some time for me to accommodate in my new place. I also don't like those few days I usually need to wait to have my internet connection installed ;)
I found out about minimalism few months ago on a podcast. Interesting concept but I didn't give it much thought. I enjoy my life the way it is right now.
ReplyDeleteI value both experience and material items. Obviously if I had to pick one it will be experience. Thankfully I can have both. I have always been motivated by the desire to have more, own more, experience more.
As for your last question, I have no problem with moving to new places. I can adapt quickly and most of my important stuffs can be put into a backpack.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to "minimalism as a life idea", I hear about it for the first time. Of course, there are some items that are extremely valuable to me, not because of their material but a sentimental value. I really do not attach to objects, except for a few that I mentioned earlier, they have a sentimental value. Moving to new places is a challenge definitely. There are more and more items at the time of the new move. I remember when I was arrive to Warsaw by small Honda Civic, there weren't many things in the car. For the last 6 years of my stay here, I used to many needed and unnecessary things. However, every time I move, I try to clean up and throw out unnecessary things.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNot until my first business travel to Finnland, I did realize the real importantance of minimalism is my life. I was convinced that it was not possible to pack in small suitcase for those three days, and for the three-day stay in Finnland I went with quite a bit suitcase, obviously as checked luggage. It was such a waste of time. I needed to stay in the long line on Okecie to register my baggage and then waited quite a while on Finnish airport to pick it up. What was worst, my teammate from Amsterdam had a fun of me having seen my big suitcase. From that moment on, I learned how to travel with less stuff. The stance on minimalism can also depend on whether you live in a flat in the city centre or in a roomy house on the outskirts. When I moved to a small flat in Warsaw, I realized that I cannot have the same amount of books as I used to have in my house (I loved buing and collecting books) due to lack of space. For that reason, I went for reading books in epub format – and – at the same time I started borrowing books from the nearby library.
ReplyDeleteMinimalism is also pretty significant when it comes to environment. Many countries (and recently Poland too) are facing problems with uncrontrollable growth of amount of waste and its storage. By buying less stuff, we can contribute to environment protection
Yes, I've heard about minimalism
ReplyDeleteYes, I value experience more than things. Things will pass - experience will be.
Shoes, bags, clothes etc. - I have as much as I need.
As for moving house - in 2016, my life had such turbulence that I moved 6 times in this one year.
It was very difficult. In the end, I landed in the apartment in which I live to this day, already ownership. It was another challenge for me, because I had to take everything what I had collected all my life - when I lived in a family home, sort and throw away. There was so much of it that I haven't opened and didn't check all cartons. I still haven't time.
From that moment, I try to buy as little as possible.
Minimalism is some kind of response to consumerism, I have already read about that recently. Our standard of life is getting higher, because society generally is richer. So it's more difficult to avoid any kind of luxury in our life and we might have some stuff which is not necessary in our life. Experience has more value to me than material items as it's permanent. Also, moving to new places is challenging for me as I have to pack too much things, so I was thinking about using only the most important ones, thank you for that article!
ReplyDeleteYes, I heard about him. It brings benefits as well as negatives. In the era of technological development, people are chasing new gadzets, new clothes. And where to buy it all? In new big galleries, where people can spend whole days in pursuit of new things. And in the evening at home, many of them ask questions: Do I need it? Why did I buy it?
ReplyDeleteThis makes them depressed. And the next day they wake up and do the same again. And so the circle closes.
Not many things are needed to survive. He likes to have things, but does he really need them? In a dozen or so years I will certainly not need them for anything, and experience and memories will remain. It is important to keep a balance between possession and experience.
A good question, I'm about to move in the near future and it will be a very big challenge. Maybe I don't have a lot of things, I think so:). I don't know where exactly I'm going to live yet, but it's very likely that there will be a smaller flat and I'll have to think about how all my belongings can be accommodated in it. In two weeks time everything will be clear, how I managed to do it :)
I haven't heard about minimalism as a named way of living before. but I think it's what I recently came to by myself. Until that moment I always dreamt big about new stuff, e.g. electronics, cars, trips - about these ones, that cost huge amount of money. As the authors said, I also spotted that it won't bring me happiness. Now when I buy anything I make a fast calculation in my head - I wonder how many hours of my proffesional work does it cost? Is it a thing I need or is it a whim? Does it satisfy all my needs? It helps me to find the right ballance and it brought me to a point I only have items I really need. When I was moving out, I packed my stuff into B segment car. My car is cheap, I don't care if it gets a scratch or two. It's just a thing.
ReplyDeleteMinimalism is not foreign to me (especially in the area of wardrobes). On the other hand, I am an active electronics technician. I was brought up in the times of the PRL, when every electronic part was valuable. I collected damaged devices to get some of them back. Over time, the collection of electronic parts and devices has grown considerably. The workshop and warehouse occupied a room with an area of 20m2. Moving caused that I had to throw away a major part of the collection. I felt like some part of me died.
ReplyDeleteRecently I’ve talked with my friends about a minimalism and we've came to a conclusion. The most important thing about it is that you know what you've got in your home. In my opinion experiences are more important because life is too short. And its important to meet new people and spend time with them instead of earning money. Material items can’t bring real hapiness to you. For me moving to new places is a difficult task because I always get homesick. I often miss my friends and it’s hard for me to stay in contact with them when I’m far away from them.
ReplyDeleteIt's quite obvious that we're talking about minimalism as something that should increase joy of living. I don't have any friend or family member who identify as a minimalist so it's hard to share some more personal experience but I'm looking at it from some other perspective. I can say that I don't care about material things but at the other hand it's not something that I've got crash on. I do care about bunch of stuff that makes me happy. Cars, back in the days shoes and fight sports. I don't think so that owning a few cars can be consider as a minimalism but at the other hand if you don't need other things (almost) at all - maybe it's some sort of it? I'm a big fan of a statement- do without a reason make what really makes you happy. It's not only about owning a stuff. If you're really passionate about something, sooner or later you're making friends that got similar interest to you or you'll get new skills ( I've got few friends that became photographers because of taking pictures of things they've had passion about). So I don't think that minimalism is for me but definitely I can see advantages of such behavior.
ReplyDeleteI have heard about minimalism. I didn't heard about its benefits but I always was kind of using it. I always loved the feeling after general cleaning of my room. I was throwing away stuff I did't needed. After that only things that have remained were stuff I used everyday. I felt heappier.
ReplyDeleteI think that I value more material items than experiences. I think that way because I try to work hard and earn more money, if I would value experiences more I would propably go for a mission to Africa or go travel the world hitch-hiking.
I don't find moving to new places challenging. It is not as hard if you have a car. It would be more tricky if I would have to move to new place by bus. Regarding packing all of my stuff isn't so easy, it takes couple of hours, but still it is not so hard for me.
Minimalism is definitely and interesting concept, but its not as simple as described. When I was younger and dint own my own flat I was definitely into it, but since I found 'my place on earth' sorrounding with with 'things' has become a much more pleasent :) Of course I'm not going mindlesly into shops to buy stuff I dont need, Im always (usualy :p ) very thoughtfull about buing anything.
ReplyDeleteI can agree that experiences are a very valuable things to have, however many of those best experiences i had in my life actualy required phisical item that u need to own in order to event be able to experience them at all.
So as usual with this type of concepts, it greatly depends on a person and its needs.
I’ve heard about minimalism and surprisingly when I’ve read some articles about it, I realized that I’m a natural fan of it. I don't like buying things and gadgets. When I have to visit a mall or some similar place, I got headache. Thankfully, my girlfriend understands that and when I really need for example shirt or trousers, she can buy it instead of me :) As someone before wrote, I also prefer taking care of relationships with people than collecting stuff. There is nothing more important than people. I travelled a lot around the world, and I saw a lot of poor people. And what was most interesting? They had ‘nothing’ but they were happy because they had friends.
ReplyDeleteYes, I've heard about minimalism, I'm pretty sure that it's quite popular. I often hear about minimalism when it comes to interior decoration. I think that it is important to keep moderation even in minimalism.
ReplyDeleteExperiences are the most important part of our lifes. The money goes away and what we've lived with stays with us forever. I saw an interview with one of the richest Poles, who said that his hobby is collecting experiences. When a man who has a lot of money says that collecting experience is the meaning of life, it sounds very credible.
I have little experience in moving to new places but I had the opportunity to help several people with it. Fortunately, every time I was able to move all things by car.
I agree with this idea, that things we own end up owning us. Our society is obsessed with material possessions. We are constantly attacked with advertisements promoting consumerist lifestyles. I think experiences are more valuable than than possessions, as we will never lose them, no one can take them away from us. Yes, I think it's always a big challenge to move to a different place, as you have to adapt to the new environment.
ReplyDeleteI heard about minimalism for the first time around 3 or 4 years ago. I immediately fell in love with whole idea. In today's world limiting our needs for buying new stuff, gathering likes and limiting spending time on social media is great for our personal economy, reducing stress and our general mental health. Minimalims is great! I try to limit my possesions and usage of unnecessary thigs like social media since 2017. It's not easy but it's paying off!
ReplyDeleteI value experiences over material items. Usually I am only keeping stuff that I really need, selling the things that are not useful. Prefer to save the money and use it on travelling.
Recently I moved to the new flat and it was fairly easy. I had only few boxes of personal stuff. It was quite simple.
Unfortunately I like to buy new thing, sometimes even if I shouldn’t. I heard about minimalism and I know that's not for me.
ReplyDeleteNowadays it's really hard to have only necessary things to life, so I respect everyone who chose this way of thinking.
I like my house and I don't think that I will change it for two next years. I've moved here three years ago and all of my stuff was too big to take it in combo car. I'm not talking about furniture.