What’s the first thing you think of when you hear the word “minimalism?”  Probably hippies living in a van, people with drab austere homes, or someone who has taken a vow of poverty.

But what if I said that the concept isn’t about punishment  or denying yourself, but rather about making room for the good things in life?  Viewed this way, it’s an opportunity for you to decide what you want and then focus on that, discovering what works best for you—not everyone else.

This reminds me of a friend of mine in college.  He was a computer science major who only wore black.  Not only were all of his clothes black, but every other piece of fabric, whether towels, bathmats, or dishcloths.  Sure, part of it was that he was into the goth scene, but his main argument was that he never had to sort laundry or try to match his clothes. 

I read a story once about a woman who had a barn on her property; it might have originally belonged to another family member.  But the gist was that every Saturday was spent going through the stuff in the barn.  Sorting items into discard, reuse, selling, giving away—all her free time was spent in this outbuilding.

Then it caught fire and burned down.  Of course there were insurance issues to deal with and arranging for the debris to be hauled away, but she admitted that her very first thought on hearing the news of the fire was that of relief.  Finally she would be able to do something with her life that didn’t involve hanging out in that barn.

In a case like this, sometimes an unexpected occurrence can have positive consequences by imposing on  you a better situation than you were able to achieve on your own.  But you don’t have to wait for dramatic events to force your hand.  You can declutter your mind by making predecisions.  This could take the form of having oatmeal for breakfast on weekdays so as to streamline the morning rush.

It can be freeing to not have to constantly figure out what you are going to wear or eat, or when you are going to perform household tasks.  Then you can give your full attention to what you are currently doing, rather than have the hamster wheel of your mind turning around with everything else you could be doing.

There is an art term called negative space.  I can’t say I exactly understand it, but I think it allows you to focus more completely on what is there by taking away everything else.  In an emotional sense, you can dial in on what is important by eliminating time wasters that distract you without adding value to your life.

I like a saying that I read a while back, that instead of using one hand to carry two things, use two hands to carry one thing.  This is wise in different ways.  It can mean to be careful with physical items so that you don’t end up dropping them.  But I think it also works on a deeper level, not to be in such a rush to complete a task that you lose focus of what you are doing and why you are doing it.

Again, you have to figure out the best path for you, which means first clarifying your priorities, values, and goals.  But I will present the sage advice that the best things in life aren’t things.