Lately, I’ve had this overwhelming urge to delete my entire online presence and start from scratch, being very careful about which platforms I use and which accounts I create. Does anyone else feel this way? Has anyone ever done something like this?

Somehow cause tossing stuff out helped organize part of my life, doing more of that should help even more!

Obviously I understand this doesn't follow, logically, and that at some point doing so would be more harmful. (I mean I can't for example throw away the box in which my birth certificate is stored... ect).

I have glasses and I need the eye glasses case... yk? Little stuff. Everything is organized now. I have small bags laying around that I don't really want to toss, I was able to organize the head and hairbands elsewhere in my room so I don't NEED them but still, they were useful and idk if i'll put them back(trying to declutter that). So far using the "put it in a box and if you dont care after a bit you can toss it out" method.

Thing is, some of it was slightly seasonal as far as wear goes + can't use the headbands till my hair grows out more, but if it grows out more I might use the headbands less... ect. They don't take up much space so its alright.

Not taking great care of my plants but I don't feel like downsizing that or replanting and thats probably where I should start.

and I can't toss that out cause.. reasons(i need to water them for as much as i say i like them).

Trying to get my life more in order but it still feels shakey(oh and now somehow i went back off balance and i'm late with everything. It was a nice few weeks where everything was going perfect.)

Welp. I just need to get back on track asap. Anyone else feel like throwing out stuff that they know they probably shouldn't toss out? At the same time I have two bluetooth headphones cause convenience and I lost the old headphone a long time ago and found it while decluttering + it connects/charges just fine.

Wanting to come close to the whole "one bag thing" but idk. I feel like at some level i'd be mooching off others if i went too minimalistic? This is all far easier if alot of things you don't really need as much if you live with parents.. cooking utensils? well those are your parents but they are shared among the familly.

Ice pack? shared among the familly as are alot of things. like ALOT. Managing my own personal things was where i had issues though so it made sense to declutter.

Hi,

I (female in late 20s) am moving abroad in two days and will live in a small mountain town.

I was hoping to move with just a backpack, but after gathering everything, including bulky winter clothes, my bulky meds backup, and my dog’s items, I’m realising I actually need to bring two large suitcases (20kg each).

I feel overwhelmed with the amount of stuff this is and that I’ll have to handle it abroad. I am angry thinking how much time of my life is spent thinking of stuff and managing them - things such as doing laundry (washing, hanging up, folding, storing), and yes - packing and unpacking. I move quite often (roughly every year but sometimes it’s been every few months), and it’s been really weighing me down.

At the same time, I want to take downsizing gradually and not force anything so I trust that I will continue verifying what I actually need and what’s optional. Because of my health issues, it’s harder for me sometimes to just “improvise” when I’m missing some items. I know that, at least for now, I do need some extra comfort whether I like it or not.

I’d be curious to hear your thought on it. Do you consider two suitcases a lot? How can I minimise it further?

I really hope that one day I’ll be able to move around with just a backpack.

I’ve seen several from one called A Micro Apartment Life about a Japanese man that tours micro apartments. His first video shows his apartment and all of his belongings. I’ll never be as extreme as him, but it is pretty amazing to see how little he owns.

\*\*TLDR: There’s no feasible way for me to take most of my belongings with me so I need to find some kind of psychological strategy for letting go of them. It’s extra hard because I haven’t had much income for a while and I think I’m dealing with a scarcity mindset where I’m convinced I’ll never be able to buy/thrift new things if I get rid of the old ones.

I could really, really use advice from someone who’s been there before. The hardest things to accept that I can’t take with me are, in order:

\-Books: Extremely heavy. I think I’ll only be able to carry \~3 with me at most but I have a bunch with sentimental value.

\-Journals: I have \~10 notebooks, I think it goes without saying that the idea of parting with the only documentation of the past few years of my life is pretty painful.

\- Some pieces of clothing I don’t wear that have personal history attached to them, I.e. I bought them during a significant time or were given them as gifts. I feel especially bad about some hand me down cashmere sweaters a family member gave me. I might ask if she wants them back.

\-Apart from those I feel pretty OK about getting rid of most excess clothes and knickknacks. The getting rid of books and notebooks is the most challenging. To put it delicately, I have a difficult relationship with my parents and often get the impression that they treat me like I won’t amount to anything, and so having items related to my intelligence feel like proof that I have an inner life and am my own person.

I have a preference and I'm curious if others share it or if there's a name for it.

I like having no visible text in my house. No books left in sight (or just a meaningful one), no brand names or logos on appliances, no product packaging on display. Anything with words on it either gets stored away or debranded.

It's more about the visual quiet. Text pulls at my attention, books especially. So a room with no words in it just feels calmer to me, and I find deep focus much easier to reach there, for creative work.

Is this a thing for anyone else? And is there an actual term for this?

I'm still not satisfied I only own 153 items and still don't feel happy I want to declutter more but idk what else I could sell

Goal is to liquidate everything at once.

I'm thinking about throwing out a box of handwritten letters and physical photographs from my late ex-wife. I don't have the heart to open the box and go through the letters and photos, and I really don't believe I ever will. I don't have anywhere to keep the box outside my home.

Has anyone been through something similar with heavy sentimental items, and how do you feel about it now?

I really enjoyed this pod and thought this community might as well. It's all about enjoying and noticing things like the way a door opens, holding your most favorite mug, the feel of buttoning a button,etc. I'm wondering if you agree that this aligns well with the minimalist lifestyle. Podcast is about the book The Small Stuff: How to Lead a More Gratifying Life by Ian Bogost

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?

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 😊

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.)