minimalism: is less truly more? – part 2

Continued from part 1

6. More flexibility: With freedom also comes flexibility. Instead of working for long hours, we can shorten our work hours and spend more quality time with our partner or our children. We can work on projects that truly align with us and add immense value to other people’s lives with the flexibility that we don’t get in a regular job.

7. More clarity: Minimalism helps us get rid of excess and a great side benefit of this is that we uncover our core values in this process. To paraphrase The Minimalists, our short-term actions start aligning with our long-term values. We get a better understanding of our identity and we discover what activities, commitments, friendships and relationships add value to our lives. We decipher what we truly enjoy and what matters to us the most. 

8. More tidiness: The less we own, the less we need to put away, organize and clean. With less things, we also end up avoiding the mess those things would have created. With less stuff around, cleaning and tidying up becomes faster and easier as we spend less time and effort in dusting, mopping, vacuuming etc.

9. More efficiency and productivity: With less things around vying for our attention, and with better organization, the speed with which we do our tasks and household chores increases drastically. We spend less time and still finish all the work efficiently. Our productivity skyrockets.

10. More self-worth: We realize that what we own doesn’t determine our identity and our character. We begin to understand that our words and actions communicate to the world what kind of person we are, not our stuff. What we own or do not own has no correlation with who we truly are. We become cognizant of the truth that our self-worth is intrinsic and cannot be measured by our material possessions. When we cut the cord between our perception of self worth and the stuff we own, we give ourselves the opportunity to become confident in who we are and cultivate self-reliance.