4003: The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective Minimalists by James Altucher on Purposeful Living

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[00:01:00] [SPEAKER_03] It's a Minimalist Monday edition of Optimal Living Daily. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Minimalists by James Altucher of jamesaltucher.com. And I'm your personal narrator and commentary giver, Justin Malik. I'll keep this intro minimal for Minimalist Monday, so let's get right to it as we optimize your life. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Minimalists by James Altucher of jamesaltucher.com.

[00:01:30] [SPEAKER_03] It's been three months since I threw everything out. I've lived in four different places. I haven't paid rent anywhere. I also have benefited from the kindness of others. That doesn't mean I couch surf, but after 20 years of being good to people, I realized I had never let people be good to me. Now I am. I was too afraid to be in their debt. Now I'm not. Some people would say, You must feel really free. Answer? I don't.

[00:01:57] [SPEAKER_03] I'm surprised at how little I feel about how my life has changed. Am I more productive? I don't think so. If anything, I'm not as interested in what I used to be productive at. Are my relationships better? Definitely yes. My one rule now on possessions? Since I have only one travel bag and one computer bag, I don't have much space. So if I buy something, I have to throw it out. What if the good favor runs out and I have to rent a place? I won't rent. I'll just find an Airbnb for a few months.

[00:02:26] [SPEAKER_03] I'll never own or rent again. I won't own a car. I won't buy books that don't go on my Kindle. I'll never own more than three outfits. What if I need a tennis racket? Fair enough. I'll try to borrow one. Else I might buy one, but it hasn't happened yet. Often you can borrow one. Many people think minimalism is about possessions. It isn't at all. Having less possessions is a symptom of minimalism, but it's not minimalism itself. In fact, no more minimalism.

[00:02:55] [SPEAKER_03] Let's call it emptiness and apply it to life. I can't measure better or worse, but I certainly enjoy my life a lot more right now. Every day is either an adventure or an opportunity to observe an adventure. There's no in-between anymore. The seven habits of highly effective minimalism are emptiness. Number one, don't lie. Lying is the opposite of minimalism. You spin a complicated web between people and imaginary worlds that you have to keep track of

[00:03:25] [SPEAKER_03] for no purpose. The average person lies in every 10 minutes of conversation. That's a lot to keep track of. Keeping track of less is a better way to have emptiness, and it feels good. Number two, no gossip or judging. It's hard enough for me to carry around my own self-esteem, let alone drag down the esteem of another. Who am I to tell if someone else is doing good? It's just a waste to gossip or judge. It's junk food for the brain. Number three, be curious.

[00:03:55] [SPEAKER_03] I already know about my life. I don't know about yours. Every one of the 8 billion people on the planet has been given one thing at least for me to learn. It's my job to watch, observe, ask, and learn that one thing. It's not my job to lecture or talk. Number four, eat less. Almost all the major killers in life, heart attacks, strokes, cancer, diabetes, are often caused by diet. What do we know about diet? Nothing.

[00:04:25] [SPEAKER_03] Paleo, vegan, low-carb, high-carb? All of them seem right to me. My daughter is high-carb, fruit, and vegan. She's super healthy. Many of my friends are low-carb, high-protein, paleo. They seem super healthy. I think the only thing everyone agrees on, processed sugars are bad. Almost everything we eat has processed sugars, so just eat less of it. That's the only thing we really seem to know. I've been doing it. Seems to work. Number five, no internet.

[00:04:54] [SPEAKER_03] If I go outside, I don't like to bring my phone. I leave the entire World Wide Web at home. Then I enjoy whatever it is I'm doing, what friends I'm with, what walk I'm taking, what games I'm playing. And I go home. I make real connections instead of digital ones. This seems trite, but real is more solid than digital. I've even stopped hanging out with people who look at their phone while talking to me. I don't need to be with people who are ghosts right in front of me. Did I miss something? Probably. Do I care?

[00:05:24] [SPEAKER_03] I kind of do. Makes me a little anxious, to be honest. But will I get over it? Yes, I will. Can people with nine to five jobs leave the internet at the office? Yes, they can. In fact, breaks and disconnections are often correlated with higher success at the office. Number six, do something you enjoy. I like to go out to Union Square Park and play chess. I play Paul, who I've been playing since he played at Washington Square Park when I moved to the city in 1994. I like to win.

[00:05:54] [SPEAKER_03] Sometimes I do. He's very good though. I like the banter. I like the activity around me. I like listening to everyone making jokes. It makes me feel good in my chest and in my head. I listen to my body. If it tells me I like something, then I try to do more of it. If it tells me I'm comfortable, then I try to do less of it. What if I don't have time to go to a park? Okay, don't do that. Try listing 10 things a day that you do enjoy. See how much of them you can do. If you can do something for one minute today

[00:06:23] [SPEAKER_03] and figure out how to double it tomorrow and double it the next week, then soon you'll find something you're doing that you love. Emptiness in life leaves room for the things you enjoy. You don't need to have an adventure every day. Sometimes emptiness leaves room for the adventures to happen around you and you can watch and take delight in them. Number seven, leave room for possibility. We do feel better when we do things we are competent in, but when we are bogged down with millions of items in our closet, when we are bogged down

[00:06:53] [SPEAKER_03] with dreary responsibilities from a job, when we are trying to keep up with our TV shows and our newspapers and our meetings and our coffees, we remove possibility from our lives. Are you interested in music? This is a possibility. But I can't play an instrument. Okay, but list 10 other things about music you can do. Can you write reviews? Can you curate the best hits of the week? Can you find older things that people have forgotten and interview the songwriters? Can you, can you, can you?

[00:07:21] [SPEAKER_03] A life filled with everything leaves room for nothing. A life filled with nothing leaves room for everything. That is possibility. And possibility leads to competence, leads to better relationships, leads to freedom. It's been three months since I've thrown everything out. I've been stressed, anxious, happy, curious, sad, free. You just listened to the post titled The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Minimalists

[00:07:51] [SPEAKER_03] by James Altucher of jamesaltucher.com. And I'll be right back with my commentary.

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[00:08:51] [SPEAKER_03] Thank you to James. Interesting take of minimalism as emptiness. Because you can technically own very little and still have a cluttered life. Cluttered with busyness, lies, gossip, obligations, hours of scrolling. And that kind of clutter might actually be more draining than the physical stuff. One of the lines at the end there was great. He said, A life filled with everything leaves room for nothing.

[00:09:20] [SPEAKER_03] A life filled with nothing leaves room for everything. And I think the seven habits are a good reminder that this is not just about decluttering. It's about where our attention goes. Is it on gossip, comparison, or things we don't even enjoy? Or are we leaving room for the things that actually matter to us? So maybe today just ask yourself, What's one thing taking up space? In your home, your schedule, or even just your head.

[00:09:50] [SPEAKER_03] That isn't really adding anything. And with that, wishing you a great start to your week. Thank you for being here and listening every day. That's how I'm able to keep going. It's by you continuing to listen. And sharing the show helps too. So an extra thank you if you've ever shared this show with someone. Have a great day and I'll see you tomorrow. Where your optimal life awaits.

[00:10:11] Be bravely.