meaningful life

If you are reading this, congratulations on surviving 2020, The Year that can easily beat some of the best-written stories ever in recorded history. We all realized stepping into the new year and decade that we have been living with too much baggage. Accumulating stuff that is not required and hardly used. One of the most extensively used phrases, “Less is more,” is true not only in architecture but also in all aspects of life. Similarly, “More is Less” too. Disagree? Let’s dig in further.

Less Is More – What Does It Actually Mean?

If we ask a group of 10 people, what is the meaning of “Less is More”? Most likely, everyone will have their own perception and understanding. Does it mean being satisfied with less, living poorly, or having no ambition in life? No. In fact, it’s the other way around. It actually means we focus on quality rather than quantity. Let’s take an example. You must have made a To-DO list at some point in time; some of you may regularly use it, especially in professional life.

Suppose you note down ten items in your To-Do list, and at the end of the day, can cross only three out of ten. Naturally, you will feel that you could not accomplish much; make a mental note that it was not a good day (30 percent is not productive by any standards, right?)

The next day, you decide to improvise and keep the four most urgent and important tasks on your TO-Do list. Yes, you have five more tasks, but they are not a top priority and perhaps can be delegated or pushed ahead. When you sit down in the evening, you have crossed out all tasks on your To-Do list. How will you feel? Happy, Delighted, a sense of accomplishment will run through your mind.

Two simplest examples to understand why “less is more” and “more is less.”

Less Is More – Who Said It?

The saying was made popular by minimalist architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Interestingly, the phrase or idiom is more than a century old. The corporate and Advertising industry latched onto it, and it’s been used (rather abused). Do you notice the irony here? Advertising is all about selling more and more. With industrial revolutions and economies based on consumerism, we kept getting more and more choices. Today the same choice, freedom, has become counterproductive, even choking our minds.

The Paradox of Choice

A few years ago, I coined an oxymoron, “Kind Manager.” The intention was to convey Managers can’t be Kind (which is obviously not accurate). However, it’s not the case with a choice. The more options you have more confused you become. There have been many experiments done, and hence it’s a scientifically proven fact.

Often, we go shopping and return back with a lot of stuff that was never on the shopping list, especially when it comes to buying clothes. The opposite also happens when we cannot choose what’s best due to too many choices and come back empty-handed (well, at least we saved money). The point is, too many options may not be a good thing; we end up either making a wrong choice or can’t decide at all. Now think of buying a car or a milk packet. There are options, which is a great thing, however very few, and hence making a choice is way more comfortable.

“Minimalism is asking why before you buy.”

― Francine Jay

I read another interesting example in “The Art of Thinking Clearly” by Rolf Dobelli. It mentions how it was easy to choose life partners before the digital era versus in the age of dating apps and matrimonial websites. Today people have to choose from hundreds of great looking profiles. Hence they keep looking for perfect partners for years. What we forget is “perfection is a myth.”

You may find many examples in our daily lives, like the television. Initially, we just had a couple of channels, and it was fun watching “Any” movie on a Sunday evening. Now, we have reached the stage of “who watches TV anyway.” Gradually people are moving towards minimalism as a way of life.

Minimalism – Declutter and Reorganize

The concept of minimalism is all about leading a simple lifestyle. During the last decade, many have adopted minimalism as a way of life. Having a minimalist lifestyle means getting rid of excess stuff and enjoy life based on experiences rather than materials we possess. Having fewer financial expenses and burdens like debts, credit card bills to worry about. Does that mean we shouldn’t have credit cards at all? Not necessarily; how about getting rid of four out of five you have and keep just one that gives you maximum benefits or reward points.

“I’ve learned that minimalism is not about what you own, it’s about why you own it.”

― Brian Gardner

Being a minimalist basically means to be simple. If you like keeping things simple, you are already a Minimalist. One can start by making a list of household items they won’t use in the next three months? Or perhaps have not used it in the last three months and get rid of it. It’s similar to cleaning up your mobile phones with unnecessary apps.

Once we declutter and get rid of excess baggage, we can reorganize the things according to our actual needs and start seeing the benefits.

Doesn’t That Make Us Less Ambitious?

This is a valid question. What is our ambition, though? to succeed in life, do what we like doing, give time to our loved ones, live a healthy and stress-free life, contribute to society’s welfare, and so on. Living a simpler life gives us more clarity and time. We become mindful and focused on living a better quality of life. Remember, it’s about getting rid of unnecessary stuff, not important things or aspects of life. You still work hard, earn money, lead a purposeful life. You should also check this article on slow living

“The more you know, the less you need.”

― Yvon Chouinard, Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman

So what’s your take, ready to declutter or already started? Do share examples and thoughts that may help others live a simple and genuinely effective life!