Do you yearn for a simpler life? Maybe you feel that your home is too cluttered and would love to move to an environment with plain white walls, clean lines, and clear surfaces. Maybe you feel that your lifestyle is too wasteful and would like to consume less, making more mindful and sustainable choices about what you do buy. You might feel that you just have too many possessions and too much stuff, and want to get rid of things you don’t need, tidying up your home and workspace and only keeping what is functional and necessary.
These are all elements of minimalism, a lifestyle and design philosophy characterized by reducing excess and promoting simplicity and clarity in all aspects of life. Even if you don’t live in the sort of house where your (ideally few) possessions can be kept out of sight in hidden cupboards, it’s likely that at times you’ve thought about living a less cluttered, more minimalist lifestyle.
Most of us have heard of approaches like ‘Swedish death cleaning’ or been told that we should only keep items that ‘spark joy’. The TV schedules are full of programs where experts or celebrities help families and individuals to declutter. But, like many things in life, minimalism can mean different things to different people, with personality an important factor in this. Knowing our personality type, and that of the other people we live with, can help us to embrace a form of minimalism that will work for us and for the others in our lives.
The personality type (MBTI) framework and minimalism
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The personality type framework, as measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)assessment, looks at four aspects of the differences between people. Each of these can contribute to our approach to minimalism.
- Extraversion-Introversion intuits that Some of us are energized by focusing our attention on the external world (Extraversion), some of us have the opposite preference and focus or our internal world (Introversion). Both groups can embrace minimalism, but this may come less naturally to Extraverted people, who value external stimulation and may prefer a busier environment.
- Sensing-Intuition means you may prefer and trust information that is solid, practical, and based on the evidence of your senses (Sensing), or alternatively prefer to look at connections, possibilities, and the big picture (Intuition). People with a Sensing preference may appreciate the physical, tangible aspects of minimalism, such as a clean, uncluttered, and practical living space with attention focused on important details. Those with an Intuitive preference may appreciate the philosophy and ideas behind minimalism but be less concerned with the details of their physical environment.
- Thinking-Feeling concerns the way in which we prefer to make decisions, either on the basis of objective logic (Thinking) or on how the decision relates to our values and on how people will be affected (Feeling). Those with a Thinking preference might appreciate minimalism's logical and systematic approach, while those with a Feeling preference may be looking to declutter their relationships and emotional lives as well as their physical environment.
- Judging-Perceiving relates to our lifestyle. Do we want to live our lives in an organized, structured, planned way (Judging) or in an emergent, spontaneous, unplanned way (Perceiving)? For those with a Judging preference, minimalism removes confusion and provides structure. For people whose preference is for Perceiving, minimalism may appeal as different, less traditional way to live one's life.
Minimalism and the 16 types
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Each of us has preference for either Extraversion (E) or Introversion (I), for either Sensing (S) or Intuition (N), for Thinking (T) or Feeling (F), and for Judging (J) or Perceiving (P), giving 16 possible personality types. For example, someone with Introversion, Sensing, Thinking and judging preferences would have an overall type of ISTJ. Here is how minimalism might best be introduced into your life, based on your Meyers-Briggs type.
ISTJ: Look to have an organized, stripped-down home with only essential pieces of furniture. Keep the house clean, tidy and decluttered. Stick to strict routines.
ISFJ: Avoid clutter but look to have a few meaningful or sentimental items on show. Aim for a cozy atmosphere and a simplified lifestyle, but beattentive to the needs and opinions of others.
INFJ: Aim for a peaceful, serene environment where you have the space and time for self-reflection.
INTJ: Have an organized and functional home and maybe go hi-tech to achieve this. Take a long-term view of how to plan and develop your minimalist environment.
ISTP: Practical and utilitarian, featuring tools for projects and hobbies. Might neglect to explain to others why these tools are needed.
ISFP: Decluttered but colorful; may see the home as an expression of yourself and your personality.
INFP: Will have several items or decorations that hold meaning on show. May be quirky or whimsical; holds to your own conception of minimalism.
INTP: Efficient, modern, maybe hi-tech or may seek to be unusual.
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ESTP: May see the home as a machine for living. Needs to be functional and low maintenance to allow space and time for an active lifestyle. Ideally could include a well-organized gym or fitness room.
ESFP: Wants a low maintenance space for entertaining and to fit with the people in your life.
ENFP: Aims to impress with a uniquely personal home.
ENTP: Modern, and maybe hi-tech. Will like the possibility of adaptable, flexible spaces.
ESTJ: Organized, functional, efficient, and well-maintained.
ESFJ: Aims to be welcoming and inviting, with space for family and guests but without excess.
ENFJ: Looks to create a welcoming and nurturing environment rather than a starkly minimalist home.
ENTJ: Organized and efficient; stripped down and uncluttered. Planned to meet future eventualities and may be hi-tech.
People of any type preference may see themselves as minimalist, but this is likely to manifest in different ways.
Want more MBTI content? Read more on how your Myers-Briggs personality type can impact your parenting, your ideal date night vibe, your decision making, and more.
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