How a minimalist choose

Cup vs. flask

A cup is good for coffee and a flask for storing water.

I’ll throw the cup away.

Plus I can use the flask as a foam roller.

To fit everything into one backpack, I’ve been thinking a lot about multi-purpose products.

Jojoba oil, for example, replaces my lip balm, hair oil, body lotion, cleanser, hair regrowth serum…

My jackets can be rolled into a pillow if needed.

The only single purpose item that I keep is my analog watch. It helps me focus by reducing the time I check my phone and realized I spent 30 minutes replying messages and scrolling.

You don’t need it

That’s the first thing I tell myself before I even decide whether to buy a thing.

I don’t need a new phone because the camera is working fine.

I don’t need a new shirt for this dinner because it’s not torn.

Having this baseline eliminates hours of contemplating.

Technological choices

It’s tempting to be hooked on new features.

I’ve been on an ‘app-diet’ by reducing everything down to text files.

Google Keep vs Evernote vs Notion? No thanks, I’ll just type in plain text files.

Project management apps? I use todo.txt.

The benefit of having text file is that this format will still be viewable 10 years later on any device.

And I have full control of the database. I can choose where to store it, how to name it and who to share it.

This applies when choosing a software for a company too.