Minimalize, Focus, Do Part I – Mastering Minimalism

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Part I of the Minimalize, Focus, Do series.

“Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that.” ~ Norman Vincent Peale

Everyone has something that holds them back. It can be something precious, common or unique, something tangible or untouchable, it can be a secret or something everyone knows about. These are the things that keep us human, grounded, and it’s only natural that we would want security and reassurance in a world that changes every moment of every day.

But how much those things hold people back depends entirely on each person. It’s their choice, not anyone else’s. They can blame others all they like, but in the end it’s all down to them.

Sadly, a lot of people are prisoners to their desires. They can’t get past social pressures and consumer greed and over the years and they become increasingly obsessed with collecting more and more debt. They start basing their identities, achievements and self-worth on the accumulation of the next best toy. Even when these new toys become redundant, they can’t let go and they work long hours to pay for the garage that can’t fit a car or a basement to store all the junk they don’t need.

Then there are some people that own almost nothing, not even much more than the clothes on their backs. They’re nomads, with no place to call home but not exactly homeless. They travel everywhere and would live anywhere. They can be connected to almost anyone and anything in the world at any time they wished, or they can simply disconnect, disappear and drop off the map.

Fortunately, most people are comfortably living in between these two extremes of a spectrum of how humans can deal with the modern world. Neither is really wrong or right – life isn’t as black and white as that. There are good and bad things about both ways – on the one hand a person can take comfort in the security and consistency in their lives, whilst someone else might thrive on the freedom and adventure. What we can say is that we all have dreams, and how close we are to living those dreams right now is what life is all about.

Many of us are lucky enough to have a choice. We have the technology, freedom and equality that held the previous generations back. Just thinking about the war, famine and disease still prevalent in other parts of the world, and it’ll put your own problems in perspective.

It may not seem like it to everyone, but we all have a choice – a chance to make our one and only life worth it. If to live is to suffer, then we might as well make sure we get something good out of it too. If more people in the world slowed down for just a moment long enough to reconnect with themselves, they might realize that living life on auto-pilot is completely pointless and a waste of life.

So how do you take control? The answer is simply, simplicity. Once you learn to let go of all of the things that don’t matter to you, you’ll naturally steer towards the things that do. Regular ‘decluttering tips’ are easy to find, so here are some mantras to remember for some minimalist motivation.

25 black-belt minimalist mantras

  1. abandon your fears
  2. let go of sentimentality
  3. cut attachments
  4. relinquish desire
  5. quit putting yourself down
  6. eliminate the unessential
  7. forgive past mistakes
  8. ignore advertisements
  9. stop spending so much
  10. deny fear
  11. drop all the crap
  12. banish greed
  13. say no
  14. release your imagination
  15. burn bridges
  16. sever toxic ties
  17. surrender your pride
  18. loosen your grip
  19. open your mind
  20. ban clutter
  21. discard flailing plans
  22. reduce you life overhead
  23. throw away old things
  24. disconnect
  25. remember that emptiness is beautiful

Some of these are easier said than done, but it only takes practice. It can be hard to turn off auto-pilot. After all, just cruising along is easy. But letting the wind (or other people’s expectations) rule your life can take you somewhere you don’t want to be, and you won’t realize until it’s too late to turn back. You can let people advise you, influence you or guide you, but don’t let them take over.

If you have some things that are complicating your life too much –  now is the time to sort them out. Once the water is calm, it’ll be plain sailing from here.

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Minimalize, Focus, Do

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How do you get things done?

David Allen, amongst countless other life coaches, business men and women, time management ‘experts’ and so on have spent and earned millions trying to figure out this question.

As people, we can do more than just spend our days hunting, eating and procreating. We’re lucky in that way because we have the chance to do something really world-changing or life-fulfilling, but only if we choose to.

Coming back from a year abroad in hot and busy Asia to a breezy summer in my seaside home in England, it’s been all too easy to slip into a lazy routine of reading, surfing the internet, hanging out with friends and going on the occasional jog. Short of writing one essay, a few songs and getting through a pile of books, I admit I haven’t ‘done’ too much since I’ve gotten back. I haven’t felt so relaxed in such a long time and it’s quite a relief just to lay back for once.

However, the inertia is starting to get me and lately I’ve been feeling a little restless again as I try to find ways to output all of the energy and momentum I’ve built up whilst travelling. I feel like a train that was travelling at full speed and has come to a screeching halt. I need to get back on track, even if slowly but surely.

Back in March, for my birthday post I wrote about things that matter. Even though this is a minimalist blog, I’ve long since learned that it’s not enough to just ‘minimalize’ your life. Just cutting down on things and getting rid of things is only half the battle.

We have to minimalize, then focus, then do.

What to minimalize, focus and do is something I’ve written a lot about (these posts remain some of the most popular). I feel I’ve concentrated a lot on why as well – happiness is one of the most important things in our lives, and yet there are too many people who have forgotten about it or are trying to ‘chase it’ in the wrong ways.

But one thing I haven’t talked too much about is how.

How do we go for what we want? How do we make our dreams into realities?

These are the kinds of questions I hope to be tackling over the next few weeks.

[Edit] Minimalize, Focus, Do will be a three part series, check back here for links or subscribe via RSS feed or my Twitter to get instant updates!

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A beginner’s guide to one bag living

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For every aspiring minimalist, the golden grail is One Bag Living, or what I like to call OBL. It’s a lifestyle that comes from being able to reduce everything you have to only what you need and reaping all the rewards of not being weighed down by junky, excessive baggage.

If you’re interested in what it’s all about you’ve come to the right place.

what is OBL?

Firstly, I should mention that one bag living isn’t for everyone, just in case people start to think I’m advocating everybody and their grandmothers start throwing stuffed backpacks on their shoulders and hitting the road. Nor am I saying it’s a permanent way to live – although I know it is possible to live long-term. Yes, the kind of OBL I’m talking about works best for single people but that’s not to say that downsizing for a couple or even just a little for a family isn’t possible.

For the last couple of months I’ve been living out of a suitcase… but I’m having the time of my life. I realize there’s something about the words ‘living out of a suitcase’ that scares people. It has bad connotations, as if one has no stability or adequate income or that someone is just unable to settle. But for me, these words have come to mean something completely different. They have come to mean freedom, fun, exploration and discovery.

‘One bag’ doesn’t necessarily mean a concrete measurement like 1x 30 inch suitcase or 1x carry on. Essentially, it means reducing your stuff down to a level that’s right for you, which all depends on what you do for a living, how much you can handle, where you want to go and what you need for your interests or job and so on – as long as you get everything down to only. what. you. need. It’s also not necessarily about fishing rolled up shirts from a zip-up suitcase or hotel-skipping, although it can be. You can do OBL from your own home, the point is to clear out anything irrelevant so that you can focus on what matters to you – whether that’s travel or family, school, hobby, art or even your business.

However, if you manage to reduce your things to about one (or maybe even two or three) suitcases, you can also just about live anywhere in the world. You don’t have to earn millions to be able to rent a small place in even the most expensive cities (believe me, I know). Or, if you’re not interested in travelling, clearing clutter can do wonders for your focus on your goals.

With OBL, the possibilities are endless. In fact, with all this freedom, you’ll be surprised to learn what was previously impossible is actually within reach. Things that ‘only happen in movies’ can become real life.

a clean slate

Imagine for a moment that you got to start again. For some reason you got a rare chance for a fresh start. You don’t own any clothes, shoes, bags, gadgets, books, toiletries or furniture. Then somebody gave you one suitcase and you could put everything you needed in it for two or three weeks. How would you pack? What would you choose?

What did you realize you really had no need for?

5 steps on how to effectively live out of a suitcase

1. Eliminate. The first, most important step is to get rid of everything you don’t need. Things that you’ve kept ‘just in case’, extras, backups, things that don’t work or fit, things you don’t use or have forgotten about or simply don’t like – it’s all got to go. Most people have more things they don’t need than they do, so a sensible approach that might make it easier would be to mentally get rid of everything then bring back one by one things that are most essential to you. Be strict and firm and ask questions such as how often you actually use it and what reasons you’re really keeping it for.

2. Digitize. Whilst eliminating, you might find that a lot of the things you have can be replaced, so you won’t have to lose them forever. Paperwork, photos, CD’s and books are just a few of the many things you can keep if you can get them in digital format. My less-than-half-an-inch thick kindle has replaced dozens and dozens of my books (and made them instantly searchable!) and my external hard drive replaces boxes of lecture notes, shelves of CD’s and albums of photographs.

3. Minimalize your wardrobe. Clothing is usually the most difficult area to tackle when it comes to downsizing. When you have fewer garments, it’s important that most items can be worn in most kinds of weather and occasions. It also helps to choose neutral colours (which you can brighten up with one or two accessories) so that you can pretty much mix and match whatever tops and trousers you would like to wear. (See the link for more).

4. One in one out. Just because you’re down to less stuff, it doesn’t mean that you have to stop buying altogether. There’s nothing wrong with getting something new if you swap it with something you already own (preferably by donating it away) since you’re not actually gaining in quantity. Think carefully before you buy – how long will it last? How useful will it be? Is it worth looking after it?

5. Adapt. If you find yourself starting to accumulate stuff, try to remind yourself why you chose OBL in the first place. What are you doing it for? Has it benefited you so far? Sometimes it happens because people are too strict and allow themselves too little, remember that minimalism isn’t about depriving yourself of things that you want, it’s about freeing yourself from the clutches of consumerism so that you can get what you want.

Lastly, it’s important to remember that situations and people change, and that not many people can live a single kind of lifestyle forever, whether it’s OBL or living at home with one’s parents or a college, or corporate, or even country lifestyle. People crave excitement, and OBL can give it to you, but don’t be surprised if you see yourself looking for a change again – maybe a change of wardrobe or maybe a change of scenery.

I’m nearly finishing up with with my travels now and I can’t believe some of the places I’ve been and things I’ve seen. I know I’ve made memories I’ll remember for a long long time. It wasn’t always easy, but because of OBL, I managed to get through some rough times on the road and have the adventure of a lifetime that I wouldn’t trade for the world.

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5 lessons learned from a year living in a foreign country

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Today was my final day in Japan. By the time you read this, I would have probably already landed in Hong Kong, ready for my next adventure. It’s been almost a year of culture shock, ups and downs, exploring, learning, having fun and so much more. I’m grateful for how much I’ve discovered about myself, other people and about hard work, kindness and life itself. It’s hard to whittle down an entire life experience into a few lessons, but I’ll try my best. However, almost everything I learned doesn’t only apply to living in another country – but can also apply to anything you want to do.

1. Enjoy the honeymoon.

When you first arrive in a foreign country, everything is like a dream. You’re whisked here and there, taken to admire the cultural diversity, eat great food and talk to people who are always nice to you because they want to make a good impression. At the same time as being in a daze, your senses are on high alert and you notice every little thing that’s different from your country around you. It’s easy to get out of bed early in the morning even though you can hardly sleep all night from the anticipation of what the next day would bring.

But’s it’s not until you stay for at least a couple of weeks that you get a feel for what it’s really like. The transition from regular ‘tourist’ to ‘resident’ is like turning the heat of the bathwater up (yes, you can do this in Japanese baths) – you don’t notice it until it burns you. It’s not always necessarily bad, but eventually you start to accept that there are things that are different that are good, and then there are things that are different and not so good, but that’s okay, because that’s the way things are – like a best friend who have their own flaws but will always be there to comfort you in your time of need. Whenever you start something new, you’re likely to experience a these kinds of emotions. It’s easy to do things when you feel like doing them, but the real test of character comes when you challenge yourself to work on the marriage even when the honeymoon period is over.

2. Nothing compares to real life.

In the vain hope of reducing the chances of making cultural blunders, I read prolifically before I came to Japan – phrasebooks, history books, guidebooks, culture books, even cookbooks. Heck, I spent a year learning so much about Japan that I was basically eating, breathing and dreaming it. But when I got here, most of the things I’d learned either a) flew right out of my head (especially the language), b) were incorrect or c) never came up. I still haven’t had the chance to demonstrate that I memorised the names and locations of all 47 prefectures in Japan.

I’ve learned that you can read/watch/study all you want about something, but still not get a taste of how it really is until you get there. The same applies for anything from sushi-rolling to mountain-climbing to clearing out your closet. Sometimes it’s because people manage to make excuses to not do it, and sometimes it’s because people think they can substitute reading books and blog posts for the real thing, but nothing compares to really throwing yourself out there.

3. Jumping in the deep end is the quickest way to learn to swim.

On that note, I learned more Japanese and about Japanese people in a month than I did in an entire year of studying. There’s always going to be people who hide from actually doing amazing stuff because they’re too busy staying in their comfort zone. There’s really no method to learn quite like knowing that your life depends on it. After doing this year abroad, I’ve even realized that it’s perfectly reasonable to assume that you can gain daily-life fluency of almost any language (ie. making friends, working, ordering, going out etc) within a year or two of living in that country… which can add up to a whopping 2-3 languages in about a 5 year span! (Of course, one has to keep in mind the diminishing returns of trying to gain that last 5-10% of fluency). It all depends on how willing you are to swallow your pride, stick your neck out and make mistakes. I’ll be making my way to Hong Kong next. I haven’t decided how long I’ll stay there, but I’ll be interested to see how much Cantonese I can learn in that time…

4. You won’t get a good view just looking through the keyhole.

When I went to visit Tokyo, I felt kind of sorry for all the tourists that went there. Tokyo is a great city, and I had a fun time, but if it was all the exposure people got of Japan, and the only thing they could have based their impression on, I felt kind of bad for them. No offence if you’ve visited Tokyo, but Japan has so much more to offer than shopping and nightlife (living there is a different matter however!) In most other things, only doing it for a short while doesn’t mean you know what it’s like. You can’t just blitz through 5 countries in 10 days and expect to have gotten to know the people and culture. In the same way, only going for a run about once a month and deciding you hate it or having only read and analysed classical literature in school and deciding you don’t like reading in general is illogical. I’ve seen people start and quit things quicker than I can forget how to conjugate verbs, and it’s such a shame because people are definitely missing out on some amazing things that they might have been really good at too. Yes, you have to start somewhere, but you should also give it a fighting chance. Stick to it, persist, and you’ll never know, you might find someone, something or somewhere you’ll come to love.

5. Nobody lives in the same world as each other.

When you move to another country, your entire world changes. Things you thought ‘just are’ no longer apply. Not everybody thinks like you do, or does things the way you’ve always done it. Even rules or social practices you thought were blatantly obvious can be turned upside down. Yes, Japan isn’t a land of angels and rainbows, but I’ll miss living in a country where you don’t have to worry about leaving your bag on a park bench, or walking at home at night or even locking up your bike. I’ll miss living in a country that doesn’t tip because good service should be part of the experience and buses and trains actually run to the minute promised on the time table. I’ll even miss having to take my shoes off every time I enter the house, even if it’s annoying when I’ve forgotten my keys and I’m running late. Every thing that happens, good or bad, is part of the experience of living in a foreign country – that’s what makes it ‘foreign’. But as each of these little things occur you feel your mind begin to open up a little more and as you get used to it, you think of it less as as a foreign country, and more like a country… and eventually it becomes a home. rss | twitter

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If you play with fire

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… you might not get burned.

Sometimes the fear of fire is worse than the actual danger of it. This doesn’t mean that you should be stupid or underestimate it’s destructive powers, but you shouldn’t live in fear of it either. A little mindfulness can go a long way in judging whether something is really worth the risk.

If you’re special (and all of us are) then you can work out how to be smart yet:

  • crazy
  • adventurous
  • fearless

The worse thing to do is make excuses (“it’s not safe to go there…” , “I don’t know if I’m good enough…”, “what will people think of me?“) and then let those excuses rule your life. Living in fear pushes you further back into your comfort zone, and you know you’re in your comfort zone when everything around you and everything you do is void of:

  • challenge
  • chance
  • danger

And if you stay there too long, you’ll just keep wallowing around in a barren land of boring. No, seriously, there’s a whole world out there waiting for you to take it on and if you’re just going to hide behind a wall of excuses, you’ll miss out on some amazing things, and not to mention you’re wasting your one chance to make a difference – to make your life really worth living.

I know that there’s something you want to do, but you’re scared to. Something or someone is telling you “no” or “you shouldn’t/couldn’t!” .

I know this because everybody has a dream being trampled on like that. Even the greatest men and women in history had the same feelings as you.

But the difference is that they weren’t scared of getting burned. Are you?

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My adventure in Asia begins

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By the time you read this post, I’m going to be here:

This is Mt. Fuji, the tallest mountain in Japan.

To go there has always been a dream of mine, but due to various circumstances I haven’t been able to until now. Now that I’m finished with my studies, I’m taking this opportunity to do some more travelling.

I will be starting my mini tour of Asia from Tokyo, from which I will be flying to South Korea. I’ll spend a few days in Seoul, then I’ll be flying again from Japan to Thailand or Vietnam and then cruising a little while in Hong Kong before going back to England.

My plans are a bit complicated, and I’m going to be spending a lot of time laying back on various buses/planes/trains/boats, but I’m so excited. The journey towards these places are some of the best parts of travelling, and with my trusty camera, Kindle and some good music on me, there’s not much that can go wrong.

I’ve scheduled a couple of posts, so don’t worry! I won’t have internet connection most of the time, but I’ll log on when I can. Follow me on Twitter for updates of what I’m up to!

Wish me luck!

 

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The Best Investment You’ll Ever Make

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If someone said to you that they would give you $1000 to spend in any way you like, but with only one rule, would you listen to what they had to say?

The rule is: you must spend the money on making your dreams come true.

Want to play?

The trick is, all of us are already playing this game. We might not be getting free money from a stranger off the street, but if we’re managing to earn money, then the same rules apply, don’t they? Except this time, you have a time limit too.

We can spend a portion of our money on unavoidable or necessary costs such as the cost of living, but the rest? We’re free to do whatever we want with it, and unfortunately too much of it gets wasted on things that have nothing to do with our dreams.

Is buying a fancy car your dream? Then buy it. But most people need something more than just stuff, to do something worthwhile.

The next time you’re about to spend a respectable sum of money, or hours/days of your life, ask yourself: is it going to get you closer to your amazing ambition you want to achieve before you die? Or make you a better person or the world a better place?

If it doesn’t then stop.

It’s absolutely vital to pause every now and again to give some thought into what time and money mean to you. Money itself isn’t evil, only greed for it is. It doesn’t make you a bad person if you have a lot of it, it all depends on how you earned it and how you will spend it.

And realizing that you only have a limited amount of time isn’t being melancholic, it’s being mindful of the truth.

Your resources and time are too valuable. Life is too precious. You are too special.

Investing in your dreams is the best money you’ll ever spend.

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‘No’ the difference…

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A lot of people mix up travelling with ‘escaping’. They think that people who travel are trying to run away from bad things in their lives, or bad things that will/might happen to them like work, debt or demanding bosses.

But the problem is, it’s not simply enough to ‘run away’. That’s what a vacation is for. Real travelling isn’t running away, it’s running towards something - something new, different, mind-blowing and world-rocking, things that challenge the way we think people are or should be. Travellers may not have much, but what they gain is invaluable, even if you can’t see it.

And the same can be said of minimalism too. When we get rid of stuff, we’re not simply ‘getting rid of’ a piece of furniture or clothing. It’s not about the negative, but the positive side of the coin too. When we refuse to buy something we don’t need, we’re welcoming something better than a second car into our lives – the least being the chance to give  back in our own way, no matter how small, to Mother Earth and to fellow human beings.

a case for ‘no’

Despite what most people think, saying ‘no’ can open up as many possibilities as ‘yes’ can.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m always looking for new opportunities and when I feel it’s right to say ‘yes’, great things can happen. Projects get  started, I get to meet new people, ideas get pushed into reality and so on.

But the opposite is also true – saying no can be just as important. We don’t have unlimited time in our lives, or resources on earth. We have to stop saying yes to more and more stuff and start saying no to over-consumption, pollution and debt. ‘No’ can be a powerful weapon as a minimalist’s best friend.

‘No’ gets a bad rep because it’s mistakenly only thought of as a door-closer. But if you think about the kind of things ‘no’ unleashes – time, freedom, resources – you’ll see that in most cases, ‘no’ is not the opposite of ‘yes’, just it’s (sometimes more practical) counterpart.

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How you see

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Life doesn’t get better or worse, just how you see it does.

We all experience bad things in our lives, some worse than others. Some problems we have are minor and some are quite life changing. But whilst we’re concentrating on the our failures, mistakes or heck even natural disasters, sometimes we forget that good things can also shape who we are.

It’s easier to focus on the bad things because they stir up drama and anger which are easier to build upon. Problems pushes all of our buttons and if we make them out to be worse than they really are, it can make other people feel sorry for us.

It’s easy to believe that unpleasant things define who we are, makes us stronger people, but that’s not always the case. It’s how we deal with them, and how we move on which really builds character.

Focussing on good things that happen to us, no matter how little they may be, cultivates a positive attitude that is the basis of all the good things we really want in life, reliable friends and family, amazing opportunities, a job we love and most importantly, self confidence.

I’m not saying all you have to do is put on some rose-tinted glasses and everything would be fine. Just that we should step back and be aware of which side, the good or the bad, that we are placing the most emphasis on and thinking about the kind of effects it has on the rest of our lives.

If you think about all of the lonely superstars who appear to have everything vs. kids who live in village huts with smiles on their faces, you might be able to see that it isn’t our financial circumstances that decide how good life is. Our attitude towards it is worth more than a million bucks if we use it right.

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Spontaneous Disconnection

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I’m back! You can follow my shenanigans on Twitter.

Since I started Minimal Student, my once a week posting schedule has forced me to reach for my laptop at least once every few days to write posts, answer email and reply to comments. Not to mention all of the other habits I’ve developed whilst being connected, like constant checking and refreshing like a crazy person.

Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely cherish all of you guys, and I’m not against technology or the internet in general, but as the last few months of my year abroad approaches, I decided to spend some time travelling.

And so I did. In three weeks I visited ancient temples, rock gardens, a castle, I photographed cherry blossoms, attended festivals, had a mud, herbal and oxygen bath (all separately), did karaoke all night and went to the biggest aquarium in the world, amongst other things. Sometimes I travelled alone, sometimes with companions, but never with my laptop. No facebook, no twitter, no blogging.

I spontaneously disconnected.

At first it was hard. Bad things have happened to my blog when I had left it before, not to mention dozens of other worries I had: What if someone tweets a really inspiring quote? What if I don’t untag an unflattering picture of me on facebook? What if all my readers leave me?

I know that to some people, not having the internet is almost horrifying. I have to admit that I had a few worries too, but I soon forgot about them as I got lost in my travelling. After a few days, my online presence (or lack of it) didn’t even come to mind at all.

What I learned is that we worry way too much about staying connected. We crave updates and notifications and we think we need all information at our fingertips all the time. It feels nice to know that people want to contact you or they need you in some way. But we only crave it to inflate our egos.

When I finally got back and found the time to log on, I realized that I hadn’t lost all of my readers (in fact, I had even gained some) and although I had a lot of various notifications, none of them were very important at all.

I went against my fears, they never came true, and I was rewarded with the time of my life.

how to disconnect and disappear (even for just a little while)

1. Disconnect your real self from your online self. Despite what people think, you are not who you are online. You exist as a genuinely amazing person without all of the extra fluff and anonymity of the internet to big you up. You don’t have to tell everyone what you’re up to all the time, neither do you have to know what everyone else was up to. Be strong and realize that people won’t miss you as terribly as you thought, but that’s okay. At least now you can…

2. Go somewhere, and just do something. There’s no point disconnecting if you’re not going to do something better to replace it. Pick a place, a person or a goal. Admit that the internet was distracting you and but now you can do whatever you put your mind to. Work on your life goal, or else do something worthwhile.

3. Cut the chains. When you come back (if you decide to!), you’ll see just how many things used up you time and attention online, although you didn’t need it. If you survived the disconnection, perhaps all of those things weren’t so important after all. Cut off all of the relationships that don’t give back as much as you give in, unsubscribe to all of the blogs that are wasting your time, the newsletters that clutter your inbox and any services and sites that you don’t use.

If you’re brave enough to take up the challenge, disappear from the interwebs for a few days, a week or even two. (You’re permitted to tell a few people in case they think you’ve leapt off a high place).

Go do something amazing … then, don’t update your status.

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