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I used to be interested in minimalism, but I realised that they just obsess over objects in a different way. I wanted to save money, avoid maintenance and redu

by nicbou 3y ago

I used to be interested in minimalism, but I realised that they just obsess over objects in a different way. I wanted to save money, avoid maintenance and reduce my mental load. I found people who keep spreadsheets of their stuff and debate whether it's okay to own tools or multiple coffee cups.

joshcanhelp 3y ago
Thank you for this, it put into words my uneasiness with this practice. Our household definitely has too much stuff and we always seem to be at battle with it but minimalism just feels like a mirror image problem.
- safety1st 3y ago
  > Replacing broken or worn items often feels like a nightmare of upheaval and system change It seems like if this is where someone's application of minimalism lands them, they have missed the point. On that note I went from owning one pair of shoes last year to three. It was a great non-minimalist decision. My shoes now take three times longer to wear out, and now I'm always wearing shoes that are more useful or more fashionable for the situation (or both) than what I used to wear.
  - pfannkuchen 3y ago
    Whenever I try to do this, I inevitably settle on wearing one of the three 100% of the time. How do you manage it?
    - oefnak 3y ago
      Buy identical shoes in different colours.
    - safety1st 3y ago
      I go by function. A pair of everyday shoes for regular days, a pair of cross-trainers for gym days, and an expensive pair of boots for days when I get dressed up.
      - tharkun__ 3y ago
        Im finding out that the way I was brought up is not universal. I was always taught that you have to alternate shoes every day to make them last longer, because feet sweat too. That's why expensive dress shoes have shoe trees (not just to hold the shape better). So two pairs of shoes for the office so they always have a full day to dry out etc. Now with WFH that sort of goes out the window as I don't wear shoes for as long any more.
ta988 3y ago
That sound pathological, why would you do that to yourself
throwaway74513 3y ago
> I used to be interested in minimalism, but I realised that they just obsess over objects in a different way. This is really interesting, particularly since you use the word “obsess”. I meet all of the criteria for OCPD (obsessive compulsive personality disorder — NOT the same thing as OCD), except for “unwilling to throw out broken or worthless objects, even if they have no sentimental value”. In fact, I’m quite the opposite because I try to be as minimalist as I can and am constantly throwing away or donating objects that I don’t need or that don’t meet my quality standards. I always thought it was strange that I don’t match this one specific symptom of OCPD, but then I started thinking some more, and I realized that I do obsess over objects in a way but not by hoarding them. If I want to order nail clippers for example, I have to spend hours online researching the best pair of nail clippers. I am currently wiring my house for networking, and everything has to be of the highest quality using data center components. Even rented a Fluke network tester. Closet needs repairs? Now I’m learning about drywall and level 5 skim coats. It’s a nightmare because I can’t do anything in a way that I consider half-assing it — I feel compelled to either do nothing at all or go into an extreme level of detail with it. This constantly causes relationship and work problems, but to a lesser degree than I suppose hoarding stuff would.
- metadat 3y ago
  In case you haven't already, please consult a professional. Do yourself the favor, you're worth it. Edit: @asddubs: thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts, though you never know what reality faces the person on the other end of a link, which is why I still try. Sometimes you might be surprised. And thank you for helping get my karma back to an even number, all is well again. Your friendly friend, MD.
  - asddubs 3y ago
    seems like a useless piece of advice to give to someone with that level of awareness about it.
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
emodendroket 3y ago
It sounds kind of woo, but I tried the Konmari method and it really was helpful without being overly prescriptive. It definitely felt good to get rid of a lot of that stuff. Though there are a couple that I'd probably take back if I could do it over.
- nicbou 3y ago
  It's a great technique, but I'd rather focus on reducing purchases instead of getting rid of purchased stuff. The environmental damage is already done, unless it finds a second user. I like that Konmari can also apply to obligations and how you allocate your time. Thats the premise of a book: the life-changing magic of not giving a f**.
  - emodendroket 3y ago
    Part of the promise of the book is that going through the process once will change how you shop as you develop your sense for which things you really want to have around.
hotpotamus 3y ago
I think Dieter Rams captured it best with the phrase, "less but better". It's more or less the ethos I try to (and seldom do) achieve.
ksec 3y ago
It was suppose to be like Simple, but not Simpler. But modern minimalism went to an extreme.
mrweasel 3y ago
> reduce my mental load That's has become my goal for new purchases. For some items that means getting higher quality that will last longer, for others it's get the cheapest that will work and replace it if it breaks. It does lead to weird purchases like higher quality charger cables, but cheaper a cheap TV.
2-718-281-828 3y ago
well, i think it is mostly a form of self-therapy where you project a mental stressor onto something you can touch, see and deal with. then you try to manipulate that stressor and heal your trauma by manipulating that object or set of objects - or maybe an animal, a spouse or your child. of course that won't work.
spacemadness 3y ago
As soon as I read they store every item they own in a database, that seemed like unhealthy obsessive-compulsive behavior to me. Using technology to shame yourself does not seem like a path toward happiness. I wasn’t sure why I want to take advice from someone that has that level of anxiety around owning things.

by nicbou 3y ago

joshcanhelp 3y ago

Thank you for this, it put into words my uneasiness with this practice. Our household definitely has too much stuff and we always seem to be at battle with it but minimalism just feels like a mirror image problem.

safety1st 3y ago
> Replacing broken or worn items often feels like a nightmare of upheaval and system change It seems like if this is where someone's application of minimalism lands them, they have missed the point. On that note I went from owning one pair of shoes last year to three. It was a great non-minimalist decision. My shoes now take three times longer to wear out, and now I'm always wearing shoes that are more useful or more fashionable for the situation (or both) than what I used to wear.
- pfannkuchen 3y ago
  Whenever I try to do this, I inevitably settle on wearing one of the three 100% of the time. How do you manage it?
  - oefnak 3y ago
    Buy identical shoes in different colours.
  - safety1st 3y ago
    I go by function. A pair of everyday shoes for regular days, a pair of cross-trainers for gym days, and an expensive pair of boots for days when I get dressed up.
    - tharkun__ 3y ago
      Im finding out that the way I was brought up is not universal. I was always taught that you have to alternate shoes every day to make them last longer, because feet sweat too. That's why expensive dress shoes have shoe trees (not just to hold the shape better). So two pairs of shoes for the office so they always have a full day to dry out etc. Now with WFH that sort of goes out the window as I don't wear shoes for as long any more.

ta988 3y ago

That sound pathological, why would you do that to yourself

throwaway74513 3y ago

> I used to be interested in minimalism, but I realised that they just obsess over objects in a different way. This is really interesting, particularly since you use the word “obsess”. I meet all of the criteria for OCPD (obsessive compulsive personality disorder — NOT the same thing as OCD), except for “unwilling to throw out broken or worthless objects, even if they have no sentimental value”. In fact, I’m quite the opposite because I try to be as minimalist as I can and am constantly throwing away or donating objects that I don’t need or that don’t meet my quality standards. I always thought it was strange that I don’t match this one specific symptom of OCPD, but then I started thinking some more, and I realized that I do obsess over objects in a way but not by hoarding them. If I want to order nail clippers for example, I have to spend hours online researching the best pair of nail clippers. I am currently wiring my house for networking, and everything has to be of the highest quality using data center components. Even rented a Fluke network tester. Closet needs repairs? Now I’m learning about drywall and level 5 skim coats. It’s a nightmare because I can’t do anything in a way that I consider half-assing it — I feel compelled to either do nothing at all or go into an extreme level of detail with it. This constantly causes relationship and work problems, but to a lesser degree than I suppose hoarding stuff would.

metadat 3y ago
In case you haven't already, please consult a professional. Do yourself the favor, you're worth it. Edit: @asddubs: thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts, though you never know what reality faces the person on the other end of a link, which is why I still try. Sometimes you might be surprised. And thank you for helping get my karma back to an even number, all is well again. Your friendly friend, MD.
- asddubs 3y ago
  seems like a useless piece of advice to give to someone with that level of awareness about it.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]

emodendroket 3y ago

It sounds kind of woo, but I tried the Konmari method and it really was helpful without being overly prescriptive. It definitely felt good to get rid of a lot of that stuff. Though there are a couple that I'd probably take back if I could do it over.

nicbou 3y ago
It's a great technique, but I'd rather focus on reducing purchases instead of getting rid of purchased stuff. The environmental damage is already done, unless it finds a second user. I like that Konmari can also apply to obligations and how you allocate your time. Thats the premise of a book: the life-changing magic of not giving a f**.
- emodendroket 3y ago
  Part of the promise of the book is that going through the process once will change how you shop as you develop your sense for which things you really want to have around.

hotpotamus 3y ago

I think Dieter Rams captured it best with the phrase, "less but better". It's more or less the ethos I try to (and seldom do) achieve.

ksec 3y ago

It was suppose to be like Simple, but not Simpler. But modern minimalism went to an extreme.

mrweasel 3y ago

> reduce my mental load That's has become my goal for new purchases. For some items that means getting higher quality that will last longer, for others it's get the cheapest that will work and replace it if it breaks. It does lead to weird purchases like higher quality charger cables, but cheaper a cheap TV.

2-718-281-828 3y ago

well, i think it is mostly a form of self-therapy where you project a mental stressor onto something you can touch, see and deal with. then you try to manipulate that stressor and heal your trauma by manipulating that object or set of objects - or maybe an animal, a spouse or your child. of course that won't work.

spacemadness 3y ago

As soon as I read they store every item they own in a database, that seemed like unhealthy obsessive-compulsive behavior to me. Using technology to shame yourself does not seem like a path toward happiness. I wasn’t sure why I want to take advice from someone that has that level of anxiety around owning things.