making your home work
After I wrote my last post, things I don’t have that many do, someone asked, “What do you have that most people don’t?” It was a good question. I cut out a lot of what I found to be unnecessary (for me) to make room for what I find to be more important. So what do I have instead? Honestly, what I have isn’t that …
I’m not sharing this list to brag or imply that I’m superior in any way to people who have these things. However, I think such a list might serve as inspiration, to show that it’s possible to give up things we consider normal or necessary. Things I don’t have that many do: toaster microwave paper towels car car loan …
One of the biggest reasons people buy so much, and are so discontent with their lives, is advertising. Advertising creates false needs — all of a sudden we need an iPhone or a new car or a diamond ring, just because an advertiser put the need in our heads. What is advertising? It’s a company (or political candidate, …
A website with the main purpose of having people read content would best serve its readers with almost nothing else but what’s needed for the reading experience. Strip a site of all its distraction, cruft, gimmicks, promotions, advertising, social sharing and more … and all you have is the pure reading experience. A …
We all spend much of our lives in fantasies. I’m included in that observation: I fantasize about living a simple, minimalist life, I fantasize about traveling to foreign wonders, I fantasize about having a nice body, about being a great writer, about being the perfect father, and on and on. This is how we spend so …
By Leo One of the basics of minimalism is that you eliminate as many non-necessities as you can, to make room for what’s important. If you don’t need a ton of clothing, you get rid of much of it. If you don’t need that new gadget, you don’t buy it. Within reason, of course. You learn to be content with what you …
These days, nearly everything we want to know is a few keystrokes away, almost instantly gratifying our desire to know something. What’s the weather like outside? Do a quick check of your weather app. Who the heck is Gabriel Garcia Marquez? Ask Wikipedia. Who is the lead boy actor in Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom? …
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 the same clothes every day might seem weird to your friends and co-workers. Having no car might make you seem like an oddball. Not having a …