The idea of minimalism first bounced into my social media feed and YouTube recommendations, and ever since, I have been screaming internally:
“YES. THAT’S ME.”
Clean, organised rooms. A neat wardrobe. Having only what I actually need. Finding happiness in simple, solid things.
It felt like someone had finally put an identity to something I had already started becoming.
But what do I actually think minimalism is about?
For me, it is simple:
The lighter you travel, the easier you travel.
And I don’t mean just travelling.
I like my room neat. I like my office space organised. I like my wardrobe to have some sort of logic to it.
Is it easy to maintain?
Umm… no.
So I started getting rid of things I didn’t need.
And somewhere along the way, I realised that when you remove even 50% of the clutter, organising the remaining 50% becomes ridiculously easier.
There is also something psychological about it for me.
I feel anxious when things are scattered around me. When my surroundings are messy, my productivity seems to disappear along with them.
So what started as a simple cleaning exercise eventually became a habit I genuinely cherish.
Was I Always Like This?
A BIG NO.
Up until around 2016, I could comfortably sleep next to a pile of clothes.
Want to sleep?
Easy.
Throw the clothes to one side, make enough space for yourself and you’re done.
I was blessed enough to have my own room since school, and honestly, that probably made me lazy.
My personal space had very little to do with the chores of the rest of the house. Nobody really bothered about it.
And neither did I.
Then things changed.
London Changed Something
In the summer of 2017, I went to London for a course.
It was my first real experience of living alone, and I was super excited about it.
I was living in a tiny hostel room with suitcases full of clothes.
Initially, it was fun.
Then it became troublesome.
There wasn’t anyone coming in to clean up after me. There wasn’t anyone to organise things for me.
So I started organising my room every day.
For two reasons.
One: I had to.
Two: if someone came into my room, I didn’t want to be seen as a messy, untidy kid with absolutely no civic sense.
What started as something I did because I had to slowly became something I wanted to do.
And that was probably the beginning of my relationship with minimalism.
Although, if you ask my parents, they will probably disagree with the entire theory.
Apparently, I am still the least organised person in the house.
Parents have their own definition of reality.
So How Did Minimalism Actually Enter My Life?
After coming back to India, I started getting rid of things.
A lot of things.
The funky clothes I barely wore.
The random stuff that had very little practical value.
Things I had bought simply because I thought I was supposed to like them.
And perhaps most importantly, things I had bought because I was trying to fit in, rather than because I genuinely enjoyed them.
I started narrowing down what I actually liked.
Interestingly, the list wasn’t very long.
And it hasn’t changed much.
For everyday use, I need:
- 2–3 pairs of comfortable jeans in different shades
- 6–7 solid round-neck T-shirts
- Black
- Grey
- Dark blue
- Brown
- Olive green
- A couple of plain black and white shirts
That’s pretty much it.
Beyond that, I start feeling like I have created a burden for myself.
More clothes mean more things to organise, more things to choose from and more things sitting in my wardrobe waiting for my attention.
So I simply avoid buying them.
Do I Love Accessories?
Again, minimal but good.
I cannot survive without sunglasses, so a pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarers is practically part of my identity.
A couple of good belts.
One wallet.
Done.
I don’t particularly enjoy collecting accessories just for the sake of having a collection.
If I own something, I want to actually use it.
But Then What Do I Collect?
Ah.
This is where things get interesting.
Shoes and perfumes.
That’s it.
I love sneakers and sports shoes.
I don’t particularly chase trends or collectible releases. I buy whatever I personally fancy and whatever my budget allows.
Puma, ASICS, Skechers — I am perfectly happy with them.
And I respect my budget.
That part matters.
Minimalism, at least the way I see it, doesn’t mean buying nothing.
It means buying deliberately.
My solid T-shirts and jeans keep things simple, while my sometimes ridiculously colourful shoes bring me happiness.
I own some random-coloured beauties, and somehow they work perfectly with my otherwise very blank personality.
Then there are perfumes.
I love fragrances.
A detailed discussion about that deserves an entirely different article, but I genuinely cannot go out without wearing a good perfume.
I have actually written about my perfume habit separately, so if you’re interested, go read that one too.
And What About Technology?
I am not particularly techy.
But having good gadgets gives me happiness.
So yes, there are exceptions to my minimalist philosophy.
I currently have my little Apple family:
MacBook Air M5.
iPhone 17.
AirPods Pro 2.
Complete Apple family.
Minimalism clearly has its limits.
So, Am I Actually a Minimalist?
Not really.
I don’t belong to some official minimalist category.
I don’t wake up every morning and count the number of possessions I own.
But I love the idea.
And, in my own way, I practically preach it.
I don’t chase brands.
I don’t chase trends.
I don’t buy things simply because everyone else is buying them.
I would rather own fewer things of better quality, use them properly, and actually enjoy them.
If something is sitting untouched in my wardrobe for years, I start wondering why I own it in the first place.
And that, for me, is probably the real meaning of minimalism.
It isn’t about owning 30 things.
It isn’t about having an empty room.
It isn’t about turning your life into a catalogue of beige furniture.
It is about removing what doesn’t add value so you have more space for what does.
For me, experiences matter more.
I’d rather spend money travelling, eating somewhere I love, discovering something new or creating a memory than buying another object that will eventually end up somewhere in the back of my wardrobe.
So no, I am probably not a textbook minimalist.
I’m just someone who has realised that less clutter gives me more peace.
And I like that.
Thank you for knowing a little more about me.
I wish you luck and love.
And I’d genuinely love to know — what kind of mentality do you have when it comes to the things you own?
Are you a collector, a minimalist, somewhere in between, or someone who still has clothes from 2014 sitting in a cupboard just in case?
If you want to know anything about my approach in more detail, feel free to contact me or reach out on Instagram.
Until then, own what you love. Use what you own. And let the rest go.
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