I have tested the boundaries of minimalism over the last 12 months. Throwing all my clothes away, removing furniture, sleeping on the floor, changing jobs, cycling instead of driving.
Most are stuck at the stage of removing excess physical items. The physical excesses are manifestation of the emotional excesses. One can throw everything away, wear the same colour shirts, and still suffer from excesses of life. For e.g., your indulgence in expenditure, sex, pornography, smoking, massages, liquor and gaming cannot be removed just because you threw your extra shirts, pants and toys away.
Removing physical excesses is a good first step. I don't know of many people who have moved on from this first step. Digital excesses are as toxic as physical excesses. Think about the number of connections and friends you have on social media applications. Consider the social media platforms you access on a daily basis.
Suffice to say, 90% of your connections are useless and should not be allowed to disturb your daily life. Your decision to scroll though endless news and videos are mere "comfort food" to replenish your acute deficiency in your ability to focus.
Here are some practical steps to reducing digital excesses:
Blog with words, use less pictures. Most pictures are not plagued with useless illustrations that not only take precious web space but also attention.
Most are stuck at the stage of removing excess physical items. The physical excesses are manifestation of the emotional excesses. One can throw everything away, wear the same colour shirts, and still suffer from excesses of life. For e.g., your indulgence in expenditure, sex, pornography, smoking, massages, liquor and gaming cannot be removed just because you threw your extra shirts, pants and toys away.
Removing physical excesses is a good first step. I don't know of many people who have moved on from this first step. Digital excesses are as toxic as physical excesses. Think about the number of connections and friends you have on social media applications. Consider the social media platforms you access on a daily basis.
Suffice to say, 90% of your connections are useless and should not be allowed to disturb your daily life. Your decision to scroll though endless news and videos are mere "comfort food" to replenish your acute deficiency in your ability to focus.
Here are some practical steps to reducing digital excesses:
Blog with words, use less pictures. Most pictures are not plagued with useless illustrations that not only take precious web space but also attention.
- Write clearly and simply. Adjectives are not appreciated. Tell things as they are.
- Remove your addiction to chatting with close friends, friends and even acquaintances. Reserve time to connect only with champions (subject matter experts) and friends on path to minimalism
- Smoking, drinking, gaming and pornography numb your senses. You depend on these things to experience life when addicted. Life is beyond these elements. Find exciting through achieving goals, not through these digital and physical addiction