When considering minimalism, we differentiate what should be kept and what shouldn’t using two categories. One is defined by what we want and one is what we need. The goal is to focus on what you need versus what you want as a way to minimize purchasing and retaining unnecessary items.
It’s not that simple.
First off, we must better define what it is to need something. Skipping over this part renders the distinction irrelevant. What does it mean to need something? Is this word reserved for survival basics: water, food, and shelter? Any items that support your ability to do your job? Any medical or health-related support? And then how do you define health versus wellness and what objects and services are required to maintain one or both? If you have had a twenty-year-long hobby as a saxophone player, would keeping your saxophone be identified as a need? The questions may be tedious but they are necessary.
I can’t define for you what a need is but, rather, urge you to create this definition for yourself. Be precise and more discerning than the impulse shopper inside of you. Do you need a 5-pack of toothpastes to “save” money, when you are likely to loose track of your extras or change your toothpaste preference. Financial frugality is a great value to have but fooling oneself into taking advantage of sales as a need is often not living this priority in reality. This is where needs can get convoluted further.
After we define our needs, we can get at them from a different angle: we can learn to need less. You can use mindset change to refine your output of the above process. You can consider environmental issues, take a more honest approach with your values, or generally become more rigorous with your criteria. You can reconsider whether accepting gifts is a need. You can start thinking about stuff differently.
Then, want less. This can be based on more superficial urges or the deeply rooted circumstances of your upbringing. By wanting less, the pain of not getting what you want will be less frequent. Or let the totalityof the wants themselves lessen their grip on you. Be less attached. Practically speaking, keep in mind that products often beget products. If you own a printer, you also need to own ink cartridges and printer paper. So for every want, the spiderweb of products must be considered as well. Wanting less leads to lowered our expectations (in a good way), so we get less disappointed, letting us experience things more without being pulled in another direction. This is mindfulness and can help us live an overall happier life.
Once we’ve defined our wants and needs, decision-making fatigue lessens. Our lives begin to align better with our values. We feel more clear headed. Cleaning up is easier. We feel less confused and overwhelmed. This is all a part of the minimalism process.
Then a funny thing happens. We get to focus on letting our wants, the beautiful things in our lives, shine, and get some attention for what they are. As long as they are meaningful to us and don’t conflict with our values and goals, enjoying our stuff and allowing that stuff to make life easeful is minimalism. As it turns out, wanting things isn’t wrong. Neither is enjoying the items you have. Sometimes the process of minimalism helps us uncover meaningful items that were hidden or obscured by all of the superfluous wants and wants posing as needs. With our wants and needs clarified, we can get on with simply living our lives.