As I grow older, it feels like things just keep piling up: more info, more stuff, more to-dos, and way more distractions. It's like every year adds a layer of complexity that wasn't there before. That's pretty much why I've decided to hit the brakes and do a bit of life decluttering. I'm simplifying my life in various ways, cutting out the noise and focusing on what genuinely matter to me.
I decided to withdraw all my money from the investment funds and put all my money in a single account.
Since I had my first salary, I've been interested in good financial management. I wanted to make an educated and meaningful use of my money. I watched some videos and talked to many friends who were already investing. I basically copied the financial strategy that a friend suggested, which consisted of having three different accounts: one emergency fund, one for spending, and one for investing. The emergency fund should have enough money to cover six months of expenses; the spending account should have the day-to-day money; and the investing account should have the rest of the money.
The main idea of this strategy is to know how much money you use in your day-to-day life and invest the money you don't use. If the financial world grows as it has been growing, you will have a good amount of money by your retirement. If the world collapses, your invested money would not be your main concern anyway.
I think it is a very good strategy: you combat inflation in a passive way.
However, I have been thinking lately about my relationship with money.
Currently, I don't earn much, as the PhD situation in Spain is not the best. I have to check my bank account every time, so I don't go over my budget. It's good that I share a flat with four other people, because the rent is very expensive too. Despite this, I know this is a temporary situation, and that I am privileged to have a good qualification when I finish my PhD. This led me to think about the future: I will have a good job in a good-paying country, and that I will be able to buy this and that. And, I mean, isn't that what we all think?
Having conversations with my friends, we talked about how rich we would be, that we would start a company, and earn so much money that we would finally be happy. However, something felt wrong all the time. I got to a point where I suddenly felt the constant bombardment of the idea that the more money, the better, no matter what. I began to see lots of content creators constantly talking about how to make money, how to invest, how to be rich, how to be successful... The idea that you must be productive, you must be efficient, and you must be the best, is everywhere, and I'm just simply sick of it.
Of course, money is necessary, and I know many people struggle to make ends meet. But, as I said, I am privileged not to be in that situation, so I'm not surpassing the line of being a slave to money. Money is our new god, and to question anything about it is heresy. I don't want to be a part of this anymore.
That's why I'm simplifying my financial life. I will not combat inflation; I will not let money guide my thoughts, actions, and life. I will live a simple human life.
I decided to stop buying and eating processed food and extra sugar.
Food is one of the main pillars of health. Eating well is the best way to prevent diseases and have a good quality of life. I consider myself to have good eating habits. However, I have a sweet tooth, and at the end of every meal, I need to eat something sweet. Not only that, but shortly after, I need to have a snack. This shows that I'm not eating enough of the right things, and that I have developed a dependency on sugar to feel full.
I will follow the "if you don't buy it, you don't eat it" philosophy. It's not as hard to stop buying processed food as it is to stop eating it. This plan might have a big flaw, Christmas, but that is a problem for future me.
By simplifying my diet, I will be able to eat more fruits and vegetables, and to have a better relationship with food. I will not eat to feel full, but to feel good.
I decided to throw away a lot of things.
First of all, I want to define what minimalism is for me, as I know there are many definitions and misconceptions about it. The way I think about minimalism is not to have a fork and a plate and call it a day. I think minimalism is about having the things that you need, and that you love. If you love having books, just have them if they are an important part of your life. Also, your house should be decorated somehow, so don't throw away everything.
I have been practicing minimalism for a long time. When I started, I threw away all the clutter and kept my most meaningful things. Also, I donated most of my clothes, and I only use the ones I really love. It is incredible how many combinations you can make with just a few clothes. And I want to thank Marie Kondo for teaching me how to fold clothes; now I can fit all my clothes in a small drawer.
However, it is very difficult to get rid of everything you don't need.
I classify the things I have into three categories: the ones you want to keep, the ones you want to throw away, and the ones you are not sure about. The difficult things to throw away are the things you assure yourself you will use someday, but you don't. I own plenty of stuff in that weird limbo, but not anymore. I will throw away that phone case I use once a year because I like the one I use. I will throw away (sell or gift) my PS4, which has been getting dusty for a couple of years. I will throw away the VR headset that I thought was a nice purchase...
Leaving behind the things that don't add value to my life will make me feel lighter and more free. I appreciate all the things I have had, but I don't need them anymore.
I decided to spend less time on technology.
It is incredible to see how dependent we are on our phones. They are just tiny computers that we carry around all the time. It is the first object I grab every morning and the last one to put down every night. It has become so easy to access entertainment that in the most minimal moments of boredom, I grab my phone and start scrolling. It looks like I am becoming less and less capable of being alone with my thoughts. And if the phone is not enough, I have a computer, a tablet, a TV... Screens excel at distracting us from the real world.
Another piece of technology that its use I'm reconsidering is my smartwatch. I'm becoming less and less akin to the idea of being constantly connected. Any notification that I receive on my phone, my smartwatch vibrates on my wrist. The association of the vibration with the notification is so uncanny that I feel it even when I'm not wearing it.
Lately, I've been feeling like my digital life is taking over my physical life, and I want to change that.
At first, I felt like I was being a hypocrite. I work in software development in a robotics lab, and I spend lots of time programming as a hobby too. It took me a while to clearly differentiate between the use of technology as a tool and the use of technology as a distraction. I don't plan on quitting programming as a hobby, for example, but I want to be more mindful of the time I spend on it. Also, I want to leave more room for hobbies that were left behind because they require a little bit more effort than just grabbing my phone.
That's why I'm deleting apps like Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, among many others, to minimize the time I spend on my phone. Also, I will try not to pick up my phone in the first and last hour of the day, while commuting, eating, in the bathroom, elevators... I will not use my smartwatch for a long period of time to see if I can live without it. I will spend more time on analog hobbies, like reading, meditating, playing the guitar, drawing, and learning new languages (the real ones).
I hope that with these changes, I will be able to appreciate the world around me more and be more present in my life.