Using minimalism on dating apps can be the best way to find the perfect match. Let go of endless scrolling and wasting energy with matches you don't find compatibility with:

Set your preferences to the desired age, location, height, etc.
Use paid features to narrow down further.
Have a mental note on what profile pass your quality checks.

The concept of minimalism in dating apps

Minimalism in dating apps can be used to counter swiping until your fingers and self esteem hurt. It also saves you from matching with people you cannot associate with.

The minimalist dating principle.

The idea with minimalism dating is to focus on swiping left more often after setting few parameters on what you are looking for in a match.

This helps to ensure that you are not wasting time, energy or even money on dates where the possibility of success was doomed from the start.

Basic dating parameters

Age - this should be an age range that's comfortable with you; as a 27 year old at the time of writing, 23-27 works best for me; most dating apps have a minimum age range of four years.
Distance - if you are unwilling to travel double digits in miles or kilometres, you might as well reduce the 40 km limit most apps start with; I set mine to 5 km if I want to go out with people who live nearby.
Height - here is where you can either decide to get a paid subscription to see people under a certain height; I am 165 cms to 165 cm or under works best; if you want to date someone taller, then set it to show people between minimum acceptable height and maximum acceptable height. If you don't want to spend on a subscription, you will need to manually read every available profile's height.
Others - you can set specific parameters based on religion, political leanings and even body types declared.

What you want out of your dates.

It is important to understand what you want out of your date before you go on a dating app. You can't have long term dating, friendship and casual hookups all packed into your profile - be clear about what you want.

Friendship - if you are looking for just friends, then simply mention it in your bio and also swipe on people who clearly mention that they are looking for the same.
Short term dating - do mention that you are looking to date for a few weeks or months as well as the reason for doing so.
Long term dating - make it clear that you want to stay in it for the long term and what that arrangement will culminate in (live-in partners, marriage, etc).
One night stands - if you are looking for a one off fling then it is best to make it clear from the start; never give out false hopes.
Friends with benefits - if you are looking to find a partner you want to get freaky with for a set period of time, then making it clear right off the bat helps the other person to make a call.

A minimalist's quality checklist when swiping on dating apps

I maintain a checklist when going through profiles. This means that I carefully go through each profile and swipe only if they match my criteria.

Photos - they need to have 3 or more photos + videos.
Verified - I prefer to see verified profiles in my area first; it just shows the extra effort put in.
Bios and prompts - there must be a bio along with at least one prompt filled out.
Recency in content - photos or videos or text that help me determine if they are still using the app: I don't want to swipe on an account that hasn't used the app for months. Updating bios with commentary on recent events really helps.
Instagram, Snapchat, links - I love a good hustle but if your profile only has your username, links or numbers then it's a no from me.
Similar interests - this is where the concept of brownie points come in: if we have similar interests then it's likely that our first few dates will have ice breakers and enough topics to talk about.
Dating app tags - some apps show the user's status on the app: "New here," "Recently active" and "Active now" are common. These help you get the best success rate since these are active profiles.

But how do you improve your success rate on dating apps with minimalism?

A minimalist dating profile for you

Creating a minimalist dating profile is not about doing the bare minimum; it's simply about creating the most optimised profile while not sounding desperate or too straightforward.

What should photos look like for a minimalist dating profile.

A clear headshot of you in the best lighting conditions (gauges attractiveness).
A photo of you at a certain event or gathering (indicates an ability to be in a social setting).
A video of you doing things you love (in my case it's me playing football).

What about bio and prompts on dating apps?

Fill out bio and all possible prompts.
Recency - mention a recent event people are bound to know about, should be fun and whimsical.
Prompts - fill them to be fun yet those that build intrigue.
Bio - state what you want without sounding desperate or too straightforward; being playful is the key.

I hope this helps you change your approach towards dating. Minimalism can be really helpful to block out the noise and eventually meet people who you are most likely to connect well with.

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