Digital Minimalism Hijacked
Minimalism and Bullet journal. You think at first it’s all about feel present, authenticity and reducing consumption. You end up on videos and posts about which expensive stationary to buy to make your bullet journal so pretty it’s not anymore possible to write freely inside. These videos are also advocating that buying more stuffs is more minimal than using your phone to do so. What’s the point of a paper journal so fancy you’re not daring anymore to write it it?
So instead of reducing consumption, you end up with more fancy stuff you don’t really need. :-/
I think all these videos and podcasts miss the points raised in books like Cal Newport Digital Minimalism or Marie Kondo Art of Tidying Up.
We don’t need to buy cameras, Mp3, e-readers, maps and so on in order to remplace our phone. We can do, if it bring us joy. Some people will gladly enjoy taking pictures with their cameras. For these people, buying and using a cam alongside their phone is a way to find a hobby. It’s thus in line with the philosophy of digital minimalism. Yet it’s not the same for everyone. It’s maximalism, not minimalism, to tour with a bag full of devices, when you were fine with only your phone.
That’s why I think both books should be read alongside. We should try to be minimalism and use joy to sort our personal devices.