I have already written a few articles on minimalism. Yet, from time to time people still ask me to teach them how to get started on minimalism. Unfortunately I don't know how to help them. There are perhaps some books and youtube videos on the topic. May be that will help. But here is one way to go about it.


Instead of adding stuff to your life, think of removing things one at a time. See how far you can go. Minimalism is not about saving money. It is about how you can live a perfectly happy life with the least amount of stuff. In fact you might actually feel more liberated and peaceful when you cut down things.


It's not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential. - Bruce Lee


Go on a diet

I don't mean food diet. I mean cut down on something you don't really need, but you are using it out of habit. For example, in the most recent move, I paused my direct broadcast satellite service (dish TV). When I had the service, I would watch something or the other like a comedy channel or news channel. There was no purpose to watch TV, but since it was there, I thought it should be running in the background while I do my work. Now I just watch live cricket and some news (via streaming). It is liberating to get back the time that would have gone waste over nothing. Soon I hope I can get rid of the set-top box and clean up my TV stand.


Likewise another habit I used to have is to drink tea in the evening. There is nothing wrong with it, but there is no need either. Just happened to drink out of habit and not due to craving. I gave up tea some 6 months ago and it is liberating. I apply the same principle to how much and how many times I eat. Simplify life as much as possible.


Give it a try

Give this a try after you have exhausted all the things you can get rid of that you don't need. You will find that you might be doing or using a lot of things that you probably don't need. The minimalism process is a never ending game. Make it fun and interesting by trying to cut down one small thing at a time. Hack away at all the unessential things. Keep life simple and lightweight. For a future experiment I am wondering if I can get rid of all the couches and chairs and just practice sitting on the floor. Why not? It is healthy and so much simpler. Some kids these days can't even squat without lifting their heels. What gives?


Anyway, as I mentioned before, the point is not to save money. The point is to be minimalistic. What are your ideas?