Category: Well-being

I’ve been reading Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport which has accelerated my digital declutter. Removing apps from my phone/tablet is just one step in a broader process and mindset, but an important one. Like Marie Kondo, he advocates an extreme approach initially, which can be difficult, but is ultimately the most rewarding and sets you up for greatest success. But the book is much more than just deleting apps, and I recommend reading it – there are some amazing insights into solitude, research about anxiety, and more.

For myself, I removed Facebook from my devices last year, and I feel that my life is so much better. I occasionally need to login to list something for sale or to check ads for my job, but I don’t check my feed. In fact, I find an aversion to it now.

More recently, I removed Twitter from my devices. I was spending too much time scrolling and refreshing my timeline, and now the mere thought of checking it is unpleasant. And the funny thing is, most of the people I followed were creatives and humorists who share positive and funny tweets. But wow, I spent too much of my attention there, giving up my “mental solitude” that Newport emphasizes in his book. I have to say, being Twitter-free is great! I’ve found myself more interested in journaling, watching movies, and even signed up for the 2021 marathon, and bought tickets to a couple concerts. I believe this newfound motivation to do these more rewarding activities is to fill the void that social media was taking up.

One other thing that Digital Minimalism talks about is going for walks, which allows you the time to think and reflect. I guess that’s also why I am attracted to solo activities, like running, solo motorcycle rides, and also solo camping, which I am planning to do in a couple months.

I’m still early into my digital declutter, but I am already seeing the positive changes in my life, just like I did with my declutter of my possessions. Yay! 😊

Today’s photo is of a couple of old flip-phones I dug out. My aunt requested a simpler phone, so I was looking at the options. I thought the timing of the request fit in nicely with today’s post.

I’ve been using a habit-tracker for the past month or so to log some daily activities. It’s kind of a combination reminder app and tracking app, but the intention is for you to create new habits. For instance, I added my daily sketching, simple stretching and exercises, and Japanese studying. I’d say it’s effective in that now I automatically do my hand exercises, neck stretches, and squats without having to give it much thought, and opening Anki to study Japanese is automatic too. Overall I’m happy with it.

There are a number of different habit trackers and the one I chose is called “Everyday”. I like the fact that I can use the same app on my iPad, my Motorola phone, and in Chrome. It’s super convenient! Not only can you access it via app or webpage, but you can add a Chrome extension so that when you open a new tab, it defaults to the Everyday screen. How easy is that for a reminder!

またね～