In my previous post, I mentioned briefly about a recent life cleanse. A few friends reached out, and I explained this was a conscious effort to live a more minimalistic life.
A minimalist lifestyle looks different for everyone. We heard stories of families who sold their belongings and travelled on a rented van for years. People who donated all except 3 pieces of clothing in their wardrobes. Many felt the same way, like they were on a hedonistic treadmill, a life of perpetually chasing moving targets and material comforts.
My own journey of minimalism was a lot less extreme, beginning with deleting all my social media accounts 6 months ago. I initially thought I would just benefit from comparing less with others and saving time, but have felt so much happier and at peace looking back.
Decluttering the noise
As a Facebook/Instagram addict, it is common to spend hours scrolling through live feeds to see all the fun things people are doing. I was always viewing the world through my phone screen. And it seems like I’m not the only one: On average, people check their phones once every 10 minutes.
When I travelled recently to Prague, I realised that I spent more than half the time trying to capture the experiences on photos and videos. Even though I was there, I was always distracted. Thinking back, it became genuinely difficult to remember the details of the last time I tried something new.
Without social media, I consciously reached out for my phone less to avoid the momentary boredom. I started to appreciate the idle time for recharge and learn to appreciate my surroundings. The freshness of air, the taste of food. The need to slow down and take a deep breath.
It was a good reminder to live in the present.
Living more intentionally
Being intentional about not spending time on social media also made me thought about time in general — How do I spend my quality time? I thought about the things that were forever on my bucket list because “I had no time”. Are my habits and priorities in check?
With the additional time, I started on my childhood dream to play the piano and engaged a teacher for formal lessons three months ago. The inertia was overwhelming, as the piano is one of the most difficult instruments to learn. Most people start around 5–7 years old, taking around 10 years to get through from Grade 1 to Grade 8.
It turned out to be one of my most enriching experiences. Being fully present and learning new pieces. The satisfaction from watching my piano skills improve week after week. This was only possible after reevaluating what is adding value to my life, and learning to let go of my social media addiction — An addition by subtraction.
The importance of everyday decisions
To clarify, this is not a typical social media bashing — Social media is obviously not responsible for making people feel bad about themselves. This is just what has worked in my case; No single lifestyle or philosophy works for everyone.
But for me, if there is one takeaway: Small decisions are the ones that matter the most eventually. A day of being present and going with the flow. An intentional effort to invest in yourself. Decisions form habits, habits turn into a lifestyle. It all adds up to the bigger picture, hopefully to a more fulfilling life. There are of course days which I fear that I am missing out, but when I looked back at what I have gained in return, I do not think I will give up the peace for anything else.
If you had a similar experience with minimalistic living or social media detox, please drop me a message; I would love to hear them. I would also recommend Cal Newport’s Digital Minimalism (which inspired this post), on others who overcame their “fear of missing out” as they eventually discovered activities which provide them with meaning and joy.
