This blog has been replaced by my tumblr.
However, this blog is has nice backlog. I smile when I walk through the halls of my own writing. I'm not the same person I was when I wrote most of this blog, so it's almost like I'm curating it for someone who passed away. Please enjoy it. Please talk about it. Please share it and post it and think about it.
Third, I deleted my reddit account, but if you want to say anything to me or ask me a question, please don't hesitate to do it through tumblr.
Sanding
My path in minimalism has been like working with wood. I chopped away
at the bigger stuff at first. But eventually I had to start sanding,
with a fine grit and patience.
Instead of making time consuming purges, I just performed small but frequent passes. Eventually a result started taking shape. The feeling of having something to aim for is incredibly fulfilling and empowering. Eventually I started living that potential result, and then the rest fell away.
So don’t feel like you have to be down to a very specific place right now. It took me years and I’m still sanding away, even finer, slowly finding the right contours to fit my life. Maybe my block of wood is still far too big, or maybe I sanded off too much somewhere. But I’ll get there, and so will you.
Instead of making time consuming purges, I just performed small but frequent passes. Eventually a result started taking shape. The feeling of having something to aim for is incredibly fulfilling and empowering. Eventually I started living that potential result, and then the rest fell away.
So don’t feel like you have to be down to a very specific place right now. It took me years and I’m still sanding away, even finer, slowly finding the right contours to fit my life. Maybe my block of wood is still far too big, or maybe I sanded off too much somewhere. But I’ll get there, and so will you.
How strong would you like your minimalism, sir?
Minimalism is like coffee. You can make it any way you want.
You can make it strong, and remove everything in your life except for only the essential. You can pare down to a few boxes or remove your bed or get rid of everything entirely. You can clear your mind of all thoughts unrelated to your focus.
You can make it weak, and remove only a little bit, just tweaking your life into different shapes and positive arrangements. You can consider a few items, move slowly, and try to find some peace in your mind. Tiny changes for a theoretically huge benefit.
Both of these approaches are valid. Just like there is middle ground, there is the highest and lowest setting. They are equal and perfectly acceptable. They all coexist.
At the core, minimalism is about less. How much less is up to you.
You can make it strong, and remove everything in your life except for only the essential. You can pare down to a few boxes or remove your bed or get rid of everything entirely. You can clear your mind of all thoughts unrelated to your focus.
You can make it weak, and remove only a little bit, just tweaking your life into different shapes and positive arrangements. You can consider a few items, move slowly, and try to find some peace in your mind. Tiny changes for a theoretically huge benefit.
Both of these approaches are valid. Just like there is middle ground, there is the highest and lowest setting. They are equal and perfectly acceptable. They all coexist.
At the core, minimalism is about less. How much less is up to you.
Might migrate to Tumblr
I'm considering curbing my average word count and simply aggregating all of my minimalism links, photos, quotes and ideas into a single feed on Tumblr.
Is there any comments on this?
EDIT: So the blogspot side of things seems pretty dead overall, so I'm using my tumblr now. Amongst the quotes and pictures, you will find blogs - smaller, more condensed trains of thought that I planned for here but decided to pare down and post there instead.
Is there any comments on this?
EDIT: So the blogspot side of things seems pretty dead overall, so I'm using my tumblr now. Amongst the quotes and pictures, you will find blogs - smaller, more condensed trains of thought that I planned for here but decided to pare down and post there instead.
Here and now, boys.
In Aldous Huxley's masterpiece philosophical novel Island, the birds have been trained to say things to the villagers constantly. The two that we hear in the book on a regular basis is "Here and now boys," and even more often, "Attention."
We get caught up in our minds and forget to be in the present moment. When we're focused on the "here and now," that's when we truly appreciate the world.
Many mediators will say that as you practice, everything you do can be meditation. Just focus on what you are doing. Be patient and look at yourself, feel yourself, hear yourself. Be mindful of your body and your mind.
Attention; here and now, boys.
We get caught up in our minds and forget to be in the present moment. When we're focused on the "here and now," that's when we truly appreciate the world.
Many mediators will say that as you practice, everything you do can be meditation. Just focus on what you are doing. Be patient and look at yourself, feel yourself, hear yourself. Be mindful of your body and your mind.
Attention; here and now, boys.
9 More Treatises on Minimalism
11. Minimalism is distilling life.
12. Minimalism is an enhancer, not a finder.
13. Focus creates beauty or abhorrence. You decide which.
14. Upkeep is all of the battle.
15. You can't eliminate mistakes.
16. Minimalism is respected.
17. Portability.
18. Necessity is fluid.
19. Memento mori.
12. Minimalism is an enhancer, not a finder.
13. Focus creates beauty or abhorrence. You decide which.
14. Upkeep is all of the battle.
15. You can't eliminate mistakes.
16. Minimalism is respected.
17. Portability.
18. Necessity is fluid.
19. Memento mori.
What Minimalism is Compatible With But Doesn't Imply
This blog veers into other territory sometimes and I want to establish what is and what can be minimalism.
Anti-consumerism
It's easy to become jaded with the system after you've started to unhook yourself from having so much stuff. However, that's not necessarily a direct connection. You can be minimalist without being anti-consumerist. The latter is more of a political, social way of looking at ownership minimalism. If getting more stuff is so empty, then why do we do it? It makes sense. However, what personally works for you doesn't have to be reflected on what you think the world could use.
Simple living
Simple living is becoming harder to define. Like "hipster," it's become a cultural mirage which we attempt to grasp onto but never quite nab, due to the many voices talking at once. So I'll do my best here.
Simple living takes minimalism and skews it even harder into old fashioned, vaguely Walden territory. Live in a small house if possible. Live with as few pieces of technology as possible. Consider the environment. Be self-sustaining. Live frugally and forgo work if you can. Repair your stuff and avoid new purchases at all costs.
I see simple living as encompassing minimalism, but expanding it to a much greater definition. It defines the difference between what can be perceived as a more modern minimalism (aesthetically very blank, lifestyle very open) with a aged, nature-focused minimalism from the past.
This blog is occasionally simple living themed.
Frugality
I see two sides to this coin.
Common ground: I should spend as little as possible on stuff, avoiding it as much as possible and only buying what little I need.
Option one: I should spend a lot of my stuff that I do buy so that it lasts me a long time.
Option two: I should penny pinch so I can not have to deal with buying stuff, save up money and possibly avoid working entirely.
This just illustrates that there can be different tactics, and all of them are common.
Aesthetic minimalism
The artistic method. A suitable end-goal for anyone, certainly, but not necessarily useful or utilitarian in a lot of cases.
Anti-consumerism
It's easy to become jaded with the system after you've started to unhook yourself from having so much stuff. However, that's not necessarily a direct connection. You can be minimalist without being anti-consumerist. The latter is more of a political, social way of looking at ownership minimalism. If getting more stuff is so empty, then why do we do it? It makes sense. However, what personally works for you doesn't have to be reflected on what you think the world could use.
Simple living
Simple living is becoming harder to define. Like "hipster," it's become a cultural mirage which we attempt to grasp onto but never quite nab, due to the many voices talking at once. So I'll do my best here.
Simple living takes minimalism and skews it even harder into old fashioned, vaguely Walden territory. Live in a small house if possible. Live with as few pieces of technology as possible. Consider the environment. Be self-sustaining. Live frugally and forgo work if you can. Repair your stuff and avoid new purchases at all costs.
I see simple living as encompassing minimalism, but expanding it to a much greater definition. It defines the difference between what can be perceived as a more modern minimalism (aesthetically very blank, lifestyle very open) with a aged, nature-focused minimalism from the past.
This blog is occasionally simple living themed.
Frugality
I see two sides to this coin.
Common ground: I should spend as little as possible on stuff, avoiding it as much as possible and only buying what little I need.
Option one: I should spend a lot of my stuff that I do buy so that it lasts me a long time.
Option two: I should penny pinch so I can not have to deal with buying stuff, save up money and possibly avoid working entirely.
This just illustrates that there can be different tactics, and all of them are common.
Aesthetic minimalism
The artistic method. A suitable end-goal for anyone, certainly, but not necessarily useful or utilitarian in a lot of cases.
Digital Minimalism
Computers are fantastic tools. We have these five pound slabs that can entertain us with almost any form of media, communicate over long distances, and assist us in creating our own works of art. It's no wonder our digital lives can become more complex than our own. Here's my methods on keeping the digital space clean.
1) Dump it all and start over again.
Back up everything on your computer. Put it all onto an external hard drive. Then grab your operating system disc, wipe the whole thing, and start from square one. If you don't know how to do this, it's not a difficult task, but it is a very useful one so you might as well learn now.
Now here's the key: don't immediately dump everything from your external hard drive onto your new installation. Instead, copy things over as you require them. Only transfer music you're actively listening to, or try not transferring any at all. Only move over wallpaper you want to apply to your desktop. Keep out documents until you need them for reference or want to add to them. You'll be surprised how little you actually need to transfer over, especially if you do this a few times.
2) Avoid new programs.
Programs are complicated. Keep them at bay by installing as few as your habits dictate.
On my Mac, I only install a dozen new programs on top of the default, and sometimes even less. This lowers the amount of updates I have to juggle (especially if I can get them through the app store, or through the package manager on Linux) and keeps the system's internals running smoothly without cruft and temp files.
3) Block everything and learn to say no.
My Internet presence is fueled by a Firefox install with three add-ons: Adblock Plus, Ghostery, and HTTPS everywhere. With a few exceptions for sites I want to support, these add-ons are blocking at full capacity. In addition, I rarely install Flash or Silverlight.
The trick is knowing that you can say "no" when this shuts you out of something. Ghostery stops an article for loading? I'll read a different website. Of course, this doesn't work for necessary applications, which is why I usually keep Safari available so I have a browser to use for my online banking needs. However, I distrust advertisers and as such if your website breaks when I remove them, I will usually refuse to stay any longer.
4) Reduce the streams.
Lower your Facebook friend count. Delete your Twitter feeds. Stop following Tumblr blogs. Don't check so many blogs every day. Delete RSS feeds that you always skip. Don't download podcasts you never listen to.
Instead, try to focus on things that are a positive influence. Things that you create yourself, like a blog, or writing that you know inspires or interests you. Too much of the Internet is a null transaction - you insert time but nothing actually happens. Aim for the few things you visit each day to be the most positive, powerful sites to your mind.
5) Beware of the cloud (for now).
No service will ever have 100% uptime except your own files, stored on your own computer. Cloud services are new and budding, and largely filled with doublespeak and tech industry hype. Wait until it is more stable before throwing your files into the hands of an unknown server provider.
1) Dump it all and start over again.
Back up everything on your computer. Put it all onto an external hard drive. Then grab your operating system disc, wipe the whole thing, and start from square one. If you don't know how to do this, it's not a difficult task, but it is a very useful one so you might as well learn now.
Now here's the key: don't immediately dump everything from your external hard drive onto your new installation. Instead, copy things over as you require them. Only transfer music you're actively listening to, or try not transferring any at all. Only move over wallpaper you want to apply to your desktop. Keep out documents until you need them for reference or want to add to them. You'll be surprised how little you actually need to transfer over, especially if you do this a few times.
2) Avoid new programs.
Programs are complicated. Keep them at bay by installing as few as your habits dictate.
On my Mac, I only install a dozen new programs on top of the default, and sometimes even less. This lowers the amount of updates I have to juggle (especially if I can get them through the app store, or through the package manager on Linux) and keeps the system's internals running smoothly without cruft and temp files.
3) Block everything and learn to say no.
My Internet presence is fueled by a Firefox install with three add-ons: Adblock Plus, Ghostery, and HTTPS everywhere. With a few exceptions for sites I want to support, these add-ons are blocking at full capacity. In addition, I rarely install Flash or Silverlight.
The trick is knowing that you can say "no" when this shuts you out of something. Ghostery stops an article for loading? I'll read a different website. Of course, this doesn't work for necessary applications, which is why I usually keep Safari available so I have a browser to use for my online banking needs. However, I distrust advertisers and as such if your website breaks when I remove them, I will usually refuse to stay any longer.
4) Reduce the streams.
Lower your Facebook friend count. Delete your Twitter feeds. Stop following Tumblr blogs. Don't check so many blogs every day. Delete RSS feeds that you always skip. Don't download podcasts you never listen to.
Instead, try to focus on things that are a positive influence. Things that you create yourself, like a blog, or writing that you know inspires or interests you. Too much of the Internet is a null transaction - you insert time but nothing actually happens. Aim for the few things you visit each day to be the most positive, powerful sites to your mind.
5) Beware of the cloud (for now).
No service will ever have 100% uptime except your own files, stored on your own computer. Cloud services are new and budding, and largely filled with doublespeak and tech industry hype. Wait until it is more stable before throwing your files into the hands of an unknown server provider.
Relax.
It's okay.
It's okay if you're not as minimalist as me, or another blogger, or some person in your life.
It's okay if you're not sure what your passions are.
It's okay if you feel like you don't have a clue.
It's okay if you feel like you're not being minimalist all the time.
It's okay if you're using minimalism in a different way, or even if you decide it's just not for you.
It's okay if you disagree with me.
It's okay if you agree with me but can't apply it to your life.
It's okay if you're young and you don't know what's going on.
It's okay if you're in a position in your life where minimalism doesn't work like you think it should.
It's okay if you live with someone who makes minimalism hard or impossible.
It's okay to make exceptions.
It's okay to change ideas.
It's okay to reject, reform, recycle, reuse, and restate.
Take a deep breath. Exhale.
Close your eyes. Open your eyes.
Peaceful mind. Relax.
It's okay if life isn't exactly like you want it right now. Don't get complacent and just relax. Let life wash against you.
In your own time, in your own way, you will arrive.
It's okay if you're not as minimalist as me, or another blogger, or some person in your life.
It's okay if you're not sure what your passions are.
It's okay if you feel like you don't have a clue.
It's okay if you feel like you're not being minimalist all the time.
It's okay if you're using minimalism in a different way, or even if you decide it's just not for you.
It's okay if you disagree with me.
It's okay if you agree with me but can't apply it to your life.
It's okay if you're young and you don't know what's going on.
It's okay if you're in a position in your life where minimalism doesn't work like you think it should.
It's okay if you live with someone who makes minimalism hard or impossible.
It's okay to make exceptions.
It's okay to change ideas.
It's okay to reject, reform, recycle, reuse, and restate.
Take a deep breath. Exhale.
Close your eyes. Open your eyes.
Peaceful mind. Relax.
It's okay if life isn't exactly like you want it right now. Don't get complacent and just relax. Let life wash against you.
In your own time, in your own way, you will arrive.
How To Not Buy Stuff
As good as it feels to purge and clean, it doesn't attack the problem: the source of the stuff. Generalizing for a bit, the nature of the stuff in question does matter, so some of my ideas may not translate across all realms of purchasable goods. However, I've found that the less I buy, the easier it is to maintain my owned items. Plus, the whole "saving money" thing.
1) Focus on the bad.
There's a Buddhist meditation technique called Patikulamanasikara that kills lust by focusing on the negative aspects of the human anatomy. While we're not engaging in the removal of lust for human beings (that seems rather unhealthy unless you devote yourself to a monk's life), it's a useful technique for everyday shopping. Make a "pros" and "cons" list, and really pour over the cons.
I'm not promoting being a cynic and being cranky about everything, but instead of visualizing the best situation, try to visualize the worst. For example, don't imagine a new gadget will renovate your life and change the way you live. Honestly, how often does that even happen? Rather, imagine that it's just like every other mediocre gadget you have. It doesn't change anything and leaves a bad taste in your mouth. You're left with buyer's remorse, and the gadget ends up in a drawer somewhere, eating up your time and space. Maybe that's not the reality, but it's closer to the truth than what we usually build up in our minds.
2) Focus on what you already have.
If the key is entertainment or leisure, it's hard to argue that we need more media when we're already surrounded by more than most people can ever consume in a lifetime. Most people have backlogs of every media format, or they have some hidden gems they forgot about that they haven't experienced in a while. The best way for me to forget about a desire or want is to go read a book. It readjusts my priorities in a positive way.
And this can encompass many other things. You probably have access to a library, which alone can busy a person for an entire lifetime. The Internet, and the legal side of Internet downloads. Your friends and family. All of these resources can keep you engaged without buying anything.
But for non-media stuff, we still forget what we have. Are you sure you can't go without? You've gone without your entire life. Just wait. Keep waiting.
3) Use and buy smart.
You likely have a computer if you're reading this blog, so you're capable of accessing more useful information than you can ever imagine. Use it to get the most out of what you have. If you need to buy something, fine, but use the Internet to figure out what will work best for you.
This does a few things. It makes your purchase more geared toward what you need, and how to perform whatever task you need the stuff to do. But it also makes the purchase slightly more arduous, and forces you to think about whether or not it's useful in the first place. You start to think like a utilitarian, focused on the end-game.
4) Used.
If you wait long enough, somebody probably has what you need that you can borrow, have, or buy for cheap. Yes, this requires patience. Sometimes it's not easy. But you can get your stuff for less money or even none at all.
I went without a bike for three weeks, and I walked instead. But when I got myself a relative's perfectly serviceable road bike for no cost, it was worth it. Now somebody else has less trash and I have what I need.
5) Avoid advertisements and purchasing tricks.
As previously discussed, advertisements are successful at making consumers irrational and think about purchases differently. But remember that stores are designed to get you to buy certain items. If you're shopping, have a list and stick to it. Be aware of the environment. Never impulse buy. You can always get it later.
I used to fall into the trap of "well it's on sale, so if I'm going to get it, I should get it now." If it's worth buying, you can wait and maybe miss the sale. It won't kill you, and it will give you more time to ponder the purchase.
6) Do it for you.
Don't buy stuff for anybody but yourself. This seems obvious, but too many times you'll find that what we thought was a need was actually an external standard we were projecting onto our own lives. So do it because you think it's right, not because somebody told you it was. Take advice but keep your salt shaker handy.
You don't need to buy something to be like your hero or favorite blogger. Actions define us.
7) You don't have to upgrade.
Just because there's a new Macbook Air doesn't mean you need to buy it. It's easy to think that you should upgrade because, well, it's something that I know I use a lot, I should have the best there is, right? Not necessarily. Again, these products are designed to make you want to upgrade. Be realistic about the differences between models. You're fine where you are; do you really need this new upgraded version to make things better? Likely not.
Your gear doesn't make you more minimalist. Your actions do.
1) Focus on the bad.
There's a Buddhist meditation technique called Patikulamanasikara that kills lust by focusing on the negative aspects of the human anatomy. While we're not engaging in the removal of lust for human beings (that seems rather unhealthy unless you devote yourself to a monk's life), it's a useful technique for everyday shopping. Make a "pros" and "cons" list, and really pour over the cons.
I'm not promoting being a cynic and being cranky about everything, but instead of visualizing the best situation, try to visualize the worst. For example, don't imagine a new gadget will renovate your life and change the way you live. Honestly, how often does that even happen? Rather, imagine that it's just like every other mediocre gadget you have. It doesn't change anything and leaves a bad taste in your mouth. You're left with buyer's remorse, and the gadget ends up in a drawer somewhere, eating up your time and space. Maybe that's not the reality, but it's closer to the truth than what we usually build up in our minds.
2) Focus on what you already have.
If the key is entertainment or leisure, it's hard to argue that we need more media when we're already surrounded by more than most people can ever consume in a lifetime. Most people have backlogs of every media format, or they have some hidden gems they forgot about that they haven't experienced in a while. The best way for me to forget about a desire or want is to go read a book. It readjusts my priorities in a positive way.
And this can encompass many other things. You probably have access to a library, which alone can busy a person for an entire lifetime. The Internet, and the legal side of Internet downloads. Your friends and family. All of these resources can keep you engaged without buying anything.
But for non-media stuff, we still forget what we have. Are you sure you can't go without? You've gone without your entire life. Just wait. Keep waiting.
3) Use and buy smart.
You likely have a computer if you're reading this blog, so you're capable of accessing more useful information than you can ever imagine. Use it to get the most out of what you have. If you need to buy something, fine, but use the Internet to figure out what will work best for you.
This does a few things. It makes your purchase more geared toward what you need, and how to perform whatever task you need the stuff to do. But it also makes the purchase slightly more arduous, and forces you to think about whether or not it's useful in the first place. You start to think like a utilitarian, focused on the end-game.
4) Used.
If you wait long enough, somebody probably has what you need that you can borrow, have, or buy for cheap. Yes, this requires patience. Sometimes it's not easy. But you can get your stuff for less money or even none at all.
I went without a bike for three weeks, and I walked instead. But when I got myself a relative's perfectly serviceable road bike for no cost, it was worth it. Now somebody else has less trash and I have what I need.
5) Avoid advertisements and purchasing tricks.
As previously discussed, advertisements are successful at making consumers irrational and think about purchases differently. But remember that stores are designed to get you to buy certain items. If you're shopping, have a list and stick to it. Be aware of the environment. Never impulse buy. You can always get it later.
I used to fall into the trap of "well it's on sale, so if I'm going to get it, I should get it now." If it's worth buying, you can wait and maybe miss the sale. It won't kill you, and it will give you more time to ponder the purchase.
6) Do it for you.
Don't buy stuff for anybody but yourself. This seems obvious, but too many times you'll find that what we thought was a need was actually an external standard we were projecting onto our own lives. So do it because you think it's right, not because somebody told you it was. Take advice but keep your salt shaker handy.
You don't need to buy something to be like your hero or favorite blogger. Actions define us.
7) You don't have to upgrade.
Just because there's a new Macbook Air doesn't mean you need to buy it. It's easy to think that you should upgrade because, well, it's something that I know I use a lot, I should have the best there is, right? Not necessarily. Again, these products are designed to make you want to upgrade. Be realistic about the differences between models. You're fine where you are; do you really need this new upgraded version to make things better? Likely not.
Your gear doesn't make you more minimalist. Your actions do.
Social Networking
Facebook and its peers have been vilified recently as a sort of antagonist of simple living and minimalism. Is this entirely accurate? I don't think that you are required to go without social networking to be minimalist, especially if there are people in your life you wish to keep up with. Facebook in particular can be a very easy way to see social information in a small span of time, and in some social circles, it can be more reliable than other forms of communication.
Of course, there is a negative to everything. Social networks exist to collect and sell your information. This is the cost of using these networks: you are agreeing to reduce your privacy. To combat this, you can do what I do: make everything on my profile so blindingly obvious or pointless that I don't care if it's not private. Remembering what should be public or private is a relatively simple endeavor, and there's some information I simply don't care about. Is it really a big secret that I like Radiohead?
In addition, the stream of social information can be overbearing. In my roughly daily use of Facebook, whenever I see a game, app or excessive post, I either eliminate the source or limit their posts to "important only," which gives me only what I really care about: my friends' pictures and posts. In addition, only adding the people you want to hear from on your Facebook is another way to reduce the rush from a raging waterfall into a pleasant - and useful - brook. I keep my connections low, around 50 to 100 people, and feign inactivity for the unwanted people who pester me into "friending" them (as snobbish as it sounds, not everybody can be important to me).
We must also keep in mind that Facebook won't be popular forever. As with every new technology concept, it will balloon and likely burst. Where will the winds blow next? Likely in a new iteration of social interaction. But none of these networks are inherently evil; they are just tools that we need to use properly. And they are generally useful tools, though how useful will matter more on the company you keep. Just like I wouldn't suggest eliminating your friends and social life in the quest for a more minimalist life, I won't suggest deleting the social networks without thinking through the situation.
Of course, there is a negative to everything. Social networks exist to collect and sell your information. This is the cost of using these networks: you are agreeing to reduce your privacy. To combat this, you can do what I do: make everything on my profile so blindingly obvious or pointless that I don't care if it's not private. Remembering what should be public or private is a relatively simple endeavor, and there's some information I simply don't care about. Is it really a big secret that I like Radiohead?
In addition, the stream of social information can be overbearing. In my roughly daily use of Facebook, whenever I see a game, app or excessive post, I either eliminate the source or limit their posts to "important only," which gives me only what I really care about: my friends' pictures and posts. In addition, only adding the people you want to hear from on your Facebook is another way to reduce the rush from a raging waterfall into a pleasant - and useful - brook. I keep my connections low, around 50 to 100 people, and feign inactivity for the unwanted people who pester me into "friending" them (as snobbish as it sounds, not everybody can be important to me).
We must also keep in mind that Facebook won't be popular forever. As with every new technology concept, it will balloon and likely burst. Where will the winds blow next? Likely in a new iteration of social interaction. But none of these networks are inherently evil; they are just tools that we need to use properly. And they are generally useful tools, though how useful will matter more on the company you keep. Just like I wouldn't suggest eliminating your friends and social life in the quest for a more minimalist life, I won't suggest deleting the social networks without thinking through the situation.
The Mind: Focus and Consistency
People forget the power of the mind. They forget that to unlock these powers, you need to train yourself. They think that the way their minds work are forever locked into certain patterns, and that no amount of training can bring them out of it.
The two mind powers I use for minimalism are "focus" and "consistency."
Focus
When you are truly thinking about something, and it becomes you, everything else just drops away. This is the very core of minimalism. Your focus, your passion, your desire for this one thing is so strong that the rest of the fluff doesn't even enter the equation. You don't need the fluff. You barely even think about the fluff. So you remove it to get it out of the way.
Even if we're not as strong as the above paragraph would require us to be, we can get closer to this principle. If you love something, focus on it. If it doesn't bear the weight of your attention, then maybe it wasn't worth your time. But if you really do love it, you feel whole. You feel completed.
Focus can be achieved in a manner of ways. It can be practiced in everyday life. Live your life as a series of episodes, where you focus on your task and give everything as much attention as you can. Our society doesn't train us to do this - some aspects actively train you against it - so it may not come easily. Other methods include meditation (which beginners may want to seek professional help with) or a certain passion to unlock the mind (for me these are detailed in the "My Minimalism" blogs).
Consistency
Consistency can be seen as a sustained focus. If you draw your attention into a specific target and are rewarded with good feelings, maintaining that focus is key to keeping your mind at ease.
Focus isn't good enough by itself. We focus and then we lose the focus, and we wander off and forget what made our target so special. By turning our actions into habits, we can make the focus a part of us as opposed to something we do on and off - making the choices we make matter more than just a temporary whim.
If we're serious about making these changes in our lives, it's not enough to make a blog, post five entries to it, and then forget about the whole thing. You need the long-term focus to make any meaningful impact. Five minutes of minimalism now won't make any difference in five years.
Consistency can be achieved through writing, listening, self-examination, and even blogging.
The two mind powers I use for minimalism are "focus" and "consistency."
Focus
When you are truly thinking about something, and it becomes you, everything else just drops away. This is the very core of minimalism. Your focus, your passion, your desire for this one thing is so strong that the rest of the fluff doesn't even enter the equation. You don't need the fluff. You barely even think about the fluff. So you remove it to get it out of the way.
Even if we're not as strong as the above paragraph would require us to be, we can get closer to this principle. If you love something, focus on it. If it doesn't bear the weight of your attention, then maybe it wasn't worth your time. But if you really do love it, you feel whole. You feel completed.
Focus can be achieved in a manner of ways. It can be practiced in everyday life. Live your life as a series of episodes, where you focus on your task and give everything as much attention as you can. Our society doesn't train us to do this - some aspects actively train you against it - so it may not come easily. Other methods include meditation (which beginners may want to seek professional help with) or a certain passion to unlock the mind (for me these are detailed in the "My Minimalism" blogs).
Consistency
Consistency can be seen as a sustained focus. If you draw your attention into a specific target and are rewarded with good feelings, maintaining that focus is key to keeping your mind at ease.
Focus isn't good enough by itself. We focus and then we lose the focus, and we wander off and forget what made our target so special. By turning our actions into habits, we can make the focus a part of us as opposed to something we do on and off - making the choices we make matter more than just a temporary whim.
If we're serious about making these changes in our lives, it's not enough to make a blog, post five entries to it, and then forget about the whole thing. You need the long-term focus to make any meaningful impact. Five minutes of minimalism now won't make any difference in five years.
Consistency can be achieved through writing, listening, self-examination, and even blogging.
Her Two Rules
I traveled a bit in the past month to keep my wits about me, and it was an undeniable pleasure to see such a different world. Urban environments are very different from suburban-esque towns, and while I appreciate the quiet of my home, I still very much enjoy to explore alternate means of living. If there was a single word I would put to the point of my life, it would be "exploration."
In the first trip I took, I met an older lady who was well versed in the traveling ways and she gave me two pieces of advice that she moves and lives by. I listened to her delightful stories over a bright breakfast about a month ago.
1) You can't do everything.
You are finite. You are limited. And you must prioritize. Not coming to terms with this will lead to unhappiness and bitterness.
2) Never forget to pack your sense of humor and your perspective.
Things may go wrong. You may feel overwhelmed, or busy within your own little mind. We forget that there's a world around us, and it is bigger and more complex than any single mind can comprehend. If you can't see that, and stop taking yourself too seriously, the weight of a subjective and heavily emotional perspective - a trait we all share as human beings - will get to you and render you less productive.
In the first trip I took, I met an older lady who was well versed in the traveling ways and she gave me two pieces of advice that she moves and lives by. I listened to her delightful stories over a bright breakfast about a month ago.
1) You can't do everything.
You are finite. You are limited. And you must prioritize. Not coming to terms with this will lead to unhappiness and bitterness.
2) Never forget to pack your sense of humor and your perspective.
Things may go wrong. You may feel overwhelmed, or busy within your own little mind. We forget that there's a world around us, and it is bigger and more complex than any single mind can comprehend. If you can't see that, and stop taking yourself too seriously, the weight of a subjective and heavily emotional perspective - a trait we all share as human beings - will get to you and render you less productive.
Dangers of Projection
I know this may sound strange, but don't take this blog, or any blog, seriously. Don't look at me or any other blogger and hold yourself up to these characters and wonder if you match up.
Why? Because you don't have the full story. You never will. Blogs are a selective connection, lacking so many smaller details about a person you never learn.
Some of the blogs are designed to specifically hold back information to make a clean projection of what they want you to think. I won't do that. But I also won't go out of my way to point out the flaws in my system unless it's relevant. You won't know about how I falter and don't always do what I preach on this blog. As much as I think about minimalism, I'm not perfect. Nobody is. Never trust a blog that says they are, especially if they have something to gain from you thinking so, like an ebook sale.
So if you look at the minimalist blogs and compare them to yourself and despair, what happens? You hold yourself back. You're holding yourself up to external standards that probably don't even exist.
Blogs are useful, but you have to take them on a case-by-case basis. Use their ideas. Implement suggestions that work for you. Be selective and judgmental.
Why? Because you don't have the full story. You never will. Blogs are a selective connection, lacking so many smaller details about a person you never learn.
Some of the blogs are designed to specifically hold back information to make a clean projection of what they want you to think. I won't do that. But I also won't go out of my way to point out the flaws in my system unless it's relevant. You won't know about how I falter and don't always do what I preach on this blog. As much as I think about minimalism, I'm not perfect. Nobody is. Never trust a blog that says they are, especially if they have something to gain from you thinking so, like an ebook sale.
So if you look at the minimalist blogs and compare them to yourself and despair, what happens? You hold yourself back. You're holding yourself up to external standards that probably don't even exist.
Blogs are useful, but you have to take them on a case-by-case basis. Use their ideas. Implement suggestions that work for you. Be selective and judgmental.
New Name! MGL is now aberMinimal.
Minimalist GNU/Linux is now aberMinimal, which is the same name as the tumblr.
The URL will stay the way it is despite its inaccuracy because I like getting linked to.
Why the name change?
Number one. Easier for me to type. I'm bad at slashes in names and MGL is a terrible acronym.
Number two. Links the tumblr and the blogspot account. As much as I like tumblr, long text is better on blogspot. It also segregates the tumblr's smaller ideas and images from the blogspot's larger essays.
Number three. Better branding. I'm gathering some popularity and traffic and I'd like to make it clear what I'm doing here. I'm not about Linux anymore.
Number four. I want to have the "aberinkulas" name somewhat frontal for the blog's author. If Batman movies teach me anything, it's the importance of theatrics and money. But also presence, which is another good thing.
I also want to take the time to thank everyone who has started following this blog in the past month, in addition to everyone who was following me before and has read my stuff ever since I started by getting into a tussle with that guy who runs/ran MNMAL. As much as this blog is for me, I can't describe how it feels to have your ideas spread like wildfire; ideas that you think will make people's lives better.
Please feel free to comment all over any blog entry, and contact me at my author name with "mails" appended on the end at gmail dot com.
The URL will stay the way it is despite its inaccuracy because I like getting linked to.
Why the name change?
Number one. Easier for me to type. I'm bad at slashes in names and MGL is a terrible acronym.
Number two. Links the tumblr and the blogspot account. As much as I like tumblr, long text is better on blogspot. It also segregates the tumblr's smaller ideas and images from the blogspot's larger essays.
Number three. Better branding. I'm gathering some popularity and traffic and I'd like to make it clear what I'm doing here. I'm not about Linux anymore.
Number four. I want to have the "aberinkulas" name somewhat frontal for the blog's author. If Batman movies teach me anything, it's the importance of theatrics and money. But also presence, which is another good thing.
I also want to take the time to thank everyone who has started following this blog in the past month, in addition to everyone who was following me before and has read my stuff ever since I started by getting into a tussle with that guy who runs/ran MNMAL. As much as this blog is for me, I can't describe how it feels to have your ideas spread like wildfire; ideas that you think will make people's lives better.
Please feel free to comment all over any blog entry, and contact me at my author name with "mails" appended on the end at gmail dot com.
My Minimalism: Writing
Write.
That is a very forceful suggestion, and it may be one of the most important pieces of advice I ever give.
My most powerful epiphanies and personal revelations have come from writing this blog. Sure, it may be vague and conceptual, but it's hard to communicate just how much it helps to see the words on the screen, after they have been translated from these clouds in my head into actual words and see how they can be applied. Writing through an idea requires me to fully understand what I'm saying, to see it from multiple perspectives and get a grip on exactly where the idea will take me.
Even though I've never shared my real name or information on this blog (I never found it important) it's almost like I have this thing I have to live up to. I know I am capable of becoming this thing that I write. It's not even a separate character, it's more like a projection of me through the lens that I have spent so much time creating. These ideas came from me, so I know I want this and can do it. Reading these words, and feeling the pride from writing them down, it gives me the energy I need to embrace what I type.
You don't have to write like I do. You don't have to be good at it. I certainly wasn't when I started blogging, and I still make mistakes. (An entry on books shouldn't have spelling issues.) You don't have to make it public, although you can and if you do give me a link. You can type it, or write it on real paper, or engrave it into stone tablets. I keep a lot of personal writing to myself, which I sometimes make public. When it has served its purpose, I throw it away. I do it because it helps sort out the mind and the weird way it works.
The more you write about yourself, the better vocabulary you have to deal with your intricacies, and the better self-awareness you can build. The more you write, the easier it becomes to come up with new ideas, think of things from a different perspective, and to talk to yourself about the things that matter most. Write for you and the rest will come.
That is a very forceful suggestion, and it may be one of the most important pieces of advice I ever give.
My most powerful epiphanies and personal revelations have come from writing this blog. Sure, it may be vague and conceptual, but it's hard to communicate just how much it helps to see the words on the screen, after they have been translated from these clouds in my head into actual words and see how they can be applied. Writing through an idea requires me to fully understand what I'm saying, to see it from multiple perspectives and get a grip on exactly where the idea will take me.
Even though I've never shared my real name or information on this blog (I never found it important) it's almost like I have this thing I have to live up to. I know I am capable of becoming this thing that I write. It's not even a separate character, it's more like a projection of me through the lens that I have spent so much time creating. These ideas came from me, so I know I want this and can do it. Reading these words, and feeling the pride from writing them down, it gives me the energy I need to embrace what I type.
You don't have to write like I do. You don't have to be good at it. I certainly wasn't when I started blogging, and I still make mistakes. (An entry on books shouldn't have spelling issues.) You don't have to make it public, although you can and if you do give me a link. You can type it, or write it on real paper, or engrave it into stone tablets. I keep a lot of personal writing to myself, which I sometimes make public. When it has served its purpose, I throw it away. I do it because it helps sort out the mind and the weird way it works.
The more you write about yourself, the better vocabulary you have to deal with your intricacies, and the better self-awareness you can build. The more you write, the easier it becomes to come up with new ideas, think of things from a different perspective, and to talk to yourself about the things that matter most. Write for you and the rest will come.
Sustainable
When one thinks "sustainable," it's usually around the idea of green, eco-friendly actions and methods. While I fully support that path, that is not what I mean when I say "sustainable." I mean it in the most basic, unloaded version possible: something that can be sustained.
When we're looking at our lives, we can categorize actions in our lives as either sustainable or not sustainable. This seems obvious but the reasoning becomes clear: it forces us to look ahead and see the future not as an extrapolation from the present, but as something that will change over time. This action, or this thing, or these ideas: how long can they last me? Can I sustain this thing? What factors will manipulate my future in terms of this?
Actions: Is the action held back by gear, and will I be limited by that gear? Will I be limited by any other factors? Am I creating things that I can do stuff with, or that will be a burden? Will this be something I want to do for the rest of my life?
Things: Will it last me as long as I need it to? Can I fix it? Can I change it? Can I get rid of it, and can I do so easily? Does it cost lots of money, once or to maintain?
When I'm ranking my various levels of engagement for a specific thing or action, I'm usually judging it based on this framework. I like and respect the idea of being able to have something in my life for many years, and the prediction of that is a powerful tool to know what is truly worth your time.
Examples: certain pieces of technology will last longer than others. In addition, some activities with this technology is dependent on the tech entirely. For those two, enter console gaming. I would rank that as less sustainable than a lot of other actions, because it requires money to maintain, and cannot work without a piece of hardware (whose reliability across the industry has been going down as of late).
When we're looking at our lives, we can categorize actions in our lives as either sustainable or not sustainable. This seems obvious but the reasoning becomes clear: it forces us to look ahead and see the future not as an extrapolation from the present, but as something that will change over time. This action, or this thing, or these ideas: how long can they last me? Can I sustain this thing? What factors will manipulate my future in terms of this?
Actions: Is the action held back by gear, and will I be limited by that gear? Will I be limited by any other factors? Am I creating things that I can do stuff with, or that will be a burden? Will this be something I want to do for the rest of my life?
Things: Will it last me as long as I need it to? Can I fix it? Can I change it? Can I get rid of it, and can I do so easily? Does it cost lots of money, once or to maintain?
When I'm ranking my various levels of engagement for a specific thing or action, I'm usually judging it based on this framework. I like and respect the idea of being able to have something in my life for many years, and the prediction of that is a powerful tool to know what is truly worth your time.
Examples: certain pieces of technology will last longer than others. In addition, some activities with this technology is dependent on the tech entirely. For those two, enter console gaming. I would rank that as less sustainable than a lot of other actions, because it requires money to maintain, and cannot work without a piece of hardware (whose reliability across the industry has been going down as of late).
Wabi-sabi
Wabi-sabi is similar to minimalism in that it discusses both an aesthetic and world-view perspective. It's a Japanese word, according to Wikipedia and Richard Powell, that "nurtures all that is authentic by acknowledging three simple realities: nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect."
Basically, the term encompasses many different concepts but generally focuses on the beauty of impermanence, and the beauty of simplicity, economy, and asperity. The heightened sense of this concept is one where we find everyday objects and environments fascinating and beautiful. The world around us is always changing, and we can appreciate that in so many ways.
I wanted to tie this concept into the minimalism of the blog. It's a simple fact that nothing is static. We can fight all we want for the very best life we can possibly manage, but things will change and nothing will be perfect. Even in a day-to-day sense, some days our houses will be messy, even if we don't own that much. In that sense, the application of minimalism will change from moment to moment, preserving the space but still appreciating the underlining qualities.
Life will always change. Either we can fight change, or we can accept it and appreciate the beauty of the transition, and the beauty of what we manage to accomplish. Nothing will ever be perfect, because time continues to tick along its circular groove, but there is an expression within imperfection, sometimes subtle, that we could notice and focus on if we tried.
Basically, the term encompasses many different concepts but generally focuses on the beauty of impermanence, and the beauty of simplicity, economy, and asperity. The heightened sense of this concept is one where we find everyday objects and environments fascinating and beautiful. The world around us is always changing, and we can appreciate that in so many ways.
I wanted to tie this concept into the minimalism of the blog. It's a simple fact that nothing is static. We can fight all we want for the very best life we can possibly manage, but things will change and nothing will be perfect. Even in a day-to-day sense, some days our houses will be messy, even if we don't own that much. In that sense, the application of minimalism will change from moment to moment, preserving the space but still appreciating the underlining qualities.
Life will always change. Either we can fight change, or we can accept it and appreciate the beauty of the transition, and the beauty of what we manage to accomplish. Nothing will ever be perfect, because time continues to tick along its circular groove, but there is an expression within imperfection, sometimes subtle, that we could notice and focus on if we tried.
Advertising
When constructing my 10 Treatises on Minimalism (two blogs down) I found myself dealing with a lot of different ideas, and I returned to the concepts of advertising. What does it mean to minimalism? I'm going to post the rejected treatises and discuss them in detail.
1: Dissatisfaction is the antithesis of minimalism.
Minimalism is making your life better for you. Anything that fosters a feeling of inadequacy or unhappiness must be rejected. (Unless you happen to like those feelings, which seems like a clever paradox.)
2: Advertising is dissatisfaction. It is successful and profitable.
When advertising started out, it was merely informational. "Hey guys, I have this thing, you should know about it!" Channels of communication were limited and information wasn't as widespread as it was today, thus paying for people to even know about your business was a novelty.
Today, advertising is much more widespread. Some advertising is still informational, telling you about a new price or a new product. But the rest of it is attempting to manipulate you. It is trying to convince you that you are not happy without a specific thing or service. It tells you that your life is something to be dissatisfied with, but you can fix it easily and simply by buying something.
Modern business is ruthlessly efficient. If advertising didn't work - to an insanely successful degree - they wouldn't do it. It costs a hell of a lot of money.
Advertising inserts emotions into your mind that it knows to be far more irrational than any of the rest. In a world without constant consumerism, we wouldn't want and want and want. But in the world we live in, that seems normal, even something to be proud of. Instead, perhaps we would be considering a life of contentment with the here-and-now, as opposed to after-an-easy-payment.
3: One particular brand of stuff is not more minimalist than any other.
With the exception of aesthetic minimalism.
Things can be simpler or better quality, which means they fit your life better. However, minimalism has no objective way to say that one brand of stuff is more minimalist than another. That means almost nothing in the greater scheme of things.
4: Any suggestion otherwise to the above is advertising.
Beware of advertising that discusses minimalism as well, because it is dangerously effective and is becoming more common.
But also, minimalism blogs are prone to hyping up certain brands. Am I guilty of this? Perhaps. I talked about what I had and what I used mostly for context, though I did focus on a few certain gadgets that I probably didn't need to (the Sansa Clip and Amazon Kindle lines).
The whole chic aspect of certain brands has melted into the minimalism blogs and I'm starting to see a backlash against minimalism for it, as opposed to what this really is: advertising. Minimalism isn't about Moleskine and Apple and those cool fancy lampposts that cost several thousand dollars. Some blogs are about that, but that's not what minimalism is about. If anything, it's the antithesis of minimalism because, again, it's fostering an environment of dissatisfaction with what you already have.
Swapping out one thing for another for a potentially better minimalist experience is a quick road to nowhere.
5: Avoid holding yourself up to external standards.
Minimalism blogs can be very interesting to read, and very powerful motivators, but they can also be dangerous because they can lead you to hold yourself up to these typically half-communicated standards that are unhealthy both to you and to the understanding of what minimalism is all about.
If you see a minimalism blog offering a lifestyle that sounds appealing, be critical. Analyze it for advertising. Analyze it for advertising-like concepts. Is it trying to make you dissatisfied? Is it trying to get you to buy cool new things? Is it stroking the author's ego in praise of all the cool brands they subscribe to?
But beyond not trusting it, is it useful to you? Everyone's life is different. Everyone's minimalism is different. Building up concepts in your head about how other people are doing their minimalism will just confuse and terrify you.
Use what you can and implement what you enjoy.
1: Dissatisfaction is the antithesis of minimalism.
Minimalism is making your life better for you. Anything that fosters a feeling of inadequacy or unhappiness must be rejected. (Unless you happen to like those feelings, which seems like a clever paradox.)
2: Advertising is dissatisfaction. It is successful and profitable.
When advertising started out, it was merely informational. "Hey guys, I have this thing, you should know about it!" Channels of communication were limited and information wasn't as widespread as it was today, thus paying for people to even know about your business was a novelty.
Today, advertising is much more widespread. Some advertising is still informational, telling you about a new price or a new product. But the rest of it is attempting to manipulate you. It is trying to convince you that you are not happy without a specific thing or service. It tells you that your life is something to be dissatisfied with, but you can fix it easily and simply by buying something.
Modern business is ruthlessly efficient. If advertising didn't work - to an insanely successful degree - they wouldn't do it. It costs a hell of a lot of money.
Advertising inserts emotions into your mind that it knows to be far more irrational than any of the rest. In a world without constant consumerism, we wouldn't want and want and want. But in the world we live in, that seems normal, even something to be proud of. Instead, perhaps we would be considering a life of contentment with the here-and-now, as opposed to after-an-easy-payment.
3: One particular brand of stuff is not more minimalist than any other.
With the exception of aesthetic minimalism.
Things can be simpler or better quality, which means they fit your life better. However, minimalism has no objective way to say that one brand of stuff is more minimalist than another. That means almost nothing in the greater scheme of things.
4: Any suggestion otherwise to the above is advertising.
Beware of advertising that discusses minimalism as well, because it is dangerously effective and is becoming more common.
But also, minimalism blogs are prone to hyping up certain brands. Am I guilty of this? Perhaps. I talked about what I had and what I used mostly for context, though I did focus on a few certain gadgets that I probably didn't need to (the Sansa Clip and Amazon Kindle lines).
The whole chic aspect of certain brands has melted into the minimalism blogs and I'm starting to see a backlash against minimalism for it, as opposed to what this really is: advertising. Minimalism isn't about Moleskine and Apple and those cool fancy lampposts that cost several thousand dollars. Some blogs are about that, but that's not what minimalism is about. If anything, it's the antithesis of minimalism because, again, it's fostering an environment of dissatisfaction with what you already have.
Swapping out one thing for another for a potentially better minimalist experience is a quick road to nowhere.
5: Avoid holding yourself up to external standards.
Minimalism blogs can be very interesting to read, and very powerful motivators, but they can also be dangerous because they can lead you to hold yourself up to these typically half-communicated standards that are unhealthy both to you and to the understanding of what minimalism is all about.
If you see a minimalism blog offering a lifestyle that sounds appealing, be critical. Analyze it for advertising. Analyze it for advertising-like concepts. Is it trying to make you dissatisfied? Is it trying to get you to buy cool new things? Is it stroking the author's ego in praise of all the cool brands they subscribe to?
But beyond not trusting it, is it useful to you? Everyone's life is different. Everyone's minimalism is different. Building up concepts in your head about how other people are doing their minimalism will just confuse and terrify you.
Use what you can and implement what you enjoy.
My Minimalism: Walking
I love to bike. Unfortunately my bike is currently lying in the living room with pieces scattered around it, some of them broken. While I would love to spend a week researching used bikes and making a purchase better than this terrible and cheap supermarket bike that broke on me so easily, life doesn't stop sometimes. My initial reaction was to grit my teeth while using my car to drive to all of the several-mile destinations that my latest humble abode is located directly in the middle of.
And then I remembered how much I love to walk recreationally.
I love to walk. Doesn't matter where, really. Just looking and seeing, and maybe listening to music while I do it. I don't have a goal in mind, I'm just existing and letting the world's waves wash against me.
My favorite time to walk is just before the sun sets, when the shadows begin to grow and stretch across the landscape, and the lights turn on in all of the houses. The bats come out and spin around whatever moves, orbiting me like little moons circling a planet, eating the bugs. That's when you don't see too many people, just your environment in a different setting.
I do like the bike's speed, and it allows me to get to a destination without any extra money and barely any effort. I will be certain to replace the one I used to have, but in the meantime I suppose I can just head out a good fifteen minutes early and take it a little slower. It may be a little more quiet, and I may have to plan and make some notes about my walking speed, but I think I can manage for a bit without too much effort.
And then I remembered how much I love to walk recreationally.
I love to walk. Doesn't matter where, really. Just looking and seeing, and maybe listening to music while I do it. I don't have a goal in mind, I'm just existing and letting the world's waves wash against me.
My favorite time to walk is just before the sun sets, when the shadows begin to grow and stretch across the landscape, and the lights turn on in all of the houses. The bats come out and spin around whatever moves, orbiting me like little moons circling a planet, eating the bugs. That's when you don't see too many people, just your environment in a different setting.
I do like the bike's speed, and it allows me to get to a destination without any extra money and barely any effort. I will be certain to replace the one I used to have, but in the meantime I suppose I can just head out a good fifteen minutes early and take it a little slower. It may be a little more quiet, and I may have to plan and make some notes about my walking speed, but I think I can manage for a bit without too much effort.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)