Comment by jdmoreira | Hacker News Reader

Comment by jdmoreira | Hacker News Reader

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I didn't get into minimalism as a fad or even something I read on the web. I simply moved to another country and could only bring what would fit in my suitcase. As a result I got rid of a lot of the stuff I had accumulated during my life, I got rid of almost everything I owned. As soon as I did it, I was overwhelmed with a sensation of freedom and peace of mind that I can't compare to anything else.

Another major simplification I've done was to dress almost the same everyday. I own multiple items of the same clothes. All my tshirts are the same, all my socks/underwear are the same. I also buy the same shoes and jeans again and again. I look better and I feel much better!

I also quit all social media except LinkedIn and HN and stopped reading the news.

The thing I'll try next is to eat the same meals everyday. Maybe it won't work but I'll try it.

I would also like to live in a bedroom with not much more than a futon and a desk. But it's going to be hard because my girlfriend doesn't share my enthusiasm.

This is anecdotal, take it with skepticism if you want, but I regard this changes as some of the best decisions I made in my life.

> I would also like to live in a bedroom with not much more than a futon and a desk. But it's going to be hard because my girlfriend doesn't share my enthusiasm

At least in my n=1 experience, it's not that bad. Just have to accept that 99% of the stuff will be your girlfriend's. One positive is that she'll have difficult time complaining to you that you need to clean up, since it'll always be her mess.

> One positive is that she'll have difficult time complaining to you that you need to clean up, since it'll always be her mess.

In my n=1 experience, this is an assumption that won't necessarily be borne out in practice.

I'm thinking you would want to keep batting around the cycle of various meals. Seems like you wouldn't get the full nutrient coverage with only one or two (or five) different meals. Sometimes I really crave a salad with a bunch of vegetables. Sometimes I crave meat. Makes me think my body knows something.

I had to double take to make sure I didn't write your comment myself in a haze late last night.

I moved to Shanghai a while back and sold / gave away / disposed of most of my earthly possessions. The really tough one for me was my books. I had 12 large boxes which I had been collecting since college and donated the entire set to a local library. Once the truck drove away I remember looking around at the empty bookshelves and having a very odd combination of sadness and freedom.

Once I got to Shanghai I bought 5 black Uniqlo t-shirts, 5 Airism undershirts, a bunch of boxers, a bunch of red socks, and that was my new closet. Was a wild feeling. I love it.

Same here. It started with me being kicked out of apartments every 6 months because the rent just went up again. Disposed of half of my stuff. Realized that I didn't miss most of it all that much.

Of course, good luck getting the New York Times to tell that story. Why demonize the landlord when you can demonize the person he kicked out?

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