Why I like minimalist approaches to most things I guess

Thu, 9 Oct 2025

So minimalism is cool I think. Not just aesthetically, be it physical or digital, but also in function.
My brain gets fogged fairly quickly by environmental aspects, not just audible noise but also visual noise which for me can be anything from a shelf filled with things I don't like looking at to a messy desk.
I think a lot of people have a similar problem with ADHD, autism or similar neurological condition, for some more for some less and for some even the opposite.
For me it seems to be quite agressive. It's not that everything around me needs to be tidy, but everything needs to have a purpose.
That's the minimalism I strive for I guess. I have tons of notepads and pens, but they all have a purpose. I have a lot of tools, but I use them all. Stuff like that.
When I buy a tool or a piece of tech I buy high quality things, even if they are more expensive sometimes, I like the things I have for a purpose to fulfill hat purpose well. I guess that's why I am also so much into human interface engineering, material sciences and general UX.

Minimalism, be it in the literal or more abstract sense, seems to help me stay creative, stay healthy and my brain as quiet as it gets.

At some points in life I even do the classic "Store things you have not used or think you won't miss away for a couple months and then get rid of everything you actually didn't need or miss." and I do it quite agressively.
I think this kind of approach to cleaning or minimalism has a name but I forgot it.
It had helped me before when I was in less clear mental states in life, when I felt like having no real path to follow, because every time I cleaned out things from my life that I did not need I found more calm and a clearer headspace.
I wonder what the psychological aspects of this exactly are, especially since I know there are a lot of maximalists out there too.
But it's not just physical things I like to keep minimalist and clear, it's also digital things.

I have Desktop icons disabled, I don't install software unless it has a purpose I actually need it for, I like websites and apps to be small, performant and simple to use. I don't like submenues, I don't like visual noise.
I actually quite like Twitter/X with adblock and "Control Panel for Twitter" with everything but the "Following" tab disabled. No search, no suggestions etc. Think of Twitter what you will, but when adjusted a little bit it's a very clean, easy to use and understand application/website.
The current design of YouTube, even with adblocker, to me is very ahrd to use. There are so many menus, it's hard to fidn what you are looking for and there is so much information at all times.
A good middle ground between extensive but clear is the web version of Protonmail. WHile there are tons of options and menus, they are generally very easy to find and navigate and the main purpose, being an email client, is fulfilled very very clearly. Not right as good as Google Mail, but close enough and prettier.

I don't think the material minimalism craze of design is always good, it leads to very boring and bland results, cars that look the same as any other moderns car, logos that look the same as any other logo, less soul, less meaning.
But it can lead to easier to navigate websites, easier to use products, less visual noise and it helps me stay sane.
I like staying sane.