I don’t think you’ve fully stepped into minimalism as a lifestyle if you have not, even once, thought about the prospects of being with less. And that too in a very practical way. It’s not just about saying you could thrive with less, but walking through, step by step, how possible and practicable your life would be.
I’ve put into consideration several things. First, school. My course, more than anything, requires books. Lots and lots of books. Of course, the simpler books could be gotten in e-copy, but there are the ones that you simply cannot fathom having a pdf of. You may try to keep it less, but you can only succeed for so long.
In the aspect of my work life, I really do not need much apart from my laptop and jotter to work things out. I do not have a physical job currently, so the files and what have you, that would come with a 9-5 are thankfully absent.
I think my biggest issue would be with my own personal belongings. Starting last year, I tried not to hoard things, especially since I had sentimental value attached to most of them, and just freed myself emotionally from a lot of stuff. But there are things like clothes that owning too less of may just not be feasible.
I’m not an outdoorsy person, so most of what I wear are indoor clothes, which I could easily own less off. But then I think of law events, court sessions, corporate meet-ups and compulsory dinners, and I’ve come to realize that unless I choose a totally different profession and career path, there’s really no hope for me keeping as few clothes as I’d have liked. I could keep them simple but not exactly less.
Then, matters of my skin. There’s nothing as pleasing as finding what works for you. At least, I know that I won’t subject myself to too much, what with trying out one product after the other. A few years ago, I would have had a hell of a time fitting skin care products into anything minimalist. I wasn’t a minimalist then, so I guess that wouldn’t have been a problem. But now, there’s just a handful I use that would be handy enough for not practicable in the long run.
I think my daily existence may change. But just how much is what I wouldn’t know. As much as I try to align all I have to my minimalist values, it just feels like there would be significant change. I remember that I was travelling home to stay for about a month, and by the time I packed all I needed, emphasis on needed because I knew I had to travel light, and I found myself with two big boxes, and my plans I had to hike switched up to ordering Bolt service.
I now know that I have to re-evaluate myself. Am I packing too much, and I do not know? Or my physical possessions are too many to align to anything minimalist in nature. I guess the question posed by this week’s #KISS would make me reflect a big more. What would you suggest in this situation?
Images are mine.
