This post is part of a larger attempt to share my personal “systems” that help me organize my life. By sharing my system, I hope to get feedback and inspire others to share as well.
Minimalism: Living with Nothing
I started becoming a minimalist two years ago, inspired by sites like The Minimalists and Marie Kondo’s The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. I quickly got addicted to reducing my possessions, and found more and more ways to declutter. I now have only 115 items! There are three main reasons I’m a minimalist fanboy:
- Reduced cognitive overload — I don’t have messes anymore and I rarely worry about losing items.
- Focusing on experience-based happiness as opposed to material-based happiness. I seldom found long-term joy in the physical items I purchased for myself.
- Being a minimalist has allowed me much more financial freedom, for example, freeing up the money I would have spent on a new bed frame so that I can invest the money.
I’ve outlined exactly the 115 items that I own now, although I’m still working on decreasing this number. I hope this inspires others to share their material systems, and I want to highlight some key multi-purpose items that allow my list to be so short.
My three favorite minimalist items
These items are great because they’re multi-purpose, compact, and very cheap, so I don’t worry about damaging or losing them.
Radix One Slim Wallet (Amazon Link)
Curious what’s inside my wallet? Check out my financial break-down article.
Foldable Storage Ottoman (Amazon Link)
Swiss Army Pocket Knife (Amazon Link)
My full 115 items
Methodology: This list is a list of items that I would take with me if I were moving. It does NOT include shared items (e.g. common room couch) and it counts pairs of items as one (e.g. a pair of socks). Otherwise, I generally try to count items as separate unless they’re clearly in a “bundle” (I’ve labeled these items with “[bundle]” to clarify I’m counting them as one item).
Clothing (60)
Note: not all clothing pictured
- 2 Eyeglasses (one backup)
- Eyeglasses Case
- 10 Pairs of Socks (including Darn Tough Socks and Feetures! Running Socks)
- 14 Pairs of Underwear (Target)
- 10 T-shirts
- 4 Casual Button-down Shirts
- 2 Dress Shirts
- 2 Jeans
- 2 Belts
- Slacks
- Tie
- Khaki Shorts
- Board Shorts (multi-use as exercise shorts)
- Pajama Pants
- Nike Pegasus 32 Running Shoes
- Dress Shoes
- Collegiate Jacket
- Thick Winter Jacket
- Snow Jacket
- Light black hoodie
- Atif Ateeq’s “Haram” Hat
- Baseball Cap
Toiletries (17)
- Generic Soft-Brush Toothbrush
- Generic Toothpaste
- Hair Comb
- Floss
- Bath Towel
- Body Wash
- Pantene Two in One Shampoo+Conditioner
- Medicine [bundle]
- Toiletries Bag
- Hand Towel
- Dove Men + Care Deodorant
- EltaMD Sunscreen
- Beard Trimmer
- Beard Trimmer Charger
- Lubriderm Men’s 3-In-1 Body Lotion
- Retainers
- Retainers Case
On-the-go (7)
- Osprey Packs Quasar Daypack (great for running with)
- Radix One Slim Wallet [bundle, including 5 cards]
- House Key
- U.S. Passport
- Sleeping Bag
- Sleeping Bag Case
- Tote Bags [bundle]
Electronics (11)
- Extension Cord
- Android Nexus 6P Smartphone
- Apple MacBook Pro 13 inch with Retina Display
- Apple MacBook Charger
- Bose QC 20 noise cancelling headphones
- Spare Earphones [bundle]
- Spare Chargers [bundle]
- WD 1TB Portable External Hard Drive
- Headphone Splitter
- Xiaomi Portable Battery Charger
- Travel Power Adapter
Furniture (13)
- Twin-XL Mattress
- Allergy Mattress Cover (to put the mattress directly on the floor)
- Gray Fitted Sheet
- Gray Bed Sheet
- Navy Comforter
- Pillow
- Pillow Cover
- Masai Mara Blanket (from my travels in Kenya)
- Two Foldable Storage Ottomans (~$20 on Amazon)
- EMOOR Japanese Traditional Futon Mattress, Twin (can be made into a couch on the floor, or can be slept in as an extra bed)
- EMOOR Japanese Traditional Futon Gray Cover
- IKEA Laundry Basket
Miscellaneous (7)
- Swiss Army Pocket Knife
- Post-IT Notes [bundle]
- Empty Soylent Box (for storage)
- Hard-bound MoleSkine Notebook
- Yoga Mat
- BUFF Multifunctional Headwear
- Pens [bundle]
Not included in this list
- Shared Kitchenware (borrowed from roommates)
- Shared Furniture (borrowed from roommates)
- Consumable Items (I cycle through these on a biweekly basis)
- Books (I’ll donate them when I move, and I mostly use e-books — if you’re curious for more, here’s a post about my reading organization system)
If you found this interesting, you can follow me on Twitter at @stervyc. Check out some of my other articles below: