Journey to Minimalism

The space between two structural parts

noreply@blogger.com (Rob Sanchez) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 10:47:00 +0000

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An ad that a minimalist would love

noreply@blogger.com (Rob Sanchez) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 16:00:00 +0000

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Secrets of Simplicity

noreply@blogger.com (Rob Sanchez) — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 16:00:00 +0000

Secrets of Simplicity: rules for being simple and usable (Giles Colborne)

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Reflection on Images: Pandora on Earth

noreply@blogger.com (Rob Sanchez) — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 16:00:00 +0000

Reflection on images makes one think of new things or just relaxes them. Just imagine if one was there, then it would have been a mind-blowing experience. Until we get enough money to travel wherever we want, most will have to settle with images and take as much of what we can get from them.

Reflect.

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, China

*If you own or know who owns the image, kindly comment below.

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Happy Birthday K

noreply@blogger.com (Rob Sanchez) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 11:29:00 +0000

Franz Kafka

July 3, 1883 - June 3, 1924

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Attachment to useless things

noreply@blogger.com (Rob Sanchez) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 16:00:00 +0000

"...the idea is to replace (or at least supplant) your addiction to clutter with an addiction to space to live in, or to organization."

Menn

This was just part of the conversation I had with Menn regarding my post a few days ago.

Why is it that clutter seems to be the norm for most homes? I've seen homes that were spartan (not always because of their choosing but rather because they didn't have enough money to spend on trivialities) and some that were so full of kitch items that it made me wonder how people get around without walking into them.

Is it a social status to have the biggest stuff they could buy and put it in the room to see? This is not limited to any financial status as even those that I know who live near the poverty line has some sort of useless stuff somewhere in the living areas.

Is it because these things have sentimental value to them? My in-laws have gigantic wooden cabinets that are hardly opened nor used but they keep it as memento of past ages. I imagine what lies inside would be more items of sentimentality that they will never throw away.

I believe it's the combination of two as the former deals with how they feel about themselves in the present and the latter deals with how those stuff made them feel in the past. A combination of the two at their maximum setting will make some useless stuff even more harder to let go.

A choice must be made. Therein lies how determined one is in reducing life's clutter. Besides the material things, we also need to let go of emotional baggage that have been tying us to these things for a long time.

"Grasping at things can only yield one of two results:
Either the thing you are grasping at disappears, or you yourself disappear.
It is only a matter of which occurs first."

Goenka

Goeka source quote
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GTD and Minimalism

noreply@blogger.com (Rob Sanchez) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 16:00:00 +0000

If you're new to Getting Things Done, I suggest you go here before reading this post.

One of GTD's important processes is deciding whether something is actionable or not. If it is actionable then deal with it, if it is not then do something else with it. This is where GTD and minimalism cross paths as both will require you to think whether something has use for you or not. If it is useful, keep it (tickler file/calendar/reference). If it is not, then throw (trash it) or give it away to someone else (delegate it).

Another great thing about GTD is that you can adapt it or modify it according to your needs. A prominent minimalist blogger, Leo Babauta, devised his own version: "Zen to Done". He has stayed true to the process and added one more idea to the pot: MITs. I see his point both as a minimalist and someone who wants to prioritize important things over trivialities. There are also various talks about what way to do this properly: electronic, pen-and-paper, or hybrid. It totally depends on what tools you're comfortable with.

Personally, I went the middle way and gone hybrid. What about you? Do you think GTD is minimalist-friendly or not?

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Image by orangeacid

Choose your priorities

noreply@blogger.com (Rob Sanchez) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:04:00 +0000

It seems easy: list down things you absolutely need to have/do to survive daily and think whether the other stuff is important enough to keep or continue doing. But if it is easy, then how come few people are doing it? Are we too focused on the next shiny stuff that we "absolutely have to have/do" ?

Is this a result of having too much stuff around us that basic needs aren't prioritized anymore? An extreme example of this would be the case of the baby who died when it was left behind by the parents who were too busy playing MMOs. Although I play MMOs to pass the time, I believe that my child is much more important than the pixels I see on the screen.

So there: prioritize stuff you need over stuff you want.

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Define your needs and wants

noreply@blogger.com (Rob Sanchez) — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 13:32:00 +0000

On the day we were born, all we needed was air and warmth. It was easy to know what we needed rather than what we wanted. As we grew older, external forces influence us and seemingly blur the difference between want and need.

"I need to get that newest phone model."

"I need that dress in my life."

Our language shows how much we have confused one with the other. Therefore it gets harder to let go of material things and relationships because of the fear of losing what we thought we need. However, once we separate the two, everything seems clearer. Here's how I define both:

Need: things that are necessary for me to live. Ex: air, food, water, clothing, shelter.
Want: things that aren't necessary for me to live, but will somehow make me feel good. Ex: The latest mobile phone, clothing from famous labels.

I'm not saying that wants don't have a purpose in this world, but priorities should be on the needs before anything else. Once you have your basic needs, then choose if you still want to buy your wants or not.

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