There was a Japanese influencer I used to follow on Instagram mainly because I was fascinated by his minimalist life. As someone who has too much stuff, I could watch his daily routine and live a minimal life vicariously this way. No doubt many others do too.

So I was surprised to see he had an page on Amazon that allows (allowed?) you to buy all the things he has in his home. Surprised because I thought a minimalist would not encourage people to buy more stuff. But then I thought about it again and realized he is an influencer first, and like many influencers, he benefits by you buying more stuff. Stuff that makes you think you can be a minimalist, too, if you only had these things.

If that’s you, consider there is an easier way to be a minimalist. Start by having less. When you finish reading this, go and get rid of things in your house. For every new thing you bring in, throw out at least two things. You don’t need more different stuff. You need less of what you have. If you pursue Less, you may get to Minimal. Or better still, you will achieve Optimal.

For more on Less, get this book: “Less: a visual guide to minimalism”, by Rachel Aust.