Being a mum I naturally want to record every single moment of my daughters’ life, and I don’t even have to wait for the photos to be developed. Of course, then I have to delete the outtakes and organize the rest. I have to label them and store them and back them up so I don’t lose them…sounds overwhelming already 😉
Weird, as this never did when dealing with ‘normal’ paper pictures.
Sometimes I wonder if digitizing has really made things simpler. I wonder if I’m living my life as it happens, or if I’m watching my life through a screen on my phone. Honestly, living in a digital world is pretty amazing but scary at the same time.
We have access to an outrageous and overwhelming amount of information and entertainment—available at our fingertips all the time.
So what is Digital Minimalism and why ‘should’ we consider it?
Digital minimalism is a mindset of questioning which digital communication tools are necessary for your happiness.
Whether it be email, social media, or general internet consumption, the purpose of this philosophy is to question whether or not they add value to your life.
The trouble with all those digital options, though, it never stops…
There’s an app for that – a YouTube video about something else – and of course all those personal stories on social media we have to keep up with…
All that digital input is constant and never-ending.
At the end of each day it ends up being an ever growing pile of updates and posts and photos and you feeling that you’re falling behind, in seeing it all, adding your 2 cents and feeling like you are keeping up with it all.
It’s the creation of discontent, and we invite it right into our lives each day.
Our devices are overrun with apps and files and an ever growing inbox, and our home screens and desktops are a mess.
The notifications and possibilities and clickable headlines create so much virtual noise that it’s hard to hear yourself think.
I KNOW…I literally feel dizzy sometimes!
We need to be more mindful about how we craft our daily lives. We need less mindless consumption and more mindful choices. We need to focus on the aspects of our online presence that serve our whole lives, and let go of other distractions.
This is Digital Minimalism, and we are ready for it. Here are four steps to help you get started:
1. Be mindful about your digital life.
Does the way you spend your time and energy online reflect your values?
Are you able to focus during your best creative hours, or are they slipping away to social media and email?
Are your in-person conversations derailed by pinging devices?
Decide when you’re willing to be offline. Just because your online life is always available doesn’t mean it has to take priority.
2. Create balance between online and offline activities.
Don’t let your whole life happen online! Don’t just over messenger but call people and more important meet people face to face.
Admire photos on Pinterest and Instagram, but get outside regularly and truly see the beauty around you. Our world is truly amazing in real life…go and explore, feel the dirt between your toes, feel the breeze on your face and smell the scent of the trees and flowers.
3. Find an offline opportunity that works for you.
Everyone needs time to completely unplug. You decide how much and how often.
An annual media fast? A no-weekends policy?
Even setting aside an evening a week to go digital-free can help restore perspective and give your creative soul room to breathe. Everyone needs space for stillness.
A complete media fast is an awesome challenge for the future and will have amazing benefits on all areas in your life…
I can vouch for this!
4. Make and set time for this digital de-cluttering process.
Book in a time and for hoe long you’re going to do this…regularly! Even just 5-10min monthly can be awesomely beneficial.
Get rid of everything unwanted and unused! Tools, routines, accounts, apps, and services that don’t work for you. They might be easy to download, but if they’re not helping you, delete them. You’ll feel lighter and more free without them.
Tip: Unsubscribe from emails/autoresponders as they come in so they don’t pile up!
Healthy boundaries let you enjoy the benefits of digital connection without surrendering your whole life to a constant stream of insignificant activity.
We need less digital default, and more intentional interaction. This is what creates more space!
At Work
The internet is always on, so your business should be too, right?
Checking email at all hours, responding to messages as soon as they come in: that’s what your clients (or customers, or readers) expect, isn’t it?
Meeting those expectations could actually be hurting your business. This one uncommon practice might be just what you need to supercharge your productivity, your creativity, your energy, and your excitement for the projects you’re working on.
Try shutting down your business to power up your results.
At Home
Especially when you have kids…remember that ‘home-time’ should be about that…being at home and doing the things we do at home. This can be challenging when you are running a home business etc., but try to demonstrate how to balance online time and offline time. Kids learn from watching us and not from being told 😉
On the other hand, juggling trying to keep up with what happens online and get everything done that needs to be done at home is next to impossible. Again, set a time for that and limit yourself!
Don’t you want to be home and enjoy your private time alone or purely with your loved ones?
Who says we have to be plugged in and available at all times 😉 Feel free to even turn off your phone!
Your Soul
Scrolling through your social media can feel like a battle between your best and worst impulses. There is always the fine balance between inspiration and comparison. Social Media can be totally soul destroying as everyone elses life seems to be 100%…but is it?
Here’s why too much social media is bad for the soul.
So all of the above is a process that will need time…it’s like detoxing the body. It’ll be challenging and will have some ‘side-effects’ due to addiction at first but trust that you’ll want to do it more and more as it will feel so freeing by creating more space for the things that really matter but feel more uplifting and light, instead of overwhelming, confusing and having a negative effect on our whole personality and life.
So which do you chose?
With you on this journey,
Rita xo
PS: If you found this beneficial, you will absolutely love my online course ‘Creating Space’ to help you de-clutter your life but have more of what truly matters. Check it out HERE
To dive deeper into becoming more mindful, I recommend My Free Online Course – Mindful Living 🙂
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