Lately I’ve been thinking about all the time I spend doing things that just waste time. I waste so much time doing activities and spending time with people that don’t give me any real satisfaction.

Over the break I was at a friend’s apartment. I had an ok time, but at one point in the evening I realized that I really didn’t enjoy being with those people. We weren’t interested in the same things in life. They had different priorities and being around them just left me feeling empty.

It’s much the same feeling I get when I waste an afternoon surfing the internet or watching television. Time is precious, so why would I waste it doing something ethereal and pointless. I have all these things that I would like to do but I don’t because I find it easier to sit my butt on a couch and not do anything at all. How much would I get accomplished if I cut those things out of my life?

There’s a movement of living called minimalism. In this movement people attempt to cut down to the important things in life. This is different from asceticism in that it doesn’t require descending into poverty. Rather it focuses on utility and quality. A person living a minimalistic lifestyle will not purchase a bunch of different objects or tools that can do the same job. Rather they choose one tool that can be used to do a job effectively. There’s little room for nostalgia or hoarding things. If it doesn’t serve a purpose right now, whether practically or easthetically, then it goes out the door. Additionally they will cut out activities and pursuits that are not of prime importance to them.

A minimalist would not try to own all at once an expensive home theater system, apartment, sports car, motorcycle, lake house, personal garden, and every gaming system known to man. It would be far too much to enjoy. Rather the minimalist will pick those things that are most important. If the man is not interested in maintaining a yard or spending a lot of time inside, he won’t buy a large house. It’d be a waste of time. It’d be more practical to rent out an apartment in the city or purchase a condo. The minimalist owns his things, his things do not own him. I think that is something worthwhile to pursue.

So far I’ve cut out a lot of my video game playing and television/movie watching. I haven’t bought a game or a movie in a while. I enjoy films, but I don’t ever feel like watching a film more than a few times anymore (with a few specific exceptions). Now I focus on doing more activities that I find much more rewarding, like writing or spending time with special people. Over the past year or so I’ve slowly been heading my life towards this lifestyle without actively seeking it. Now I’m being a little more proactive, but still have a ways to go.

Here are some examples of minimalistic design in a house.