A fundamental part of minimalism is stripping away the excess until we’re left with what matters most.
Through a process of subtraction, we learn to reduce the noise—to remove distractions.
This is fertile ground for a focused and simplified approach to living.
On our own minimalist journeys, it can be helpful to ask ourselves some guiding questions. To reflect on them. To reflect on our answers. I offer a few suggestions:
What if we were to live leaner?
What if we streamlined our needs and wants?
What if we stripped back the decisions we needed to make?
What if we harnessed and protected the white space in our lives?
What if we left some buffer and margin in our day?
What if we set self-imposed constraints on what we will—and will not—give our attention to?
Would our senses sharpen?
Would our minds focus on what matters most, rather than chasing the trivial many?
Would we be able to dig deeper, rather than constantly spreading ourselves wider?
Could leaner mean lighter?
Shedding the fat
By sitting with these questions—and our own variations of them—I believe we begin to uncover the fat that has quietly accumulated in our lives.
Weight we may wish to be free from.
And perhaps this is the most valuable part of any journey into minimalism: through this shedding process, we create the space necessary for what—and who—matters most.
Live leaner. Streamline. Simplify down to your version of the good life.