Minimalism 101 —The 3 Consumption Commandments You Need
Small Is Sexy
After being a self confessed minor hoarder for a long time, on an impulse I moved into a 15 square metre apartment 2 years ago, ready to live minimalism and the rule of William Morris -
Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.
I thought 15 square metres might help keep the always encroaching Affluenza that grips urban centres like Sydney at bay. Affluenza is a disease of consumption. This term was first coined in 2001 a book of the same name and defined as
“a painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition
of overload, debt, anxiety and waste
resulting from the dogged pursuit of more”
The Affluenza virus can manifest in many ways.
It’s that feeling you get after driving around your new car for a year, when you start to think about when you can upgrade.
It’s having a blue shirt in your cupboard that you never worn.
It’s when you have so much stuff in garage, you to park car on the street.
It’s when you would list “shopping” under hobbies and interests.
It’s the rush of retail therapy. It’s credit card debt accumulated Westfield.
It’s that insidious dissatisfaction.
It’s keeping up with the Joneses.
The 3 Consumption Commandments To Save You
It took a while to get here, and I failed in these quite a few times, but I am sure these 3 commandments saved me from a life of OCD hoarding and over consumption!
“NEVER SHOP WITHOUT A LIST.”
Yes this applies to bricks & mortar or online. Saves being tricked by retailers into buying things you don’t want!
”DON’T DUPLICATE, INSTEAD REPLACE.”
AKA the 1 in, 1 out rule. If you already have a pair of black shoes, either replace the ones your have or don’t get any new ones. This will really help you consider properly if you need something new.
“USE IT OR LOSE IT!”
If you haven’t used it in the last 365 days, it is time to lose it. Schedule an annual review in your calendar and be ruthless ☺.
Less is definitely more.
