10 Minimalism Life Hacks You’ve Never Heard of.
6 min readJul 23, 2021
- Consider the Climate of Where you Live: Warmer climates require fewer clothes. While living in a tropical place such as Hawaii, I needed less attire than in a cold location. Requirements were: Undergarments, shorts, t-shirt/tank-top, flip flops, sunglasses, swim-shorts. That’s all folks — Six articles of clothing. Where as in a cold climate, a person needs many more. Shoes, boots, socks, long underwear, pants, snow pants, long sleeve, hoodie, jacket, winter coat, hat, gloves, scarf and the list goes on. A minimum of ten plus items in a cold place. Nearly double what is needed in a warm area. The climate where you reside dictates the amount of clothes necessary to own.
- Flip-Flops: I never wore flip flops until I was 27. Now I wear them daily. Minimalism benefits? No socks, no laces, no tying, no sweaty feet. Slide them on, slide them off. Feeling warm and cold air on your feet is healthy for you, they give your feet a tan and can heighten your senses with a brisk breeze over your toes. There is also a pressure point in-between your big toe and second toe. This area helps improve vision, sinuses, kidneys and leg cramps.
- White Clothes: Some people think I’m crazy for this one, but I’ve decided to forgo the ownership of white clothes. In the past I’ve enjoyed a blank white tee in the summer but I disliked having to do two separate loads of laundry — One for whites, another for darks. It took twice the amount of time, supplies and effort. I’m sure some people throw all their whites and darks in the same load, I used to do that myself. Alas in time my whites became discolored and so I began washing them separately. That became twice the work and time. Now I only have one load: darks/colors. I prefer to keep it quick and simple that way.
- Reduce your Hobbies: This one is difficult, but it’s true. Having many hobbies will require various of items per each hobby. The more activities you pursue, the more items will you have. Letting go of some hobbies was really challenging for me because I enjoyed each venture for different reasons. However once I recognized that I didn't want to be overwhelmed with the items needed to do all these different activities, it was easier for me to reduce my hobbies. Start with considering the past-times you only do on occasion, that don’t love deeply, or those that are continued out of habit. If we stop and take a moment to ponder if we truly enjoy designating time towards that skill, we may find we don’t actually want to spend time with it. For me, this eventually became skateboarding. I skated for ten years and at a certain point I began to ask myself, do I really enjoy the practice of flipping this board of wood below my feet? Is there something more useful I can do with my time? Another way to go about this is to rent the item, borrow it, or make friends with another person who owns it. For example, I enjoy slack-lining, but I don’t need to own one myself. I’ve made friends who have this device and it’s better to spend that time with people anyway. Therefore I can still enjoy that activity while being social.
- Create Less: This may be an unpopular opinion. Especially for artists, creators and makers. However I can speak on this because spent many years producing works of art. Lets first talk physical works; paintings, paper drawings, sculptures, printed photographs, wood-metal-plastic installation type works, jewelry, 3D prints, etc. The moment you create a new work, you did just that — willed a new possession into existence. Now I’m not telling you to stop being creative or making art. I’m just thinking from the perspective of a minimalist. Creating an artwork also leads to the attachment of it. The “I created this” mentality. Sometimes that makes it even harder to let it go. Consider if what you’re creating will be important or useful to you or someone else before manifesting it. Theres always the benefit of selling or gifting the item to another person, especially when your livelihood is derived from these creations. As a minimalist, the amount or style of creation is something to consider.
- Item Weight: If you truly want to live a minimalist or “ultra-light” lifestyle, weight is very important to reflect on. Sometimes I imagine this ridiculous picture in my head — An image of myself carrying every item I own on my back, wrapped in a huge sack. Its back-breaking! Or at least it used to be. Nowadays that massive pack has become much lighter and smaller. I’m more free to travel at a moments notice, make a run for it and move swiftly without the burden of possessions weighing me down. When purchasing an item, especially if it’s something you intend to carry many places — look into the specs before swiping that credit card. Check the weight. Think about that imaginary pack that could be weighing you down. Do you really want to carry that? Is there a lighter version available? Think it over.
- Item Size: Similar to weight, the size of an item is important. For example, carrying a 500-page paper book vs a kindle. The physical space of the paper book takes up space. Think about fitting that into a suitcase when you travel. A large printed book could become a burden, particularly if you don’t even read it. Another example is camera gear. Lets imagine you’re a photographer and you have tons of equipment (like I used to have). How does one even begin to be a minimalist with all these large cameras, lenses, lights, flash, stands, and more. Instead, get a small — high quality camera phone or action camera. All in one. Re-think the format.
- Batteries: Nowadays there are many electronics that have built-in rechargeable batteries. I made it a goal to let go of all my items that required physical batteries to power such devices. Even having rechargeable external batteries such as AA or AAA require owning a rechargeable battery charger. Another extra item. Plus the weight of having 4–8 batteries with you is around one added pound. No bueno. I omitted all my electronics that required external batteries and now only own items that have a rechargeable battery built in. It is 2021 after-all.
- Plants: Some of you will eat me alive like a Venus Fly Trap for this, maybe even stop reading. Thats why I put this near the end… Once upon a time I owned dozens of plants. Eventually I understood that plants require a lot of subsidiaries; soil, pots, water trays, watering can, spray bottle, small shovel, plant food, time, attention, care. You cant travel out of town for 2 weeks if you have plants, they will die. You may be able to find someone to take care of your plants, but then they become a burden to another person. Now don't get me wrong, I love plants, they provide great energy to a home, oxygen, clean air, health, as well as improve the Feng Shui. Instead of possessing them myself, I’ve decided to enjoy plants outdoors, in nature, at a conservatory or a garden, to go out and experience a nature bath. Take a walk through the Garden of Eden with a loved one. Rather than being the one to collect them in my home. Plants are demanding in their own way, respectively. Actually though, maybe you should own a few plants. Go ahead, I would never tell you not to, in fact most times I would suggest it.
- Shiny Object Syndrome: This was a pattern of mine and one that most of us struggle with. Something new in society was developed. Something shiny caught my eye. A new hobby, new technology, a new game, a new social media platform, a new way to make money, a new pair of shoes, the list goes on and on. Actually it never ends. There will always be something new that glimmers in a direction that isn’t on the path that you’re taking. It will distract you, it will pull your focus out of the way. It may deter you, you might spend money or time chasing this new shiny object. Only to realize that you were redirected and lost track of the goal you were already pursuing. Recognize Shiny Object Syndrome. We’re nearly all at fault of it. Society is based on triggering your cravings for something new. While new can be important, useful, exciting, entertaining… it can also greatly distract you from the direction you were heading.
