The Downside of Minimalism
The more I read from practicing minimalists, the more I think that there must be another side to the joyful version of uncluttering, downsizing & minimizing.
Is minimalism all it’s cracked up to be, or is there a downside?
How you approach any lifestyle change will dictate the outcome. With minimalism, I think there a few good examples of upside/downside.
For Instance:
- Upside: Kill your TV and free up several hours a day. Downside: Spend all your new free time on Hulu, Netflix or Facebook.
- Upside: Count your stuff as a tool to declutter. Downside: Become obsessed with counting your stuff.
- Upside: Spend time online developing your Minimalist Business Downside: Forget to unplug.
- Upside: More virtual connections Downside: Loneliness.
- Upside: Confidence in living with less. Downside: Arrogance in living with less.
Advice From the Experts – Part Three
What is the downside of minimalism?
- People might think you’re weird at first. It takes time to educate your friends and family about why you’re doing things this way, and it takes a little courage to be different. It’s totally worth it. Leo Babauta of mnmlist.com
- There are certain pernicious aspects at the fringe of any important movement, and minimalism is no different. If you obsess over counting your things or about getting rid of all of your stuff or about living an extreme nomadic lifestyle, then you’re missing the point of minimalism altogether. Not that it’s wrong to count your stuff or to travel the world, it’s just that minimalism isn’t about that stuff, it’s not about counting or “leaving it all behind,” and it’s certainly not about obsession. Minimalism is simply a tool to get of life’s excess so you can focus on life’s important things, things like relationships and pursuing your passions and personal growth and contributing to others in a meaningful way. Joshua from The Minimalists
- As far as I can see, no, there isn’t, but I am pretty new to this!
Maybe the inevitable fact some people don’t understand this path and the related choices, but this is not so tragic. Laura of minimoblog.it - I think people can get too caught up in counting numbers of items, paring down below what’s their comfort point, and they lose site of why they started the minimalist journey in the first place. Balance is key! Robyn Devine of Minimalist Knitter
- There are few if any downsides to minimalism, but sometimes it’s difficult to explain it to people who have closed minds. Sometimes people just don’t want to understand minimalism, they see what we’re doing and they just want to argue or dismiss it as a fad. Most of those people are very attached to their things, and they are afraid to stop consuming because they associate a certain meaningfulness with their consumption, they are too attached to an ideology that their stuff brings them happiness. Thankfully, over time, minimalism reveals all of its advantages on its own. So if you’re patient with those people, their minds will open, and they will understand eventually. Ryan from The Minimalists
- That same freedom. You realize, deep in the throes of simpler, stronger living, that there’s no going back now. You can’t settle for a normal life with normal goals, normal stuff, etc. The decision to streamline and focus on what counts has made the entire world open to you, but also closed you off from so many aspects of conventional living. Is that a downside? I’m not sure. Matthew Madeiro of Three New Leaves
- This took me a second to think about. Then, it hit me. Explaining why I am a minimalist and what a minimalist is followed by trying to rationalize this decision with non-minimalists who are offended by my lifestyle choice also known as freedom. David Damron of Life Excursion
- It’s a very self-revealing process and lifestyle. Once we begin to remove the distraction and clutter from our life, our minds are clear to dig deeper into our own heart and soul. It can be difficult at first as we are forced to consider our motives for collecting all this stuff in the first place, but it is a good process to good through. It makes us better people in the end. Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist
- Sometimes you will have to face a lot of questions from the people you love. Minimalism can be a very threatening thing to some people. It basically rejects a lot of what many people hold to be most important in the world. Sam Spurlin of The Simpler Life
- Because there are no distractions you’ll start to have to face yourself. You can’t go through life mindlessly any more, hiding from life busying yourself with all sorts of useless things. You are going to investigate yourself and you might not like everything you see. It’s not pretty, but necessary and you’ll come out stronger and at peace with your life. It’s very confronting though. Christiaan of Mind the Beginner
- It has been challenging to talk to family and friends about our choice to own fewer things. Often people feel that our different lifestyle choice is a direct comment on their own. To keep conversations light, I always say this works for us but it’s not for everyone. The truth is that I feel that some degree of minimalism, downsizing and rejecting consumerism is beneficial for everyone. Rachel Jonat of Minimalist Mom
- What I’ve found difficult is that many people react positively — “Minimalism sounds great! I should do that.” — but then they stay stuck in stuff. There’s a bit of burden, championing a cause you know will improve people’s lives, if only they would just join in. Of course, this is a hope-filled downside. Anyone can start at any time. And people do! That’s one motivation that keeps me sharing a life of simple living with others. Dave Bruno from A Guy Named Dave
- The only downside for me is the people who don’t get it. No matter how many times I explain how beneficial getting rid of your TV is, I still have to keep saying it, because they just don’t understand. My family definitely don’t get it, and not having my family’s support in a counterculture lifestyle can be difficult. Dusti Arab of Minimalist Adventures
- I’ll just say this, you’ll feel like Neo from the Matrix. Once you swallow the red pill of simplicity and see the hedonic treadmill at work, you’ll never want to go back. Eric LaForest of Elevated Simplicity
- None! I honestly can’t think of anything. Meg Wolfe of Minimalist Woman
I think the most important thing to remember is… who we are is more important than what we call ourselves. Minimalists and hoarders alike, let the focus be on how you treat people, and live your life, instead of how much stuff you have or don’t have.
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Courtney, thank you for this series. This particular installment has been rather insightful for me as a beginning minimalist who can see nothing but wonderful things in the minimalist lifestyle. I have recently taken to reducing clutter and digital clutter in my life and I know I have become somewhat obsessed with having less and less. I find that I’m often reminding myself what the real reasons and benefits of less are (more life, more meaningful moments with people, people!) lest I get consumed in my own little things-to-get-rid-of to-do list. The comments of these great bloggers are very helpful. Cheers, -S.
Thanks Sergio – Like any big change, going in with eyes wide open can help. Don’t get too caught up in the details and enjoy the ride. More meaningful moments are what it’s all about. Well said.
Courtney,
Thanks for allowing us to contribute. We appreciate it.
Looking forward to interacting with you during an outstanding 2011.
Take care,
Joshua
I think one thing that has happened to me as I have begun this journey, was as Joshua stated, once you begin removing the distractions, you are faced with who you are and your innermost being. Having suffered a mental meltdown last summer, I removed myself from my job, and most outside activities. This has given me the time to reflect on who I was. I found that I really didn’t know! So it has been a period of enlightenment to me, and very awesome!
Thanks for the questions posts!
Bernice
How does your faith affect your ability to cope?
I think faith absolutely affects my ability to cope. I went through a similar meltdown this year, totally unable to cope in any area of my life, and from the bottom moving upward again I see that while I still had faith in God, I wasn’t living according to my faith. I had gotten into just moving along with the flow, which as we all know goes downhill. One thing that almost all minimalists are commenting about is that becoming minimalist doesn’t come naturally. I takes conscious effort, and to be successful in it means that I must have faith that it is the right way, God’s way, and that the reward is good for me. Coming to these realizations would have been nicer without the meltdown, but it just shows that good can come from anything!
Courtney
The advice from the experts ranged from well thought out, to glib and facile.
Your own response however was truly outstanding and thought provoking.
This series has been really interesting!!
I’m currently decluttering…on Day 10 today – wheee!!…..and it is _very_ self-revealing!!
We also home school and that counter-culture thing there, too. People somehow feel that my decision to home educate our kiddos is a dig at theirs to send their kids to school. Um, no, honey it really isn’t about YOU!! lol!!
One of my dads is a HUGE hoarder…he even moved it all when they moved to Palm Springs!! Seeing the reality of his choice to save so much has been a factor in mine to come to terms with my own stuff.
There can be no downside to minimalism…having less is just better. Too much is a burden physically and psychologically and it has an effect on the person whether they admit it or not. I think it’s like being overweight…there is a reason for it…keeping people away or comfort…and the best way to deal with it is to start losing the stuff and reveal yourself to yourself. I’ve lost a lot of weight and now I’m losing stuff and life is better now, period.
Laura, Congrats on losing stuff and losing weight!
Great series, Courtney. It’s nice getting a wide variety of input on minimalism.
The biggest downside for me is trying to be a minimalist when I’m surrounded by a large family who isn’t. It’s moved beyond them thinking I’m all crazy, but it’s not easy when you share a home with 9 other people who love their clutter. I’m thankful that my husband has joined my new way of thinking and we’re trying hard to reteach our kids so they can experience the freedom we’ve discovered through minimalism.
We do have to be careful not to fill up our lives with new forms of clutter such as time wasters and obsessions with how little we have.
Faith – Your last sentence is so important. Sometimes, if we don’t want to do the work and figure out how we really want to spend our time, we end up lost in a time waster.
For me the only downside of minimalism is that when space and time are made more open I have to find something to do with it. Not being told what to do any more (mainstream consumerism) means I have to find out whats important and meaningful to me. All great stuff – just a little scary to be on my own finding my own direction for the first time ever really.
Some of the responses reminded me of people of two religious faiths trying to convince the other that theirs is the only way. If I’ve learned anything from reading different minimalists websites & blogs, it is that there is no right or wrong way for one to become a minimalist. It is a process that takes time. Not everyone is ready, or willing, to pare everything down to a backpack and live in a studio apartment. In my family, having 1 tv in the house would be living a minimalist lifestyle.
So true! Each person lives a different life and will have a different approach to a minimalist lifestyle.
Aloha again, really enjoying the series, Courtney. I have to agree with the majority of comments, if we can find any downside to speak of it is the odd looks and and lengthy explanations early on in the process. That is starting to be less of an issue as the benefits are beginning to be more apparent to our previously unsupportive. Maybe our best side benefit has been more time to make getting and staying healthy a priority. Weight loss, stamina, more real joy and peace have all naturally flowed out from the original tough decisions. We are not only happy minimalist campers, we are very grateful ones.
Mahalo!
~Gena
PS
Thought of you and your experience and reaction to your MS diagnoses when I reread our latest post. Way to blow past the dead end sign
This is a great post for those of us who have just “come out” as minimalists. I think I’ve now experienced a mass majority of that and really appreciate hearing everyones experience with living more simply, to whatever degree. I’m finding that while degree isn’t important, I’d like to think there is a particular degree (or extreme) of minimalism this is perfectly appropriate for each one of us that allows for a more free life, a life with room for curiosity and deeper relationships, and space for creativity. I want whatever degree of minimalism allows me the degree of space I want for those things.
And what Eric LaForest and Matthew Madeiro both said is really resonating with me at this point–there is no going back. That is certain.
That is certain!
Courtney, thank you for addressing the issues on arrogance. While I understand where minimalists are coming from, lately I’ve been finding many minimalist blogs and writers to be too preachy and egotistical, which is quite a turn-off.
I don’t consider myself a minimalist (but I do like to enjoy simple pleasures, refrain from much consuming, and consider the environment), and enjoy reading people’s thoughts on the benefits of this lifestyle.
However, the more times I read people’s expectation rather than suggestion, the less likely I am to consider sharing their blogs with others (and reading them at all). Your modesty and realistic view makes me really appreciate what you do. Thank you.
Lisa, I don’t get it. Sometimes I understand the preachy part because I have slid in that direction. Not out of superiority but because I am really excited about something. Then I re-read and edit. I don’t think you can teach, move people to consider change or effectively connect through arrogance.
Not to mention, who has the energy to keep up that pretense? Let’s be real, exchange ideas and experiences and enjoy each other.
As with everything there is good and bad, so it is with the pursuit of a minimalist lifestyle. We set a goal, we have a dream, then along the way we often lose sight of why we wanted to achieve it in the first place.
For me, minimalism is something I hope will help me to realise my dream of finding joy and happiness in reducing the constant strain of endless work, of clutter and of time passing by so quickly.
I want to change my thinking and my actions to allow me time to breathe, to reflect, to enjoy, to feel, to listen and do what is really important to me.
Awesome motivations David!
The way I see it, minimalism is the way forward in life, PROVIDED, that you have a plan and you know what you’re doing.
Some people rush into ‘clearing out’, throwing out too much without thinking about how they’d cope afterwards. If you prepare yourself, you can get by.
Loving the series Courtney, I’ll be back for more
Thanks Stuart. We are all finding our way.
I totally agree too with Lisa and Debs about trying to convince other people, which leads to contention and resistance. Talking about what you’re doing and what you believe is great, but trying to change other people (especially by making them feel guilty for their “extravagant, wasteful, thoughtless, evil, etc.,etc.” lifestyle) is not going to influence anyone. I find that I’m so happy about trying Project 333 and feeling free that I want to talk about how it’s affected my life, and when people see positive results in someone else it’s only natural that they will find themselves at least considering the possibility of minimizing just a little. I’m enjoying your very thoughtful and thought-provoking blog.
Agreed. Leading by example and experience will be more effective than being a self proclaimed expert.
Like others have said, not following the mainstream in any area – whether it’s a minimalist lifestyle, music, fashion, diet or anything else – will always leave us open to criticism and people not understanding a different way of living to their own.
There is a danger of being so into your own way, to have such strong beliefs in your way of doing things, that one can become a bit evangelical about it, and alienate others further. I think it’s important to keep in mind what works for you and your unique personality and life, not just follow blindly what others who inspire you do. Otherwise we become just the same as the millions who endlessly overconsume without thinking, never create anything and wonder why they’re so empty.
For me it’s so inspiring to have those people leading by example and pushing what’s possible, like Leo Babauta and Everett Bogue, who show us what CAN be done, even if we don’t want to emulate every aspect of what they’re doing.
Online, I can find plenty of people who are like me in different ways. Offline, I’m seen as far more “weird” for not having a TV, having little stuff, not reading newspapers and so on, I stand out as different. But I like that.
As I’ve dived more and more into minimalism blogs, I’ve been noticing a trend lately focused on why minimalism isn’t good (ie: people too obsessed with counting their things) and why minimalism is pretty much a dead topic to daily readers (ie: you’ve either got rid of all your stuff already or you won’t). I think a lot of this stems from the redundancy of talking about minimalism and having less than 100 things, or minimalist bloggers talking about making a living from their writing when many people can’t/don’t want to do that. The most important thing to remember is that minimalism can be applied different to everyone and its just about focusing on what really matters and eliminating all the non-essential clutter – things, relationships, activities, and so forth. Thank you for this post!
I wanted to add that ironically, the only thing I do count are my clothes for Project 333!
me too!
I agree with you, Laura, there is plenty of talk about counting your stuff and quitting your job to make a living off writing. I have yet to buy a book on minimalism, it strikes me a bit odd that one would make a living off of minimalism (don’t buy stuff, but buy my book). But there are a good lot of bloggers who really resonate with me and get me thinking about the true benefits of a minimalist lifestyle (more time and space for meaningful relationships and memorable experiences, for instance). Courtney, is one of them. Another one I like is Leo Babauta, particularly on his mnmlist blog. But it’s the stuff-counting that grabs our attention and gets us started down the right path, so I’m okay with it (for the most part). Cheers.
The only downside to Minimalism is all of the spare time I have now. Since I no longer worry about so much, I end up having a quiet house with nothing to do. I now spend more time with my family, reading books, doing things with my friends, cooking, puzzles, learning a second language, at the gym and the list goes on.
Minimalism sure is rough!
Love it Marc!
I think anytime we label ourselves there will be downsides, because the label seems to creates rules. We must do this or that to be a true (insert label here), and we must NOT do this or that to be a true (insert label here).
I don’t call myself a minimalist because I don’t want to have to abide by any rules – self-imposed or external. Yes, I subscribe to many minimalist blogs because I enjoy reading about living more with less.
I don’t think minimalism is so much a destination as a process, and I think the “downsides” you’re talking about are reflective of the times we step off the path along the way. I would consider the for instances you named (spending more time on the internet, or forgetting to unplug, or obsessively counting your things) to be substitute behaviors reflective of the difficulty we have embracing minimalism. Think of it as the addiction model for consumption – when you try to quit, it’s easy to pick up other negative behaviors in order to fill the void you feel. Real minimalism would be “quit watching tv –> spend more time playing with your kids” or “stop spending money on things you don’t really want or need –> have more money to give to charity, put in savings, etc”.
Courtney,
I had such a heart laugh at your terrific introductory description of the up and downsides of minimalism. You have a good sense of humor!
This is absolutely brilliant from Christian:
“Because there are no distractions you’ll start to have to face yourself. You can’t go through life mindlessly any more, hiding from life busying yourself with all sorts of useless things.”
It’s not really a downside, but it is a challenge!
Since I have started reading blogs about minimalism I think the major downside I have seen is that most of the minimalist movement is a largely urban movement and I live in a very non-urban place. I find if I let go of the whole counting thing though I can classify my lifestyle as minimalist. I was going to do project 333 but realized after finishing my laundry and having 8 pairs of pants and the corresponding tops that I actually probably had less than 33 items. People talk about watching tv and I watch it about twice a year and didn’t own one until I was in my 30s and had kids. Where I live there is nowhere to watch a movie and it is nice to be able to watch a DVD so I have a tv. I do drive my truck but the forecast for Thursday is currently -46 C (around -50 F) so I probably won’t be driving then but otherwise it is too hard on my kids to force them to walk to school when it is slightly warmer than that. Also, the nearest hospital is 4 to 6 hours away (depending on road conditions) and a vehicle is good to have in case of an emergency. We walk a lot and ride bikes when the weather is better. My point being that I am always going to need a few more items that people in an urban setting. I think I can still be a minimalist. I have to ignore a lot of the assumptions that minimalists live in urban areas and just pull out the knowledge that applies to me.
This is a great point Rachel. I currently live in a town, but want to move to somewhere more rural, where it would be very difficult, if not impossible to rely solely on a bicycle and public transport.
A part of me would love to go car free, and I’ve considered a scooter or motorbike, but with our weather here in the UK it’s a pretty sorry (and dangerous) experience. Fine zipping about on a scooter in Rome or California, not so fun in the predominant cold, wet and grey of England! So for comfort, and convenience, I’ll be keeping a car for the foreseeable future, though walking when possible, and using the train.
In this country we are already greatly overpopulated, it’s just not viable for everyone to live in a city and go car free, there’s not enough housing in the cities! Our district in the South East has huge housing pressures that come from central government, and very challenging targets for new housing being built in the next 10 – 15 years. Current population is around 130,000, and government want another 800 homes built every year, where currently there are already around 400. Plus many people simply don’t want to live amidst concrete and want/need to have green fields and nature around them.
Living in a city, or the suburbs of a city, and one with good transport, seems to be the requirement for going car free.
It seems like there are downsides to anything in this world. I’m sure minimalism is no different. The big question is, Do the downside outweigh the upsides? I’m still new to minimalism, but from what I can see there are far more positives to be had than there are negatives. I feel a little bit more freedom and peace with each useless items we purge from our lives.
What a great article. it is very true that any choice you make in life can be positive or negative depending on what you make it. It was really great to see some of the minimalist changes weighted by how they could be taken. Thanks for sharing this.
This is an amazing article and sort of gave me the “kick in the butt” to get back on track on minimizing things around my house. It is my goal this year to Simplify in all areas of my life and my house is the biggest of these areas.
Really great article (and thanks again for the mention). I think the red pill concept (what others call “the change of paradigm”) is huge: it’s true, once you go minimal, you never go back
Okay, here is the REALISTIC downside of Minimalism. When you take all the stupid decorations off the walls, and get rid of the piles, and extra furniture. Then you realize how BADLY you need to paint. LOL!
Great article. For me the downside is that I am minimalising my whole life (including what I spend my money on) and some of my friends get a little bummed out when I won’t go out to expensive dinners on a whim any more. A part of me does miss doing that but it makes me more happy to know I am moving forward in my dream to make a documentary.
Carly, Sounds exciting! Don’t give in…stick with whatever you need to do to realize your dream.
Thanks Courtney
I will!
ps – I would love to see another post like this about minimalist’s weak spots. Mine is candles!
Minimalist weak spots?
Nothing wrong with having a passion, I guess the challenge is not having it as an obsession. I really am a seriously devout minimalist down to my single Linux lap top.
However, if I had a passion like say art – then one of the currently empty bedrooms would be a studio full of “art stuff” and I would not feel guilty.
Biggest down side for me has been dealing with the opinions of others. It’s like having an opinion on diet, politics or religion which are also in many cases belief systems. If you put your minimalist point of view out there or get “discovered” when people come to visit and think you have been robbed – it challenges them.
Go to dinner with friends and announce you are a vegan (I’m not a vegan, just citing an example) and see what happens. If however you comment you have a health issue and have to eat a special diet on doctors orders – people tend to be very helpful and supportive.
So – I no longer say I am a minimalist, I talk in terms of what I am trying to achieve – a calm life style and a contented uncluttered existence. When this process first started I was a tad evangelical about it all and it caused a few hassles with people I knew.
You can turn the tables as well and put others in a defensive position with an appropriate response. Visitors to my office often comment on how spartan and organized it is. My boss told me he worried about a guy with an office as tidy as mine. I laughed and said I worried about a guy who was worried about what my office looked like.
Touche.
I am a single middle aged guy and I live on my own with my “A Type” personality. I have no understanding of things spiritual or indeed religious. What I can say with absolute certainty is that the calm and peace that has descended into every crevice and cavity of my being since I eliminated the “stuff” beggars belief. Did I mention the bank balance – it’s not too shabby either. One year of solid minimalism has bought my passion (retirement) forward by five years – Carl