Freedom

Living as a Modern Minimalist

Category: Advice

Hanging Onto Your Stuff

April 7, 2021 / / Comments Off on Hanging Onto Your Stuff

For a long time I clung unto my possessions, and they truly possessed me, rather than the other way around. I’m going to tell you the story of how I learned to let go more and more (I’m not perfect!) and become more at peace with letting go of things. Let’s start with some general advice.

Good and great

I should start out by saying that the goal isn’t to get rid of ALL your stuff. You obviously need some things, some physical possessions, whether because they’re practical and you need them (like a toilet), or because you have an attachment to them (a copy of an old book that reminds you of a certain period in your life). So what then, is the determining factor in whether you should keep / let go of your stuff? I think the answer is this: do you love it? Do you use it? If yes to either, then keep it. If not, get rid of it for sure. This is the easiest filter, and you’ll be surprised at how much stuff you have that you don’t love, and don’t use. We can raise the bar later, but for not, just start with this.

Giving stuff away

Consider giving away your stuff. Sometimes people are hesitant to do this, because they’re worried they might need it later, but the truth is that you probably won’t. Give it to the Salvation Army (if you’re religious / charitable), to a thrift store, or just give it to a random person. The only things I’d get rid of this way are things that I’m pretty sure someone will get some value out of, and that I won’t regret giving away. It’s hard at first. More on that later.

Sell it

Apps like carousell are really taking off, because you can easily sell your stuff for a small amount of money, and fast. It’s pretty quick and easy but make sure you’re not throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Don’t sell something really expensive there! For larger items, like a beat up old (second) car that you don’t really need, would be better sold on eBay, because it’s a larger ticket item.

Trash

Some things, nobody wants. Not even you. I know it can be hard, but if it’s not worth any money, and it’s not even worth donating, then you really have to ask yourself, is it really worth hanging onto? Why should you keep it, if you wouldn’t donate it to someone else? If the answer is that your old teddy gives you a feeling of emotional attachment, then by all means, keep him! Keep him close, don’t even think about throwing him out! But for some old shoes that have holes: it’s time to go.

How this all started

The beginning of my journey to minimalism actually started in a quite non-traditional place. Often you hear stories of a couple being overweight, struggling to pay rent, buying all kinds of luxury items like huge TVs, and struggling under a mountain of debt. They then rise up and turn their lives around. Not me! I was just a marketer and designer, aspiring to become a bit more capable with the underlying websites. Despite making lots of money, I was having a really hard day, stressed about a number of unrelated things like my old car taking up space in the yard and my housemates wanting to park there instead. I was looking forward to my learning task for the afternoon. At the time, I was focusing on becoming more technically capable, and was trying to decide what hot new tech that I should invest time in learning. This was a year ago, but for example, today, you might be asking yourself "Which is better for marketers to learn wordpress or drupal". In any case, at the time, I decided that I can learn one thing, or another, or even all of them, if I wanted to, and that it would be fine. I’d survive. In fact, I’d thrive. For some reason, at that moment, I just let go of the decision, and felt relaxed about it. Whichever way it went, whatever tech I learned, I was going to enjoy it and be happy with it. And then the realization hit me: I can do the same thing with the car. Just let it go. It’s okay if i keep it, or if I sell it, or if I park it there or if I park it on the street, and even if it gets stolen, I’m still at peace with it. This is my personal story of how I began to let go of things, and make the process of making decisions easier on myself. So really, it’s about being okay with any outcome in a given situation. That’s what it means to let go, whether it’s a physical item you have that is weighing you down, or whether it’s a mental decision that you’re weighing up.

Letting go

If you’re like me, at first it can be hard to let go of things, and it will feel like you’re losing something, or even that you’re weak or a bad person. I’ve been there. But the truth is, you’re not. You’re just letting go of things that are weighing you down. You’re not letting go of yourself. It’s not the same thing at all. In fact, it’s the opposite. So don’t be afraid to let go. It’ll make your life easier, and it’s a wonderful feeling when you realize you’re not weighed down by a bunch of crap that you don’t need. I’ve become so much more at peace with letting go of things, and although I’m not perfect, I’m getting better at it. What I’ve learned is that you’ll start to notice more and more that you’ll be at peace with your decisions in general. It’s a great feeling, and I would love to hear from you if you have experienced a similar realization!

Don’t work for money, work for time

February 27, 2021 / / Comments Off on Don’t work for money, work for time


Introduction

When we’re at college, and later in our careers, often we are unconsciously trying to choose the job that will get us the most money. For some people, this isn’t unconscious, it’s a very deliberate and conscious decision! In this post, I share the view that there are in fact other things that matter about a job, besides money. I hope I can convince you that at least some of them are important, and worth optimizing for.

Time is money

Or, so the old saying goes. In fact, time and money are completely non-fungible (to use a term from economics). It’s true that if you have a lot of money, you may be able to decide to use it up and buy yourself more time (for example, by purchasing a car instead of walking everywhere), but at some point, having more money does not get you more time. Consider an insanely rich person with 24 hours a day, 7 days a week free, with many millions of dollars to their name. Now consider a person who works three days per week, earning a high enough hourly rate to pay for their bills, with a small safety net. The rich person probably has 10,000 times more money, but only twice as much time available to them. So, as you can see, past a certain point, money cannot be traded for more time. Or at least, there are strongly diminishing returns.

Trading time for money

Being pragmatic (as all minimalists should be!) it’s true that you need money. Most people don’t need as much as they think they do, but you still need some. So, if you’re going to get money, how are you going to go about it? Well, there are basically three ways:

Find a job that pays a lot of money Get rich, and hopefully you’ll have money to spend on things you want Get rich, and then start a business selling something you enjoy, and hope that it will make enough money for you to live on

The first way is the traditional way. You go out, find a job that pays a lot, and stick with it until you retire. You then use your retirement fund to keep you going. Hopefully you get sick pay, and then a pension, and then your spouse gets a pension too, and then the money goes to your kids. If you’re lucky, you get to live a pretty good life, but it’s unlikely that you’re going to get rich, or that you’ll be able to do other things that you enjoy "most" of the time.

The second way is the way that lucky / already rich people get rich. Usually they inherit their money, or marry into it, or take a lot of risk and luck along the way. The less risk and luck involved, the more likely you are to end up with a life like the first way.

The third way is the way that most of the rest of us get rich. We get a job, then a better job, then a better job, and eventually we’re making enough to support ourselves and our family. If we’re lucky, we can take some time off to do something else. We may even be able to do something that we enjoy, but it’s unlikely that we will get rich doing it.

The fourth way is a hybrid between the second and third ways, and it’s the one that I would like to focus on. In this case, you find a job that pays a lot of money, but you then use that money to start a business that you enjoy. In this way, you get the best of both worlds! You get to do something you enjoy, and you get to make money from it.

The tradeoff

The problem with this fourth way is that it’s very difficult to do. If you have a job, your employer probably won’t be too pleased if you start taking time off to do something else. I’m not just talking about a little bit of time here and there, I’m talking about taking a lot of time off. If you’re an employee, you’re not allowed to be your own boss. You have a boss, and your boss wants you to work for them. So, to do this, you have to leave your job. Then you need to make enough money that you can survive. And then you need to find something you enjoy doing. And then you need to find customers. And then you need to promote your business. And then you need to deliver a good product or service. And then you need to market yourself. And then you need to get people to pay you. And then…

It’s a long chain of events, and I don’t think I need to describe them all. You’re not going to be able to do it overnight, so it’ll take some time. And that’s the tradeoff. If you want something that pays a lot of money, you can have it, but you’ll have to trade time for it. And that’s a very difficult tradeoff to make, because we all value time over money. And why wouldn’t we?

How to get started

One of the most common pieces of advice for minimalists is about "get an IT job that you can do anywhere!". Which is fine advice, but not all of us are IT wizards. In fact, most of us aren’t. I’m not, even though I have fumbled my way through WordPress and am standing here before you writing. So, I suggest, throw away that example: there are plenty of jobs that are remote, location-freedom giving, and fairly well paying, online, that are not IT related. Take for example, using your innate human ability to record a radio voiceover, which is highly valuable, and pays well. You can easily do this on the side at college and still maintain your time freedom, while earning a little bit of money.

What other examples can you think of? Reach out to us, we would love to hear from you!

Minimalism vs Comfort

February 23, 2021 / / Comments Off on Minimalism vs Comfort

Let’s explore the relationship between wanting things (material pleasures) and wanting to be comfortable. There are a lot of posts about minimalism on this blog, and there is a lot of talk about minimalism in general. Let’s give a small intro to that before moving into the main topic.

Minimalism

Minimalism is about reducing the amount of unneeded things you have. It’s a way of living that lowers your stress level by reducing your expenses. It’s a way of not worrying about your stuff breaking or getting stolen. It’s a way of not worrying about having to move. It’s about focusing on the things that bring you joy, and getting rid of the things that don’t.

Minimalism is not about giving up comforts.

Minimalism is about being able to move forward with your life without worrying about the things you own. It’s about not wasting your time and your money on things that aren’t necessary. It’s about living with the things you need, and letting go of the things you don’t.

That’s what minimalism is. It is not about giving up comfort. It’s about living with what you need, and letting go of the rest.

Again, minimalism is a broad topic, and it’s gathering a lot of interest in recent years, but let’s focus on just the specific topic of comfort within minimalism.


Comfort

To some people, comfort means a warm soft bed, a fluffy canine friend, and soup. To others, it means not having to worry about having a car accident, because you’ve purchased the absolute most comprehensive and expensive insurance plan that exists on the planet. Both are bringing peace of mind to you, either through physical sensation, or through a mental relief.

Increasing comfort

Many people make the mistake of thinking that they need to spoil themselves and spend a lot of money to live in luxury and comfort. But actually, by focusing on the results (the feeling of comfort) and not focusing on the cost, you can get a lot of comfort and happiness, for not a lot of money or time. Comfort is a state of mind, and it’s a choice. If you want to live in luxury, you can, but it doesn’t have to be expensive. You can feel luxurious in a lot of ways without spending a lot of money. And if you don’t spend a lot of money and time, you don’t have to worry about your things being taken away. That’s a really nice feeling.

Let’s take an example: luxury cars. People often idolize a specific brand or specific car that they associate with luxury or comfort. They want to feel the expensive cushy seats and relax back into the car as they drive. Or at least, that’s the fantasy. The reality is, they will be driving the same route to the same job, whether the car is expensive or not. If you want to be comfortable, then you can splash out and spend $100 to buy a really nice car seat cover with soft fabric / sheep skin, or even go wild and get one that massages and heats your seat up. Go crazy and buy one every year! Your total expenditure will be only one percent of the cost of a car. Right? It kind of hurts to have that dream car shattered, sorry about that! But I’ve actually just saved you from driving that same route to work for another (probably) 3-5 extra years, because now you don’t want to buy that luxury car! You can have the physical comfort that you wanted, without the huge expense and years of work.

Let’s take another example. Clothing. You can wear a $50 Gucci t-shirt (Mackelmore is famous for being particularly minimalist in his song Thrift Shop) or a similarly styled tshirt for $10. You won’t have the brand, but you will be mentally comfortable and not worried about spilling some ketchup on it, and throwing it in the wash normally, rather than fussing over it. Mental comfort is important too! Similarly, if you think that it will make you feel more safe and comfortable to carry around a $3000 gun in a $500 holster, think again! You’ll be just as protected with a $200 one in a comfortable concealed carry holster. The mugger isn’t going to ask the price tag of your weapon when it’s in his face. He’s just going to run! So save yourself the expense and give yourself the gift of affordable peace of mind.

In summary, comfort doesn’t have to be expensive. You can feel luxurious and comfortable without spending a lot of money.

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