A Year of Minimalism: The Good, The Bad, and The Relief
By: Daniel Pohl
Tags: Minimalism, Minimalist, Life Lessons, Life, Mental Health

Yesterday I read an article about how the more ads we see, the less happy we are. A team of scientists found the higher a country’s ad spend, the lower the satisfaction of its people. There were other factors, but that was the summary of the findings. One major cause of this is that advertisements are meant to make us feel like we never have enough.

Reading this article, I started reflecting on my journey over the past year. Not on the literal shitstorm that is 2020, but my journey into minimalism. A life with fewer distractions, advertisements, clutter, and stress.

Back in January, I did something different. I chose to take a break from social media. At first, this was a way to take a step back from it for a weekend. In the 327 days since then, that short break has expanded into a full exploration of digital and physical minimalism.

After getting rid of five social media accounts, three email addresses, two piles of clothes, boxes full of clutter, and plenty of bad habits, I am lighter than I ever have before. The journey, however, was not without its setbacks.

That is what I want to talk about today. The highs and lows of my journey into the minimalism lifestyle. My successes, my failures, and the things it has taught me.

The Better Parts of the Journey

Am I happier now than I was a year ago?

I can say, with a fair amount of confidence, that I am. It’s less a feeling of overwhelming joy, and more a consistent feeling of relief. Not that I am living a stress-free life by any means. Instead, I’ve eliminated multiple sources of stress in my life. What stress I have left, I can find healthy ways to manage it.

I’ve stopped scrolling through Facebook with its angry posts and invasive advertisements for a distraction. I’ve stopped buying cheaply produced junk off Wish.com because shit, it was 99 cents. In place of my bad habits, I’ve taken to spending more time outdoors. I’ve started reading some of the books I bought 2 years ago. I sometimes do nothing, simply laying by the window or sitting on the porch and enjoying the peace of the moment. I use to never have time to do nothing. There was always a post to make, a timeline to scroll through, or an email to check.

Around me is the least amount of clutter I’ve ever known. I have never had so little in my life and have been so happy about it. In my home, I never feel cluttered. I rarely wonder where I am going to find room to place something. If I do, I typically end up tossing or donating it. Everything has a place, just not always in your home.

The Harder Parts of my Journey

Minimalism is the easiest thing to start and at times, the hardest to maintain.

At first, it’s easy to get caught up in tossing clutter and deleting apps. In a way, it feels like you’ve cracked the code. Somewhere in minimalism, you found the answer to living a happy, fulfilling life. After a while though, old habits can start to settle back in. Without thinking, you can find yourself scrolling through Instagram for half an hour at a time.

I’m guilty of it. I created new social media accounts and found myself browsing through them. I ended up deleting all of them a second time and have yet to return a third time. Still, while moving forward, there are always setbacks. I have, however, learned to deal with them as they come.

At times, the hardest part is the lifestyles around you. Sitting there while those around scroll on their phone can leave you feeling disconnected from them. Part of you wants to toss their phone out the window. The other part wants to pull out your phone and join them. I don’t own a TV, and I don’t subscribe to any streaming services. Still, sometimes spending time with people means sitting and watching hours of television. Currently working in marketing means that instead of avoiding ads, there are times I have to seek them out. Find a good ad that I can learn from or emerging trends.

The Peace of Minimalism

“You’re dedicated, you’re creative, you’re innovative. You have a sincere desire for mankind — the very people who the wolves of Wall Street fear. And to me, you’re removing yourself from the war”. — Clyde Dinkins, Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things.

I’ve always thought about that quote from the Minimalism documentary.

“You’re removing yourself from the war”. I’m not sure what war he meant, but I’m happy to be removed from it. My life before minimalism was chaotic. I was always searching for ways to get more money and more followers. Those were the only statistics that mattered. If I could get enough of both, I could be someone. They were so important that I spent money I didn’t have to get them. More important than money, I gave up time. I traded a lot of time trying to get them, and all I got for it was growing a little older.

I know now, money wouldn’t buy the happiness I wanted. The more followers I had didn’t mean I was worth more to anyone. It meant people I’d never meet liked what I posted.

Now, I’m “removed from the war”, and I’ve learned a lot in the past year.

I’m happier than I’ve ever been, and I know where I want to be in life. I’m not there yet. I have quite the journey left, and I’m okay with that. I’ve learned that you can rest on your journey, that “the hustle” isn’t everything. That there is happiness to be found every step of the way if you don’t travel alone, and you stay away from ads. As the scientists say, they can make you unhappy.

Thanks for reading.