ESSENTIALISM is a simple lifestyle framework of creative lifestyle rentals that makes mindful design choices and puts life first. It also means finding the things you love and prioritizing them over material or social possessions. And, contrary to what many believe, it does not mean buying a new car.
Essentialism is an important concept for two reasons.
The first is that it’s so simple and yet powerful at the same time. It is simple to learn and easy to understand in theory, but the practical application of essentialism can be difficult to implement into your life. Simply learning the basics of essentialism and applying it into your everyday choices can require extreme effort because there are so many variable choices in every area of life. You might have to decide what you should give up, or go without certain material things; choosing instead things you truly love. In fact, you might have to decide what you love, which can be challenging.
The second reason why essentialism is so important is because it works . It’s hard, but it works. Applying essentialism into your life in practice has the potential to improve your quality of life dramatically. I hope this post will help facilitate that.
Essentialism is the simple idea that you should focus on only the things that are truly important and eliminate everything else in your life. An analogy to help understand essentialism is Kevin Kelly’s concept of the 1,000 True Fans , which boils down success to its bare essentials: To be a successful creator you need only 1,000 True Fans – fans who will purchase anything and everything you produce.
1. Minimize Distractions
Turn off your phone, notifications, and social media. Spend time with the people you love in person. Unplug from the digital world now and again, and savor life as is. Reduce input by turning off distracting things around you, like the TV or radio. This will allow your brain to process what is around you and remind yourself of what’s truly important in life—becoming more mindful of your surroundings.
2. Delegate
Don’t try to do everything yourself; share responsibilities with others. Each task you take on should be delegated. Delegate the tasks you can do better and aren’t worth your time to accomplish. There is one exception to this rule: when it’s something you can’t delegate, delegate it instead to someone else.
3. Decide What You Love
You need to make a list of things that are truly important to you, as an essentialist. These might be things like health and fitness, relationships, volunteering, learning new skills, or any other subject that interests you. Then choose only some of these things to prioritize over others. Make a list and stick with your list; don’t let something fall off the top of your list if you see another option that is equally or more important than it. This is a bit of a personal journey. Your choices will depend on your personal life and interests, but the general idea is to prioritize the things you love and eliminate everything else.
4. Eliminate Distractions
An essentialist’s life is simple and focused on his or her interests. The fewer distractions in life, the better we can focus on achieving our goals and dreams. We should evaluate our lives and decide if we really need all of these stuff, events, or commitments that are distracting us when we could be doing something that fulfills us more—or something completely different. If it doesn’t contribute to your true priorities in life, cut it out!
5. Buy Less
If you want to be an essentialist, there is one way to do it—to buy less. Stop buying stuff you don’t need, but will be keeping in your home. Don’t let this become a lifestyle but instead a choice for the sake of revival of your life and what’s truly important—your soul.
6. Cultivate Relationships
Families, partners, friends, and other family members should be at the top of an essentialist’s list (if they are not already there). These people are important to your well-being and happiness. Cultivate relationships and make sure you spend time with the people you love, including your friends and family.
7. Backup Your Data
An essentialist’s life is simple and focused on his or her interests. The fewer distractions in life, the better we can focus on achieving our goals and dreams. We should evaluate our lives and decide if we really need all of these stuff, events, or commitments that are distracting us when we could be doing something that fulfills us more—or something completely different. If it doesn’t contribute to your true priorities in life, cut it out! Go through your digital data files like email, texts, contacts, apps data etc., delete what no longer serves you and stick with what does.
Summary:
Essentialism is a very powerful lifestyle framework that can drastically improve your quality of life. There are thousands of articles, books, and resources on essentialism; this post was just a brief introduction. If you haven’t already, try applying this to your life and see how your quality of life improves. I believe it will.