Minimalism in practice

Minimalism is often mistaken and misunderstood. A lot of people consider it to be an act of misery. A lot of people think that it is a tactic to cover-up for the stingy behavior. A lot of people even think that minimalism is a label to be pretentious. Another misconception is that it is a lot of hard work. Sone believe it is boring. But you will understand the beauty of minimalism once you start practicing it.

In today's world, the mass production is at peak. Influencers, manufacturers, and mass market owners push the ideas of "maximalism" down our throats. They promote the ideas that we should have a single product in all colours, textures, and patterns. Everything is a need (remember the YouTuber saying "you need this in your home, closet, car, or kitchen) as per their charts. They make it sound as if not purchasing something will lead to the end of the world or we will fall behind without buying or consuming their products. But is it really true? Do we really need all this? This is where minimalism starts. Minimalism begins with a simple question: Can one suffice? It progresses into a more complicated question: How much is enough?

For me, minimalism was an alien concept until I got introduced to it in 2018-19. I started to understand minimalism to fuel my curiosity. As I studied and understood minimalism, I see it as a way of life. I see minimalism as a way forward. While we start with minimalism, I will first mention the basic concept of economics that drew me in: Need vs want.

Is just one enough? I asked myself and I went down the rabbit hole. As I asked myself various questions, my needs and wants became clearer to me. I needed only one but I wanted a lot. I realised that I can easily cut down my wants and focus only on my needs.

Let me explain this with a simple and relatable example. Office dress code asks to wear black trousers. How many trousers do I need? One pair or maybe one more for extingency. How many I want? As many textures, fabrics, and patterns that exist in the market. Do I regularly use all of them? No. Do I have a favorite? Yes and that is the one I reach for again and again. In this case, I should restrict myself from buying any more black trousers. When I have the impulse to buy a new black trousers, I should ask these questions again to remind myself what I need and what I want.

A lot of people consider minimalism with closet cleaning or decluttering. It is a part of minimalism but it will come at the later phase. To begin with minimalism, first we need to start by differentiating into needs and wants. It will definitely be a good starting point. If you plan to embark on the journey with minimalism, do not wait for tomorrow. Start it today by understanding what you need and what you want. Take the first step to start thinking.

Start shaping your thoughts today for a minimalistic tomorrow.

A cousin had come to my place. She wanted to go for an event and it was near my home. She came here to freshen up and get ready. While she was getting ready, she asked me for a lipstick. I gave her the one that I had. According to her the colour did not suit her and she wanted another one. I told her I have only one lipstick. My cousin was shocked and she asked me, "how could you have only one lipstick? That is not enough". News flash: It is enough.

This is common misconception. That we need to have multiple shades of lipsticks. One is not enough is the constant message that is hammered into our minds by influencers and the manufacturers. But it is up to us to blindly accept what they say or to question it. In my case I question did and the answer was that one is definitely enough.

This logic will be applicable to almost all cosmetic and skin care products we have. Do we need so many shades of cosmetic product? Do we have a favourite one that we use most frequently? Do we use other products or they are almost unused? Here most of you would agree with me that there is one favourite product that we have and we reach for it most frequently. The others in our collection either do not suit us, we do not like them, or we got them out of curiosity, no longer excited about them, and no longer use them. In this case I would say don't go ahead and buy new ones. Check with others if they would like to have the cosmetics that you already do not use. I am sure you will definitely find someone who is willing to use those cosmetic products. Instead of keeping them in your closet and getting perished it would be good if someone else uses them.

Similar with the nail colours. They are the type of products which will harden over the time. It only makes sense to me to buy only one at a time. So that we use them at the fullest and purchase the new one only when it is either finished or a hardened. Buying multiple at the same time would lead to wastage.

I would strongly suggest to apply this logic for each and every cosmetic product. Ask yourself this questions again and again to understand your own purchasing habits. Ask this questions to yourself not to feel guilty but to let go off what you do not need. Ask this questions again and again to yourself to prevent any impulse purchases. Because in the end there is only one that we are going to need and definitely all others are completely unnecessary. By asking the is questions you will understand what exactly you need and you will be able to focus on the one that is essential.

In this process not only that you are going to understand your needs and essentials; but also you will cut down your unnecessary purchases and expenses. Minimalism definitely will go hand in hand with less clutter and more savings.

As someone who practices minimalism I would ensure you that you would definitely feel much better with these simple practices. Try them out.

Minimalism is a broad spectrum concept. It does not restrict itself to fashion. It goes beyond your wardrobe and can find its relevance in every corner of your house. One such corner where minimalism can play an essential role is the kitchen.

Let us see how. Imagine you go out for grocery shopping. You have made the list of items that you need. You have decided that you are going to stick to the list and you are not going to buy anything in addition. While going through the various isles you see that a brand has launched a new product. Out of curiosity you buy that product even though it was not on your list. You come home to see that you already have the same product from a different brand. Now you have the same product from two different brands. Now you are wondering that how are you going to manage to finish the product that you have in excess.

I believe this will be a completely relatable situation because it happens to all of us. When shopping for groceries I used to find it difficult stick to the list. Groceries would be more irresistible than clothes and accessories (this phase is very prominent in 30s). I knew that I had a good control over impulse purchase of clothes but I still had not controlled my mind which would venture to buy excess of groceries. When I would go for grocery shopping I would feel like I wanted to try every spice that was there on the shelves. I wanted to try every lentil. I wanted to try every healthy snack. This is what I would feel and a lot of times I used to end up buying more than what I required. Then I found a technique to implement minimalism in the kitchen.

Before going out for grocery shopping I would diligently take Inventory of what I already had in the kitchen. I would check every rack and every container. I would check the fridge to see what I already had and what was needed to be bought. I would make the list of things to buy after taking the inventory. I made a promise to myself to not buy any spices till I finished the ones that I already had in the fridge. To a greater extent it helped to minimize the grocery purchase.

Another technique that was simple and implementable was to ensure to finish the grocery that I already had with me. Most of the essentials such as rice, lentils, vegetables, fruits, and legumes were within control. However the spices and flavourants were in excess in my inventory. I decided to target and focus using these condiments irrespective of whether I liked their taste or not. Every week I would focus on one box of spice that I would use throughout the week. For making each vegetable or even for snacks I would use only that spice for the entire week. Using this technique I was able to clear the spices that were stacked within my kitchen. With their mindful usage I was able to finish those spices which had been waiting in my kitchen to be used.

Next technique that I implemented was purchasing only one type of spice in a mini pack. While purchasing new spices I would purchase only 1 mini pack of the spice. I would use the mini spice entirely and then only I would purchase the next pack. This led to two major advantages: the spices remained fresh, fragrant, and tasty. Also I was able to save money on spices and use them carefully. There was no stacking of spices. Similar technique can be used for vegetables and fruits as well. Buy only one type and finish it of before repurchasing.

These tips are very simple and easy to implement. Once starting to implement, the results are prominent and visible. Hence my request would be to not restrict minimalism to your wardrobe but extend it to all areas possible.

Based on true events.

I was speaking with a colleague. We were talking about the upcoming movies. I told her about a couple of upcoming movies I was excited about. She mentioned that she was excited about a webseries on a streaming platform. Then casually mentioned that she has subscribed to all streaming platforms. Furthermore she said she is spending over rs 2000 a month for all subscriptions. I asked her a question that made her think about her choices: Do you actively use them all?

This is the case with most of people. They have multiple subscriptions. They continue paying for all subscriptions but do not actively use them. They know very well that the subscriptions are not actively being used but they do not even cancel the subscriptions. Then when it comes to the entertainment they have their devices full of subscription yet there is nothing to be watched.

When it comes to working professionals I suggest they should actively look for the usage of their subscription. With 9 hours in the office, over 3 hours in the commute, 7 to 8 hours of sleep, they hardly have an hour or two which they can use for entertainment on a daily basis. For this one hour daily do they require multiple subscriptions? The answer is simple. Is the implementation difficult? Absolutely not. Then why is that a lot of working professionals continue with their subscriptions even though they do not use it? It is a question worth considering.

When I say minimalism in entertainment I do not mean cancellation of all subscriptions. It refers to evaluating your choices. It means understanding what is the type of subscription which you are looking for instead of buying everything. One needs to assess what type of entertainment they want and then carefully select the subscription that is going to fulfill the need. Such as there is a sporting event that you are passionate about. Then get the subscription of the streaming platform which is going to broadcast it. Carefully choose the subscription and cancel it once the needs are fulfilled.

For each platform, asseess if you are still utilizing it, else cancel it. This assessment will help you understand your needs and you will be able to see that 90% of the subscriptions are useless to you. You will only retain the subscription which you actually need. This way you are definitely going to save on the subscription fee that you have been paying unnecessarily to the platforms.

Minimalism is not only for one part but it can be extended to every part of our lives. From my own experience I can see that whenever minimalism is expanded and extended to various parts of our lives then life would not only become less cluttered but it will also be more peaceful.

Try for yourself and you will definitely see the difference.

This chapter is inspired from a podcast.

I was listening to the experience of a podcaster who came from an abusive household. He mentioned something that caught my attention. He had mentioned that his childhood home was filled with everything. His parents were hoarders and would collect everything from disposable plates to antique pieces. They would keep everything whether it was dirty, broken, or unusable. This made their house a mess. Their house was cluttered. His parents did not want to throw away anything but they added more things into the clutter. He mentioned feeling "suffocated". When he grew up and moved out of the house, he made a promise to himself "Keep only necessary things in the home". He further added that empty shelves and corners of his own home gave him the peace and strength to heal.

When I listened to him, I realised how true it was. In my case too I like the empty spaces and empty corners. I prefer voids in my house. Though I had no childhood trauma that he had, I still could relate to what he had mentioned. Minimalism in the home brings serenity is what I feel.

It does not matter if it is a hoarder's house. Even a healthy household may make someone ferl suffocated. I remember visiting a relative who lived in a bungalow. The huge mansion was filled with a lot of art pieces, paintings, and decor. The furniture had occupied each inch of the place. Each corner was filled with an art piece. His home was huge but the furniture made it look crowded. His home was not cluttered but it looked like it belonged to the furniture rather than people. I remembered how claustrophobic I felt while visiting him.

In my opinion we should keep minimal furniture and decor pieces in our household. It keep the harmony of the place. It should look like the home belongs to people than furniture. The empty places give us peace. While over crowding makes us uneasy, anxious, and uncomfortable.

The question is how to adapt minimalism in house? We can keep only the furniture that is necessary. If 3 people stay in the house do they need 6 beds and 8 chairs? Absolutely not. Keep only what is needed but get rid of everything else. Keep minimum decore pieces. Keep the ones that show your likes and characters. Keep those which are easy to maintain.

Do not keep anything in your home that you do not like. Because whenever you will look at that piece it will make ypu uneasy. Why should you keep something in your own home that makes you uncomfortable? Get rid of it.

Lastly do not overfill your home. Look at each item and think does it belongs in your home? Will it make a difference if the article or item is thrown away? You will find the answer yourself. Minimalism in home will bring a lot of peace. There will be less to declutter in a minimalistic home. Plus if you need to relocate you will find it easier to pack and move.

There are several advantages of a minimalistic household. Once you become minimalistic you will never feel the need to go back to filling your home. Give it a try!