Leo Widrich is my new hero. He is an advocate and practitioner of “one-bag living.” In an effort to simplify and de-clutter his life, almost everything he owns fits inside one backpack:
- 6 T-shirts
- 2 sweaters, 2 hoodies
- 1 coat
- 2 pairs of dress-pant sweat-pants
- 6 pairs of socks and boxer shorts
- 1 backpack
- An iPhone, a Kindle, 1 notepad and a MacBook Air (+ keyboard and mouse)
- Gym shoes and gym shorts
- Various toiletries like toothbrush, contact lenses, etc.
I am tempted to try something similar. Though the mere existence of my wife and children would prevent me from reducing my life down to the minimum requirements that Widrich has listed, I love the idea of reducing a wardrobe down to its basic needs and eliminating anything from my life that is not necessary.
And in some ways, I have perhaps already begun this process. For more than a year, I have essentially worn the same hoodie as my fall, winter, and spring coat. I have a much warmer, winterized coat that I wear for extended periods outdoors (Patriots games in December), but otherwise, I wore that hoodie, so often that one of my students took me aside and asked me if I needed help getting a winter coat.
I also wear one of two pairs of shoes everyday: A pair of cross training sneakers or a pair of shoes for when I am onstage or otherwise dressed up.
That’s it.
Imagine the amount of time and money I have saved wearing just two pairs of shoes. Want to know how I manage to get so much done? Think of me every time you go shoe shopping or spend time trying to match shoes to an particular outfit.
I also don’t own sunglasses. I don’t own an umbrella. I don’t wear scarves or neckties or jewelry of any kind. I own one belt. Other than shampoo, toothpaste, and soap, I apply no other products to my body. No lotions. No shaving cream. No cologne. No moisturizers. No conditioners. When I travel, my toiletry kit consists of a toothbrush and a razor.
That’s it.
Imagine the amount of time and money I save on health and beauty products alone.
If I were to reduce my clothing to the essentials, as Widrich has done, my list would be admittedly longer (Widrich doesn’t seem to have to deal with winter in any way, and he apparently doesn’t own a hat or belt) and might look something like this:
- 9 tee-shirts (including 3 tee-shirts for exercising)
- 6 sweaters/sweat shirts
- 1 hoodie
- 1 waterproof rain jacket
- 1 winter coat
- 1 knit cap
- 1 pair of gloves
- 2 pairs of jeans
- 2 pairs of dress pants
- 2 pairs of pajama pants
- 2 pairs of sweatpants
- 2 pairs of shorts
- 6 pairs of socks and underwear
- 1 blazer
- 1 belt
- 3 pairs of gym shorts
- 1 pair of sneakers
- 1 pair of golf shoes
- 1 pair of shoes
- 3 pairs of gym shorts
- 2 baseball caps
There are other things that Widrich fails to address in his minimalism. I have a file cabinet, for example, full of tax and insurance documents, medical records, photo albums, and more. Would he propose that I eliminate all of this material, and if so, how?
And what about the cabinet full of medical and first aid supplies? What about things like scissors and tape and glue? What about my tools? My golf clubs? My basketball? My journals? My books?
Actually, my books might be able to go, too. If I’ve read a book and will never read it again, why is it still in my house? I own a couple signed first editions, and I have books that possess enormous sentimental value to me, and I have the various editions of my own books, but the rest should probably vamoose. They serve no real purpose.
A summer project, perhaps.
In many ways, I have been on the path towards minimalism and simplicity for a long time. I have always found great pleasure in the elimination of physical objects. I love the appearance of an uncluttered surface. I despise shopping and have never understood the desire to acquire more and more stuff. I have specifically asked for gifts that reward me in experiences, learning, or times saved. I eat the same things for breakfast and lunch almost every day.
Ever year, I am asked by parents at my school how I managed to land the largest classroom. and every year, I have to explain that it isn’t the largest. It’s exactly the same size as every other classroom.
It’s just empty. I only keep the things I absolutely need, and I store them well.
Perhaps reducing my wardrobe is the next step. I could certainly eliminate items without much effort, but if I were to radically reduce my wardrobe to minimalist levels, it would only be for the purpose of gaining back valuable time by eliminating decisions from my morning routine.
It would mean wearing essentially the same thing every day.
Steve Jobs did it. Barack Obama, to a degree, does it. I have a friend who wears the same thing to work every single day.
Could I do it? Would I want to do it? Would my wife want me to do it?
Important questions.
This Post Has 5 Comments
While I am in favor of keeping possessions to a minimum, his view on his possessions is to a great extent a lie. I was glad to see in the article that he mentions that he is currently in an apartment, and counts that as one of his temporary possessions. I would imagine when he dispenses with that, he will get a sleeping bag and/or tent? But, here are the larger fallacies: First, he doesn’t list any cooking gear as being in his bag. OK, maybe he doesn’t cook. But, that means he is eating out: that he is reliant on others for his own subsistence. These others must have the cooking equipment and utensils to make his food: oven, stove, microwave, fire pit with wood, blender, food processor, knives, forks, spoons, dishes, pans, pots, measuring cups, cutting boards, skewers, cookie sheets, grater. They must have a building or lean-to or food truck in which to keep this equipment with the necessary electrical, gas, etc to run that equipment. Second, unless he is only urinating and defecating outside, then he must be using bathrooms. These need to be cleaned and maintained, which requires mops, sponges, detergents, bleach, a plunger, wrenches, a plumbing snake, possibly additional piping. Third, how does he get around? If he walks everywhere, then fine. If he travels (which it sounds like he does, since he mentions "borders after a long-haul flight", then there are vehicles, cars, taxis, buses, planes, boats that he is using (and paying for the use of). In other words, he is making a life-style choice to give up things that he requires that other people still must possess for him to live the way that he wants to. Rather less noble than he makes it sound. And, clearly a lie about what possessions he needs in order to survive. We cannot all live like he does, nor does he want us to.
Agreed, Charles. On all fronts. I mentioned some similar complaints in my post, but it’s a good point: As little as we choose to own, we can only do so because of the material possessions accumulated and utilized by others.
Still, I admire his attempt. I also remind myself that a reporter wrote this piece about him, so perhaps he is more realistic about things but that realism didn’t make as compelling a story.
One other point: If he is truly a minimalist, why does he have a Kindle and a MacBook Air. He should be able to find a way to dispense with one of those.
Have you read the quick but enlightening book "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up"? by Marie Kondo? Truly life-changing. With young children, yes you need things like first aid supplies. As an adult you need tax information and other forms. But if other items aren’t bring you joy, out they go. It’s that easy. I was already down as much stuff as I thought I could get to (having gone from 5500 sq ft house with garage and an off site storage space to a 1400 sq foot apartment and that’s it) but this book had me tossing and tossing. It’s worth the read, which can be done in a couple of hours.
I haven’t read the book but read reviews and heard a panel discuss it, so I am familiar. I tend not to become attached to objects. When something of mine is ruined, I’m never very upset unless it costs me a large amount of time to replace. I suspect this is the result of my upbringing. When you have little, you tend to not have sentimental value on many things. So to find an object that I own that brings me real joy… thinking of even one is hard. A book Elysha gave me on our first date? Photo albums? Pictures that Clara has drawn? Not too many.