Author: minimalismrules

In Praise of Quiet Moments

We tend to measure life by our memories. The most joyful or devastating, exciting or stressful, interesting or hard fought for milestones, from one to the next, they stand out the most in our minds. These are the things we go out of our way to do, to plan for, to work for, to pay for. Advertising…
On Vanity — How Valuable Things Can Actually Be Worthless

Why do we buy stuff? Not everything we buy is useful, so there must be other reasons why we work so hard to buy things. Maybe it’s because we find a sense of happiness or satisfaction when we buy something new, but we all know that that feeling soon fades (even though we almost never…
How our values change the course of our lives

Ask people what is most important to them—what they think is the foundation for the best kind of life—and most would reply, “love, happiness, and good health.” They’re not wrong. There’s lots you can live without, but if you don’t feel anyone cares about you, or fulfilled in any way, or if your body is…
The Most Important Things To Minimize

Having lived a minimalist lifestyle for nearly ten years (by my definition anyway), I don’t have a lot of things left to get rid of that I don’t use or need. But there is one big thing that I can do with much less of this year—distractions. I have noticed lately that I have been…
Embrace Change

Leaving home is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do in my short lifetime. Even though I didn’t want to admit it, I knew that I was too young and naive to be able to handle everything on my own. I put on a brave face, organising everything that needed to be…
Learning To Say No

…is an essential part of living minimally. Most of the things we’re asked to or recommended to do/see/try/buy etc. are rooted in other people’s desires, needs, and expectations, not from our own. You only have a certain amount of time in life. It’s a zero sum game—the more you fill it with one thing, the less you…
How Living In A Scarcity Mindset Changes Everything

As a child growing up in an immigrant family, I’ve always been taught to treasure every hard earned penny. Whenever I did make a big purchase, whether it was for something fun like going out with friends, or even for something I genuinely needed, instead of enjoying it I would feel guilty about it for…
On Abundance

It seems like a contradiction, but having an abundant mindset is essential for living a minimalist lifestyle. The reason why most people buy and keep too much stuff is because they’re scared. They’re afraid that if they don’t buy something they’re missing out, and if they throw something away there won’t be a chance to…
Minimalism and the KonMari Method by Marie Kondo

I’ve been a long time fan of Marie Kondo and her work, so it’s been great to see her gain so much popularity lately. Over the past few months, I’ve witnessed dozens of people doing big clear outs, giving stuff away for other people to use, or donating bags to charity. It’s great to see the mindset shift towards…
Do you have to say goodbye to everything?

I never travelled much as a kid. I moved house only once before I came to university. For various reasons, the only time I had been on holiday was when I was five. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to travel. In fact, it makes me want to travel even more. I chose to do…