Chris Bowler:
But at times, I wonder if [minimal computing] isn’t just the next fad. It’s certainly partly a backlash to the personal productivity movement, with GTD at the centre. But maybe it’s also the new GTD. Instead of doing work, people are still tinkering. But now they do so under the guise of ‘reducing’ or ‘simplifying’. But in the end, it’s the same issue. The boring tasks that you need to do are still on your list.
Chris continues on to make the point that minimalism in computing is not how your computer looks. And he is dead on. Minimalism and simplicity do not necessarily equal clean and tidy; they mean having what you need without excess. If that happens translate into less-than-the-guy-next-to-you, well, then cool. But ultimately it should translate to focus, a release of needless stress, and even into better relationships with the things and people around you.