Category: Blog
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5 minimalist principles to help you study
Right now, I’m in the midst of exams, so you could say they’re on my mind. I thought I’d share some ways minimalism helps me make studying easier. Get rid of the unnecessary. Use the 80/20 rule as a guideline: probably only about 80% in the syllabus will actually come up in the exam. That…
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The Beauty of Emptiness
In Emptiness, there are no complications, just simplicity. In Emptiness, there is no confusion, just clarity. In Emptiness, there are no costs, just freedom. In Emptiness, there is no selfishness, just selflessness. In Emptiness, there is no waste, just efficiency. In Emptiness, there is no pollution, just purity. In Emptiness, there are no distractions, just mindfulness.…
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Minimalism…isn’t so simple!
“The art of simplicity is a puzzle of complexity.” – Douglas Horton You would think that there would be little to say on the subject of minimalism, but ironically this isn’t the case. Minimalism isn’t simply about throwing out everything you own, or about boycotting purchasing new things altogether. Getting to the stage where you…
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Five Focus 2011
So it’s that time of year again when we make the obligatory promises to ourselves and if we’re lucky, they’ll see the other side of February. I was wondering how I could solve this problem, and I think I came up with a solution. a new way of making resolutions Most people would tell you that the…
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5 Ways to Reclaim Ten Minutes a Day
As a student, there is no such thing as ‘free time’. The time you think is ‘free’ – you could actually be using to do something else that is productive, such as finding a book on the course reading list, writing up notes or reviewing the last lecture. Every minute we are encouraged to cram…
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When you let go of… words
Since starting Minimal Student almost three years ago now, I have never taken more than a few weeks off at a time, but after coming back to England and settling in my own place, and no longer travelling as much as I used to, I felt that my writing had run out of steam. In…
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The Recipe for Student Success – Ingredient Four : A Curious Mind
“Cogito Ergo Sum” – “I think, therefore I am”. – Rene Descartes When it came to naming this ingredient, I considered calling it a ‘Great Mind’. But I thought that would imply that one needed to achieve or find ‘great’ things that rocked the world in order to be successful, when the truth is, success…
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Lessons learned from snow & blossoms
Oh, snow. It’s pretty at first, but then it turns grey and slushy, getting into your shoes and freezing your toes. Then there’s the winter wind that makes your nose turn red and your eyes start to water. In Japan, the cherry blossoms came to mark the beginning of spring. The air is warm with…
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on minimalist motivations
A question that I often ask myself is why on earth am I leading a minimalist lifestyle? Why don’t I just settle down in a nice town, get my own apartment, a steady job and live like a normal person? The answer is simple, I don’t want to be normal. I want to travel. I want…
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Why You Love The Things You Love
Last month, it snowed. A lot. This photo was the view outside my dorm. It had been piling up for a few days, and got pretty deep. One morning, I was rushing to university when I very nearly fell flat on my face. Thankfully I saved my dignity by doing an ungracious twirl with about…