Minimal Moves

I had fun editing this one for once- interesting to think about how much can change in a year, both in the logistical detail (what I have, where I am, what lifestyle I lead) and in how I interact with the world. So here's to a throwback on shoes/hats/scarves and an attempt at understanding ties. 

And for some shoe brands that I appreciate now: Allbirds (versatile, water resistant, can machine wash!!), Vejas (straightforward, effort towards better laborforce treatment), Birkenstocks (comfort, long-lasting)

Here's a quick chat about an accidental no-buy moment I had - if you haven't yet, would you give it a try? The minimalist I mention here is Ashlynne Eaton :)

From skincare to books, there are a lot of aspects of life that you might expect minimalists to rule out - and that might make you hesitate to consider minimalism at all. In this episode, I wanted to give a little air time to those counterculture aspects of minimalism if you will. The essence of minimalism should be adapting the principles of downsizing to what makes sense to your life - and keep updating! I recorded this early in 2021, and so much has changed already in 2022. 

In this episode, we walk through four categories: saving the lag, interface organization, browser organization, and files and folders. Tune in for tips to make your laptop more efficient and faster! 

Often times when I watch minimalist content on capsule wardrobes, I wonder how that can be applied to a non-creator like me - a student then, a 9-5er now, with clothing needs spanning from galas to business casual to Thursday nights in sweats. In this episode, I talk about small steps I take and the types of clothing I am transitioning capsule.

From wannabie outfits to tech updates, there are mindless-to-semiautomatic costs that are easy to spend, and just as easy to habitualize cutting out. If these items bring you meaning, by all means, keep it -but if not, habits are an easy way to reallocate your resources to things that matter more! 

For this episode, I invited my friend Frank to talk about how to keep everything from notifications to the app library minimal. Anyone trying to keep their digital life organized this year? 

Today, I talk about the minimal approaches to lip products that complicate my love of the neutral-to-bold. Enjoy!

I wanted to try out reading my blog posts- I know I write in rambling thought, so I figured, why not see what people think about it actually being rambled out loud? A potential of this becoming its own thing, so please please let me know what you think (including a very honest don't do it! I will appreciate it all) 

From gym memberships to shaving cream, there are a lot of things in the care and clothing departments that I think are lifestyle-optional - we might think it's a must, but we can just as easily rethink how we incorporate them into our lives. In this episode, I talk about which ones I'm keeping out of my 2021 shopping list. 

Hi Minimal Moves! From vases to iPads, in this episode, I talk about random things around the household. If you're a plant hater or a plant lover, listen to feel justified or angered (or both?).

I'm excited to bring to you the Making Series, my first ever collaboration where I connect with zero waste/sustainable living creatives. In this episode, Maria from the Uvida Shop shares her experience starting one of the few zero waste stores in Boston as an undergrad. 

Here are some musings about keeping college/young adult and generally minimalist kitchen setups cheap and sustainable! Tea fanatics, pasta lovers, listen on. 

I wanted to sit down and chat a little bit about how hobbies come into play in a minimalist's life, from the tool intensive to merely vocal-cord-requiring (and I swear I use words a little better than that in the episode itself).  Here are some tool-gathering resources I mention: Facebook Marketplace, Buy Nothing/Everything Free Facebook groups (and along those veins: Nextdoor), University center/student organizations/institutes/departments, local libraries, friends and family.

Today I talk through sunblock, foundation, concealer, and other base-coverage thoughts- one of the lasts for the minimal makeup series. Stay tuned for newer series episodes on financials and digital declutter!

In this episode, I walk through my honest typical spending in a week, how that can vary depending on the season (hint: Christmas hikes), and how I keep track of my expenditures.

In this episode, I talk through one of the "rules" that minimalist adopt. The 10/10 rule helps focus on what matters to you in your life and make sure that your spending aligns with your priorities. I'm planning to check in using this rule every couple of years - I hope you find it useful too!

From ThredUp to friend group swaps, there are so many ways you can pick up clothing that is new to you but known to the earth (aka second hand). In this episode, I walk through the various second-hand sale and purchase options, including Depop, Instagram, and craigslist! Which one's your favorite? 

We're back with a minimal makeup episode! This week let's chat about everything cheeky - and I have to give you an update. Since recording this episode, I've caved into picking up my first ever highlight (my justification: it was on like 33% ish off sale and came in funky packaging that I will love forever) and it does barely anything to my look and I'm so happy with it. Also, I've found myself loving glossier more by the month. What's your favorite cheek product? 

I started counting the number of items I was letting go of towards the end of last summer when I heard about the minimalism challenge - but didn't have the time to set aside to declutter up to 31 items on a given day. Today I talk you through the ins and out of my decluttering count, how I feel about my space now, and where I hope to get to in the coming months/years. 

More info on the minimalism game here: https://www.theminimalists.com/game/

With every lifestyle change comes hurdles, and minimalism is no exception. In the spirit of being as real as is reasonably palatable, here are just a few struggles that I'm facing as I take on this minimalist shift. 

Nuff said, I say, like a 1980-s dad sipping a bourbon (I have no idea where that came from … #patriarchy?). Enjoy!

Here are some new and continuing experiences that I want to invest in, experiences that others are helping me have, and some that I don't plan to invest in, 2021 onwards. 

You know, I might just not blabber on in the description for once, and just say ... gather some fairy dust, and get ready to fairy-godmother but sustainably ;) 

In this episode, I talk through five aspects of the Japanese aspects of minimalism: 

1. Wabi-sabi 

2. Konmari method https://konmari.com/

3. Komono

4. Kintsugi

5. "Small tests" + Cleaning in my Japanese elementary/middle school experience 

Owning my culture is a privilege and a joy and my duty all in one. I hope you enjoy <3

Whether you are a google calendar user all the way, a bujo queen or a somewhat average paper journal juggler, I can relate. Planning systems is an object of my fascination. In this episode I talk through all this - and at the end have a quick update on what I'm headed into the new year with. 

Link to bestdressed's bujo vid here: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1rn-mhNElQ

In this episode, I talk through a couple of gimmicky things that have become so trendy. I wanted to make sure we're thinking through swaps that can be multi-functional before picking up these items that don't really do more than one job. At the end I go into a little bit about truly appreciating gifts for their spirit - I hope this helps you be at ease with the gifts you've received (including the ones from me if any of you received anything from yours truly this year!!) that might not be your new right-hand tool. 

Here's my eye routine, slightly minimal :) It's really only slightly minimal because I love a bold eye look, and try to do one - in whatever ways my limited technical capacity and obsession with blue will allow. I'll keep y'all updated on any sustainable alternatives I find! 

I've been seeing a lot of people, minimalist or not, sharing the products and experiences they're glad they invested in in 2020. Here, I talk through three products that I'm glad I invested in this year, though they were higher budget items that I'm used to. The idea of minimalism is to redirect your resources in effective ways, and I couldn't be more satisfied with the values that these three have provided me this past year. 

Today I come to you with a rather odd proposition: declutter gifts to honor the gift giver's intentions. I. talk through my personal example that involves a kindergartener in Petaluma, California, and tons of second-hand books. 

And here's a reminder that it's okay, of course, if you don't agree. I hope you take from this episode the spirit of sharing love and appreciation for others. 

The second Minimal Makeup Step is in the hair direction. From Backpacking Bananas (yes, you guessed it, another YouTuber)'-inspired Jojoba interests to Trader Joe's hair serum, options abound; here's how I try to minimize branch-like split ends and nourish my confused, thick and wavy/curly-ish hair. 

In this episode, I update you on what little habits I've been trying to kickstart (including, my Japanese-servant-leadership-emphasizing, Catholic-school-education-forbid, asserting myself!) before the New Years, and how those have been going <3 

I just watched a video by an actor (also one of my favorite YouTubers, Michel Janse) moving onto newer goals, and was thinking over how my personal goals are shifting. Thinking through your goals and adjusting them as life shifts IS minimalist - in this episode, I explain how that's the case and everything else going through my head surrounding goal setting and reframing productivity. 

Okay y'all. Series 2 of this podcast is on makeup, an art form might I dare say that I hope to continue to learn. Before my non-makeuped friends run away, might I dare remind you that this could be helpful for holiday, birthday, and pick-me-up gifts? Today, I go over brow-related products, talk through what I use, and what recommendations I've received. In all the makeup episodes, I'll also talk through in what direction I want to be moving to be more minimal and sustainable. 

Even in the dimension of snacking, I try (and, again, fail sometimes) to be more minimal or sustainable - whether it's in what I'm eating itself or what wrapping the snacks come in. Here's to baby steps. 

Santa might not be the only one making a list and checking it twice, you might be too. Got your new years resolution list ready? Why not get started on them now? Today I talk through how minimalism can frame a December kickstart to New Years resolutions, and how that can help set good habits on track.

The Episode + (unrelated to neighboring episodes) & .5 (related to previous/coming episodes) series are little side thoughts - they are more reflective than informative, side tracks a bit from minimalism but just some fun thoughts if you want to see more of the chaos that is my brain :) 

If you know me, you might know that I have a tendency to carry 2-3 water bottles - 1 for water, 1 for tea, and 1 for coffee. I also recently realized I have been holding onto a precious tea a friend gave me over a year ago; for those who don't take tea, you're supposed to go through your tea stock while they're fresh. Oops. In this episode, I talk through how I manage my frugal-ish, internationally-curated tea & coffee stash, and how I (fail to) keep the cost and clutter down. 

Having gift swaps with friends before heading home? Having different gifting arrangements online this year? Today I talk through how to receive gifts with all the grace, becoming of a sustainability-minded minimalist. 

P.S. Did that sound fancy enough for a mantle with stockings? I sure hope so!

Here's a somewhat-aspirational, somewhat-realistic twist on what a minimal-yet-stressed morning can look like! Thinking about tomorrow morning already:)

This episode is almost a blooper, but I think adds to the mission of this podcast -to share a very real + human experience in minimalism. I talk through here somewhat of a mini, guilt-gilded haul if you will, and the minimalist elements within all that. You could call it an excuse of an episode, hence the .5! This episode reminded me that maybe I could do an episode on finances/being a college student/being on a restricted(ish) budget & minimalism. Thoughts? 

You might have heard of the Minimalism Challenge (I believe started by The Minimalists), which asks you to declutter 1 item the first day, 2 the second, 3 the third ... for a full month. Whether you're a college student, work full time, or care for a family, you may find that picking up 20-something items from your household a day would be too time-consuming. I did too. I've adapted the challenge to fit my schedule, and am reaching my end-of-month goal of decluttering 270 items since I started keeping rough count in August. Listen for more details! 

The Holiday-season got you semi-stressed and/or excited? I wanted to share with you my thoughts on how to gift give as a minimalist, or with the minimal-minded folks in your life. Confused about what to give your friend who seems to have nothing and yet need nothing? Trying to figure out how you can be a thoughtful gift giver in general? This episode is for you. 

The Friday after U.S. Thanksgiving is the Day for some, and it certainly is for me. There are definitely sales I've waited for, and purchased I've planned to make for, oh, I don't know, about six months. This is not a buy-nothing advocacy, but a realistic acknowledgment of the capitalism-driven material needs and desires- and how I'm finding a minimalist approach that fit the circumstances of this year's Black Friday. 

So. Your house is decked with joy. Next step (or rather, the year-long step for me) is getting those gifts in line - in my mind, gifting can be a minimal practice when you truly think through the receiver's experience. I talk a little bit about that mindset in this episode, and some versatile gifts that might fit a minimalist lifestyle. 

Also, I mention a Youtuber in this episode, Hannah Maute/Hannah Elise - she isn't in the minimalist/sustainable sphere, but she does walk through a cute mask making tutorial in one of her videos! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XhI33chbzI

This week is launch week, and many of you might be new to this podcast. Start here! And I mean every word when I say - welcome, welcome to the chaos of my brain, thank you. Thank you for picking minimal moves, let's chat, let's collab, I'm so grateful for you. 

Also, I know that this year, there are a lot of people not headed home for holidays they might have spent with family and friends in previous years. If there's anything I know how, it's how to love holidays away from home. Please reach out, we can figure out how to bring elements of that ✨special✨ four letter word into your day today. Believe it or not, this is all a part of the minimalist mindset <3

This is an episode for after you declutter the season-specifics. What now? How do you brighten up your space? I talk through a couple of options that might help liven up your holiday festive space without it getting all-too event specific. This way, you can keep up the decor throughout the seasons and years without much thought or clutter, with all the more joy and ease. 

Today, I chatter on about Fall and Winter Holidays, and minimalist swaps you could do to make your holiday festivities a bit more sustainable and minimal. I also go on a rant about halloween (oops), please bare with me! Happy (possibly slightly early) Holidays, hope your favorites are good this year and you feel close to your loved ones, near and far.