Less stuff, more life. The ancient trend that's making a strong comeback.
No, minimalism didn't start with influencers in beige sweaters on Instagram. It has its roots in ancient philosophical currents: Stoicism, Zen Buddhism or even Christian simplicity.
The idea? To free ourselves from attachment to possessions in order to better focus on what's essential. Since 1960, the term has re-emerged in art and architecture, with purified forms and a quest for simplicity. Around 2010, the trend became a veritable way of life, popularized by The Minimalists, the Netflix documentary by two Americans who developed a 30-day method for decluttering.
In France, too, the movement is taking hold: Dominique Loreau, with her book L'Art de la simplicité (2005), was a pioneer. And, over the past 10 years, a fundamental demand has emerged, in direct response to hyperconsumption, technological acceleration and the climate, health and economic crises.
Minimalism is becoming as much a political choice as a personal one, asserted in a variety of circles: eco-activists, degrowth enthusiasts, families in transition, but also "slow business" entrepreneurs or working people in search of meaning.
Books such as Serge Latouche's La décroissance, Josée-Anne Sarazin-Côté's Vivre mieux avec moins, or Thoreau's Walden, fuel this culture of "less, but better". In cities, at work and on the web, minimalism takes concrete forms: free zones, 4-day weeks, "no purchase" challenges or digital slowdown... A way of lightening our lives, not to deprive ourselves, but to make room for the essentials.
Minimalism goes beyond your closet
Today, minimalism can be found in all areas of daily life. There are those who do physical decluttering (Marie Kondo), but also those who choose to live in tiny houses, or in shared housing, or even those who adopt slow work, a voluntary reduction in working hours to reclaim living time.
There's also slow tech: fewer screens, fewer demands, more presence. A number of tools have been created to help us achieve this: Forest to stay focused, Daylio to listen to your emotions, Cleanfox to lighten your digital space.
We also often talk about mental health. A number of studies have shown that reducing the superfluous and living more simply helps to reduce stress and mental strain, while promoting a better quality of life.
And what about the climate? Here again, we're talking about sobriety: buy only the essentials, consume locally, lighten up on e-mails, limit your consumption of Chat GPT... it all counts. Did you know that asking a question on ChatGPT consumes at least ten times more electricity than a Google search? If you're interested, the Fresque du Numérique offers participative workshops to help you understand all this and find solutions.
So, slow life or stop it?
The question deserves to be asked. Minimalism is often associated with deprivation, with a sad, grey, monastic lifestyle. But in the testimonials gathered, we hear something else: liberation.
Fewer clothes = fewer choices = greater mental clarity. Fewer notifications = more concentration. Less shopping = less financial stress. Maybe that's true luxury: having less, but choosing better.
Can it be boring? Yes, sometimes, at least in the current context where cool often seems to be on the side of "always more". Yes, it can be hot to say no to a compulsive purchase, to a bigger apartment, to the umpteenth scroll on our phone. In any case, it takes effort. But what always comes back is the feeling of regaining power. And that's anything but boring, isn't it?
3 concrete ideas to introduce you to easy minimalism
- The 1 for 1 rule: for every object you buy, another leaves your home.
- Screen-free Sundays: a weekly challenge proposed by TeleCoop and even adopted in several secondary schools!
- 10 minutes of silence a day: no guided meditation, no apps. Just you and nothing. You'll see, it's an immense luxury.
