Breaking Free From Consumerist Chains | Zen Habits

There's an excellent new post by Leo Babauta over on Zen Habits on the perils of consumerism:

"We are not consumers. We are people.
We are not living lives meant to earn money in order to support a shopping habit, or a large home and two cars, or lives of luxury eating and entertainment.
We are not living to support the corporations. And yet, if you were to take an objective, outsider look at our society, it would seem that we are."

petite-productivity :mnmlist

There exists in France a small company called Teddyfish that makes bags by hand.

Their philosophy of production is beautiful:

“We believe in ‘petite-production’, which means the willingness to work on slower rhythm and scale. Through creating and hand-making by ourselves, we are aiming to flavor our products with the warmth of the craftsmen’s hands, instead of the gasoline from the machine.”

Imagine if our world of mass-production was turned into a world of petite-production. People would hand-make clothing bicycles furniture food.

We would produce less and consume less. Things would cost more but people would make more for their labor.

We would love our work more. Produce quality things that last. Love our lives more. Call it Anti-Walmartization.

Slow down make less do it better be happier.

via mnmlist.com

on economy | mnmlist

Thousands of articles are written all the time about the economy — the financial affairs of our society. But I’d love to hear more about a different kind of economy: that which endeavors to waste as little as possible, or “the efficient, sparing, or concise use of something”.

In this society of more is better, there is a non-stop barrage of words, images, noise. There is a frenetic blur of movement, as everyone tries to be busy, busy, busy. There is more waste than ever: wasted energy use, gas-guzzling cars, trash generated by the truckload.

We need economy.

Economy of movement

If we try to make each action count, we’ll do less, but focus on more important actions. We’ll choose carefully, be picky. Favor stillness over a buzz of activity.

Economy of words

Instead of saying whatever comes to our minds, whenever it comes to mind, instead of engaging in a flurry of digital messages and updates all day long, we should make each word count. Value silence and the space between speech. Go a day or two between emails or tweets.

Economy of materials

If excess packaging is waste, and buying more than we need produces even more waste, how can we eliminate both? Can we aim to own as little as we need, and to slowly reduce those needs? Can we buy less packaged goods, and aim for fresh, for homemade, for local?

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This is the important economy. It was highly valued by our grandparents, but somewhere along the way we’ve lost this value. Let’s revive it.

via mnmlist.com

 

minimalism isn’t just for the affluent | mnmlist

There’s a criticism of voluntary simplicity or minimalism (two flavors of the same thing) that seems to be widely accepted: that it’s a luxury of relatively affluent people, that it’s not something the poor can afford to do.

I disagree: anyone can do it.

Minimalism is simply eliminating the unnecessary. And while the poor (anyone who’s not in the middle class or above) might not have the ridiculously unnecessary things that the affluent have, there are usually things that can be eliminated.

The photos of minimalist houses, desks, and Macs that you see on many minimalist sites are obviously for the affluent — they have expensive furniture, computers, gadgets, homes that aren’t affordable for many people. But that’s not a requirement of minimalism.

In fact, there isn’t a requirement for minimalism. You can invent your own version, and if you’re more worried about how to survive until the next paycheck (I’ve been there), then cutting back on the unnecessary will help you get there. Look for unnecessary expenses (like eating out, going to the movies, buying junk food snacks, or renting DVDs) and eliminate them, finding ways to have fun that are free.

Eliminating unnecessary possessions also means you’ll need a smaller home, which will save on rent and heating/cooling. Buying fewer things means less debt. Spending time with loved ones or doing things you love means you spend less. All of these things are good whether you’re wealthy or not.

It’s true that the poor are often thought of as not having the luxury of even thinking about simplifying, or minimalism. They’re too worried about putting food on the table, or where the rent is coming from, or how to avoid creditors until the next paycheck. And there’s a lot of truth in that. But it doesn’t have to be true: anyone can pause, breathe, and decide to live differently.

Anyone can make the decision to do without the necessary, to cut off cable TV, to consider doing without a car, to only buy what’s absolutely necessary and to rethink what’s necessary. I’ve been deep in debt, and I know the feeling of drowning with no way to get out. I got out, mostly because I cut expenses to the bone while looking for ways to increase income. Minimalism helped me to get out of debt, and to get out of poverty. It’s not just for the affluent anymore.

via mnmlist.com

 

the beauty of the ellipsis: mnmlist

mnmlist: the beauty of the ellipsis

On Twitter recently, I wrote: ‘The purest beauty in life is in the ellipsis.’
Someone then asked: ‘How is an omission the purest form of beauty?’
This is the essence of minimalism. The ellipsis is the punctuation mark (…) that indicates an intentional omission. From Wikipedia: “An ellipsis can also be used to indicate a pause in speech, an unfinished thought, or, at the end of a sentence, a trailing off into silence.”
If that description doesn’t inspire thoughts of beauty in you, you might not be a minimalist.
A pause in speech is silence. Silence is one of the most profound ways to connect with your inner voice, with nature. Silence is the best part of speech.
An unfinished thought is any thought, really — if a thought is “finished” it’s dead. We are all of us in transition, all the time, and our thoughts can be no exception.
Trailing off into silence implies that there is much left unsaid … that what is said is only the start.
Intentional omission is the foundation of minimalism: we leave things out because they are unnecessary, and retain only what we need or use or love. Omitting the unnecessary is a thing of pure beauty.
…
Say less, and hear more.
Do less, and have a greater impact.
Make less noise, and appreciate the silence.
Send out fewer emails, and make each one count.
Tweet less, and each one becomes more meaningful.
Have fewer possessions, and enjoy the space.
Have fewer “friends”, but make each relationship stronger.
Appreciate the spaces between everything.
…

you need less than you think | mnmlist

It’s amazing what our culture has done to us: we have been conditioned to believe that luxuries are a necessity, that we need things that most of the world doesn’t even dream of having.

Look around your home right now (or when you get home). What do you see that’s really a necessity? What could you do without?

You already know that most of the world lives with much less than what you see around you. They’d be happy with clean water, shelter, some food. Forget about Macs or big-screen TVs or plush couches or iPhones or closets overflowing with shoes and clothes.

But we also forget that only a few generations ago, our grandparents and great-grandparents also lived with much less, and were perfectly comfortable and happy. Most people had very little other than the necessities and perhaps a radio. Not that long ago, people lived without TVs, cars, microwaves, electric stoves, computers, video game consoles, air-conditioning, washers, dish washers and more. Not that long ago, shopping malls didn’t exist, and ordering from the Sears catalog was a luxury.

What we need is very little: a few changes of clothing at most, a pair of shoes, perhaps a few toiletries (toothpaste, deodorant, soap), some food, a roof over our heads.

Consider:

  • The television: if you got rid of this, not only would you free up hours of your time, you’d spend less (on cable or DVDs). You’d have room for reading, exercise, spending time with others.
  • All your clothes: could you wear just a few items? I do, and nobody seems to care.
  • Food: instead of eating out or buying convenience food, could you pick a dozen whole foods and make a weekly menu based on it? Think: beans & rice & veggies, or whole oats with nuts & berries, or salads with nuts & beans, or fruit & nuts.
  • Furniture: what is the absolute minimum you could get by with, and still live a happy life? What are your core activities (sleeping, reading, eating?), and what do you need for each?
  • Gadgets: Once upon a time, you lived without them. What would life be like if you went back to that lifestyle? Would you have more distraction-free time?
  • The computer: OK, sure, this seems to be a necessity these days. But is it? Sometimes I wonder if I could get by with 1-2 hours of computer time a day at my local library. I really think I could, but I haven’t taken that brave leap yet.
  • The car: Many people live happily without it. It is a resource hog, uses tons of your money (and the work that goes to earn that money), contributes to global warming, is dangerous. Could you give it up someday?
  • The washer/dryer: Could you hand-wash your clothes each day? It takes about 10-15 minutes.

There are other things in your home, I’m sure, that you could reconsider. Let’s keep our minds open.

via mnmlist.com

the only thing you can change | mnmlist

You can’t change your entire life.

You can only change your next action.

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You can’t change a relationship with a loved one.

You can only change your next interaction.

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You can’t change your entire job.

You can only change your next task.

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You can’t change your body composition.

You can only change your next meal.

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You can’t change your fitness level.

You can only start moving.

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You can’t declutter your entire life.

You can only get choose to get rid of one thing, right now.

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You can’t eliminate your entire debt.

You can only make one payment, or buy one less unnecessary item.

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You can’t change the past, or control the future.

You can only change what you’re doing right now.

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You can’t change everything.

You can only change one, small thing.

And that’s all it takes.

via mnmlist.com

 

minimalist backup | mnmlist

Recently some respected bloggers & geeks have written about backing up your computer files … calling for the need to buy extra hard drives by the half dozen (example), regularly schedule backups and off-site transfers and much more.

This is the old-school computer expert lecture, and if you enjoy doing those kinds of things, that’s cool.

I actually don’t, and so I don’t do it.

What do I do instead? Here’s a simpler method:

Using this method, I’ve never lost an important file.

There’s an off-chance I might lose a scrap of information, because I’m not as anal about backing up as others. However, I’ve also realized that my data isn’t as important as I once thought, and letting others worry about backing up my files (Google, Zoho, Yahoo, Dropbox, et al) means letting go of control and letting go of those worries.

Will I lose something someday? Sure, maybe. But will it be the end of the world? No. If it takes 20 minutes to recreate something, that’ll be less than the hours I would have spent cumulatively backing things up or buying hard drives and USB thumb drives and off-line storage. If I lose a dozen photos of thousands I’ve taken, it’s not a big deal.

I’ve let go of the need to obsess about every bit of data, and with it I’ve dropped the need to obsess about backups.

via mnmlist.com