Minimalism is the practice of focusing on what you value by excluding what you don’t. It is a very useful tool for making things simpler. People often start this practice by decluttering their homes. This is a very common application of minimalism. It helps by creating a more beautiful home while saving money. So most people think minimalism is for creating a more beautiful and tranquil home. This is certainly true because minimalism can do these things.
You can apply minimalism in more ways than this. The first reason is that minimalism can apply to more than just physical possessions. The second reason is that physical space is not the only thing that can become cluttered. The third reason is that minimalism can apply to more than just your home. So, here are some surprising applications of minimalism:
Engineering
Engineers on the job often think like minimalists. It is because they are trying to maximize, efficiency, performance, or cost-effectiveness. Also, they are often trying to get the most out of all three. Whatever the case, useless components have no place in the design. Useless components will drain resources and increase costs. They will also degrade performance and efficiency.
One example is aerospace engineering. Useless components on an airplane design will add dead weight that degrades performance. It will also add complication and degrade efficiency while adding nothing of value. The same goes for rocket design. This is why aerospace engineers must think like minimalists.
Athletic competitions
An Olympic cyclist would not enter a competition on a bicycle with useless components. Such components would waste energy and reduce the chances of winning. A competition bicycle would only have things that help the rider to win. Otherwise, it would be like entering a foot race while wearing a heavy backpack. Useless things have no place in high-performance athletics. That is why minimalism will always have a place in high-level athletic competitions.
Interior design showrooms
Interior design showrooms are designed to get people to buy stuff. They also have another trait in common, which is the absence of clutter. It is because clutter would ruin the decor and make the merchandise less appealing. So, they do not have too many things in the showroom because that would lead to clutter. In fact, it is common for a showroom to have minimalist decor. This allows them to create beautiful showrooms, even with mediocre furniture. It also shows that you can often improve a decor by removing things.
Creating free time
We all have a limited number of hours in each day. It is very easy to fill up those hours with commitments. Also, there is nothing we can do to generate more hours in a day. So, reducing commitments and other activities is the only way to create more free time. This is why it is best to get rid of commitments that are wastes of time. So, with each activity or commitment, you should ask the following two questions:
1. Do I want or need to do this?
2. Does it help or enhance the life of anyone who I care about?
If you answer “No” to both of these questions, you can drop it from your schedule. Doing so will clear your schedule and create free time. Getting rid of useless commitments is perfectly in line with minimalism.
Achieving your goals
When you pursue your goals, it helps to not have many distractions. Your attention and commitment are valuable resources to use in the pursuit of your goals. Focusing on them properly will increase your chances of success. This means getting rid of things that waste your attention. Things to reduce include mindless TV and social media. This is a form of minimalism as it applies to your attention.
In summary, minimalism is about more than just creating a less cluttered home. It has applications in engineering because useless components can degrade a design. It also applies to athletic competitions because useless things can waste energy. This will degrade performance and reduce the chances of winning. Many showrooms also use minimalism because clutter is bad marketing for interior design. Minimalism is also useful for creating free time and achieving your goals. Clearly, minimalism has many applications.