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Minimalist living: 4 simple steps

For many years, I dreamed about living a nomadic lifestyle. I wanted to live with less, live with the bare essentials, so that I could uproot from place to place easily. I started removing things from my life, discarding all the old textbooks that I couldn’t bear to give away thinking that one day, I’ll need to refer to them. Well, I can’t say the day never came, but I realized after I gave them away that Google had all the answers my textbooks could offer.

Recently, I came to know of the term “minimalism”. Minimalism as a way of living is the idea of living with as little things as possible, but most importantly, keeping only things that adds value to our lives. How many times have I used that cool letter pad that I bought from 5 years ago? And how many times have I used that extra pen hiding in the drawer? We all know the answer. A few months ago, we decided to renovate the house. Because of that, I started thinking again about the life I really wanted and how I would like my new room to be. Of course, the idea of living with the bare essentials still entices me so much that I knew that is the lifestyle I want, and it is also something I could absolutely achieve.

Googling “how to live with little belongings”, The Minimalist came up. I was so surprised to know that I was not the only one that wants this lifestyle, and I was also very comforted to realized that my idea was not strange, that people out there have been living this way for some time. While I’m still in the process of paring down all my things to the minimum, here are the steps I’ve began taking after some research.

Step 1: Make a list of what I really need

I made a list of items I need for living in a fix place, since I still live with my family now. But because my ultimate goal is nomadic living, I indicated in the last column the bare essentials that I could take with me and settle anywhere. I used the 20/20 rule as the general guideline for stripping down. If I can replace the item for less than $20 using less than 20 minutes, I’ll say goodbye to it (it’s so painful to exclude all my precious Copic markers and charcoal sticks!).

Step 2: Donate or sell

I drop most of the items that are still in great condition in the Salvation Army box 15 minutes bus ride away from my place. Another option is to give them away at the Singapore Really Really Free Market. For the other items that are more valuable, I sell them on Carousell or give them away to friends on Facebook.

Step 3: Digitize

For all the other papers that I need, I scan them into a portable hard disk and then shred or recycle the hard copies.

Step 4: Conscious living

This is not difficult for me as I spend very little on clothes and pointless items. But because I like to surf crowdfunding sites and do a lot of online shopping, I tend to need to remind myself that I don’t really need some of the things I’m often tempted to get (like the amazing desktop vacuum forming machine Formbox, or the laser cutting machine Mr Beam II). Another method I use, is to always leave without buying and if one week later I’m still thinking about it, I probably need it. But this method may not work for everyone. Whatever method you choose to use, the important thing is that your determination and commitment to it!

Finally, many mistakenly think that minimalism equals having a house with very few objects. While this is almost always true, it is not the objective, but a result of working towards the objectives of your minimalism. As mentioned at the start, minimalism is the attitude of living with the base essentials, which means to say, if you enjoy baking, you can go ahead and keep your favorite hand mixer. Everyone’s definition of essential may differ, but the idea of essential doesn’t change. If you’re wearing that same 2 or 3 pair of shoes to work everyday, you probably don’t need the 5 other pairs you bought to match other clothes. I never understood why people would buy something additional just to match the other item they had. Isn’t it as simple as buy stuff that either matches what you already have or matches everything?

#minimalist #minimal #minimal living #minimalism #lifestyle #habits #declutter #decluttering #throwaway #goodbye #give #bless #dontkeep

Couchsurfing.

The CS community all over the world has given me so much more than I had thought I would ever receive. Before I started traveling, all I did was admire photos my friends shared on social media and read about their amazing encounters. When I first started traveling, I realized how big this world is. It drew me in and I wanted a second, third, and fourth trip. Later, I heard about this interesting platform where people get free accommodation by sending requests to other members on the site; Couchsurfing.com. I joined the community and found that it connected people with 1 simple common interest: traveling. But what was deeper is the sharing of cultures. For the traveler, each encounter is a once in a lifetime first-hand experience of how locals live. For the host, it’s an opportunity to learn about the country that the surfer came from and practice a language that might not be often used in their countries. The Couchsurfing community has taught me so much more than just how to travel smart, but about life, about what really matters. I met so many travelers and people of different cultures. Some only had a few hours to spare, some a few days. Regardless of the length of stay, there’s always so much to learn. But the biggest reward I had from hosting and surfing, is recognizing who I am and how important it is to be humble, something I really lack!