The Minimalists: A Blog Analysis

The Minimalists is a blog run by two men, Ryan Nicodemus and Joshua Fields Millburn, who have chosen to live minimalistic lifestyles. In 2011, Millburn quit his six-figure salary job in pursuit of a new, more fulfilling lifestyle. It is here that he began approaching life from a more minimalistic mindset. He now supports himself as a full-time writer. All that said, Millburn is actually a writer without a college degree. To some, this may mean he lacks the needed credibility. This concern is addressed on their blog by their choice to include a brief bio about themselves as writers at the top of every page. This bio demonstrates their ethos to the readers through their mentioning of all the places their writing has been featured, such as, ABC, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today. The Minimalists blog utilizes unique wording, a subjective writing style, and clean formatting to focus on their personal attempts to change their lifestyles and to share these changes in a simple, effective, and educating way.

One main choice the authors of this blog have made is in calling of their blog posts essays. They explain this choice by saying that they did not know of the term blog post when they first started writing. Millburn elaborates on this choice saying, “We stuck with calling them essays... because we believed it better categorized what we were writing. The word essay derives from the French infinitive essayer, ‘to try’ or ‘to attempt,’ and we were writing about the changes we were attempting to make in our lives.” This choice, although missed by many, clearly showcases their intent for their blog. By sharing their own life choices and experiences, they hope to inspire others to embark upon the same path.

The post titled "Not Busy, Focused" is written by Joshua Fields Millburn. Millburn writes mainly from a personal and belief-centered point of view. Within this essay, Millburn shows his evolution of thought that stems from Henry David Thoreau’s words, “It is not enough to be busy. The question is: what are we busy about?” Millburn adapts the quote to the say the following, “It is not enough to be busy. The question is: what are we focused on?” To some, this distinction between busy and focused may be minimal, but to Millburn, he believes so strongly in the distinction he has taken the time to write and post about it. He has found living a focused life to work best for him and his frame of mind is evident within all of his writing. In this essay, he utilizes the first person pronoun "we" along with the second person pronoun "you". This contributes to his subjective type of writing; his posts are not to inform the reader of various approaches to topics but to educate the reader on the one he has selected.

Overall, the blog is simple in design. The authors have chosen to display the blog in black and white and include only a single picture with each post. In addition, there are no ads across the site. This choices reflect their aim of leading a simple life. They keep the focus on the ideas they are presenting, rather than the flashiness of a blog. This contributes to the blog’s clarity; no outside sources are present to distract the reader. As authors, these two men are passionate about making significant and original contributions to their domain, namely, the disciplines involved in the living of a minimalist life.

In contrast, if the authors had chosen to create a blog space filled with outside sources and many images and other media, this would have directly contradicted the message they are striving to convey. Readers would be sent mixed signals, those readers well-versed in the minimalistic lifestyle and those exploring it for the first time. This blog would appeal to both types of readers due to the content ranging from the personal journeys of the authors to the writings that dive deeper into minimalistic habits and lifestyle approaches.

By sharing their life journeys over the past few years, Nicodemus and Millburn have created a simple yet effective platform for their writing. Every post is intentional and original; their writing is constantly evolving. The simplicity and unique choices employed on The Minimalists blog help create a space that is a visual representation of the minimalistic ideas being presented within.

“I believe the meaning of life is growth and contribution. If whatever I’m doing 
doesn’t serve one—or both—of these things, then it’s a waste of time. 
Each year I grow; the more I grow, the more I have to give.” 

-JFM