Living in the era where technology has dramatically enhanced and augmented our experience of life, it is absolutely fair to recognise the immense benefits and convenience that technology provides.
It would, however, be negligent to dismiss the not-so-beneficial effects that technology has imposed day-to-day.
It goes without saying that the vast majority of technology users have experienced using at least one, if not all, social media platforms. Social media has revolutionised the way in which individuals connect with others, and while from a commercial standpoint of being able to connect customers to a business offering, social media is embedded into our personal lives much more than we realise.
How often do you catch yourself acting upon the impulse to reach for your phone?
This is often justified by a desire to ‘quickly check Instagram’, only to find yourself scrolling continuously for several minutes or even hours. The same applies to nearly every social media, passive application or game, movie, or television show. We have become SO accustomed to feeling the need to always be occupied that our mind and spirit is not given adequate time to effectively think and reflect, and this is only achieved by reducing the stimuli we subject ourselves to.
The ability to be 100% focussed becomes more and more challenging as the act of pure focus is slightly uncomfortable to many (but like any skill, it becomes much easier the more it is practiced).
Scrolling through social media, binging YouTube videos or passively watching television gives us instant satisfaction and places us in a comfortable state because of how uncomfortable we have become with the slightest forms of discomfort.
Rather than feeling comfortable to sit still and conduct deep, efficient work on passion projects, university assignments or even reports for your day-job, we’re left with the sense of encumbering dis-satisfaction because of the challenge that many of us face, which is entering a state of pure focus.
Pure focus does definitely require discipline, but it is also born out of intentionality and being self-critical on whether the decisions you make day-in and day-out are well-intentioned.
I am by no means perfect when it comes to digital or technological minimalism, however over the last few months I am far from where I started, and that is something I can be proud of. My phone used to contain nearly every popular social media application, consuming large chunks of my time.
Several hours on YouTube.
Several minutes on Snapchat.
Up to several hours on Instagram.
Up to several hours on LinkedIn.
Today, my phone contains none of those applications and a number of my accounts have been deleted.
With my personal LinkedIn account, it is currently enabled (just not installed on my phone), however I recognised that if my intention of using this powerful tool was for professional purposes, I will not let this application interfere with my personal life.
My digital declutter began with more conventional social media applications such as Snapchat and Instagram, and I began to notice LinkedIn became my ‘alternative’, giving me the same instant satisfaction that the other applications did. Thankfully, I now only use LinkedIn for professional purposes, that being, needing to connect with another industry professional, and not letting the application consume my personal time. Having the application deleted off my phone makes me feel less compelled to use it while I am spending time with others, merely to fill the voids.
YouTube was the largest consumer of my attention and time prior to decluttering my digital space and re-working my intentions of how I use technology. To this day, of all forms of entertainment, YouTube still is my main source of entertainment however I am much more in control of what I choose to watch and how long I spend on the application. With the YouTube application deleted off my phone, I am increasing the difficulty in the path of resistance. When the application was installed on my phone, there was a far greater chance of me clicking on the icon and spiralling into the addictive algorithm that suggests related or ineluctable videos.
Now, with having to open a web-browser and type in the website address, it adds that much more resistance and I am less likely to feel compelled to watch YouTube, when compared to having the application icon sitting on my phone screen, one-tap away from compulsive consumption. Now I use YouTube as more of a tool to gain inspiration, or educate myself on interesting topics, or listen to other people’s opinions/experiences for a choice or decision that I am considering for myself.
Do you see the difference in the way I’m choosing to use this platform?
How might you be able to implement a similar approach for a medium of your choice?
That was just one example of how to remove distractions, but sometimes even by increasing the resistance to a bad habit isn’t enough, and that is where an alternative solution presents itself – get busy!
Now, not to encourage a relentless hustle culture, but more along the lines of adding more activities to your day that you genuinely get value from.
That could be going for a run in the morning before you go to work, or take a dance class after work.
It could even be to write your own music, but the point is that whatever the activity may be, if you feel joyful and it provides you with a lot of value, then it is more worthwhile filling your time occupied with that activity than succumbing to compulsive consumption through an artificial extension of yourself and pacifying your mind and spirit.
The fact of the matter is that, when you and I can acknowledge that we are in an unhealthy relationship with the digital space and it is consuming so much of our time, it is possible that we have too much free time unspent on meaningful tasks – that being our days are not already filled with enough satisfying experiences, which is why we turn to pacifying consumption to fill those voids and satisfy us.
The best part about being able to detach from social media and various forms of entertainment is that I’ve been making better decisions in all facets of life. From the meals I prepare and produce that I choose to buy at the grocery store, to how I might be able to start a university paper. By reducing the amount of distractions, being honest with yourself and implementing more meaningful tasks into your day, the greater ease in achieving a state of pure focus.
With pure focus, comes greater clarity – and with greater clarity, you can simplify your life to make more room for things that truly matter to you.
Have a joyful day or night whenever you may be reading this, and take care.
The Aussie Minimalist
The Aussie Minimalist 