Fumio Sasaki used to live a hoarder’s life full of clutter. He used to collect books, CDs, and DVDs that occupied his 20 sq m apartment. Now, he has 20 pieces of clothing and about 150 pieces of items in is his flat.
What made him adapt a minimalist lifestyle?
In a interview conducted by CNA Insider, he revealed that he used to have many things in his room and his books were everywhere that he could not clean his room. He would often go to his office feeling disgusted of himself. His lifestyle was unhealthy back then. The CNA Insider showed pictures of Sasaki’s former room, stacks of books and CDs are all over the room, it covered his windows and his floor.
Why did he chose to be a minimalist?
He said that he did not know anything about minimalism and he researched the internet what it is. He saw pictures of minimalist travellers and the lightness and freedom inspired him a lot.
What steps did he do to reduce his things?
He sold all his books, CDs, and DVDs to second hand stores. He gave his things away to anyone who wanted it. He scanned letters and pictures and converted them to digital data.
How long did he take him to reduce his things?
It took him about a year to reduce the things he had.
Now, he carefully selects things that he will add to his home.
Cleaning his home is no longer a chore and it only took him less than 2 minutes to clean it.
What are the problems that he face as a minimalist?
He said that entertaining guests could be a problem. He often asks them if they don’t mind. He can serve them with water but his guests can bring drinks that they want.
Now…
According to him, there are many things that he is still interested in but the benefit of having fewer things surpasses the need to have many things.
Instead of shopping and taking care of things, he can now spend more time in things that he wants to do. He uses that time to do what he likes to do such as traveling, eating delicious food with his friends, and doing outdoor activities. He got interested in outdoor activities recently and he goes camping and mountain climbing.
He said, “People often misunderstand that you don not need to stay in this room for 24 hours a day. The important thing is it is easier to go out when you live in such a simple room. As you select and reduce your things, you understand yourself better, your core value and what’s truly important to you. I think that is the essence of minimalism.
My Insight:
I read one of the comments in you tube where a viewer said that the minimalist home looks “cold and uncozy“. The interview of Fumio Sasaki is the answer to that comment, it is easier to go out of the house if it is simple. Admit it or not, many people just like me prefer to stay indoors. The reason behind that is that we are chained by our gadgets and many other distractions. If we remove those things that chained us in our room, it is easier for us to get up in the morning and have an active lifestyle.
Selecting things that we will add to our lives is now a question that we have to face. Some people might think that it is burdensome, but it is a way for us to know what we really need and like. We will ask ourselves, “Is this important? Is this useful to me? Will I be happy about this? What will it contribute to my life”. We will also ask deeper questions before deciding to buy a thing. We will no longer be the person who will buy it because it is “cute”, “pretty” or “fluffy”. We will become more aware of the value of the items that we see in the market. Are they something we should keep or just a piece of junk.
He also mentioned that he took him about a year to downsize his things, meaning it is not easy. It is absolutely not easy to give away things that we are attached to, but a huge clutter is unhealthy. The clutter creates self-hate where in we feel guilty that our place is a mess. It is not easy to say goodbye to our treasures but the fruit is rewarding. We do not have to give everything away, that is what it makes it hard to clean up. We have to decide which items we should keep and let go.
It is not easy, but it is achievable.
Fumio Sasaki is one of the many people who decided to adapt a minimalist lifestyle.
Credits: Wacth his CNA interview here: Being a Minimalis t.
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