A lot of people don’t do minimalism because it doesn’t seem realistic for their lives. But what they often mean is that they don’t want others to think they’re weird. Wearing ...
I believe I’m as happy as it is possible to be. I’m not crying out in ecstatic pleasure, or streaming tears of joy, but I am very happy. It’s not a peak of happiness, but a plateau ...
We strive to improve our lives, often because we are dissatisfied with how things are. I know this, because I’ve lived it. I don’t like the way I look, so I try to improve myself. I don&#...
In any kind of negotiation, your ability to walk away is your strongest tool. Those who can walk away from the negotiation — legitimately walk away, not just make a show of it — are in th...
Christmas has come and gone, and in its consumerist wake thousands of people are left holding shiny new Kindles, iPads, iPhones and iPods. New toys that are fun, useful and beautiful all at once. And...
We often create an identity for ourselves using things. We have logos or slogans or cute catchphrases on our clothing, and it shows people who we are. We have tattoos or piercings, baseball caps, acc...
Many people try to do too much because they’re worried they might miss doing something that matters. They want to do everything possible, in case some of those things turn out to be important. ...
It’s true that I might too often make minimalism seem like it’s all roses, all upside. But there is a downside to everything, including minimalism. In order to better prepare you, my love...
The Occupy Wall Street protesters are rapidly becoming the Occupy Earth protesters, and for good reason. People are finally pushing back against the incredible influence that corporations have on eve...
There are things we think we need these days that are absolutely not needs. They are luxuries that, over time, we have grown to be accustomed to and rely upon. It’s incredible how much people r...
‘Men have become tools of their tools.’ ~Henry David Thoreau Many of you have seen the video and reviews of the new iPhone 4S, and yes, it looks great. Don’t rush out to order it. H...
There are people who claim never to want stuff anymore, who just don’t care about cool clothes and gadgets and bags and notebooks, who have moved past desiring things. Those people are lying. U...
One of the more difficult issues I deal with as a minimalist is taking on new hobbies — they almost all require new gear. If you want to start cycling, kayaking, yoga, climbing, adventure racin...
I’ve only been in New York City for about four days, but I can easily see how it would be tough to even consider minimalism here. Everyone is incredibly busy and rushed, fashion and shopping ta...
Tea is a an act complete in its simplicity. When I drink tea, there is only me, and the tea. The rest of the world dissolves. There are no worries about the future. No dwelling on past mistakes. Tea ...
When my youngest daughter Noelle is challenged by one of her older siblings to a game she knows she can’t win, she says, “I’m not playing that game.” I thought of that yesterd...
As minimalists, we often talk about paring down possessions, and sometimes paring down what we do. But what about what we think? Is there any use in paring down thinking? I’ve found myself doin...
At the moment I’m on a plane to Guam with my family. I brought a small backpack with my laptop and a couple changes of clothes, for a month-long trip. Packing light isn’t hard, until you ...
People often mistakenly think that to be a minimalist, you need to live with less than 100 things (or 50 or something crazy like that). That’s not at all true. A minimalist is simply one who qu...
Minimalism is a pushing back against the trend to turn people into pure consumers, into commodities, into a market-place mechanism. We’ve lost sight of the simple truth that we need none of the...
While visiting relatives in Las Vegas, I decided to get away from the overly conspicuous consumerism with an early morning run into the desert mountains. Amidst the rocks I found a small cardboard si...
I often hear that I cannot practice minimalism in San Francisco — it’s a city, it’s expensive, people are busy, etc. I’m confused by that because it makes me wonder what peopl...
As minimalism seems to slowly grow in popularity, the more popular trend is criticizing minimalism. Nearly everyone who doesn’t consider himself a minimalist has some criticism. Much of that is...
A good Neapolitan pizza is a thing of spartan beauty: minimal ingredients that are fresh, stand out, and come together in a way that transcends food and art and beauty — it’s an act of pu...
I’ve been learning a bit about beers lately (and enjoying the learning process) and on the top beer ratings sites a beer from the Westvleteren Brewery tops the rankings. It’s a Belgium be...
Fear stops us from being minimalists. Why do we keep things even if we don’t need or use them? Because we’re afraid we might. Afraid of what could happen if we get rid of those things. Fo...
What would happen if fuel prices suddenly became not just expensive but ridiculous? What if gas shot up to $20 per gallon? The notion of driving everywhere would suddenly seem crazy. We drive far wid...
There exists in France a small company called Teddyfish that makes bags by hand. Their philosophy of production is beautiful: “We believe in ‘petite-production’ ;, which means the wil...
The more I focus on living, the less it seems I need. What does it mean to focus on living? It’s a shift from caring about possessions and status and goals and beautiful things … to carin...
Every nook of our lives is filled with advertising these days. It’s so pervasive that we have come to accept it as a fact of life, and it cannot help but have an effect on our minds. Advertisin...
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