It is not my intention for this to be a blog all about minimalism. There are plenty of those out there. Nonetheless, it is a concept that is important to me; it would be unsuiting not to touch on it occasionally.

I am in a number of groups related, directly or tangentially, to minimalism. Today in one such group (during an informal Minimalism Game), a newer member asked about terminology—what should one call it, when going through things to see what should be "minimized" out of one's life? Culling was the word used in asking, but the term was criticized for being "harsh". While I agree that it sounds harsh, I think it has its applications, where a sharp cut is needed or desired. The common word suggested was decluttering, which I think is succinct and descriptive. However, both of these focus on what to get rid of. While this accomplishes the goal, I prefer a different approach...

I regularly assess my possessions and evaluate their value to my life. I cull and declutter, but especially do I curate my belongings. Curation is the careful selection of items to be included in an enumeration. It focuses not on what to get rid of, but what is worth keeping—which at the end of the day, is really what we are trying to find through these exercises. The term even has the bonus of sounding refined—curating one's environment is an empowering optimization, a sculpting of one's domain, a meticulous critique on the reflection of one's very self.

"Things" are the prime example here, but anything that can be minimized can be curated. Events, relationships, even goals. Determine which ones are really important, and curate your life to focus on what's really important to you.