Digital minimalism was a breakthrough for me too. One trick I learned was to turn off ALL notifications from all apps. This greatly reduces the attentional "noise" generated by your phone.
I turned off the social media notificafions and that was one of the best decisions. My day is more silent and calm. And because I don't have notifications all the time so I go to social media when I really can use it and not by getting a notification that has distracted me.
There are two things in my life that were such a relief to get rid of...books and yarn. I had saved all my textbooks and notebooks from college years clear into my 50's. Of course, I never used them! Good-bye books! I love to knit and crochet and had accumulated 11 large tote boxes of yarn. Over the course of two years I made dozens and dozens of pairs of mittens, hats, afghans, and baby blankets which I donated. I now have only one small bag of yarn. I don't buy more yarn until I've used up the last. Good-bye yarn! What a relief!
Yours is true intelligent and constructive minimalism. We need to stop, think, reflect on what we are doing and if what we are doing is what we want and what is needed for our well-being. We are slaves to habits and we don't stop to reflect or gloss over things with a shrug. Thank you so much for your light but profound videos! Good work! Elena
I had successful LASIK surgery in 2010 and it was worth the money. I thought the lenses and cleaning solutions were expensive back then! I could read all the signs on the highway on the way home, it was great!!! Thanks for the good insight. I also ditched the TV a couple of decades ago, I guess I was tired of hearing about what I should think, buy and stress about. Be the change in the world you’d like to see and spend your time cultivating happiness.
@@angeladelmar9362 I think you’re talking about cataract surgery. A vision correction can be done during cataract surgery by replacing the natural lens with an artificial one. it’s a viable option since not everyone is a candidate for LASIK. Your eye doctor can help you determine what option work best for you.
I got my eyes done in the 1990s when it was relatively new. The procedure itself was quick and painless, but my eyes kind of burned for the week afterwards while they recovered. The main side effect (for me) was an increased sensitivity to light. Also, I have recently found that reading small print is increasingly difficult so I will likely need reading glasses in the near future. Otherwise I have had 30 years of perfect eyesight.
I am a minimalist from the Netherlands. At the beginning of 2022, I got rid of the last thing that everyone here finds essential but not for me: the bed. No one understands this decision and they still ask me when I'm going to buy one. Sometimes I found myself doubting my decision. I'm glad to see that you don't have a bed either and that sleeping on the floor is not a problem a all 😀 I love your videos and I learn a lot from you 💕💕💕
Here in India, sleeping on the floor is ancient habit. If course, a galicha, sataranji or a medium thin cotton mattress is put on the floor on which to sleep.
I bought a beautiful heady carved oak bed frame when I got divorced. I never thought I would let it go. But I'm thinking about it if I need to move. It's so heavy and I can't clean under it easily. I don't worry about what my friends think. They make jokes asking if anyone lives here. It's so calm for me though.
Hi Aki, I love your content, thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences. I prefer sleeping on the floor, my back feels so much better and rooms look so much more spacious. I also love the sense of feeling grounded - there is something invigorating about getting up in the morning and rising from the ground rather than reaching to the floor from a bed. My yoga mat has been with me for almost 20 years, it gets to stay. I bought a very high quality, extra long and wide rubber mat and it has endured the test of time and is very well travelled. It is worth lugging around! I want to try your laundry solutions, seems so much less wasteful and I like to be able to control the scents and chemicals in my life. Bring on the essential oils! I wish I understood people’s obsession with towels … I own two, one for company, they are large and thin (but well made and absorbent) and everything else is superfluous. I also don’t own a TV and am happy to have my one water bottle. All the best from 🇨🇦💕
Most of my books, CDs and DVDs went to the public library. I kept those few that really mean't something to me. CD film scores for example, stayed. Plenty of classical music And jazz on the internet. My Kindle is full of public domain books. My favorite reading, anyway. Worn-out clothing, recycled. Good clothing to the SA. Don't even own a suit now. One laptop, one tablet here. Minimalist amateur radio operator. Tech stuff given to radio clubs for use or sale to benefit organizations. Minimalist kitchen (but that has always been the case). To my fellow senior citizens...Time To Downsize, seriously. Get rid of bric-a-brac, carpets that you will trip over and break a hip. Do your survivors a favor and toss out now.
Good exercise to get up from bed on the floor..I am an older American and love to sleep on the floor..others my age have difficulties getting up from a chair.
Hey Aki, I actually deleted the TH-cam app & social media apps a while ago because I felt like I am spending too much time on it. However, I still watch your videos over the browser. I really like them!
What difference does it make how you watch YT, over browser or on apps. Screen and addictive factor is exactly the same, it sounds like you're lying to yourself. You're still addicted to social media, just on broswer.
The effort is the relevance here, at least he is making some in the right direction. Sounds like you're just trying to put him down. @@mikesamovarov4054
ありがとうございます さむらい さん 🙏🏻、 Since I am in Japan, I’m impressed by Japanese behavior for keeping their selves healthy and clean, and by their accuracy and high commitment about their education and job. Luckily, after a while, I can see the Japanese environment impact which I mentioned in my own-self and I am very happy for these changes in terms of my health and behavior. Now I completely blv that environment has impact on our personality to some high extent, so I’m very lucky that living in such a polite and safe environment. よかった 🎉
Thank you Aki, I really enjoy your videos! They make me feel good. I am an Italian living in London in a very small flat and trying to strike a balance on what I need and like to have without having a cluttered apartment. You have really good advices and brilliant attitude. Thank you! Grazie (“thank you” in Italian 😊)
Please be assured that your videos are both useful and inspiring to follow your example. We also got rid of our TV several years ago. The ads made me want to throw something at the TV to make the noise stop. This was before TH-cam. We never missed it. Since my husband passed away, I have been getting rid of a lot of stuff. Clutter makes me anxious and I think it's ugly; and so if I don't use an object frequently or there's something else that can serve more than one purpose, then I get rid of it. Thanks again for the superior ideas. They are truly helpful.
If completely getting rid of shampoo leaves your hair too greasy, you can use some vinegar with water (approx 1:5) and rinse your hair with that. Also helps to detangle 🙂
Hello Aki :) thank you for creating and sharing so many funny and inspiring videos this year! I really enjoyed all of them. Deleting TH-cam on my smartphone made me happy. Now I enjoy your content on my laptop with a cup of tea and a cozy blanket.
You got lucky with your LASIK. I have intense halos since my surgery, so bad that I avoid driving at night whenever possible. But the ability to see the stars at night without having to scramble for my glasses is more than worth it! One day I'll get closer to minimalism. But not today - I don't think I'm ready to get rid of my hobby supplies!
I know what my New Year’s resolution for this year is. Less Digital waste! I’ll have to figure out my screen time a bit differently though because I use my phone to listen to music a lot haha. Thank you for the tips!
Great out of the box thinking! These are things that we grow up thinking we "need", we don't even question, I love that you have broken through our programing and found better ways to accomplish what you truly need. Very inspirational, these ideas prompt thoughts of "what else can I change or get rid of?" this is truly a lesson of how to change how we view our world and hence change it as well. Businesses constantly tell us we need their products but they can only sell what we buy, and will change their products to meet the demand. How we spend our money is the loudest voice we have to send a message and make a difference...
For the past 3 and a half years I have been downsizing my possessions using the Konmari method. It has been a very long but rewarding process, and the best part is I keep finding things that no longer bring me joy. :)
Thank you for the inspiration (and calling out). Changing one's lifestyle is difficult at any age, and new bad habits can creep in. You bring encouragement, perspective, and some good entertainment. You're a good teacher, Aki!
Yes!! I got Lasik and I am healing still, nice to see! I don’t watch tv, the news, all negative stuff! I started to limit computer time and spend more time getting things done too! I even tried to learn Japanese! The spring water is the best! Definitely better for the environment too! We have some local spring water fill up in our area.
Hi Aki! I recently discovered your channel. You are very inspiring and I love your videos! I deleted apps I did not need so I can do more productive things! I have more time to study Japanese. I want to live in Japan some day! Right now I wear glasses and contacts, but I want to get the eye surgery when I am older. Contacts can be annoying! Thank you for making these videos. Take care!
I wanted to ask you something. How do you think about your way of minimalism when in a relationship? Do you feel the need that your partner also has to live and think the way you do? Which areas do you think are open to compromise and which are non-negotiable for your lifestyle? I'm just curious because I find that it is so much easier to stay consistent with a lifestyle choice when one is single compared to in a relationship. Would love to hear your thoughts on it!
Here’s my 2 cents, for what it’s worth: I have a wife and young son, so we obviously have more stuff in the house than Aki. I focus on personal minimalism and mentally compartmentalizing my possessions from the rest of the house. I don’t think it’s fair to try to force your philosophy on others, and if you do they’ll just be less likely to adopt it, but over time it is likely they will be influenced by your philosophy when they see how peaceful and simple it makes your life. My wife has become much more minimalistic over the years, without me ever trying to force it on her.
My two cents: just got out of an 8 year relationship, and it is like two deer locking horns If you are able to have your own space without "blending" too much of your possessions together, you keep your wits intact
love this! yep i deleted FB and insta from my phone a few months ago and i feel so much better... don't miss 'em at all! although i did have one account for marketing my movement teaching, so i'm still finding a way round that :D i just don't want to go back. But youtube is so nice to see great videos like yours, so don't worry! :DDD
last year i stopped using the laundry detergent as well thanks to you.. no one has complained how my clothes smell, just how i smell :P i also had lazik while in college, one of the best decisions i made.
I deleted the TH-cam app almost 6 months ago and I’m using web browser to watch your videos whenever I feel like it! It’s freed up so much of my time. And I cannot go back to those apps.
Thank you 🙏 I have long hair, finally. But I found out, that I can use a eco shampo bar (easy to carry, easy to use, even as hand soap)... I even can wash clothes with it. If the hair maybe get really dirty, I prewash it with some vinegar spray. I use vinegar to clean the dishes too. Thanks to You, I've bought essential oils and now it smell very fresh.. in the room too 😁 I get ride of tv 2017, And move out of the apartment. Today I've been living in This camper van for 4 years. Still trying to get rid of small stuff in many boxes PUH
Enjoyed results of lasix surgery for years. Then unpleasant to find it doesn't last forever. Back to wearing glasses. So enjoy it while it lasts! My vision was great as soon as I had the surgery. Best money I ever spent! I still have my TV, yet never watch it.
Good ideas thanks for posting. We get donate clothes we haven’t worn much & we also donate kitchen appliances we don’t use often. Minimalism makes it easier to keep the house clean & less clutter makes the home look more pleasant.
I also had LASIK about 5 years ago at 29 years old. It is absolutely the best money I’ve ever spent. I went from 20/80 with astigmatism in both eyes to 20/15 no astigmatism. No negative side effects and I’m still regularly shocked at how good my vision is, especially while driving. Deleting FB and Instagram were also huge improvements to my life. TH-cam is the only social media I’ve used for the last few years and I now use the Kindle app to read books when before I’d just scroll.
Great minds think alike. I got rid of my bed, too and use a futon for sleeping and convert it into a loveseat each morning. I have a lot more space in my room now.
I love your kimono… it looks so comfy. Dream clothes 😌. I love all of these ideas! I dream of getting tatami mats since I came back from Japan. I got a similar type of futon (though not authentic), but am just using a regular low profile bed frame to keep it clean until I can invest in tatami mats. I feel like I have to go back to Japan just to get some of these types of things lol
TV: I don't watch it since 6-7 years now, for the same reasons then you: the concentrate of negativeness in the news and way too much adds... Apps: I cleaned my phone of it. I only saved some social media apps because it's easier to keep in touch with friends and family who live all around the world + I have also some of them to study and read Shampoo : I tried the solid ones but It wasn't for me. Bed: I sleep on the floor too, maybe since 6 years now. Other resolutions that I made : when I buy something, it's to replace something that I donate or give it to recycling or use it up (books, clothes, beauty products...) I stopped hoarding... I also cleaned my appartement and get rid of everything that I haven't touched or used in over 1 - 1 1/2 year. And THAT allowed me to lighten my mind and to focus on much more important things... Otherwise, l'm not a native english speaker and I found your english very clear and comprehensive.
How to write..tatami mat? I like your video. *** I also a year ago put away my glasses, but did not do laser chirurgy. So i am still at -3,5..... It's very freeing to not have glasses on my nose. *** Never bought a yoga mat. A carpet or floor do for me. *** i also have only 2 additional apps (to cut mp3) and some are fixed on it like youtube. *** i have no bed but a mattress (on banana boxes mostly) *** i have bad towels but when i took only a cold shower i use tea towel, it's enough and saves washing. *** on my way of shampooing less. Now i am average of washing after 5 days. *** i have a Aqualine Waterfilter very happy ! Tap water is not healthy. Spring water is sooooo healthy!!! It's alive! (but it's 200 km for me) *** no tv for ages.. *** detergent is toxic for health... I have not found the solution. Will search for Magnesium.
My tap water comes from a well and is so pure, its lovely. I dont watch TV, just TH-cam so I can learn valuable things like on your channel. Wish I could get towels like yours, but have never seen them in New Zealand. Ditto a Tatami, I would love one!
Hey Aki! I love your videos .. they are so useful and make me happy! I have one recommendation: you do not need to use so much stock footage in your videos. It is perfectly fine and not at all boring to watch you talk about minimalism or life in Japan 🙂 I think the stock video parts are more distracting than helpful and they look a bit "cheap".
Recently got my first futon, loving it!! Also, you can limit your TH-cam-Time in screentime on you iPhone, say 40 minutes per day. If you're a youtube addict like me, get someone else to set the screen time PIN and not tell you. Then it's well and truly blocked (if you block chrome as well).
when i move i think i will stop using a bed, when i first moved to the room i sleep in now i was sleeping without it too and thought it was pretty neat
If you think your hair might get too oily sometimes, I recommend a boar bristle brush. It looks kinda funky, but it helped greatly as an alternative for shampoo. Be sure to get one with regular bristles in it as well though, because you might be getting an edge control brush if you don’t lmao
I used😊 to sleep in hammocs when I was on the farm. It's is typical for my country and safe if you sleep in florest. And of course you don't need blankets. Nowadays, it's difficult. I travel around, and the hotels have 🛌. 😊
Very good and healthy things Aki! I still wear glasses since about 50 years. I use natural "old cooked" soap from arabia for body and hair. Soda and low chemistry in washing maschine. A kind of futon and on my bicycle trips around the world at least I took no towel but showered cold or swam every day somewhere. Greetings from Germany and a good and safety trip! 🚴🏿♀️
If you drink black tea (I've not tried this with a green tea like sencha yet), after using the tea leaves for beverage you can save them and then boil them up to make a tea that can be used to wash your hair. It won't strip the hair they way shampoos can.
I would definitely want to try out the washing routine with magnesium and sleeping on a mattress on the floor. Maybe when I move out from my dorm in a few years!
Mattress must be elevated, so that air could circulate to prevent buildup of nasty insects, fungi and bacteria. Ewww! Tatami is NOT like a Western mattress, it's highly breathable.
i stopped buying cosmetics and now i make my own! i also periodically donate old clothes and shoes. i realized i only use 5 different pairs of shoes, the rest are just taking up space. i have donated books and just kept my favorite ones. i also declutter my laptop! i love to delete old photos and files etc that are just using up RAM.
I wish I can get rid of shampoo but I’m a girl with thick long hair and it gets too greasy. I just wash twice a week with shampoo. Our tap water taste terrible where I live. I filter through a brita filter. I will have to try your clothes washing routine. I’d love to stop using laundry soap. Thank you for the tips Aki!
Hi Aki! 🤗 I'm drowning in books that I haven't read yet and that keep piling up... should I just donate them and stop buying books for now? I appreciate your content! 😄
I have many books too that I need to read, I think you should fine the ones that still interest you and donate ones that do not and start working through them, I like to set a goal of a new book every week or two
Thank you, it is a great Video as usual. I enjoyed it 🤗 I sleep on the flor since 3 years and it was the best desicion for my back (an back pain) I could have made. It is so comfortably and much better for my back. Also, I'm able to sleep wherever I want. I still own a bed but it is used by my guests when they stay over night 😊
I use the minimalist phone apps to reduce notifications drastically. It helps a lot. You can also customize which notifications you want to have still. Theoretically, it is supposed to make the UI minimalist, too, but I find that it does not significantly impact my life to have this. But fewer digital noise is a great benefit.
Hi Aki, I really like your thoughtful list! Your idea of magnesium balls has interested me and I am about to switch. I wondered how much of your homemade fabric softener you put in with each medium load of washing? Best wishes from England!
I love ur videos❤ it will be great if u can hav a description of the towels or mattress. Or maybe a link on where we can get one. I keep trying to reply and search the product you mentioned.😊
I got rid of toothpaste i made my own one, also i stopped talking with online people like before. I feel i dont find the inspiration from them only wasting of time. I want to get rid of some people around me too🤣🤣but i dont know how, i should isolate myself. I got rid of hair products, skin products and my old clothes
You clearly didn't have good online communication groups. Don't blame online space ror lack of inspiration, it is YOUR responsibility to find productive and inspirational places, not time wasting ones. YOU failed at it! But don't pretend it's on other people to inspire you, dear 😂
Thank you for sharing, I am going to research the Tatami Mats, Gokumin folding mattress, magnesium balls for laundry detergent and the fabric softener PLUS the MOKU towel. 75 USD for one towel . . . I too think that bulky towels are a waste PLUS they get lint on other clothes. 😊😇☺
I love your videos, all the advice is super useful. if i had a traditional futon I would just give up work, they look so cosy. Way better than my conventional divan that is so high off the ground, I am scared i'll roll of in the night LOL.
I only spend about 20 euros for laundry pods a year so I never really thought about cutting my expenses on that but I was pretty impressed by your method of doing laudry with magnesium. I never heard of it. I mentioned it to my colleague who is 60 years old and she told me in a totally unimpressed way: yeah,yeah, have that, tried that, didn't work, I probably still have that somewhere stored for the past 30 years 🤣🤣 haha. I thought it was some new discovery and she already tried it and was not satisfied with it 30 years ago😁😁
I’m a maximalist, not knowing any differently, but looking to downsize to say a middle ist! So I watch and subscribe to this channel, not that I agree with everything, It helps me think about things that are so marketed and sold to us in a different way, that we will be fine without all the stuff!
I definitely agree with keeping both phone app and plastic water bottle use to a minimum. It’s not good when your phone starts becoming a source of “stress,” and it’s so much nicer to use a water filter; Brita pitcher; and/or portable stainless steel beverage bottles (even metal drinking straws, if you like using a straw!) 😊✨
Dr. Bronner's "all one" liquid castile soaps, especially the peppermint scent, has been my go to in the past for everything from washing laundry, to using it as a shampoo, to brushing teeth, to using it extremely diluted as a gargle. It makes a great foot soak and hand soap too. Not a sponsor, just a long time user.
thank you for your expirience with your lasik. that helps me a lot to decide to do cataract surgery soon (i have a form which starts very early) and not wait till i am 50 or nearly blind because i have minus 6 and cyl 4 and the side effekt of cataract surgery is, that the myopia can be made disappear, too.
Thanks for sharing! I’m going to look for those magnesium spheres… I already found a place that has the citric acid. Also you can use white vinegar as a substitute for laundry detergent. 👍🏽
I´ve been moved in my own appartment and accumulated more stuff. ( in your last counting video I was at 150) now I am at 99 but going lower. the detergent is really something of what we minimalists struggle. the bed will be next if I find a good one in germany. I loved this video!
Do you want to stink? You'll go nose blind, but others WILL definitely notice. Why do ya think this nice guy is still single? No shampoo, no laundry soap...
There is an artesian well near me. Water squirts right out of the ground all year long. The people who own the property puts a sign up that anyone can get all the water they want but to keep the area clean.
One of the best things I did was order a shikibuton and kakebuton from Osaka. They were pricy to get imported to the USA but they’re comfortable and the kakebuton keeps me so warm at night I’m able to turn my heat way down and saves money.
So helpful, Aki, all your videos! thank you. I look forward to days end to watch you topics! I hope the bedmakers are giving you money for advertising :) Seriously considering getting one!
Love your video much! I don’t have mattress and have tatami too when I was living in Hong Kong, love that much. Too bad I don’t have it now as I have moved to Paris. Yes, no television is better as we can avoid those bad news everyday 😀
The Legend himself is back. Happy to see you again. Personally the main things I got rid of this year where unessarcy clothes and items I dont evene remeber from my basement. I now know that might not be that much of an change but I now know nearly what I own and where it is :) which I cleary could say before. So thanks for the motiviation and insight from you
My friend, thank you for sharing these things with us. I've been interested in minimalism recently and I like the Japanese culture, hoping to visit/live there one day. I subscribed! Cheers!
These are great ides! I got a water purifier that uses carbon "candles" and gravity (Berkey system). It is much better than just filtering. We don't have any clean water sources here like your lovely spring water! I do several other things on this list like floor mattress and no tv but I do need to declutter my TH-cam watching next!
Shampoo bar and hair oil is about $30 Canadian every 2 months for 2 people for a good one. I’ve heard of people using vinegar for the oil build up. Diet makes a difference on if your scalp and hair need washing. The healthier you are, the less things you need, the less money you spend.
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Digital minimalism was a breakthrough for me too. One trick I learned was to turn off ALL notifications from all apps. This greatly reduces the attentional "noise" generated by your phone.
I turned off the social media notificafions and that was one of the best decisions. My day is more silent and calm. And because I don't have notifications all the time so I go to social media when I really can use it and not by getting a notification that has distracted me.
sadly I have not worked out a way to filter out digital clutter and notifications so my phone just bleeps randomly all day and night.
Me: phone on silent mode and away from me
Also me: misses all calls and messages from friends and family
1 - contact lenses / glasses
2 - yoga mat
3 - phone apps
4 - normal bed (use folding mattress)
5 - bath towels (use tenugui instead)
6 - shampoo
7 - bottled water
8 - tv
9 - laundry (use magnesium instead)
Thanks❤
なるほど手術もらいましたよな。俺の母側の親戚、せめて三人が手術のミスで死に、アメリカでの治療費ばっか高い！
知ってますか？アプリってサイト一件のための特別ブラウザに過ぎない…だと聞いてますが。
😢あきさん忘れがたい存在だぞ(っていうか俺も「あき[秋]」が名に入ってる :) 名前に「あき」入ってる男性に乾杯しよう🍵
あと書き:十五年以上久しぶりに抹茶買った :)
There are two things in my life that were such a relief to get rid of...books and yarn. I had saved all my textbooks and notebooks from college years clear into my 50's. Of course, I never used them! Good-bye books! I love to knit and crochet and had accumulated 11 large tote boxes of yarn. Over the course of two years I made dozens and dozens of pairs of mittens, hats, afghans, and baby blankets which I donated. I now have only one small bag of yarn. I don't buy more yarn until I've used up the last. Good-bye yarn! What a relief!
Yours is true intelligent and constructive minimalism. We need to stop, think, reflect on what we are doing and if what we are doing is what we want and what is needed for our well-being. We are slaves to habits and we don't stop to reflect or gloss over things with a shrug. Thank you so much for your light but profound videos! Good work! Elena
Your videos are making me a better person. ❤ FROM BANGLADESH
I had successful LASIK surgery in 2010 and it was worth the money. I thought the lenses and cleaning solutions were expensive back then! I could read all the signs on the highway on the way home, it was great!!! Thanks for the good insight. I also ditched the TV a couple of decades ago, I guess I was tired of hearing about what I should think, buy and stress about. Be the change in the world you’d like to see and spend your time cultivating happiness.
What's the best age to get LASIK? I think that when we get older (70 or 80), we might need another surgery right
@@angeladelmar9362 I think you’re talking about cataract surgery. A vision correction can be done during cataract surgery by replacing the natural lens with an artificial one. it’s a viable option since not everyone is a candidate for LASIK. Your eye doctor can help you determine what option work best for you.
I got my eyes done in the 1990s when it was relatively new. The procedure itself was quick and painless, but my eyes kind of burned for the week afterwards while they recovered. The main side effect (for me) was an increased sensitivity to light. Also, I have recently found that reading small print is increasingly difficult so I will likely need reading glasses in the near future. Otherwise I have had 30 years of perfect eyesight.
@@angeladelmar9362 Better to have the surgery young. Your eyes will age as normal and you may need reading glasses.
I am a minimalist from the Netherlands. At the beginning of 2022, I got rid of the last thing that everyone here finds essential but not for me: the bed. No one understands this decision and they still ask me when I'm going to buy one. Sometimes I found myself doubting my decision. I'm glad to see that you don't have a bed either and that sleeping on the floor is not a problem a all 😀 I love your videos and I learn a lot from you 💕💕💕
I am in process of getting rid of my bed also. Just getting the last bit of use out of it.
Here in India, sleeping on the floor is ancient habit. If course, a galicha, sataranji or a medium thin cotton mattress is put on the floor on which to sleep.
I also sleep on the floor, don't have a TV, and am considering getting rid of the yoga mat.
@@mendgudlisdaughter1871 I'm originally from Morocco and it's an ancient custom there too. For me it was a return to basics 😀
I bought a beautiful heady carved oak bed frame when I got divorced. I never thought I would let it go. But I'm thinking about it if I need to move. It's so heavy and I can't clean under it easily. I don't worry about what my friends think. They make jokes asking if anyone lives here. It's so calm for me though.
Hi Aki, I love your content, thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences. I prefer sleeping on the floor, my back feels so much better and rooms look so much more spacious. I also love the sense of feeling grounded - there is something invigorating about getting up in the morning and rising from the ground rather than reaching to the floor from a bed. My yoga mat has been with me for almost 20 years, it gets to stay. I bought a very high quality, extra long and wide rubber mat and it has endured the test of time and is very well travelled. It is worth lugging around! I want to try your laundry solutions, seems so much less wasteful and I like to be able to control the scents and chemicals in my life. Bring on the essential oils! I wish I understood people’s obsession with towels … I own two, one for company, they are large and thin (but well made and absorbent) and everything else is superfluous. I also don’t own a TV and am happy to have my one water bottle. All the best from 🇨🇦💕
Most of my books, CDs and DVDs went to the public library. I kept those few that really mean't something to me. CD film scores for example, stayed. Plenty of classical music And jazz on the internet. My Kindle is full of public domain books. My favorite reading, anyway. Worn-out clothing, recycled. Good clothing to the SA. Don't even own a suit now. One laptop, one tablet here. Minimalist amateur radio operator. Tech stuff given to radio clubs for use or sale to benefit organizations. Minimalist kitchen (but that has always been the case). To my fellow senior citizens...Time To Downsize, seriously. Get rid of bric-a-brac, carpets that you will trip over and break a hip. Do your survivors a favor and toss out now.
You are my favorite minimalist channel ❤ this really helped me. love from Germany
Good exercise to get up from bed on the floor..I am an older American and love to sleep on the floor..others my age have difficulties getting up from a chair.
Hey Aki, I actually deleted the TH-cam app & social media apps a while ago because I felt like I am spending too much time on it. However, I still watch your videos over the browser. I really like them!
What difference does it make how you watch YT, over browser or on apps. Screen and addictive factor is exactly the same, it sounds like you're lying to yourself. You're still addicted to social media, just on broswer.
The effort is the relevance here, at least he is making some in the right direction. Sounds like you're just trying to put him down. @@mikesamovarov4054
I can completely agree on cutting down watching news it has helped me a lot too!
ありがとうございます さむらい さん 🙏🏻、
Since I am in Japan, I’m impressed by Japanese behavior for keeping their selves healthy and clean, and by their accuracy and high commitment about their education and job. Luckily, after a while, I can see the Japanese environment impact which I mentioned in my own-self and I am very happy for these changes in terms of my health and behavior. Now I completely blv that environment has impact on our personality to some high extent, so I’m very lucky that living in such a polite and safe environment.
よかった 🎉
こちらこそです！
Thank you Aki, I really enjoy your videos! They make me feel good.
I am an Italian living in London in a very small flat and trying to strike a balance on what I need and like to have without having a cluttered apartment. You have really good advices and brilliant attitude. Thank you! Grazie (“thank you” in Italian 😊)
I’m just glad there’s someone else out there who thinks about these things similarly to myself.
Please be assured that your videos are both useful and inspiring to follow your example. We also got rid of our TV several years ago. The ads made me want to throw something at the TV to make the noise stop. This was before TH-cam. We never missed it. Since my husband passed away, I have been getting rid of a lot of stuff. Clutter makes me anxious and I think it's ugly; and so if I don't use an object frequently or there's something else that can serve more than one purpose, then I get rid of it. Thanks again for the superior ideas. They are truly helpful.
If completely getting rid of shampoo leaves your hair too greasy, you can use some vinegar with water (approx 1:5) and rinse your hair with that. Also helps to detangle 🙂
I guess also using the normal (body) soap from time to time can help, then rinse with vinegar
Definitely having a spring to get your water 💦 is a beautiful gift/ sadly not something everyone can access
Hello Aki :) thank you for creating and sharing so many funny and inspiring videos this year! I really enjoyed all of them. Deleting TH-cam on my smartphone made me happy. Now I enjoy your content on my laptop with a cup of tea and a cozy blanket.
You got lucky with your LASIK. I have intense halos since my surgery, so bad that I avoid driving at night whenever possible. But the ability to see the stars at night without having to scramble for my glasses is more than worth it!
One day I'll get closer to minimalism. But not today - I don't think I'm ready to get rid of my hobby supplies!
I know what my New Year’s resolution for this year is. Less Digital waste! I’ll have to figure out my screen time a bit differently though because I use my phone to listen to music a lot haha. Thank you for the tips!
Thank you so much Aki! You have an inherent kindness and love for our mother Earth. Be well my friend.
Great out of the box thinking! These are things that we grow up thinking we "need", we don't even question, I love that you have broken through our programing and found better ways to accomplish what you truly need. Very inspirational, these ideas prompt thoughts of "what else can I change or get rid of?" this is truly a lesson of how to change how we view our world and hence change it as well. Businesses constantly tell us we need their products but they can only sell what we buy, and will change their products to meet the demand. How we spend our money is the loudest voice we have to send a message and make a difference...
For the past 3 and a half years I have been downsizing my possessions using the Konmari method. It has been a very long but rewarding process, and the best part is I keep finding things that no longer bring me joy. :)
Thank you for the inspiration (and calling out). Changing one's lifestyle is difficult at any age, and new bad habits can creep in. You bring encouragement, perspective, and some good entertainment. You're a good teacher, Aki!
Yes!! I got Lasik and I am healing still, nice to see! I don’t watch tv, the news, all negative stuff! I started to limit computer time and spend more time getting things done too! I even tried to learn Japanese! The spring water is the best! Definitely better for the environment too! We have some local spring water fill up in our area.
Hi Aki! I recently discovered your channel. You are very inspiring and I love your videos! I deleted apps I did not need so I can do more productive things! I have more time to study Japanese. I want to live in Japan some day!
Right now I wear glasses and contacts, but I want to get the eye surgery when I am older. Contacts can be annoying!
Thank you for making these videos. Take care!
I wanted to ask you something. How do you think about your way of minimalism when in a relationship? Do you feel the need that your partner also has to live and think the way you do? Which areas do you think are open to compromise and which are non-negotiable for your lifestyle? I'm just curious because I find that it is so much easier to stay consistent with a lifestyle choice when one is single compared to in a relationship. Would love to hear your thoughts on it!
Here’s my 2 cents, for what it’s worth:
I have a wife and young son, so we obviously have more stuff in the house than Aki. I focus on personal minimalism and mentally compartmentalizing my possessions from the rest of the house.
I don’t think it’s fair to try to force your philosophy on others, and if you do they’ll just be less likely to adopt it, but over time it is likely they will be influenced by your philosophy when they see how peaceful and simple it makes your life. My wife has become much more minimalistic over the years, without me ever trying to force it on her.
My two cents: just got out of an 8 year relationship, and it is like two deer locking horns
If you are able to have your own space without "blending" too much of your possessions together, you keep your wits intact
love this! yep i deleted FB and insta from my phone a few months ago and i feel so much better... don't miss 'em at all! although i did have one account for marketing my movement teaching, so i'm still finding a way round that :D i just don't want to go back.
But youtube is so nice to see great videos like yours, so don't worry! :DDD
last year i stopped using the laundry detergent as well thanks to you.. no one has complained how my clothes smell, just how i smell :P
i also had lazik while in college, one of the best decisions i made.
I deleted the TH-cam app almost 6 months ago and I’m using web browser to watch your videos whenever I feel like it!
It’s freed up so much of my time. And I cannot go back to those apps.
Thank you 🙏
I have long hair, finally. But I found out, that I can use a eco shampo bar (easy to carry, easy to use, even as hand soap)... I even can wash clothes with it. If the hair maybe get really dirty, I prewash it with some vinegar spray.
I use vinegar to clean the dishes too. Thanks to You, I've bought essential oils and now it smell very fresh.. in the room too 😁 I get ride of tv 2017, And move out of the apartment. Today I've been living in This camper van for 4 years. Still trying to get rid of small stuff in many boxes PUH
Enjoyed results of lasix surgery for years. Then unpleasant to find it doesn't last forever. Back to wearing glasses. So enjoy it while it lasts! My vision was great as soon as I had the surgery. Best money I ever spent! I still have my TV, yet never watch it.
Good ideas thanks for posting. We get donate clothes we haven’t worn much & we also donate kitchen appliances we don’t use often. Minimalism makes it easier to keep the house clean & less clutter makes the home look more pleasant.
I also had LASIK about 5 years ago at 29 years old. It is absolutely the best money I’ve ever spent. I went from 20/80 with astigmatism in both eyes to 20/15 no astigmatism. No negative side effects and I’m still regularly shocked at how good my vision is, especially while driving.
Deleting FB and Instagram were also huge improvements to my life. TH-cam is the only social media I’ve used for the last few years and I now use the Kindle app to read books when before I’d just scroll.
Very smart ideas. I dont watch tv but I do spend too much time on youtube. Time that could be so productive elsewhere. Thank you for the motivation!🥰
Great video. I also got rid of apps on my phone that I don’t need. Makes the home page so much neater.
I’m minimalist from Russia and I really love your video! continue creating 🍀 I wish u good luck 💚
Great minds think alike. I got rid of my bed, too and use a futon for sleeping and convert it into a loveseat each morning. I have a lot more space in my room now.
I do like the bath towel alternatives ... am definitely going to look into these.
I love your kimono… it looks so comfy. Dream clothes 😌. I love all of these ideas!
I dream of getting tatami mats since I came back from Japan. I got a similar type of futon (though not authentic), but am just using a regular low profile bed frame to keep it clean until I can invest in tatami mats.
I feel like I have to go back to Japan just to get some of these types of things lol
TV: I don't watch it since 6-7 years now, for the same reasons then you: the concentrate of negativeness in the news and way too much adds...
Apps: I cleaned my phone of it. I only saved some social media apps because it's easier to keep in touch with friends and family who live all around the world + I have also some of them to study and read
Shampoo : I tried the solid ones but It wasn't for me.
Bed: I sleep on the floor too, maybe since 6 years now.
Other resolutions that I made : when I buy something, it's to replace something that I donate or give it to recycling or use it up (books, clothes, beauty products...) I stopped hoarding...
I also cleaned my appartement and get rid of everything that I haven't touched or used in over 1 - 1 1/2 year.
And THAT allowed me to lighten my mind and to focus on much more important things...
Otherwise, l'm not a native english speaker and I found your english very clear and comprehensive.
Since 2009😊
❤❤❤I love bar shampoo, about 4 yrs❤❤❤, but not conditioner 😢
Thanks for your great video! Not watching the news is the best, most news are bad news, I would like to adopt this habit in this new year!
How to write..tatami mat?
I like your video.
*** I also a year ago put away my glasses, but did not do laser chirurgy. So i am still at -3,5..... It's very freeing to not have glasses on my nose.
*** Never bought a yoga mat. A carpet or floor do for me.
*** i also have only 2 additional apps (to cut mp3) and some are fixed on it like youtube.
*** i have no bed but a mattress (on banana boxes mostly)
*** i have bad towels but when i took only a cold shower i use tea towel, it's enough and saves washing.
*** on my way of shampooing less. Now i am average of washing after 5 days.
*** i have a Aqualine Waterfilter very happy ! Tap water is not healthy. Spring water is sooooo healthy!!! It's alive! (but it's 200 km for me)
*** no tv for ages..
*** detergent is toxic for health... I have not found the solution. Will search for Magnesium.
My tap water comes from a well and is so pure, its lovely. I dont watch TV, just TH-cam so I can learn valuable things like on your channel. Wish I could get towels like yours, but have never seen them in New Zealand. Ditto a Tatami, I would love one!
Buy one on ebay
@@cheriadams9808 too scared of fraud. Know a lo of friends who been cheated
Thank you Aki.
Hey Aki! I love your videos .. they are so useful and make me happy! I have one recommendation: you do not need to use so much stock footage in your videos. It is perfectly fine and not at all boring to watch you talk about minimalism or life in Japan 🙂 I think the stock video parts are more distracting than helpful and they look a bit "cheap".
Well, I like them. I would find it boring without.
Thank you, Aki!
I love your minimalism videos. Very helpful
Recently got my first futon, loving it!!
Also, you can limit your TH-cam-Time in screentime on you iPhone, say 40 minutes per day. If you're a youtube addict like me, get someone else to set the screen time PIN and not tell you. Then it's well and truly blocked (if you block chrome as well).
when i move i think i will stop using a bed, when i first moved to the room i sleep in now i was sleeping without it too and thought it was pretty neat
If you think your hair might get too oily sometimes, I recommend a boar bristle brush. It looks kinda funky, but it helped greatly as an alternative for shampoo. Be sure to get one with regular bristles in it as well though, because you might be getting an edge control brush if you don’t lmao
I used😊 to sleep in hammocs when I was on the farm. It's is typical for my country and safe if you sleep in florest. And of course you don't need blankets. Nowadays, it's difficult. I travel around, and the hotels have 🛌. 😊
Very good and healthy things Aki! I still wear glasses since about 50 years. I use natural "old cooked" soap from arabia for body and hair. Soda and low chemistry in washing maschine. A kind of futon and on my bicycle trips around the world at least I took no towel but showered cold or swam every day somewhere. Greetings from Germany and a good and safety trip! 🚴🏿♀️
If you drink black tea (I've not tried this with a green tea like sencha yet), after using the tea leaves for beverage you can save them and then boil them up to make a tea that can be used to wash your hair. It won't strip the hair they way shampoos can.
I would definitely want to try out the washing routine with magnesium and sleeping on a mattress on the floor. Maybe when I move out from my dorm in a few years!
Mattress must be elevated, so that air could circulate to prevent buildup of nasty insects, fungi and bacteria. Ewww! Tatami is NOT like a Western mattress, it's highly breathable.
Time for me to make the switch from regular bath towels to tenugui. Thanks, Aki!
i stopped buying cosmetics and now i make my own! i also periodically donate old clothes and shoes. i realized i only use 5 different pairs of shoes, the rest are just taking up space. i have donated books and just kept my favorite ones. i also declutter my laptop! i love to delete old photos and files etc that are just using up RAM.
I wish I can get rid of shampoo but I’m a girl with thick long hair and it gets too greasy. I just wash twice a week with shampoo. Our tap water taste terrible where I live. I filter through a brita filter. I will have to try your clothes washing routine. I’d love to stop using laundry soap. Thank you for the tips Aki!
Hi Aki! 🤗 I'm drowning in books that I haven't read yet and that keep piling up... should I just donate them and stop buying books for now? I appreciate your content! 😄
Donate or sell if it doesn't take too long and get an ereader
I have many books too that I need to read, I think you should fine the ones that still interest you and donate ones that do not and start working through them, I like to set a goal of a new book every week or two
Aki, this was a great video! I love all of your videos but this one really got me thinking! Thanks!
Thank you so much for this info, I learn alot.
Thank you, it is a great Video as usual. I enjoyed it 🤗
I sleep on the flor since 3 years and it was the best desicion for my back (an back pain) I could have made. It is so comfortably and much better for my back. Also, I'm able to sleep wherever I want.
I still own a bed but it is used by my guests when they stay over night 😊
I use the minimalist phone apps to reduce notifications drastically. It helps a lot. You can also customize which notifications you want to have still. Theoretically, it is supposed to make the UI minimalist, too, but I find that it does not significantly impact my life to have this. But fewer digital noise is a great benefit.
Wow we are the same outside of the laundry. I will check that magnesium and softener
Hi Aki, I really like your thoughtful list! Your idea of magnesium balls has interested me and I am about to switch. I wondered how much of your homemade fabric softener you put in with each medium load of washing? Best wishes from England!
Amazing video! You’ve changed the way look at things & I learned a lot.
Samurai 🌟
I like all the videos I’ve seen so far, you are an intresting and refreshing person 😃🎉☀️
Don’t change
I love ur videos❤ it will be great if u can hav a description of the towels or mattress. Or maybe a link on where we can get one. I keep trying to reply and search the product you mentioned.😊
Thanks for sharing all these great ideas, Aki. I love your channel! Keep up the great work💪💪.
-Norm from San Francisco
hi Aki , your videos are the best and inspires me to invest time in myself and improve :) thank you so much for your content
We get spring water 💧 where I live too and love it 😀
I really appreciate your videos and really learning a lot. Send you a big hug from Mexico.🥰
I love your videos. Well done and thank you for all the good stuff you share.
Wow! Stop using shampoo? With my tick hair? I don’t know, lol Love the idea for laundry. Thank you from Québec, Canada. 🙏🙂🇨🇦💙✨
I got rid of toothpaste i made my own one, also i stopped talking with online people like before. I feel i dont find the inspiration from them only wasting of time.
I want to get rid of some people around me too🤣🤣but i dont know how, i should isolate myself.
I got rid of hair products, skin products and my old clothes
LOL i love getting rid of people
Dont isolate yourself, humans need other or you get depressed
You clearly didn't have good online communication groups. Don't blame online space ror lack of inspiration, it is YOUR responsibility to find productive and inspirational places, not time wasting ones. YOU failed at it! But don't pretend it's on other people to inspire you, dear 😂
Thank you for sharing, I am going to research the Tatami Mats, Gokumin folding mattress, magnesium balls for laundry detergent and the fabric softener PLUS the MOKU towel. 75 USD for one towel . . . I too think that bulky towels are a waste PLUS they get lint on other clothes. 😊😇☺
I love your videos, all the advice is super useful. if i had a traditional futon I would just give up work, they look so cosy. Way better than my conventional divan that is so high off the ground, I am scared i'll roll of in the night LOL.
I only spend about 20 euros for laundry pods a year so I never really thought about cutting my expenses on that but I was pretty impressed by your method of doing laudry with magnesium. I never heard of it. I mentioned it to my colleague who is 60 years old and she told me in a totally unimpressed way: yeah,yeah, have that, tried that, didn't work, I probably still have that somewhere stored for the past 30 years 🤣🤣 haha. I thought it was some new discovery and she already tried it and was not satisfied with it 30 years ago😁😁
I’m a maximalist, not knowing any differently, but looking to downsize to say a middle ist! So I watch and subscribe to this channel, not that I agree with everything, It helps me think about things that are so marketed and sold to us in a different way, that we will be fine without all the stuff!
I definitely agree with keeping both phone app and plastic water bottle use to a minimum. It’s not good when your phone starts becoming a source of “stress,” and it’s so much nicer to use a water filter; Brita pitcher; and/or portable stainless steel beverage bottles (even metal drinking straws, if you like using a straw!) 😊✨
Dr. Bronner's "all one" liquid castile soaps, especially the peppermint scent, has been my go to in the past for everything from washing laundry, to using it as a shampoo, to brushing teeth, to using it extremely diluted as a gargle. It makes a great foot soak and hand soap too. Not a sponsor, just a long time user.
Thank you for sharing, Aki!
thank you for your expirience with your lasik. that helps me a lot to decide to do cataract surgery soon (i have a form which starts very early) and not wait till i am 50 or nearly blind because i have minus 6 and cyl 4 and the side effekt of cataract surgery is, that the myopia can be made disappear, too.
Thanks for sharing! I’m going to look for those magnesium spheres… I already found a place that has the citric acid.
Also you can use white vinegar as a substitute for laundry detergent. 👍🏽
I´ve been moved in my own appartment and accumulated more stuff. ( in your last counting video I was at 150) now I am at 99 but going lower. the detergent is really something of what we minimalists struggle. the bed will be next if I find a good one in germany. I loved this video!
I've been tempted to try the magnesium pellets instead of laundry detergent; maybe that will be one of the new things I try in 2023.
Do you want to stink? You'll go nose blind, but others WILL definitely notice. Why do ya think this nice guy is still single? No shampoo, no laundry soap...
I love the idea of magnesium and homemade fabric conditioner. I wanna smell first your clothes and the outcome before trying it 🤭😁
There is an artesian well near me. Water squirts right out of the ground all year long. The people who own the property puts a sign up that anyone can get all the water they want but to keep the area clean.
One of the best things I did was order a shikibuton and kakebuton from Osaka. They were pricy to get imported to the USA but they’re comfortable and the kakebuton keeps me so warm at night I’m able to turn my heat way down and saves money.
Your laugh at the end of the video is awesome
So helpful, Aki, all your videos! thank you. I look forward to days end to watch you topics! I hope the bedmakers are giving you money for advertising :) Seriously considering getting one!
Love your video much! I don’t have mattress and have tatami too when I was living in Hong Kong, love that much. Too bad I don’t have it now as I have moved to Paris. Yes, no television is better as we can avoid those bad news everyday 😀
I haven’t stopped using shampoo, but I use a shampoo bar once a week, it lasts a very long time and is compact
The Legend himself is back. Happy to see you again. Personally the main things I got rid of this year where unessarcy clothes and items I dont evene remeber from my basement. I now know that might not be that much of an change but I now know nearly what I own and where it is :) which I cleary could say before. So thanks for the motiviation and insight from you
Me too i use tape water, i got rid of facebook addiction also
My friend, thank you for sharing these things with us. I've been interested in minimalism recently and I like the Japanese culture, hoping to visit/live there one day. I subscribed! Cheers!
These are great ides! I got a water purifier that uses carbon "candles" and gravity (Berkey system). It is much better than just filtering. We don't have any clean water sources here like your lovely spring water! I do several other things on this list like floor mattress and no tv but I do need to declutter my TH-cam watching next!
Shampoo bar and hair oil is about $30 Canadian every 2 months for 2 people for a good one. I’ve heard of people using vinegar for the oil build up. Diet makes a difference on if your scalp and hair need washing. The healthier you are, the less things you need, the less money you spend.
Spring water is not something I can find here in the Ohio area US, where I am at, in Brasil is a easy place to find. Thank you for sharing.
Subscribed…Hello from Orlando, FL!