File: Minimalism, living better with less

Today, I live with less. Fewer objects, plastic, telephone, emails, waste, social networks, car or television. And I live with more. More time, efficiency, freedoms, sincere relationships, elegance, self-confidence and pleasures.

Simplify your life. For what ? How ? What purpose ? Discover how minimalism can transform you.

Disclaimer: Grégory is our new ambassador in Brussels. He chose a minimalist life and wanted to share his personal experience with us through this article. Moreover, he himself runs a blog - Le Minimaliste - which brings together all the themes covered here, without forgetting his advice.

The path to personal development

I have always been curious. I love novelty. I like challenges, action, challenges and constantly learning.

While studying advertising, I often went to the library. One day, I came across a book: The winning behavior of S. Di Benedetto. The first step towards self-development...

I fell in love with this discipline which has one goal: to make us better .

I then followed several training courses on assertiveness , NLP , micro-resolutions, mindmapping .

Being open to opportunities and wanting to improve is what led me to discover minimalism.

Tell me what you're wearing, I'll tell you who you are

People often ask me what I started with. My life is changing especially with zero waste but, when I think about it, it all starts with clothes.

In 2010, I began to be interested in advice on how to dress better and heard a message: favor quality over quantity . So I decide to replace my shirts, buy good jeans and stop making bad tastes. I gave away part of my wardrobe... even though there's still a good amount left.

When you wear worn out, unsuitable pieces or that you keep out of obligation, you are anything but yourself. Many people underestimate the power of clothing style. They find it superficial; after all, “what matters is on the inside.”

Your character influences your actions and actions influence character. It's the same with clothes: they influence your state of mind; your state of mind influences the way you dress.

Imagine, you are wearing completely abandoned clothes and shoes that have been in the war. You see them every day, you touch them, you put them against your body. This is what you really see every day without realizing it: fragility, sadness, the negative...

Now imagine, you are wearing durable pieces, in very good condition. Only your favorite clothes that make you look good. You then experience joy, confidence, beauty, authenticity, positivity every day of your life...

You are yourselves, simply yourselves.

Pareto's law

The Italian Vilfredo Pareto discovered the 80-20 principle: 80% of the effects are the result of 20% of the causes. This is a universal rule that can be used in private and professional life, such as:

• 80% of the time you wear 20% of your wardrobe ,

• 80% of turnover comes from 20% of customers,

• 20% of our relationships give us 80% happiness,

• 20% of the objects in a house are used 80% of the time.

I apply this rule to my clothes even to my accessories, for my wallet for example. I only use a card holder with my ID, credit cards, transportation cards and cash. That's all I need.

No loyalty cards, receipts, VIP club subscriptions or first aid instructions (some people have them in their wallets, truth be told). I find it more practical and easy to use.

By using this rule, we see the world differently.

This number allows me dozens of possible combinations. I often play with accessories and shoes. When I open my wardrobe, I see all the pieces hanging on the hangers. They are consistent with each other and directly allow me to know how to dress.

I save a huge amount of time. My clothes give me great pleasure every time, they are a second skin for me . I maintain them carefully and repair them when necessary. Today my collection is complete.

My latest purchase is a Filson backpack. It replaces two of my travel bags, given second hand.

How to manage the arrival of a new item of clothing or an object in general?

An object that goes in = an object that comes out. So I know in advance what needs to be replaced or supplemented.

Second hand is my first choice: you find originality, quality and an unbeatable price. I only acquire pieces that I have a crush on, with quality and in noble materials, without artificial materials.

I refuse to be given objects as gifts, or gift vouchers for stores. Either these brands don't interest me, or they're burdening me and forcing me to choose something I can do without. In rare cases, I accept and offer them to people who need them.

Zero Waste

How did I get it?

In 2014, my life took a giant leap.

One day, a friend sent me an article by an American blogger: Lauren Singer, from the blog trash is for tossers . She's 26, lives in New York and looks like anyone.

With one difference: his waste from the last two years fits in a jam jar. She looks happy and enjoying life like no one else. It clicked for me.

I also buy the book (a blog ).

In one month, the habits are completely established. More than waste, it's a philosophy.

Let’s put the situation in context. At this point, I have wanted to leave my job and live in Brussels for three years. I have a series of job interviews. Nothing to do. I'm stuck professionally and living in a depressing apartment in the middle of nowhere.

Then, I discovered this waste-free lifestyle. Within six months, I got a new job and moved to Brussels. Coincidence? I'm sure not. My life has unblocked. Removing waste from my life physically has lightened my mind mentally. As if a weight had just disappeared. I became more confident, I felt better. And it was felt around me.

The way of doing things

Zero waste means producing as little waste as possible, even recyclable waste. You can remove the trash from your home and compost fruit and vegetable peelings.

The five rules to follow:

• Refuse: what you don't need.

Free products, gifts, samples, packaging, carry bags, flyers, advertisements, coupons, hotel shampoos, business cards and manuals that you will never use.

Remember that consuming is voting. Every day we have the opportunity to give our opinion. Accepting a plastic bag means saying yes to oil and disposables. And above all, it means cluttering up one more object in your home.

• Reduce: what you need.

Ask yourself what you really need. Do you need 36 kitchen knives when you always use the same one? Do you need that magazine subscription, that television, or even the car?

The goal is to question. While helping one person, I asked him what he used his car for. He realized he could do without it and so sold it. He feels more serene and saves money now.

• Reuse: think multi-use and no longer single-use.

Remove disposable objects, plastic cups, disposable cutlery, cans from your life. Instead, take a nice water bottle, cloth napkins, and real metal cutlery.

Instead of a plastic box, use a beautiful 1 liter glass jar to store rice, lentils, cheese, meat, your picnic, utensils...

• Recycle: what you cannot refuse, reduce or reuse.

Is there a waste-free alternative? Check with your area to find out what you can recycle.

• Compost: organic waste such as fruit and vegetable peelings.

Think about vermicompost, compost in your garden or collective compost in your neighborhood. For my part, I empty my 5 liter bucket into a collective compost every two to three weeks.

Béa Johnson has given many conferences. In this quick report, you can get a little idea.

Get rid of plastic

To achieve this goal, I had to replace several items. And among them, I realized how much plastic was present. Beyond the health and environmental aspects, plastic has effects in our daily lives. It's ugly, fragile and often needs to be replaced.

Living without waste has allowed me to almost completely eliminate it from my life. And I really like it. Every object has a plastic-free equivalent: fountain pen, razor, bottle, bags.

Choose sustainable materials like metal, wood, leather, glass, cotton... A plastic-free interior is magnificent.

Tidy up your interior

Every day is a great occasion.

I read two extraordinary books: The Art of Simplicity , by Dominique Loreau and The Magic of Tidying Up , by Marie Kondo. In summary: keep the best in your life. And only the best.

Why do we save our best clothes for special occasions? Why do we bring out the most beautiful dishes once a year? Why don't we enjoy life to the fullest? Every day is a celebration. Every day we deserve to wear our favorite clothes.

No more gifts in laundry detergent containers, no more glasses with logos won with the purchase of two Camemberts. Finished collecting around twenty plastic umbrellas that break at the first gust of wind. Choose one and only one beautiful solid wood umbrella, with a shiny and solid canvas.

What a pleasure to eat in beautiful dishes with elegant cutlery. Enjoy real coffee in an authentic Italian-style coffee maker. Before, I saved the best for special occasions. Now I enjoy the best every day.

The big clean-up

A move is an opportunity to change your life. This is what I experienced when I moved to Brussels. You need to review each of your items. According to Marie Kondo, there is a very easy technique for sorting. Here it is in a few steps:

• Take the object in hand. If it truly “makes you happy”, keep it. If not, give it away.

• The number of objects in your interior will always be personal. Some will need three shirts and others, more. The most important thing is to only keep what makes you happy the most.

• Give what you have received freely, what is useless and burdens you. If you haven't read this famous novel since you bought it, you won't read it. Anything you haven't used in the last six months only serves one purpose: gathering dust.

• Thank each object for the mission they completed and release them. Talk to them. Yes, minimalists are a little crazy.

• If you are not moving, dedicate an entire day to this large storage. Get up early and stay calm, without music, to concentrate on the object. I applied this method after six months in my new apartment, there were always items to get rid of.

• Above all, turn this day into a celebration. It must be a pleasure, a new page turning.

The clean desk

On my desk I have a computer, a diary, a fountain pen and a plant. I don't need anything else.

Before, I had post-its, folders full of old invoices, administrative documents and bank statements, a trophy that I won when I was eleven, binders with hangers, business cards... All that is gone. I breathe.

How to do ? Very simple, empty everything. Do the dusting. Put back the bare necessities, what you use several times a day. Put the rest in a drawer if you need it. Buy quality writing materials. A beautiful fountain pen. A beautiful diary. A beautiful notepad.

How to get rid of paperwork?

All my administration fits into a single, half-filled folder. There is my employment contract, my diplomas, the results of my last blood test and my lease contract. That's all. If I had a scanner, I would scan them into my computer.

The technique :

• put a label on the mailbox to refuse advertisements and free newspapers,

• refuse receipts,

• ask for an invoice without taking it. The seller is obliged to keep a copy for 10 years,

• digitize what you cannot refuse, such as bank account statements and pay slips,

• refuse flyers, prospectuses, manuals and training courses as much as possible.

And what about the intangible?

As I moved forward, I realized that my way of thinking was changing. The material left me more and more to make way for what was more important . Although it wasn't easy to understand at first.

For what ? Because we live in a materialistic world. To be happy, you need a lot of money, a big house, two cars, a huge dressing room, famous designer perfume and a dog called Rex. That, at least, is what they want us to believe.

As fate would have it, I studied the world of advertising and consumerism. And here I am now advocating the opposite. Destiny is sometimes weird.

Social networks

I am not on any social networks. I tested it and I didn't get any beneficial or effective feedback. When I unsubscribed, I felt a feeling of lightness and freedom.

No more need to know which accounts I have, manage passwords, notifications, emails, newsletters, messages or information without added value.

When I need to contact someone, I call them. When I'm on the metro, I chat with the passengers. When I see a friend, he explains to me in person, face to face, what has happened since our last meeting.

Emails

We underestimate the place that emails take. Physically and especially mentally. Right now, I have five emails in my inbox. They will be processed within a week and then deleted. The most important or most practical ones are archived.

There are very few. Here too, we can apply Pareto's law. 80% of the emails we receive can be deleted directly. And if responding takes less than two minutes, do it now and delete the email.

television

Social networks are getting a lot closer to television. On average, a person spends 3.5 hours a day watching television or on the Internet. That's ten years in a lifetime.

My choice was quickly made. I no longer have a television. I spend this time developing personally, resting, playing sports, reading or spending time with loved ones.

News

I no longer watch general news. There is only bad news, over which we have no control. The biggest news always comes out in the end. I control my environment. When I need it, it's not the information that comes to me but the opposite.

Leisure and associations

For a while, I was volunteering in five associations at the same time, I played two different sports several times a week and I had a language course every Wednesday. I wanted to make the most of my time and do as many things as possible. For fear of missing something.

Quite the opposite was happening. I failed to be good at each of my commitments. Every decision must be made completely and not half-heartedly. How can you be excellent at the guitar if you practice theater, judo and pétanque at the same time?

Relationships

I have 36 contacts in my directory. There are people who bring us happiness, and others who don't. There are some who mattered to us, some not anymore. Others were accepted out of politeness or obligation.

One evening, I took the trouble to review each of my contacts. Then I discovered who really mattered to me. For my part, I did not need to reconnect with a deleted number.

The phone

Although it is a physical object, the phone has a significant impact on the intangible. Beyond the directory, it influences the behavior of its user. We can do anything by asking someone . Find your way, a good restaurant or a nice hotel.

A father admitted to me that he found his phone extremely indispensable. His wife and three children each had a tablet. I imagined the painting, the couple and the three children during a winter evening. Everyone sitting in their corner of the sofa watching their screen.

Since February 2016, my phone has been at home. To fix a meeting ? Easy, I ask for a time and place. I always arrived at the agreed time. Often, it’s other people who arrive late. When I speak with someone, I am one hundred percent focused with that person.

Without the possibility of being interrupted or being tempted to check my emails. It's no longer my phone controlling me, it's me controlling my phone.

At the same time, it pushes me to meet new people. This summer, I traveled to Europe for ten days. Thanks to this, I discovered great people. I asked strangers for directions and where to visit; I even ate with them. Now every day is vacation.

The watch

A few months ago, my watch battery died. Even though it only happens every two years, replacing it is a real burden for me.

I then decide to get an automatic watch. I shop around but don't find any that I like. Since then, I have lived without a watch and, ultimately, I feel much freer.

Before, I was afraid of scratching it or forgetting it somewhere. Now, oddly enough, I'm no longer late. On the contrary. I always get a head start and that allows me to be more relaxed. The watch reminded me of the power of time over my life, I am now beyond that power.

The advantages that this new life gives me

A huge time saver

For cleaning, there are fewer objects to move for dust, more flat surfaces, so it's quicker to do. The same goes for storing: each object is in its place, finding them is very easy. No more lost things, wondering for hours where you put them.

Since I have fewer items, it's easier to choose. Making a decision takes less time . Like choosing what clothes to wear.

Fewer intangible ties like relationships or hobbies means more energy and efficiency for the rest.

What if I want to move? I can do it in a day, including packing and unpacking. From one day to the next, I can go and live wherever I want. To travel ? Packing my suitcase is very quick. I'm getting to the point. I'm no longer afraid of lacking anything.

To do my shopping, it takes me 10 minutes a week. No more unnecessary shopping days. I know what I need and what I don't.

A feeling of freedom

Break away from equipment: if a fire broke out, what objects would you save from the flames? For my part, I would take my plants because they are alive. Everything else is replaceable .

Each object requires a certain amount of attention. The more we have, the more attached we are to it. We are afraid of losing them. We become anxious. The fewer items I have, the more I naturally take care of them. And if I ever misplace one, I take it as an opportunity to have something better or to find out if I can do without it.

More self-confidence: for each object you part with, you make a decision. Making a decision means proving to ourselves that we are capable. Imagine after several hundred objects donated! You become stronger, you know what you want. Every difficulty is taken as an opportunity.

I now dare to say no. No to the feeling of obligation and anxiety. I say yes to quality, pleasure and the best.

Deeper experiences : when we detach ourselves from the material, we connect with the rest. My friendly, family and professional relationships are now refocused on the best.

Having 300 friends, maintaining a relationship with a family member you no longer see or with all the colleagues in the company out of politeness, that doesn't interest me.

I prefer to keep all my attention and energy for what really matters. When I walk, I am connected to reality. I talk with people, observe my surroundings and observe myself.

Know yourself

This is one of the biggest advantages. I probably wouldn't have made it if I hadn't simplified my life in this way. I had already taken personality or orientation tests. None of this was more effective.

I naturally became more organized and, at the same time, open to the unexpected. I love contact with others. Enriching my environment and the people there brings me a lot of good.

I discovered a passion for sharing what I experienced. I am convinced that this is a great way to feel better and resolve many situations.

Many don't realize that they have the power to control their lives. However, it is possible and that is what I also hope for you by following this path. It is a path like any other. A beautiful path.

To finish this article, here are other blogs that helped me in this process:

• Leo Babauta's blog (in English)

• Olivier Roland's blog

• Raj's channel on personal development