Minimalism is both a hype and an incredibly useful tool to achieve a more fulfilling life. I've gotten rid of things of great emotional value like gifts and letters that would be lovely to read now, but at the same time I'm glad I only have what I need.
My approach to websites is the same. An application should not contain more than absolutely necessary. An informational website like my personal site should only contain the bare minimum - information. Designing an informational website can waste time and money and if it takes focus away from actually writing content I suggest not doing it. Content triumphs design.
Now don't get me wrong - designing is important, both in the UI and UX sense, but no one has time for everything and you've really got to choose where to put your effort. Keep in mind the 80/20 rule, where 80% of the effect is usually caused by 20% of the work.
Also make sure not to fall into the minimalist design trap. Really hone in on what your website needs and make sure you know the difference between minimalistic design (which may take even longer than a more conventional approach) and an actually minimal site which took no time to produce, but has incredible content. Actually there are plenty examples of ugly websites having great content.
So don't be scared to publish something of value without spending lots of time on design - Google SEO will love you more for it and the people that benefit from your content will praise you.