I am a confirmed minimalist, I like things simple, I like things to have their places. I like to have less than more. I do this because, for me at least, the less I have, the better my mind works.
I read a blog by Brian Gardner, Godfather of WordPress framework Genesis. It looks like he runs a pretty minimal ship as well, or tries to.
I am also a firm believer in decision fatigue. If you aren’t sure what that is, is basically says that your brain is only able to make so many choices a day, so why use your bucket of choices on things like breakfast, clothing options, etc?
I go to great lengths to keep my head clear for important things, like writing what I hope are useful posts for you, one of those things is my choice of clothing. I keep it really simple so I don’t have to put any thought into what I wear each day;
I have 20 white Oxford button down shirts.
I have 20 blue Oxford button-down shirts.
I have 5 black polo shirts.
I have 5 blue polo shirts.
I have 5 pairs of blue jeans.
I have 5 pairs of shorts.
That is my main wardrobe predicated on the time of year and weather condition. I have restricted my wardrobe to avoid suffering from what is called decision fatigue, look it up. It’s a thing.
I eat either oatmeal or cheerios or yogurt for breakfast, it all depends on which one I see first. No decision necessary.
I can see each corner of the room I am in. Nothing bugs me more than shit piled up in a corner. I need to be able to see the 90-degree angle of a corner or I get crazy.
Another thing I limit in my life is horizontal spaces.
Tables, chairs, desks, credenzas, folding tables, book cases, anything that has a horizontal surface area I limit because they do one thing…attract clutter.
The room I am in right now, there is one item with a horizontal space, my desk. Nothing else in the area has the ability to store anything. That’s a key way to avoiding clutter.
So…if you are clutter freak or minimalist or cleaning junkie, try removing as many flat, horizontal surfaces as you can and see if that helps your mental approach to minimal living.
Think about it, you can’t keep what you can’t find a place for!
I keep one folder on my desktop, it contains all the other files and folders that would otherwise show up on my desktop. When I need a file or folder, I use Apple’s spotlight feature to search for it. No clutter.
My desk is pretty clean, but it gets cluttered up with shit throughout the day, which makes me crazy, but by the end of the day, it is buttoned up.
Now, I know people who work best inside of a cluttered mess. The shit you can pile on, the better. In fact, that used to be me. In my 20’s, I functioned totally different than I do today. I think, for me at least, living a minimalist lifestyle works better.
What works for you? Do you think paring down your “things” might be beneficial to you? What things could you do without, what would you absolutely not get rid of no matter what?