What are Minimalism and Essentialism?

You are reading an excerpt from The Challenge, a newsletter where I discuss self-improvement, goal-setting, habits, time management, and health tips and tricks.

Every week, you will get the following:

• a challenge to ...

Then, you can proceed with the New Opportunity Test.

• Write the new opportunity on a piece of paper.
• Find three minimum criteria the option needs to pass.
• Then, write three extreme criteria the opportunity needs to pass.
• If the opportunity passes...

You can’t approach essentialism if you don’t understand the decision paralysis first.

As always, you will fight better if you know your enemy’s weak points. And if you look at the graphic of the cycle, there are a lot of weak points where you can break the cycle. 

However, there’s a s...

I always thought I could do everything I wanted to do. And I tried that many times with my hobbies.

But in reality, you don’t have time to do everything. Or better, you may have the time. But you won’t become good at it, and surely not the best.

Do you want to play an...

Essentialism and minimalism are two sides of the same coin. They are the realization that 90% of what surrounds you is clutter.

• 90% of your belongings.
• And 90% of your activities.

So, embracing essentialism and minimalism implies two activities:

• First, yo...

Every time an idea passes the first anti-clutter test, go deeper. You must know if that’s something worth pursuing.

Making a choice is often challenging. But you have to do it. Otherwise, you will fill up your days with clutter, and your productivity will decline.

First of all, rememb...

So, how do you buy a smartphone?

It has become a challenge. And the same goes for a video or music platform subscription, a new car, and even washing machines!

The choices paralyze us. There are plenty of studies that demonstrate it. So minimalism and essentialism ma...

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The world is full of options.

In the past 30/40 years, massive technological improvements have made everything accessible to most people. And if you live in an averagely rich country, you can afford anything you want.

But that’s not everything. Not only you can afford...

• It is less scalable because an “essential kitchen” seems to have some missing parts compared to a “minimal kitchen.”
• And more efficient because the way we think influences our actions. So, you will naturally transition into a minimal environment if y...

When you have so many products on the market, you are afraid to buy the wrong one. You may have underestimated their features. Or maybe that’s a better choice for a lower price.

Often, these questions overcrowd your head. You spend a lot of time making decisions. But all th...

Think about buying a new smartphone, for example.

Thirty years ago, you may have had two models. Two companies sold almost the same device. Memory, power, and functionality were identical. Sometimes, the colors changed. That’s it.

But today, the competition is ruthless. And you have h...

Good. You want to embrace essentialism and minimalism. That’s already a good start. But what are the steps you have to follow to do that?

• First, you must understand how to break the decision paralysis.
• Then, reject the idea that you can do everything you want.
• Live by d...

The Paradox of Choice is a well-known phenomenon in marketing and behavioral studies. Here’s how it works.

When a new product gets on the market, buyers are happy as they see multiple versions of it. More versions mean different features and customizability. So everyone can...

ESSENTIALISM

• Clarity and purpose: it helps you focus on what matters by prioritizing the most important tasks and goals.
• Increased productivity: when you eliminate non-essential tasks, you can concentrate better on the remaini...