The minimalism trap

I love minimalism.

Minimalism is about making space for what’s essential.

This website exemplifies it: nothing but the content, and all for the content.

It’s a simple philosophy that can be transposed to pretty much every domain of life: websites, services, any kind of product, home, relationships, choices… this really has no limit.

I believe that a minimalist approach is the best way to solve issues and move forward, generally speaking. I’m also convinced that minimalism is an efficient cure to a lot of modern behavioral illnesses, consumerism being the main one.

Minimalism has a built in trap though.

I fell into it, and the trip wire was my personal rotten conditioning around money.

This elegant philosophy, which preaches less, became a way for me to justify having less and going downhill. Less business results, less ambitious goals (down to no goals except survival), less revenue… ending in less drive and less joy.

“Less is more” they say. But that’s not an absolute truth. Sometimes less is just less, and more is just more.

It dawned on me only recently. How beautiful that is. A conditioning that tricks you into justifying itself thanks to a philosophy that aims at enjoying life more by removing the non-essentials.

I’m getting rid of that conditioning. That’s why I could see it. Maybe you’re into minimalism too, maybe not. But if you are, my advice would be:

Minimalism to thrive, hell yes.
Minimalism to justify deprivation, hell no.