It has been around 3 weeks since I started the digital minimalism experiment. I wouldn't say I am a serious digital minimalist because I have to admit I sometimes use the internet to search up things that aren't my top priority. Some are important, but not as of the present moment. I will break down what I learned from not being on some websites I used to be on quite often. I hope my experience will help you consider what you can do to change your relationship with technology.
1. Blogs
Before: I used to read my favorite blog, MIT Admissions blogs, on the weekends, but then it gradually became something on a daily basis if there was a new blog. Even if it has provided me with a lot of information about MIT student life and culture and quite a few chuckles, I think reading it was kind of unhealthy because I became obsessed with one particular college. I probably spent more time on this than YouTube.
After: I learned that missing out isn't necessarily a bad thing. I enjoyed commenting on their posts and reading some inspirational blogs, but it became a habit that made me think about MIT everyday. I didn't want to become obsessed with college, so I decided that it wasn't bad to take a break from it. Just as what Danny and Allan G. from the blogs said, reading these blogs religiously gave them a lot of pressure, as if that was their only choice. I learned that even if I am very interested in the blogs, it doesn't mean I have to read it every single time. I think I would read them around decision and essay season.
2. YouTube
Before: I used to watch YouTube videos for leisure on the weekends around 15-20 minutes a day for a total of 40 minutes. Some videos on my recommended were tempting to watch but didn't really have any meaningful value or good content, such as reactions to colleges decisions or scores. There were some vlogs that caught my attention but didn't really interest me but I still clicked on it.
After: I realized that my life is more peaceful because now my brain doesn't have to remind myself to check YouTube on the weekends. I got rid of FOMO from YouTube. As of now, my life isn't worse off without YouTube because there are other forms of entertainment. For this period, I used YouTube for videos related to school or projects. What I learned was that I didn't need to watch videos on my recommended because the channels I subscribed to had better content than some recommended ones. I think YouTube is helpful if you watch videos about self-help and advice, such as Thomas Frank and John Fish. In my opinion, I think watching his videos were helpful.
3. Mail
Before: I would check my email more than necessary. It wasn't to the point that I wasted a lot of time, but fragmented my attention span a bit. Pressing the "get new mail" button felt like pulling the bar on a slot machine (maybe I am exaggerating here).
After: Checking my email is necessary, but doing it for 1-3 times a day is enough. By establishing exact times of the day when I check my email, I don't need those notifications to disrupt me. Before, I would have this slight fear that if I didn't reply as soon as possible, people would be annoyed. In general, you don't need to reply a minute or hour after a person sends you an email.
4. LinkedIn
Before: When my mom would bring up this smart kid everyone in the community knew or her friend's kids that attended an Ivy League school, I would search up their LinkedIn profile to know what they were studying and what achievements they had in high school. Although it gave me some glimpse about them, it made me have lower self-esteem because I was comparing my "brag sheet" to theirs. It made me feel quite mediocre.
After: I don't go on LinkedIn because I don't need to go on LinkedIn as I am not finding jobs or anything. It has made me stop comparing myself to other geniuses because I don't know their GPA, scores, or awards. If I am going to become an intern, I probably need one.
5. News
Before: I would search up daily news headlines on Google and read the headlines briefly. It gradually became an automatic habit. Although it didn't take up much of my time, it was kind of pointless.
After: Although I spent little time on the news, it took away a bit of digital declutter. I believe that it is important to be informed about current events, but I would eventually hear about these events from my family or my classmates. It wasn't necessary to search them up.
Even if we all use similar websites, I know that everyone's digital life is unique. Is technology holding you back from what you want your life to be? Remember that unhappiness happens when our expectations in life doesn't align with what actually happens in life, and you have some control over that when it comes to technology. Practice mindful curiosity. Think of what you feel when you consume lots of digital media. It is not enough to know something is bad for you. Once you connect that experience with what you felt (physically, emotionally, mentally), then it is a lot easier to end a bad habit.
1. Blogs
Before: I used to read my favorite blog, MIT Admissions blogs, on the weekends, but then it gradually became something on a daily basis if there was a new blog. Even if it has provided me with a lot of information about MIT student life and culture and quite a few chuckles, I think reading it was kind of unhealthy because I became obsessed with one particular college. I probably spent more time on this than YouTube.
After: I learned that missing out isn't necessarily a bad thing. I enjoyed commenting on their posts and reading some inspirational blogs, but it became a habit that made me think about MIT everyday. I didn't want to become obsessed with college, so I decided that it wasn't bad to take a break from it. Just as what Danny and Allan G. from the blogs said, reading these blogs religiously gave them a lot of pressure, as if that was their only choice. I learned that even if I am very interested in the blogs, it doesn't mean I have to read it every single time. I think I would read them around decision and essay season.
2. YouTube
Before: I used to watch YouTube videos for leisure on the weekends around 15-20 minutes a day for a total of 40 minutes. Some videos on my recommended were tempting to watch but didn't really have any meaningful value or good content, such as reactions to colleges decisions or scores. There were some vlogs that caught my attention but didn't really interest me but I still clicked on it.
After: I realized that my life is more peaceful because now my brain doesn't have to remind myself to check YouTube on the weekends. I got rid of FOMO from YouTube. As of now, my life isn't worse off without YouTube because there are other forms of entertainment. For this period, I used YouTube for videos related to school or projects. What I learned was that I didn't need to watch videos on my recommended because the channels I subscribed to had better content than some recommended ones. I think YouTube is helpful if you watch videos about self-help and advice, such as Thomas Frank and John Fish. In my opinion, I think watching his videos were helpful.
3. Mail
Before: I would check my email more than necessary. It wasn't to the point that I wasted a lot of time, but fragmented my attention span a bit. Pressing the "get new mail" button felt like pulling the bar on a slot machine (maybe I am exaggerating here).
After: Checking my email is necessary, but doing it for 1-3 times a day is enough. By establishing exact times of the day when I check my email, I don't need those notifications to disrupt me. Before, I would have this slight fear that if I didn't reply as soon as possible, people would be annoyed. In general, you don't need to reply a minute or hour after a person sends you an email.
4. LinkedIn
Before: When my mom would bring up this smart kid everyone in the community knew or her friend's kids that attended an Ivy League school, I would search up their LinkedIn profile to know what they were studying and what achievements they had in high school. Although it gave me some glimpse about them, it made me have lower self-esteem because I was comparing my "brag sheet" to theirs. It made me feel quite mediocre.
After: I don't go on LinkedIn because I don't need to go on LinkedIn as I am not finding jobs or anything. It has made me stop comparing myself to other geniuses because I don't know their GPA, scores, or awards. If I am going to become an intern, I probably need one.
5. News
Before: I would search up daily news headlines on Google and read the headlines briefly. It gradually became an automatic habit. Although it didn't take up much of my time, it was kind of pointless.
After: Although I spent little time on the news, it took away a bit of digital declutter. I believe that it is important to be informed about current events, but I would eventually hear about these events from my family or my classmates. It wasn't necessary to search them up.
Even if we all use similar websites, I know that everyone's digital life is unique. Is technology holding you back from what you want your life to be? Remember that unhappiness happens when our expectations in life doesn't align with what actually happens in life, and you have some control over that when it comes to technology. Practice mindful curiosity. Think of what you feel when you consume lots of digital media. It is not enough to know something is bad for you. Once you connect that experience with what you felt (physically, emotionally, mentally), then it is a lot easier to end a bad habit.
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