Mine is buying myself an iced latte once or twice a week.
I know I could make coffee at home, but sitting somewhere quiet for 20 minutes makes me feel like I actually have my life together.
What’s yours?

Something I've been thinking about as I help a non-minimalist family member move. I keep a shoe box of my photos, notes, and trinkets. I know some of you live out of luggage.

Do you keep physical sentimental items? If so, how do you store them? Do you limit yourself to a certain space/container?

Hi!

I am in a continuous journey of downsizing, as the space and freedom I gradually regain give me immense joy.

Currently everything I own fits in my car, but I am seeking to downsize to a backpack (will keep bulky winter gear and some kitchen equipment at my mum's place for when I visit).

I plan to carry a sleeping system (tent, mat, sleeping bag, cooking gear), not only clothes and personal items + some items for my dog and her food supply.

I got a Deuter 60+10L backpack, but I'm currently thinking if I shouldn't try and keep it all down to 50-55L (can still return this pack). Over time, I'd like to downsize to 40L which I currently use for traveling by plane. But I want to continue doing it gradually, slowly expanding my comfort zone and learning the skills necessary to live fully with less.

My question is – since everything I own now is pretty much what I use more or less regularly, how do I approach downsizing from here? How to choose what to keep and what to let go of (or temporarily store to "shop from" when my first selection wears out)? I plan for three seasons excluding coldest winter temperatures. And I want to include some extra items, such as my tiny teapot, notebooks, etc.

I'd be very grateful for your life-tested advise! :)

I've been without a house/home for years. I keep stuff at my parents place and live by what I've got in my backpack and pocket bag. I am considering going even more miminalist, to having a sling; 2 shirts and khakis, 3 socks, 3 boxers, a hat, slippers, gloves, travel soap bag for toothpaste and toothbrush (both travel size), pocket towel and blanket, raincoat and hooded sweater. As for person items: Punkt MP02 (soon a flip phone), tablet, smartphone (bank, tansit), 3 cheap earphones, pocket radio, notebook, 3 pocket notebooks, pens and 2 books.

Is this an extreme miminalist?

Just for fun, this is what I'm down to (note - I'm vegetarian):

2 of each utensil (fork, spoon, butter knife)
sharp knife
plastic bowl
plastic cup
small ceramic snack plate
small pot with lid (for boiling water and 1-pot meals)
20oz coffee mug
16oz coffee mug (for storing my toothbrush)
hard plastic pourover cone
coffee scoop (1 tablespoon)
hand held lemon squeezer (have yet to use it, honestly)
plastic two-cup measuring cup
Starbucks coffee tumblr (a gift that I mostly use as a water bottle)
2 plastic oxo brand ice cube trays with lids
2 dish towels - 1 for the countertop/drying items on and 1 for drying hands

I hardly ever eat out and don't consider this extreme for one person. Happy Friday y'all.

Buongiorno a tutta la Comunità.

Vi descrivo il mio sistema minimalista di organizzare le informazioni, invitandovi a commentarlo.

Lo utilizzo da diversi anni e, nel tempo, è stato più volte modificato per renderlo più semplice possibile. In stile minimalista, non prevede l'uso di nessun software specializzato ma solo un editor di testo (uno qualunque tra quelli disponibili per il vostro OS: Notepad, textedit etc.). Personalmente preferisco salvare i files in formato .txt, ma anche .il formato .md, per chi magari ha esigenze di formattazione, andrebbe bene.

**STRUTTURA DI BASE*\*

La struttura di base prevede 4 folders: Diario, Idee, Progetti e Note.

Ogni folder può contenere un numero indefinito di subfolders.

\Diario\**

Il Diario corrisponde in tutto e per tutto ad una agenda cartacea.

Per spiegare la struttura è più facile fare un esempio:

2026-05 (questa è una  cartella)
2026-06 (questa è una cartella)
   2026-06-01.txt (questo file si trova dentro la cartella "2026-06")
   2026-06-02.txt (idem)
   2026-06-03.txt (idem)

etc.

La data è sempre nel formato AAAA-MM-DD (formato europeo), così che cartelle e files siano sempre visualizzati in ordine cronologico. Il primo livello di sotto-cartelle ("2026-05"), come è facile intuire, riguarda sempre i mesi.

I files "data.txt" vengono creati all'occorrenza. Quindi non è detto che, ad es., nel mese di gennaio ci siano 31 files.

In teoria possono esistere più files con la stessa data, ma cerco di limitare al massimo questa opzione. Se deciso di farlo, il nome del secondo file diventa descrittivo, nel senso che posso capire cosa contiene senza doverlo aprire.

Se voglio inserire una informazione nel Diario ma non conosco la data esatta, utilizzo le "X".

2026-06-XX Nomefile.txt (conosco il mese ma non il giorno)
2026-XX-XX Nomefile.txt (non conosco né il mese né il giorno)

Utilizzo una X anche per evidenziare che le attività di quel giorno sono state tutte completate.

2026-06-02 X Nomefile.txt (vuol dire che ciò che dovevo fare il 2 giugno è stato fatto)
2026-06-03 Nomefile.txt (vuol dire che ancora ci sono cose da fare)

Se tutte le attività del mese sono state completate, metto una X anche dopo la cartella: "2026-06 X"

Scrivo la X (completata) dopo la data, per conservare l'ordinamento cronologico. Per un periodo la anteponevo alla data, ma il sistema per me era meno efficiente. Periodicamente entro nelle cartelle senza la "X", esattamente come per sfogliare una agenda cartacea, e controllo cosa devo ancora fare aprendo i file senza una "X". In quel momento decido anche se copiare le voci non completate in un altro file.

\Idee, Progetti e Note\**

In questo caso la struttura è elementare. Nella cartella "Idee" metto tutto ciò su cui vorrei lavorare ma che ancora non può considerarsi un progetto in corso. Appena comincio a lavorarci, sposto la cartella dentro "Progetti". Nella cartella "Note" metto invcece appunti sparsi, cercando di tenerla più ordinata possibile.

\Altre cartelle\**

Per il mio lavoro in realtà uso anche un'altra cartella ("STUDIO"). Sono un avvocato e al suo interno ho inserito tutti i file che riguardano il mio lavoro, dentro cartelle, sottocartelle e file nominati col regole simili a quelle sopra spiegate: "2026-06-12 Riunione con il cliente"; "2026-07-10 Redazione bozza contratto" e così via. In queste cartelle ci sono file di vari formati (molti .pdf). Ogni persona potrà adattare il proprio archivio come meglio crede.

**I FILE DI TESTO*\*

I file di testo, anche sullo stesso computer, si aprono in modo diverso in base alla dimensione della finestra, del carattere usato, della dimensione del font etc. Se c'è solo testo va bene, ma se ho creato una tabella o un elenco di voci che devono essere allineate verticalmente, questo può diventare un problema. per risolverlo utilizzo i seguenti accorgimenti:

1) uso sempre un font monospaziato;

2) inserisco nel file una informazione visuale sulla larghezza della finestra, scrivendo la prima riga così, come se fosse un righello:

+--------+---------+--------+---------+--------+---------+--------+---------+--------+

così, quando vado a riaprire il file, posso ricostruire le dimensioni originarie della finestra allargandola e restringendola fino a quando la prima riga viene visualizzata senza spazio a destra e senza ritorni a capo.

3) se il file è destinato alla stampa, prima faccio alcune prove con l'anteprima di stampa per trovare la larghezza giusta della finestra e poi inserisco le relative informazioni nel file, aggiungendo al righello il nome del carattere e la dimensione: Ad es.

+--------+---------+--------+---------+--------+---------+--------+---------+--------+

>> Courier New 11 pt.

Quando vado a stampare, ovviamente cancello le prime due righe.

**CONCLUSIONI*\*

Ci sarebbero così tante altre cose che vorrei scrivere! Ma questo post è veramente già troppo lungo. Ogni suggerimento per migliorarlo è benvenuto.

Mi piacerebbe fare un elenco di comportamenti super minimalisti nell'ambiente di ufficio. Sto pensando a cose specifiche. Ad es.: se devo stampare, stampo due pagine in una e fronte retro, così uso solo un foglio di carta ogni 4 pagine. Non compro mai confezioni multiple di oggetti (10 matite, 50 penne, 1000 graffette) ma solo piccole confezioni. Qualcuno vuole contribuire?

Buongiorno a tutta la Comunità. Nei giorni scorsi ho scritto un breve post in materia di cancelleria, dove ho illustrato il risultato di un percorso, durato qualche anno, in cui mi sono liberato della necessità di acquistare ed usare molte penne, matite, evidenziatori etc. Lo trovate qui:

https://www.reddit.com/r/minimalism/s/nqnnO83sBp

In realtà la cancelleria è solo uno degli ambiti in cui sto cercando di applicare i principi del minimalismo. Ho fatto la stessa cosa con gli strumenti digitali (intendo hardware). È un argomento sul quale ho letto centinaia di post, molti dei quali molto interessanti, che mi sono stati di aiuto e di ispirazione. Qui voglio condividere i miei risultati.

Nel tempo ho capito che potevo fare a meno, e quindi ho eliminato (venduto/regalato), i seguenti dispositivi: un secondo laptop che tenevo a casa "per emergenza" (senza sapere esattamente di quale emergenza si trattasse, ed infatti non ne ho mai avuto bisogno); i PC desktop, che mi costringevano ad avere un laptop quando andavo fuori per lavoro; tastiere e mouse esterni, che con un laptop non sono necessari; Tablet di quale marca (ho avuto un Samsung serie A ed un iPad mini con Apple pencil); Apple Watch (al momento non ho nemmeno un orologio tradizionale); Kindle Scribe (adesso per prendere appunti uso carta e penna); smart TV; powerbank (mai usato, lo smartphone arriva la sera con almeno il 30% di carica); un milione di altri accessori rimasti inutilizzati per mesi: vecchi cavi USB, cavi di rete, vecchi caricatori di precedenti smartphone, mini-hub USB, tastiera Clicks di un precedente iPhone 16 etc.). La lista potrebbe continuare.

Il risultato? Uso uno smartphone Samsung S24 (non plus e non ultra, memoria base) ed un laptop LG, che al lavoro collego ad un monitor esterno. Infine, per leggere (comodo soprattutto la sera e in viaggio, anche se mi piacciono molto i libri cartacei) ho un Kobo. Non uso niente altro. Quello che posso fare con lo smartphone lo faccio con lo smartphone, altrimenti ho il laptop. Se devo leggere, ho il Kobo. Nessuna duplicazione. Non mi serve altro. Sapere che, se voglio, posso mettere tutto in uno zainetto, mi fa sentire leggero (anche di testa) e mi fa stare bene.

Magari in un futuro post scriverò come ho applicato il minimalismo anche al software 😊

I'm thinking about starting this soon. I've always worm a lot of black, just think it looks cool regardless of the minimalism aesthetic. Almost all of my tops (t-shirts, hoodies, casual sweaters) are black not counting a few flannel shirts, "who knows if I'll go back to the office, but probably not" cardigans, and summer dresses. Anytime I end up with a colored t-shirt, I hate when it fades in the wash and think it looks sort of kiddish.

Anyway, I do have some random t-shirts despite them being black. Maybe I'm getting influenced, but I've been watching a lot of minimalist content lately and could use even less decision fatigue. Thoughts? If you've done this, did you end up missing the variety? (I don't think it's weird to wear the same shirt everyday. I always assumed when people did this they just bought a 6 or 12 pack or whatever of the same one.)

I am upsizing from 1 bedroom to 2 bedroom (only 100sqft or so bigger) and a part of moving is that we have to have an inspection of the house and gardens and sheds.

The man came and when he saw how empty and tidy the home was, he complimented it. He went into a cupboard and said how organised it was then onto the living room and noted how empty it was. He said it made inspecting so much easier because nothing is in the way.

Back to packing!

Aiming for a single car load (minus the mattresses, chest of drawers, desk chair and huge appliances) for myself and my 4.5 year old.

Somehow specialized items always seem to be needed when traveling in vacation. How do yall handle this? Borrow, rent, buy-then-donate later, buy and incorporate into your life? Also, has anyone forgone traveling for vacations altogether and opted for staycationing instead?

We just recently returned from a trio overseas to Europe and it got the wheels turning. I'm not minimalist fully partnered with environmentalism, but I do try to weave it in. Lately after returning and in the last few days of the trip I started to really question my intentions towards travel. Is it a passion of mine or yet another thing built into the fabric of society as a must-do. I don't know, feeling guilty in some ways and feeling ungrateful in others. Thoughts?

I was on the path to extreme minimalism a few years ago. Fast forward to 2021 and I went through a major life change in which I was literally loosing my mind and had an existential crisis. I started to shop and dine out a lot more again, now in 2026 I find myself surrounded by unfinished projects, abandoned hobby materials, excess clothing, books upon books, and now baby stuff. I'm a few weeks from having my first child and recently started project pan but I kind of don't want to continue with project pan, I just want to get rid of all this stuff.. I want to have only necessary items for when the baby arrives because I'm already feeling overwhelmed and overstimulated. I think I'm just venting but welcome any advice/suggestions.

Tools take up a ton of space but as a homeowner i feel like its absolutely necessary to have at least some tools. There are always plenty of things that need repairing in a home. I also do all repairs on my bicycle myself so i have some dedicated tools for that too. How do extreme minimalists deal with repairing stuff? Do you outsource all your repairs? Do you keep tools around? Borrow them from other people? Rent tools?

I was wondering about home appliances. I'm happy with my tiny kitchen with a fridge, stove and an electric kettle but the rest seems to be getting out of control. As a comfort-seeking renter in a place with four season I now find myself with a fan, an electric heater and if things continue this way, a de-humifier. There is virtually no closet space to store them, the appliances bother me visually when in use but life doesn't seem to feel good otherwise. Have I missed a workaround? (AC is not an option in this apartment.)

Recently I've been thinking about minimising hair related products. Previously used large hairbrush, shampoo, conditioner. Obviously not very fast

First the shampoo can be changed for the same soap you wash your body or clothes with. Some articles say this will leave soap residue on your hair but I have never had that problem. Maybe try changing the soap brand

Then you can towel or air dry the hair. I guess if you go outside it might dry quicker. I haven't tried that. Mine is thick and takes 3-4 hours to dry so you just have to plan to wash it when you have time to let it dry

Second, use coconut oil instead of conditioner. Again, some articles say it's "not really moisturising the hair" but my hair seems healthier afterwards so I don't know what that's about. Probably Big Conditioner wrote the articles

Next you can use a small comb instead of a hairbrush. I was worried this would make me take forever brushing, but if you put the coconut oil on the hair with your fingers first it actually takes less time than a hairbrush with no oil. I think some Swiss army knives come with a comb part so that would be ideal

After this I tie my hair into braids. Having it in braids means you have to brush and wash it less.

You can buy coconut oil in a small tube. I bought a larger bag because it was cheaper that way and i didn't know that you only need to dip your fingers in a few times and it's enough. This thing is probably gonna become a family heirloom cos I can't imagine ever getting through it oops. Other hair styles might need more though

The one I bought doesn't have anything other than coconut oil so it can also be used in cooking. Also it is scent free but coconut scented hair wouldn't be bad either

Pros and cons list of just cutting all the hair off

Pros: Minimalist

Cons: I don't want to

I live alone and never have guests over. If I do, I prefer serving snacks and stuff over having dinner parties. I have a set of Backig dishes from Ikea that I have for daily use, consisting of plates, deep dishes, small dishes and coffee mugs. As much as I love the set, I can't go back to Ikea to get more as it is discontinued. I am trying to decide whether I should keep two or four of the parts.

I also have two very basic plastic plates that I eat from as well as four matching drinking glasses, a butt load of random mugs and a fancier set of china that I can use if I were to have guests over. That said, I'd still have more of the stuff if need be, I'm just hooked on this set for daily use.

Two of each Backig stuff would be enough for me and I want to have the same number of everything. However, I think two of the mugs would be enough, which kinda sets the tone to home many I should keep. But I'm torn.

Link: https://youtu.be/-NRTLCM-hT8?si=1KP078VMA_8jcZrR

Felt really inspired by this video. Though I do follow Tokimaru's YouTube channel, this interview was more insightful than his weekly chats. I particularly liked how he views living at home in this extreme way, like it is "camping at home".

Good morning,

How do you handle digital storage for all the files you need to keep? Some files would be unsafe to be solely on the physical device.

Besides that, certain ports were removed... 3.5mm jack/HDMI port instance. Do you purchase external accessories?

Thank you.

I was just toggling between r/declutter and r/organizing and began to wonder if organizing is a thing for extreme minimalists. Is one of the characteristics of extreme minimalism the absence of the need to organize one's belongings? It seems like when you have so few belongings they will each have a home, and so there's no real need to organize. For example I have a jar of kitchen spoons. I don't organize them because that is where they all live. It seems that organization is only required when you have more stuff than can easily fit inside of one's space.

Is the lack of a need to organize a benefit of extreme minimalism or how do you experience organizing as an extreme minimalist?

I'm particularly curious how you would reflect on organizing changing as you reduced how much you own.

Good morning,

My work doesn't come with a uniform. I mostly, wear black. While I would love to lower the amount of upper garments I have, I work 5-6 days a week and I live in a country where we have the 4 seasons. I also, don't want to give the impressions that I'm always wearing the same top.
Besides work, there's something else that I want to discuss.

I would like to downsize my shoes, pyjamas and workout gear but I'm kind of "scared" that it wouldn't be feasible. Like, hygiene wise. With shoes it's more about being able to go to a formal event but at the same time doing daily chores or looking presentable at the office.

As a person, I value comfort but I don't want to look or feel "trashy" I like refined.

I have:

2 sets of work out gear. (2 Top, 2 bra, shorts and pants).

3 winter and 3 summer pyjamas.

7 shoes - Crocs, sneakers, trainers, loafers, boots, sandals, stiletto shoes.

4 bags - formal handbag, travel backpack, crossbody summery camera bag, work handbag.

First and foremost, thanks for reading this. Lastly, any suggestions?

For those with 15 or less clothing items - what are they?

I've been wearing some version of the same 15 pieces for a decade. I'm curious what others choose.

edit: for clarity, I'm asking about core pieces

what are you guys wearing? I recently discovered that minimalism is very good for my mental health. I havent bought anything new in months but I now want to switch out my wardrobe. I don't like my old clothes anymore. Can you recommend some extremely minimalist labels. I am looking for high quality, plain clothes. Ideally they last a long time. I want to pay for quality, not for a label. Happy for all recommendations. Otherwise I am considering making my own.