When your work revolves around anything digital including social media, there's a certain dilemma especially when you want to apply digital minimalism. A lot of digital minimalism practices preach on minimizing no phone usage and social media. But again, How can I apply digital minimalism when I have to monitor many things on social media? What if my job is tied down to the phone and it's my lifeline? What if I am missing out on awesome newsworthy content?
When I first started all these, I felt guilty when I spent a lot of time on my phone and my laptop. Those guilt wasn't healthy and made me suffer which isn't the point of why I chose the lifestyle. Overtime, I learned to see it in a different light where I focus more on the value and the focus on things that I like to do online. So, instead of limiting to certain hours, I emphasize on " what am I going to achieve by using my phone, be on social media?'' Unlike people who aren't in this type of job, it makes sense to apply the standardized preaching of digital minimalism. But for those who are in this type of job, there are a few tweaks here and there.
This has helped me a lot because I feel less guilty knowing that I am on the computer all day not because I am scrolling endlessly but researching things, talking to clients, potential clients, etc. It also reminds me that it's a job and I shouldn't feel guilty for being on it.
Although this is contrary to minimalism, having a separate work and life gadget is non questionable. I think people should do that. I know it can be overwhelming for some but I value security and it makes these distinctions clear. It also makes things easier so I know that if I use the dedicated gadget it means I am doing that for work.
In the past I used to have so many emails but these days I just stick to a few emails and use services like burner emails to sign up to websites.
Whenever I find something interesting, I bookmark them and put them into a txt file based on the subjects. Once I finish reading, I will delete it. If it's super important and interesting, I would keep it for a while.
I avoid replying to a text without a clear subject. I also have 0 inbox policies and will delete them in a day and keep the important ones in a dedicated folder.
I've seen many people open dozens of tabs all at once. but to me it's just decluttering and difficult to see. So, I just open one tab, if it's important to bookmark it then close and go back.
When it comes to my private life, there are a few minor differences and when it comes to pictures, I have several ways to approach that. 1) delete them, 2) upload it for a free license, 3 ) Upload it on hive/send to my mom/twitter 4) Hardisk. Most of the time, I delete the pictures because among 100 shots there are only 20-15 that are worthy to be looked at and stored.
This is not approachable for many but I use gnu/linux. There are many reasons why this enhances my digital minimalist lifestyle but I know this isn't approachable by many. Just like I decided to have a minimalist lifestyle back in 2017, I started using gnu/linux full time that year. Although there are certain works that require me to use windows, I have them in a dual boot system.
Being a minimalist shouldn’t limit yourself to live the life you want to be. You can approach many things through a minimalist lens and live a more fulfilling life. And if you don’t find this lifestyle suitable anymore, like many others you can also drop this lifestyle and move on to something that you find more suitable for your current life as I see more trends and titles like " Why I am not a minimalist anymore."
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| Mac is a jack of all trades. A typical introvert in love with literature, books, technology and philosophy. She is also so into nootropics, productivity, minimalist lifestyle, cybersecurity, and languages. Other than that, she is passionate about cooking and traveling. In her free time, she enjoys learning various things. If you like her content, don't hesitate to upvote, leave a comment or a feedback. A re-blog is also appreciated. |
