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A Guide to Minimalism in the Real World
You don’t have to live out of a backpack or move into a tiny house to experience the joys of a minimalist mindset
Minimalism seems to have become a race to own the least. Have you gotten rid of 40 bags of stuff in 40 days, or 5,000 things in a year, or whittled down your life’s belongings until everything could fit into a miniature house? In an essay on Boing Boing, the author and entrepreneur James Altucher proudly listed the items he owns: “I have one bag of clothes, one backpack with a computer, iPad, and phone. I have zero other possessions. Today I have no address. At this exact moment I am sitting in a restaurant and there’s no place for me to go to lie down.”
I’m a big fan of Altucher’s work, and think it’s fantastic that he’s found what works for him. But such extreme strategies aren’t practical for most people. If you have young kids, for instance, living out of a single backpack isn’t a method for simplifying your life — it’s a way to make it infinitely more difficult.
It’s true that decluttering can make you happier and healthier. But I believe our obsession with “restrictions” is a distraction from the real benefit of minimalism. It’s about much more than what you own. It’s about making space for what you want in life.
