It seems that the minimalist movement has grown substantially over the last decade, and perhaps it is most easily observable in the upshot of minimalist design in both online and offline landscapes. Minimalist living, however, is a concept that can exist apart from the minimalist aesthetic. So if you happen to be considering living as a minimalist, you can disregard the absurd expectation that you “must” live with bare walls and chrome furniture (if you choose to keep furniture at all, of course).
Mercifully, a minimalist lifestyle doesn’t have to be as rigid as it sounds.
Minimalism as a concept adheres to the mantra “less is more.” While some minimalists opt to literally live as minimally as possible (think the life of a Buddhist monk), minimalist living can simply be seen as having the awareness and willingness to declutter—whenever or wherever necessary.
The key word in that definition is “necessary.” It provides proponents of minimalist living with some breathing room, providing a subjective element to the concept. How exactly? Well, only the minimalist can identify what’s necessary to them. What’s necessary to one person may not be necessary to the lifestyle of another. In light of this, minimalist living does, indeed, bend to the needs of the practitioner.
That being said, two professing minimalists can look very different from each other. One minimalist may know the exact number of his possessions and fit them all in one bag, while another minimalist can keep an entire library of books while maintaining his integrity as a minimalist. At its core, minimalist living is about owning things with intentionality—not simply limiting the amount of things we own.
If you are utterly contented with the way you spend your time, energy, and money, or if you experience immense joy from simply having (not necessarily interacting with) an abundance of things, then having to adhere to minimalist values might make you feel more miserable than anything. You should not under any circumstance feel pressured to be a minimalist because it’s in vogue. No one needs an extra set of rules they don’t believe in.
But if intentionality is something you personally value and want to commit yourself to, then you should definitely give minimalist living a try. Our relationship with stuff can be surprisingly complex, and minimalism urges us to review what pushes us forward and what holds us back. We only have so much time, energy, and money. Knowing where to invest our resources allows us to reach our goals and embody what we truly value.
Just remember that minimalism is only a means to an end. Minimalist living is no cure-all. There’s no need to be “perfect” at it either. Living as a minimalist isn’t supposed to be a source of anxiety. It ought to be a source of joy.
