does minimalism work: will minimalism make you content with your stuff?

does minimalism work: will minimalism make you content with your stuff?

Hey y'all, in today's video I'm answering the question: does minimalism make you content? Contentment is one of things that minimalism promises and today I'm talking about whether I think that's true.

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[erikaherrmann]

I’m only a few minutes into this video so far, but one thing you kind of touched on and I find to often be true is that people who love stuff and have too much of it are really drawn to minimalism because it seems like a solution to their problems, but it can actually turn into the same problem but in reverse: instead of obsessing over having the most stuff, people now obsess over having the least stuff and optimizing every purchase. To me, this seems like the same problem just flipped

[MarushkaFoxy]

Your video format makes me so happy. It's like listening to a seminar but also like talking to a friend.

[alexandrah]

I feel like true minimalists never thought to buy more stuff in the first place 😂 The people like that in my life do NOT see it as an aesthetic choice and frankly their spaces don’t look “cultivated” because they’re just not stuff/aesthetics oriented.

I don’t consider myself a minimalist, but I have minimalist tendencies. No one could look at my six tea pots and tea paraphernalia and say I was a minimalist. What I have found useful is that it provides me with rules to stop buying. Just yesterday, I had the impulse to buy a new red lipstick, but then I told myself, you have three at home, and that’s more than enough for what you need. Four would not make me happier. I think focusing more on “what is enough?” is more important than minimalism itself. For me, six teapots is my right amount (for all sizes, types of tea, tea cultures I participate in, etc) and when I got a new tea pot, I decided to let one go that I didn’t love as much and fulfilled the same need. Often, aesthetics (how much stuff fits reasonably in my space) helps define those rules.

So sometimes I make do with what I have, sometimes I get something new and get rid of the old, and sometimes I just get something new and add it on. I think part of gathering wisdom is developing nuanced perspectives, because life itself is complicated.

[erikaherrmann]

I really appreciate your take on this. I agree that contentment often lies somewhere in the middle. For example, I have 27 lipsticks. Will I use them all to completion before they go bad? Probably not. However, I have tried having a small collection of 5-10 and putting the others away in a box to see how a capsule collection would feel and I felt significantly less satisfied with the experience of putting on my makeup and the variety of looks I was able to create. 25-30 is my personal sweet spot (or contentment number, if you will) for lipsticks and even though that might be a lot to some people, it’s perfect for me

[michiru]

I appreciated your commentary about the dangers of minimalism. I definitely agree with your thoughts about the cycle of decluttering and buying. But I feel like there can be value, especially for over-shoppers, in minimalism (e.g., in decluttering). I don’t think you want to go extreme minimalist, but the idea that decluttering can create space or rid a person of baggage, I have found it to be true. I think the declutters make starker the buy-declutter cycle and can provide extra incentive to quit buying. In a way, perhaps it can be a stage between extreme shopping and a no-buy.

I was surprised you did not discuss no-buys in this video, as I felt like the no-buy mirrored your complaints about minimalism. However, I appreciated your focus on contentment in this video, as I think it cuts to the chase on the end goal. That being said, I think that stuff can negatively impact on ones contentment, and I would suspect people who are drawn to minimalism are experiencing that. I did appreciate your mention of Marie Kondo’s work in that respect.

[Jennifer-nzss]

This was great! I'm decluttering right now because I'm moving in November. I don't have much but I've bought more than I need and it's to much. I feel it. So I know I need to sort and declutter before I move.

[coffeecotton]

Could you please link/pin the link to your video on happiness/contentment. I appreciated this video very much. Thank you

[kat_thefruitbat]

Amazing video, as always!! ❤️🤗 I definitely agree with all your points! Last year I discovered the idea of minimalism and, like you, eventually noticed how many of its various interpretations negatively differ in comparison to Marie Kondo’s healthy/intentional approach to our belongings. I unsubscribed from every minimalist YouTuber who focuses on things and decluttering. The very few people I’m still subscribed to have a more simplistic, practical take on minimalism, like the one you live by and talk about— making use of and appreciating what you already have, finding contentment within yourself, and making intentional decisions. There is one other thing I noticed before unsubscribing to many minimalism YouTubers, and it definitely fits within the excellent points you’ve made—— The people who had a “declutter first” approach to minimalism seemed to be getting a “high” from decluttering on repeat…and they seemed to be using it to replace the “high” they used to get from shopping ((in other words, they’re maybe using decluttering to bury a shopping addiction, which ends up forming a decluttering addiction)). “The Minimal Mom” is the first person I noticed this behavior in. It’s messed up in so many ways, and I also noticed that most “declutter addicts” don’t GAF about environmental and social responsibility when it comes to the things they’re “decluttering” (i.e. sending unexpired food and recyclable materials to landfill).

[ros]

Such great content. I think minimalism has some ideas that are useful for many people:
- Keeping what serves your current life (not your past life or a fantasy life that you never intend to actually live)
- less stuff usually means more time, more space, less work, less expense.
- Minimalism is not an end in itself, it is a way to make time and space for a more cohesive and meaningful life.

[crystalwaters]

I love your calm demeanour!❤ you're delivery of facts is on point!😎🔥

[maddie]

I overall like the idea of minimalism, but I entirely agree that the fact it's focused on material items is somewhat counter productive to those looking to free themselves from that. Also, the main thing I see people talk to in reference to it is dramatic decluttering. Some proponents of minimalism will try to convince people that anything you don't currently use is clutter that's physically and mentally toxic. But that's not always true, and there are some items that holding onto will actually save you from spending more money and creating more waste later. A good example for me is holding onto some clothing items when they become too big or too small, because my body does tend to vary within a few sizes.

Also, I do think that when people focus so much on decluttering they can forget the big picture. Freeing up space can make people feel even more comfortable with shopping to re-fill that space, even subconsciously.

[melanieneill]

Hi from sunny California! New fan here… this video really resonated with me. I totally went on the minimalism band wagon only to realize how much I was stressing all the time about stuff. Minimalism became rigid and toxic. Love the Pinterest images but not realistic at all (wouldn’t it be nice if everyone owned beautiful neutral Scandi furniture and only wore organic linen?!)

I love crafting and I love my stuff and it took me a while to not feel shame about making stuff all the time!

Anywho, I’m looking forward to watching more videos!!

[janinemcgowan]

The comment about the capsule wardrobe was very much on point. I wanted to buy all the clothes to look like the ladies on YouTube however I realised I am a bigger lady and I wouldn't look like they would in video...so I looked at what I had and made my own...it took a while and there were hits and misses but I am starting to be more content when I look at my wardrobe ❤

[jessicacox]

I could not agree more, I have really found minimalism focus on stuff is like the other side of the same coin!

[laralikesmascara]

Yay I'm so glad I have all these new Shawna videos to catch up on ☺ ps. your flowers in the background are so pretty!!

[ros]

Shawna I wish you would do a commentary video on Goodbye Things by Fumio Sasaki. I think minimalism helps me feel content because it shifts my focus from hunting for future stuff to being with what I already have. I am almost purely utilitarian about my clothes but I am keep wondering if overshopping is because people are looking for their clothes to do something they can't do?