While reading up on other travelers for tips and inspiration I discovered a few bloggers who we’re talking about minimalism and described how it helped them focus on what they want, made it easier to travel and simplified their life. Some of these minimalists own as few as 75 things some are able to take everything they have with them and live anywhere. I started seeing some wisdom and how this philosophy might help me attain my goals for sustained travel. I am not quite ready to throw away all my worldly possessions but I did want to find a way to ‘try on’ minimalism so I decided on doing some minimalism experiments; The first one has to do with clothing.
I define minimalism as the opportunity to experience more by having and consuming less. One of the way I have lowered my consumption was by limiting the amount of television I watched. I found a few shows that I enjoy watching and are worth my time. I watch them only when it’s convenient for me, at all other time my television stays off. If I want to watch something to just veg out I throw on one of the podcasts I subscribe to. As a last resort I put on the Food Network for background noise because I can pick up a thing or two about cooking and it isn’t something I can just sit and watch, it’s easy to shut off. I have also drastically lowered the amount of information bombardment by reducing the number of people I follow on Twitter down to those I communicate with regularly and who improves my lifestyle. Since doing this I have found that I am more productive and my world feels calmer. There are fewer distractions and I can focus on the important things in my life.
I wanted to experience a taste of actually having less so I decided to try a clothing experiment. For the next month I am limiting myself to only one week’s worth of clothing. I took my favorite seven shirts (I have so many t-shirts it’s not even funny), seven pairs of underwear and socks, and a few pairs of pants and shorts and put them in my drawers. Everything else has gone into garbage bags that I am storing. If I go a month without missing anything I plan to donate the bags.
By trying this experiment I’m hoping to become more mindful of my belongings and find it easier to keep myself organized. I would like to point out that this experiment is just that, an experiment which I hope will improve my life. I’ve mentioned minimalism a few times and have gotten questions from my friends asking if I am alright. I am not taking a vow of poverty or giving away my stuff for no reason. I just want to find out what kind of lifestyle fits me best.
As always, thanks for reading! If you want some more information on Minimalism check out mnmlist, Far Beyond The Stars, and Ridiculously Extraordinary. What do you think about minimalism? Could you do it? What are the things you could never give up? I’d love to hear from you!
“Untitled” by miemo, available under a Creative Commons Attribution license. © 2006, miemo.
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Hey Scott!
This is awesome! I’m calling it like Ruth and stating that this experiment will be a great success.
Karol
Karol,
Thanks! Just being able to clean out my drawers (not to mention my floor) has put me in a happier mood.
~Scott
Wow, thanks for the mention Scott.
I’ve been living with 7 days of clothing for over 6 months now, and I find it very liberating. I used to find that I’d have one week where I wore all of my cool stuff, and the next week I’d wear my semi-cool stuff, and the 3rd week I’d be wearing all dumpy clothes. Now all I have is ultra-cool clothing to wear every day! Then laundry on Sundays.
Good luck with your minimalist experiments. Let me know how they go.
Everett
Everett,
Not a problem, your site is great. The amount of band t-shirts I have is pretty unreasonable I have like 12 shirts from one band alone. Now I’m just sticking with the cool shit I picked up on Woot.com! No reason I can’t still be stylish, right?
~Scott
That sounds like a good idea. I don’t think I would have a problem with the clothing part since I’m usually in a uniform for most of the week, but the idea makes sense. Besides being more relaxing, it’s also saving you money since you don’t go out buying more stuff all the time. Good luck with your experiment!
Hey Tina!
Thanks for checking out my site! I’ve also elected to keep my uniform’s for the fire department and my ambulance company, but yea back when I was slaving away best buy I spent most of my life in the same shirts and pants, I used to dread putting them on.
~Scott
Hey Scott –
Very interesting. Good luck on your experiment!!
I can honestly say that after reading your blog, there are probably a ton of clothes that I can give away because I’m always wearing the same thing anyway. This opened my eyes, for sure.
Diane,
I’m excited to donate the clothes I’m giving up, I’ve never really donated clothes before. It’ll feel good to help.
Thank you so much for the comment, it means a lot!
~Scott
A few years ago I moved from a 3 bedroom house with tons of storage to a 1 bedroom apartment with my 2 younger children. It was a liberating experience.
I took only what we needed and life became simple. I could always borrow something from a friend if I really needed something. There was less clutter surrounding me and it uncluttered my mind at the same time.
I still have just about 8 days worth of clothes, enough to fit in the hamper and not overflow. Once a week to the laundromat and it’s all done in 1 1/2 hours and all put away. I can them spend time doing other things, like reading your blog or writing my own. Simplicity at its best!
Scott, you are an amazing work in progress. Thanks for sharing your incredibly expanding journey.
Barbara,
Thank you. Everyone has been very supportive so far which is making these transitions a little easier for me. Simplicity is fantastic.
~Scott
I like your tips… im going to try it and let you know.
tks
Mike
Thanks Mike! I’d love to hear about it. It really was an eye opener for me. I’m currently working on an eBook that has tons more experiments like this one for people to try. Should be out in early january so check back if you are interested.
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