What is minimalism? — Toward Less

From the Ít hơn tốt hơn archive, 3 July 2022. This English version was prepared on 31 October 2026 from the archived Vietnamese text, which was based on What Is Minimalism? by The Minimalists (Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus). It is not a verbatim copy of their English original. “We” and the experiences described below refer to the source authors, not C.S Chánh Niệm. Claims about happiness and depression reflect the source authors’ views, not research findings or treatment advice. The examples describe people’s circumstances at the time of the source text.

Minimalism is a tool that can help you find freedom: freedom from fear, worry, overwhelm, guilt, depression, and the traps of consumer culture around which we have built our lives. Real freedom.

That does not mean there is anything inherently wrong with owning material possessions. The problem seems to be the meaning we attach to them. We tend to place too much importance on our things, often neglecting our health, relationships, passions, personal growth, and desire to contribute to society. Want to own a car or a house? Go ahead. Want to raise and care for a family and have a career? Those are worthwhile choices if they matter to you. Minimalism simply helps you make those decisions more consciously and deliberately.

Many successful minimalists lead very different lives. Our friend Leo Babauta is married and has six children. Joshua Becker has a career he enjoys, a family he loves, and a house and car in the suburbs. In contrast, Colin Wright owns 51 things and travels around the world, while Tammy Strobel and her husband live in a tiny house without a car. Despite their differences, they have two things in common: they are minimalists, and minimalism has helped them pursue meaningful lives.

How can their lives be so different while they all remain minimalists? That brings us back to the original question: what is minimalism? In one sentence, we would describe it as a tool for removing excess from your life so you can focus on what matters and find happiness, fulfilment, and freedom.

Minimalism has helped us:

Let go of dissatisfaction
Make more time
Live in the present
Pursue our passions
Discover our mission
Experience real freedom
Create more and consume less
Focus on our health
Grow as people
Contribute to society
Remove what is unnecessary
Discover a sense of purpose in our lives

By bringing minimalism into our lives, we have finally been able to find lasting happiness. And that is what we are all looking for, isn’t it? We all want to be happy. Minimalists look for happiness in life itself rather than in possessions. This helps you decide what is essential in your life and what is not.

Through our essays, we intend to share ideas for living more minimally without following rigid rules or an arbitrary checklist. A word of caution, though: the first steps are not easy. As you continue, the process becomes easier and more rewarding. Getting started often requires substantial changes in how you think, act, and live. We have written about our experiences so you can learn from both our failures and our successes, apply those lessons to your own circumstances, and build a more meaningful life.

This is only our approach to minimalism. For more, read the introduction to minimalism and some of our friends’ explanations:

Source: The Minimalists — What Is Minimalism?. The links above lead to the original English pages.