Minimalism, Maximalism, and Essentialism

http://unclutterer.com/2009/02/13/workspace-of-the-week-an-unclutterers-office/

I read this post, and I was taken back to the internal debate I have at trying to find the midpoint between maximalism and minimalism. The person in this post clearly has found essentialism. To compare, go here:

http://unclutterer.com/2008/03/14/workspace-of-the-week-all-about-zen/

Maximalism is simply a cluttered desk with everything crammed onto every surface. This would be my desk at home.

Minimalism says less is more. The result is elegant simplicity but a lack of functional ability. This would be the vice of deficiency.

Maximalism says more is more. The result is chaos. You lose functional ability because you have too much stuff. If you have ever dealt with an unruly modern remote control with 200 buttons, you know what I am talking about.

Essentialism runs the midpoint between these two extremes. I give it the name "essentialism" because the ethos behind it is to have what is essential--no more, no less. What makes it difficult to deal with is a question? What is essential?

Music might give a better example. Brian Eno's ambient works would be minimalism. Yes's rock symphonic compositions would be maximalism. AC/DC is essentialism. But I would also say that Pink Floyd is essentialism as well.

Most of my time issues go back to this issue of essentialism. I do a lot of non-essential tasks, and I am bewildered. My time runs out of my hands like fine sand. I am constantly busy, but I achieve so little.

Aristotle was big on the telos or "end." Determine what the end of something is. What is its purpose? What are you trying to achieve?

I find the biggest problem in my life isn't having time but deciding what to do with that time. I have gone from one extreme to the other. I tended towards minimalism for a time but now I am mired in maximalism. I just can't seem to work it out. Woe is me. Balance is a difficult thing.

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