simplicity – BarryMorris.net ~ Live More with Less

Everyone on TV is a Minimalist

October 2, 2018 by Baz Leave a Comment

Have you ever noticed that nearly every living room on television looks like a minimalist lives there?

Except for perhaps the households belonging to The Conners, ‘Merica’s most popular dysfunctional family, or apartments filled beyond capacity with millennial roommates like the world’s favorite collection of nerds in The Big Bang Theory, most of the living spaces you see on television are minimal in their arrangement, nearly museum-like in their appearance.

There’s open space on every counter, the table tops are clear of clutter, and bedrooms are like the sanctuaries we wish ours were. Kitchen countertops shine, hardwood floors gleam, and dirty dishes are a myth.

Is there something Hollywood knows that the rest of us don’t?

Sometimes Minimalism is a Matter of Survival

September 27, 2018 by Baz Leave a Comment

I’ve never had a great number of friends, mainly because I’m very introverted. Throughout my lifetime I’ve been close to only a few people at a time. It’s about all I could ever effectively manage.

It remains true today.

Motivational speaker Jim Rohn famously once said that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with. I’ve thought about this over the years and each time I’ve been hard pressed to single out five people, apart from coworkers, that I hang out with the most.

For me, it would be my girlfriend Karen and my youngest son Jay. That’s it. 🙄

The 30-Day Live-Like-You-Travel Experiment

September 20, 2018 by Baz 2 Comments

You know the feeling

You lock the door behind you, sling your bag into the trunk of your Uber or taxi, and head to the airport with everything you need in your carry on suitcase or backpack. You have a spring in your step and an energy that’s simply infectious. You tip your driver a bit extra because of how great you feel.

You bound past the curbside check-in and go directly through security and arrive at your gate well in time for your flight. You break out your book or just engage in some people watching while sipping a nice cuppa.

or…

You lock the door behind you with a furrowed brow because you’re almost certain you forgot to pack something vital into one of your three suitcases— suitcases that will end up costing a fortune to check to your destination. Just to be sure, you unlock the door, make a quick trip through every room one more time but don’t find anything silently shouting, ‘You forgot me!”

A honk on a car horn interrupts your search-and-rescue operation; your Uber driver is waiting. Hurried, you leave the house and lock up, still uncertain that you’ve got what you need. You get into the car and take off, mildly agitated while wracking your brain for a clue to the identity of the forgotten whatsit. You arrive at the airport, clumsily schlepping your three cumbersome bags to the curbside check-in while virtually pinky-swearing to yourself and any attentive travel gods that you’ll change your ways so as to never again experience this level of travel frustration.

If you had to choose …

Moving Out of My Home in 30 Minutes

September 5, 2018 by Baz Leave a Comment

The following is an excerpt from a wonderful book I’m reading on my Kindle. It’s called Goodbye, Things – The New Japanese Minimalism by Fumio Sasaki.

I can move out of my home in thirty minutes.

This spring, I moved into a new apartment. I didn’t do any packing beforehand and yet it only took thirty minutes to take everything out of my home, including the time it took to remove the light fixtures and unplug the washing machine. That’s how long it might take a person who needs time to decide what to wear before they leave their home. But in my minimalist style, I no longer need a lot of time to pack up my possessions. I’m able to move anywhere I like with the same casualness as stepping out for coffee.

While some might find this possibility absurd or impossible, I find it to be exhilarating.

The ability to move about the world at will and on a moment’s—or a 30 minute—notice is one of most exciting choices I think anyone could ever make. It represents a degree of freedom that I’m not certain I’ll ever attain, but one that I’m continually aiming toward.

The closest I’ve ever come was traveling for three weeks via planes, trains, and yes, automobiles across the US and back on a solo journey where I only used a Swiss Gear 20-liter backpack. It held everything I needed.

While I might not be able to move to a new home in 30 minutes, I find it a worthy objective on my lifelong journey to live more with less.

Why I’m a Minimalist – My Top Reasons for Living with Less

August 23, 2018 by Baz 3 Comments

There are as many reasons to be a minimalist as there are people on the earth. While there are some that are more popular than others, reasons for becoming a minimalist are as diverse as the people who practice it.

Because I’m a classic introvert, I can react negatively, both psychologically and physiologically, when I’m with a crowd for a prolonged period of time or when I’m in an environment that’s untidy or unkempt.

After an hour or so in such an environment, I need to seek out a quieter and more isolated setting, sometimes by myself, in order to recharge. After about 15 minutes or so, I’m good to go again.

Add to this mix my empathic nature and I can become stressed without any apparent cause. It’s how I’m wired.

My top reasons for practicing minimalism are as follows: [Read more…] about Why I’m a Minimalist – My Top Reasons for Living with Less