Friends Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus take the view that minimalist living is so much more than just living life with less.
The US-based pair, who are currently in Australia hosting a series of talks on the subject, believe embracing minimalism is all about making a decision to live ‘more deliberately’.
They recently revealed their simple strategies for streamlining your way to a more de-cluttered life – which include holding a ‘packing party’ for all of the items in your life in order to see what matters.
Minimalists and friends Ryan Nicodemus (left) and Joshua Fields Millburn (right) reveal how embracing a life with less leads to more
‘Minimalism is the thing that helps us get past the things to make room for life’s most important things which turn out aren’t things at all,’ Ryan Nicodemus told Today.
‘Clearing the clutter from life’s path helps us make that room,’ the pair added on their blog.
Joshua Fields Millburn explained the idea is a way of living where more importance is placed on why things or experiences are bought into our lives.
Mr Millburn said that while the concept of minimalism is focused on getting rid of excess stuff, it also runs a little deeper insofar as that it can help people align with their values.
The duo explained how a few years ago when they were both approaching 30, they were both confronted with a lingering discontent, despite living ‘the American dream’.
‘Minimalism is the thing that gets us past the things so we can make room for life’s important things—which actually aren’t things at all,’ the pair wrote on the blog (stock image)
‘We had achieved everything that was supposed to make us happy: great six-figure jobs, luxury cars, oversized houses, and all the stuff to clutter every corner of our consumer-driven lifestyles,’ they wrote on their website.
‘And yet with all that stuff, we weren’t satisfied with our lives. We weren’t happy.’
To counter this, the Mr Millburn and Mr Nicodemus hit on a way to simplify their lives using the principles of minimalism.
They found the lifestyle so effective they went on share their insights with millions on their blog and later publish a best-selling book: Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life.
While the concept of minimalism is focused on getting of excess stuff, it’s runs a little deeper in that it can be viewed as a way of making room for more (stock image)
Speaking on Today, the pair said one strategy that worked well in the early days of embracing a more minimalist life was to hold a ‘packing party’.
The aim is to set a time limit to pack up everything you own as if you are moving ‘because that’s the one time you are forced to confront everything you own,’ they explained.
Then, over the next 21 days you only unpack boxes to retrieve items you need.
By the end of that period if you haven’t unpacked it, chances are you don’t need it or you’ve forgotten what was in the boxes to start with.
The pair offer a variety of ways to get started on the path toward minimalist living including making the challenge a game (stock image)
As well as living lives that aren’t burdened by an excess of stuff, the pair also touched on how living with less had benefits for their health.
‘I got involved with this lifestyle because I didn’t have control of my time,’ said Mr Millburn on Today.
He explained some of the health benefits of living with less included better relationships, improved creativity, and less stress and anxiety through better time management.
Joshua Fields Millburn (pictured left) and Ryan Nicodemus (pictured right) are in Australia to give a series of talks on the subject of living life with less
‘Minimalism has really helped me to reprioritise my priorities,’ he said.
‘I had an amazing job title and an amazing salary but I was forsaking some of the most important aspects of my life.
‘I’m still able to work but now I also now pay attention to those values and beliefs that mean the most to me,’ he concluded.
To find out more about The Minimalists tour dates around Australia, click here