Minimalism: Are you doing More with Less?
Are you doing More with Less?
Recently like many others, I’ve been overwhelmed with an immense load of work that I have committed to on multiple fronts. The COVID-19 pandemic (although unfortunate in many ways) has gotten me busier, more focused and much more productive. An important element, out of many, which has become less apparent in my daily routine is asking myself “What do I wear today?”. As ironic as it may sound, eliminating this along with many small other things can save an enormous amount of time, energy and focus, considering the decision-making dilemma one might fall in, in every single thing.
Research estimates that an adult makes somewhere around 35,000 remotely conscious decisions each day – over 200 of which are for food alone. Remember when you were about to scratch your nose the other day, but thought “Oh no, I can’t do this now”? Well by intuition, the importance of certain decisions will vary from time to time and from one person to another. One’s outfit might be crucial to their income, while another one’s critical health condition might be dependent on their diet. The key is prioritization, of course we can’t assume expect the same for everyone; it’s completely personal.
While minimalism has a lot to do with limiting the number of items owned, my focus is on the minimalistic aspects which relate to decision-making. I’m not much of a minimalist myself when it comes to limiting the number of physical items I own, in fact, not at all.
A peak into my way
Throughout the week, I pretty much standardize my routines: Food, coffee and other aspects which make my life seem boring or repetitive to many. Ask any of my friends about me and they might scream “Tierra” (a typical lunch place of mine). And one might ask why… The reality is that I love food, probably more than most people I know, but in my case, I Eat to Live during the week and Live to Eat during the weekend. So, while delicious and healthy food matter to me, I’m satisfied with sticking to a few but good options during the week which satisfy my criteria but are efficient too in terms of helping me maintain my attention and focus towards what I do best. So not only a Lean diet, but also a Lean schedule and mind.
When I went to class during study times, I would stick to the basics of what I have in my drawer. I naturally enjoy planning, and while picking what to wear can be enjoyable for me, pickiness seemed to be the enemy during times when I don’t have time (relatively); so, I would leave that (part of me) for other times, maybe weekends or special occasions. Maybe this comes from the earlier engineering parts of my career, or maybe because it’s just intuitive; I like to prioritize; I finally do, and I like to be efficient.
Minimalism by definition
The art of living more with less, one could call it. In our modern society, many people might feel pressured to represent themselves in the number or monetary value of objects they own, making them waste a ton of time, money and energy on things that do not necessarily add purposeful value to their lives, yet it depends, as this is oversimplified. Generally, minimalism reflects the true meaning of ‘less is more’.
The way I’d portray it from a decision-making perspective is something like this: Less thinking, more time; more specifically, less attention for certain things means more attention for other things. Living minimalistic(ally) means focusing on what is most important and canceling out anything that is not. So for some people, having lots of clothes could be perceived as time wasting, if they end up stuck for long periods of time trying to figure out what to wear before going anywhere and it turns out they’re losing time to do other things or make other decisions that are more valuable to them.
Minimalism and leadership
While many might think this is extreme, it has been a lifestyle for some of the most successful leaders in the corporate world, and entrepreneurs by definition. Not to mention, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg are also examples of minimalistic people. Their outfits are very simple, same thing every single day. That one choice (along with others) surely gave them more time and effort to focus on much more important aspects of their lives, Fortune 500 giants Apple and Facebook in their case, one might guess. But of course, that’s just what we see from the outside.
Apple founder, Steve Jobs, was a firm believer in minimalism and a simplifier of complexity. Not only did he apply this philosophy to his business, it also was very much part of who he was as a person. Former Apple CEO John Sculley once said in an interview:
What makes Steve’s methodology different from everyone else’s is that he always believed the most important decisions you make are not the things you do, but the things you decide not to do. He’s a minimalist. I remember going into Steve’s house, and he had almost no furniture in it. He just didn’t believe in having lots of things around, but he was incredibly careful in what he selected.
This controversial lifestyle (minimalism) has pushed many to wonder why someone would choose to ‘live with less’ when they can always have more. Simply, having a minimalistic mindset can help you focus your attention on what matters most, based on your greater purpose and what makes the biggest difference in your life.
No doubt, people have different priorities; what are yours?
If you’ve found this to be useful and/or would like to stay up-to-date with upcoming thoughts, you can subscribe to receive notifications and future updates.
