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. 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: The Minimalists The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up 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. Reduced cognitive overload — I don’t have messes anymore and I rarely worry about losing items. Reduced cognitive overload 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. experience-based happiness 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. financial freedom 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) Amazon Link Curious what’s inside my wallet? Check out my financial break-down article. Curious what’s inside my wallet? Check out my financial break-down article. financial break-down article Foldable Storage Ottoman (Amazon Link) Amazon Link Swiss Army Pocket Knife (Amazon Link) 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). Methodology: 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 2 Eyeglasses (one backup) Eyeglasses Case 10 Pairs of Socks (including Darn Tough Socks and Feetures! Running Socks) Darn Tough Socks 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 Nike Pegasus 32 Running Shoes Dress Shoes Collegiate Jacket Thick Winter Jacket Snow Jacket Light black hoodie Light black hoodie Atif Ateeq’s “Haram” Hat 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 Generic Soft-Brush Toothbrush Generic Toothpaste Hair Comb Floss Bath Towel Body Wash Pantene Two in One Shampoo+Conditioner Pantene Two in One Shampoo+Conditioner Medicine [bundle] Toiletries Bag Hand Towel Dove Men + Care Deodorant Dove Men + Care Deodorant EltaMD Sunscreen EltaMD Sunscreen Beard Trimmer Beard Trimmer Beard Trimmer Charger Lubriderm Men’s 3-In-1 Body Lotion 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] Osprey Packs Quasar Daypack (great for running with) Osprey Packs Quasar Daypack Radix One Slim Wallet [bundle, including 5 cards] Radix One Slim Wallet 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 Extension Cord Extension Cord Android Nexus 6P Smartphone Android Nexus 6P Smartphone Apple MacBook Pro 13 inch with Retina Display Apple MacBook Pro 13 inch with Retina Display Apple MacBook Charger Bose QC 20 noise cancelling headphones Bose QC 20 noise cancelling headphones Spare Earphones [bundle] Spare Chargers [bundle] WD 1TB Portable External Hard Drive WD 1TB Portable External Hard Drive Headphone Splitter Headphone Splitter Xiaomi Portable Battery Charger Xiaomi Portable Battery Charger Travel Power Adapter 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 Twin-XL Mattress Allergy Mattress Cover (to put the mattress directly on the floor) Gray Fitted Sheet Gray Bed Sheet Navy Comforter Navy Comforter Pillow Pillow Cover Masai Mara Blanket (from my travels in Kenya) Two Foldable Storage Ottomans (~$20 on Amazon) Foldable Storage Ottomans 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 Mattress, Twin EMOOR Japanese Traditional Futon Gray Cover IKEA Laundry Basket 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] Swiss Army Pocket Knife Swiss Army Pocket Knife Post-IT Notes [bundle] Post-IT Notes Empty Soylent Box (for storage) Soylent Hard-bound MoleSkine Notebook Hard-bound MoleSkine Notebook Yoga Mat Yoga Mat BUFF Multifunctional Headwear 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) 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) 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: @stervyc The Practical Minimalist Gift Guide My Entire Financial System in One Diagram What Other Minimalists Like Me Own The Practical Minimalist Gift Guide The Practical Minimalist Gift Guide My Entire Financial System in One Diagram My Entire Financial System in One Diagram What Other Minimalists Like Me Own What Other Minimalists Like Me Own
