Minimalism is becoming more vogue by the day.

Some say it’s the natural counter-reaction to the waves of over-consumerism that our generation has supposedly succumbed to.

Others say that the fastest way to focus on what really matters is that to limit the number of distractions that stand in your way.

And I kind of agree with that. In fact, I even wrote about that a few months ago.

However, I’m not a minimalist. Not in the common sense of the word anyways.

Apparently there is a trend that is catching on lately where people seem to be saying that you have to give up all material possessions and own only 20 things or so in order to be fully happy.

Says who? The captain of random numbers?

They keep telling you that you don’t need this to be happy, or you don’t need that to be happy.

Maybe not, but what if I like it?

And lest we forget, the whole point is to get at the top of the Maslow pyramid, not at the bottom of it.

So instead of living miserable, and uncomfortable just to satisfy a randomly picked number of possessions you’re supposed to have…

I would like to offer a counter-argument by presenting a random number of behaviors that you can give and that would probably help you focus a little more on your goals.

Tossing your toaster to the curb, is fun and all. But how does that really going to make you any more focused on your objectives?

Unless of course the toaster is actually holding you back by the shirt, which would be a different story.

You’re just gonna use the frying pan anyways, and you’re going to spend more time and effort you could’ve used in another area that is more productive.

You see, give up material possessions is too broad of a term to be accessed properly.

On that note, I would like to propose an alternative version of minimalism focused on certain specifically selected things and behaviors, rather than a general broad term like giving up “material possessions” in general.

P.S: I might be a bit of a rebel and don’t like to conform to vague slogans. So please make sure you have the salt shaker at hand’s reach.

Without further ado, here is a randomly selected number of things one give up in exchange for more productivity:

Social Media… Technically

Well, not really. It’s almost impossible to give up social media, it’s important. Especially if you have a product or brand, even more so if you are the brand.

However, checking up on social media every 5 minutes during the entire day will suck your time in such a conspicuous way that makes it almost invisible.

Dude Where’s My Time?

Having certain windows of time every day for social interactions could mean a world of difference. For example, say you set time to check and answer all the messages twice a day between say 4 PM and 10 PM.

Nobody will be mad if you answered them within a few hours.

This seems to be a more efficient way to track time, does it not?

Saying Yes to Too Many Things

This is something I personally struggled with in the past, just because you are offered an opportunity it doesn’t mean you have to take it, because it will end up stealing your time.

Money comes and goes, but unlike money you can’t have time back.

Although just like money, you have to be responsible with how you administer your time, if you keep splashing it everywhere, you'll find yourself far away from your goals and ambitions because you’ve already spent the bulk your time on the things that mattered the least.

Now I know, it’s not always easy to know if you’re gonna miss out on something great or not. Personally, I ask myself this question: “Is this in line with my goals or no?”

Or you can try Tim Ferriss’s “Fuck Yes, or No” philosophy.

Meaning that you should only engage on the fuck yes activities that either enjoyable or constructive.

Spending time (or going through the pain) on passable activities that are neither pleasant nor beneficial… That’s certainly an area where minimalism could be handy.

Adieu, Oh Toxic Ones!

Cutting toxic people from your life. Period.

What else can I add? What else is there to add? Unless you've gained the ability to turn hateful trolls into peace loving florists or inject sociopaths with some magic empathy serum, you should stay as far from these individuals as possible.

These people feed on conflict and they will bring you down.

In fact, this should be a non-negotiable for anyone who wants to go anywhere but down.

And last but not least:

Giving Fucks about Small Things

I can’t tell you how much not giving a fuck about small things can do for your life. You become more focused, more sharp, less stressed.

You can see much clearer, without all these useless factors impairing your vision, constantly tapping on your shoulder to distract you from seeing straight.

I don’t know about you, but I think that life would be much better without that dead weight we all carry unnecessarily.

Let me give you an example:

Way too often we see ‘nationalists’ getting riled up just because someone burned a flag they identified with. You see Liberals getting outraged at Republicans for supporting some of Trumps dangerous policies.

Conservatives feeling convulsed just because some SWJ gets scared by phonetical syllables.

Series and TV fans getting all worked up just because some producer has killed their favorite character who above all is purely fictional.

And the list goes on…

At the bar, the slightly chubby guy looks at the fit guy standing next to him and wishes he had time to work less and train more so he could get in shape and have the confidence to go talk to the nice girl sitting in the back.

The fit guy, looks around and wish he had a stable job and envies the chubby guy and hopes he had some money so he could buy that girl a drink.

A slightly older guy looks around and envies both men, he ponders about what he would give to swap places with any of them.

He too looks at the pretty girl in the back but quickly imagines that he doesn’t have a snowball’s chance.

The girl just wishes someone nice could approach her because deep down, she doesn’t want to be lonely anymore.

I’m not a minimalist but if I were, I can think of a few things to give up in order to have more prosperity and peace of mind, an entire list in fact.

And on that list, the toaster doesn’t even come close.

Whatever your problems are, keep in mind that you die at the end of all this. Lets get out there, brutalize ourselves and laugh at those certain pricks who take it seriously, like there is any way to win in all this. ― Doug Stanhope

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