This seems to be a big theme or "in the air" right now. The clearing/cutting away of the things that are not needed. Mine is coming up especially strong around tech - thank you for this
I have noticed that as well, Tesstamona. It’s something that is always on my radar, but the drive to stay materially ‘lean’ seems stronger than ever, and appears to be spreading to others around me. I dig it ;-)
Another problem (although I suppose it depends on the provider *cough*Verizon*cough) is the bloatware put on your phone with each "software upgrade." I KNOW there weren't 86 apps on my phone (just counted them) when I got it and I may have added five.
Oh yeah, Michael - bloatware is an absolute pain… and whether you want it or not, you cannot get rid of much of it! I have Boost as my carrier now, and they are pretty lean when it comes to such add-ons, at least for the most part :-)
Who would have thought? The greatest efficiency device invented (the smartphone) has created the greatest civilizational mental garbage heap. There is no landfill of human consciousness to bury it in.
There’s much to be said positively about minimalism, but what most its top influencers fail to address is what to fill the new void with. From reading your other stuff, I known you’re not among those modwits.
I appreciate you noticing that, Phil - I do try to provide alternatives, in part because that was one of my biggest challenges when I started on the 'minimalist' journey. I was like, "Okay - NOW what?" LOL
And yes, 'modwits' does have a nice ring to it... ;-) Thanks, brother...
That’s always the challenge. Keep up the good stuff. I’m trying to carve more Substack reading time between my two jobs and writing my own Stack. Your stuff is always quality.
I have this as well, Stone, and it has given me more productive time and a clearer mind! I don't know how much it over-all screen time but I typically don't get lost in endless scrolling on the computer. With the cell phone and it's apps, the temptation to jump from one thing to another can find you losing huge blocks of time - and potentially some of your intelligence, too!
There is something almost pathological about those apps, isn't there Kevin? It's like something about their design triggers a subconscious reaction that calls us to keep scrolling. As I have noticed the effect does not exist on browsers (even when using a browser from a phone), I cannot help but think the apps are deliberately fashioned to do that.
And you are 100% correct - productivity and clarity has gone up for me as well. 'Tis a great feeling, isn't it? :-)
Thanks for sharing your observations - always good to know I am not alone in my OWN perceptions... *salute
Stone, i loved that part about apps you hadn't used in a while ("In case i need it some day"). As you did it with apps, you can do it with your stuff, too. Two weeks ago, on a Thursday (Thurs and Fris are my weekends), i started dumping some of my unimportant stuff i had kept for years without using them much (that i might need them someday was my excuse). I felt relieved when i put them beside other garbages. Not all pack rats are men.
Doesn't it feel great to get that excess out of your space, Negar? I grew up with a borderline-hoarder (my mom) in my life, so as an adult decluttering became almost second nature LOL I do enjoy keeping life simple and free of 'baggage,' both literal and metaphorical :-)
You're welcome, Stone. Yes, decluttering always feels great. Also, as you said decluttering has both a literal and metaphorical/mental level. Of my parents, my mom's the non-pack rat and my dad's the pack rat (I switch to the non-pack rat mode only when i see my collected stuff as a mess that needs to be dealt with).
I applaud you for cancelling all that crap. Not having a cell phone has vastly improved the quality of my life these past 5 years - not to mention the luxury of not being directly irradiated 24/7.
This seems to be a big theme or "in the air" right now. The clearing/cutting away of the things that are not needed. Mine is coming up especially strong around tech - thank you for this
I have noticed that as well, Tesstamona. It’s something that is always on my radar, but the drive to stay materially ‘lean’ seems stronger than ever, and appears to be spreading to others around me. I dig it ;-)
Thanks so much for the gracious comment <3
Thanks for the tips - clearing of the energy is much called for!
Another problem (although I suppose it depends on the provider *cough*Verizon*cough) is the bloatware put on your phone with each "software upgrade." I KNOW there weren't 86 apps on my phone (just counted them) when I got it and I may have added five.
Oh yeah, Michael - bloatware is an absolute pain… and whether you want it or not, you cannot get rid of much of it! I have Boost as my carrier now, and they are pretty lean when it comes to such add-ons, at least for the most part :-)
Who would have thought? The greatest efficiency device invented (the smartphone) has created the greatest civilizational mental garbage heap. There is no landfill of human consciousness to bury it in.
You really make so much sense here, Stone. I hadn’t thought of this as clutter but will streamline my apps now. Thank you.
Thanks, Trudi - really appreciate that. Happy you think so :-)
I’m happy I’ve cleared loads of clutter from my phone!
There’s much to be said positively about minimalism, but what most its top influencers fail to address is what to fill the new void with. From reading your other stuff, I known you’re not among those modwits.
I appreciate you noticing that, Phil - I do try to provide alternatives, in part because that was one of my biggest challenges when I started on the 'minimalist' journey. I was like, "Okay - NOW what?" LOL
And yes, 'modwits' does have a nice ring to it... ;-) Thanks, brother...
That’s always the challenge. Keep up the good stuff. I’m trying to carve more Substack reading time between my two jobs and writing my own Stack. Your stuff is always quality.
“modwits” is a typo yet actually works as well as a term.
I have this as well, Stone, and it has given me more productive time and a clearer mind! I don't know how much it over-all screen time but I typically don't get lost in endless scrolling on the computer. With the cell phone and it's apps, the temptation to jump from one thing to another can find you losing huge blocks of time - and potentially some of your intelligence, too!
There is something almost pathological about those apps, isn't there Kevin? It's like something about their design triggers a subconscious reaction that calls us to keep scrolling. As I have noticed the effect does not exist on browsers (even when using a browser from a phone), I cannot help but think the apps are deliberately fashioned to do that.
And you are 100% correct - productivity and clarity has gone up for me as well. 'Tis a great feeling, isn't it? :-)
Thanks for sharing your observations - always good to know I am not alone in my OWN perceptions... *salute
Stone, i loved that part about apps you hadn't used in a while ("In case i need it some day"). As you did it with apps, you can do it with your stuff, too. Two weeks ago, on a Thursday (Thurs and Fris are my weekends), i started dumping some of my unimportant stuff i had kept for years without using them much (that i might need them someday was my excuse). I felt relieved when i put them beside other garbages. Not all pack rats are men.
Doesn't it feel great to get that excess out of your space, Negar? I grew up with a borderline-hoarder (my mom) in my life, so as an adult decluttering became almost second nature LOL I do enjoy keeping life simple and free of 'baggage,' both literal and metaphorical :-)
Thanks so much for the gracious comment!
You're welcome, Stone. Yes, decluttering always feels great. Also, as you said decluttering has both a literal and metaphorical/mental level. Of my parents, my mom's the non-pack rat and my dad's the pack rat (I switch to the non-pack rat mode only when i see my collected stuff as a mess that needs to be dealt with).
I applaud you for cancelling all that crap. Not having a cell phone has vastly improved the quality of my life these past 5 years - not to mention the luxury of not being directly irradiated 24/7.