Digital Minimalism, a must!

• Schools - Online.
• Work - Online.
• Socialisation - Online.
• Retail - Online.
• Entertainment - Online.

You get the drift, I hope?

Digital has suddenly expanded itself to fill physical spaces of our lives- both at work and at home. Don't you agree? Our lives have got intertwined inextricably. Physical and digital spaces overlap now like never before, so much so that, many of us have accepted our digital identity to be an extension of our physical persona and there is very little wrong in it, digital is indeed gaining compelling prominence. Let me, however, invoke Mark Twain, who said, to make my argument here :

“Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough.

If you look carefully you'll notice that the point at which our physical world meets with the digital one, there is chaos, created by the abundance of information, not all of which is found to be either factual or useful.

Let me explain how?

Before we get to the heart of the issue let us list down major points of our digital interactions.

• Emails
• File and data
• Browser
• Smartphone
• Social media

The container of consumption may range between computer, phone and tablets (keeping IOT out of the scope, willfully, in the interest of simplicity) but for a vast majority of us, our digital lives are nested around the outlets listed above. From experience, we know that it could get overpowering really quickly. From enjoying email carrying the good news to a sea of unread emails, from having important files to mountain heap of data we do not know what to do with, from a few cool new extensions to too many of them filling the entire length of the toolbar, from occasional notifications to a phone that is a constantly buzzing menace - Digital chaos caused by excessive indulgence is real and is known to cause cognitive fatigue.

Don't you agree?

Let me ask you a few question.

• Have you not felt the load of unread emails on your chest?
• Have unattended notification from your favourite social media apps not caused anxiety in you?
• Have you not started the day with and on your phone and also ended the day with it?
• Have you not felt lost in an abundance of choices? What to watch on a given day on your favourite OTT platform?

I see you nodding, in agreement and that, my friends, is the digital clutter that I am talking about, here.

I wrote an article on essentialism on 8th March 2020, in which I spoke about the concept, ways to implement and the reasons why I find it to be a good approach to life. (I'll link the article towards the end of this one, if you haven't read it already you can give it a go).

While replying to some of your comments on that article, It dawned on me that with the 'COVID-19 house arrest' situation, digital clutter has only intensified and so has the frustration, stress and anxiety that comes with it. 'Working from home' concept for digital workers does not befall without its vices. The boundary that healthily separated 'work' and 'home' has vanished, now. We have associated work with the workplace for a long time. Granted, the nature of work has changed dramatically in the last decade which has made 'work from home' a smart option, but the pandemic has made it the 'only' safe option. And this act of force has made it less pleasant. It has become particularly difficult for those with additional responsibilities of running the chores of the house.

Suffices to say, that collectively we're not in a good place at the moment, with the spread, extent and the shape of our digital identity.

So, I propose that we introduce organisation into our digital presence with the aim to take control of its spread, to disentangle the situation into a simplified arrangement. The idea is to make technology work for us and not the other way round; to declutter it. Since I subscribed to the concept of Essentialism, I've given considerable thought towards introducing minimalism to my digital life too. Happy to share a few things that I have tried in my own routine, with you. My suggestions are by no means the only ways to achieve the goals that we listed earlier and certainly are not the best way forward too- but it has worked for me. So take it for what it is worth.

Let's take prominent digital spaces that we interact with one after the other.

Social Media

The user experience of social media is pleasurable, so much so, that it has become the strongest source of diversion for modern workers, who appear powerless before its attraction. Constant, continuous and mostly free of additional charge- supply of content entices people to remain hooked to it, sometime at the cost of being productive, being social in the traditional sense and even useful to the task at hand.

Social media is a costly affair, we pay for it in the currency of time, the most valuable asset that we have. To limit its impact on my time and digital habits, here are a few routines that I have developed.

• If deleting social media accounts sound too extremist to you, begin by unfriending and unfollowing those who do not add value to your life. I mean by the way of their content and views. Get rid of all 'motivational' speakers, trust me you do not need them. Keep only those who really inspire you to be the better version of who you are and who you wish to be.
• Limit exposure:
  • The human mind loves continues inflow of information. Social media platforms are designed to give its users a false sense of fulfilment as though they are filling some deep void with the timeline/wall/feed scrolling. We often forget that it is not real. So to be mindful, I follow, the routine of 30 minutes on social media each workday and 1 hour on weekends, all platforms put together. Full disclosure, there are days when I overstep my boundaries too, but I feel good about the fact that on 90% of the days I do follow the limit that I have set for myself.
  • Do not engage in badinage with people, who you do not find inspirational. So learn to walk past a useless post without displaying your reaction or gracing it with a comment. Know when to back off from an exchange. I am not asking you to not engage, at all. Stand for what you believe in by all means but know that your comments on social media only go that far in changing the situation on the ground. Do not overvalue its impact.
• Create friction:
  • Social media applications are easy, user-friendly to the point of being addictive, so delete them from your phone, like RIGHT NOW! Even if you wish to keep them on your phone, DO NOT turn on notification for them. It is the worst mistake to make.
  • Access it from the most useless browser that you can find. Willfully destroying the social media experience, is a great way of limiting your exposure to it.
• Know that social media is a curated world. The real world is far from it, the world of social media is not only virtual but also fake, in most cases.
• Advertisement cry for your attention and platforms steal your data to serve advertisers. How comfortable are you with your data being harvested without your consent to benefit corporations you have no interest in? Depending upon your ease, you decide how much time and attention should you blow on them.
• Just renounce instant messengers, you do not need them. Those who need to get in touch with you will call you, so chill - you are not missing out on anything important.

Email and files.

Email continues to be the most patronised and invaluable mode of communication around the world. All of us have work and personal email accounts. Email clients, unify mailboxes to give us the convenience and that comfort sometimes causes us to mix one for the other. The rush to reply swiftly can sometimes get better of our judgement. It is easy to get on with an email exchange at a time when you should be working/creating/ solving a problem, instead. The situation with data files are also similar, we end up accumulating a lot of them. We become data and information hoarders without any good reason. Information and data which we do not even index, well for future use. We mindlessly create digital junkyard.

Here are a few things that I have tried.

• Common tricks for both email and data files.
  • Colour code work and personal email IDs and file and folders. Try and use different and distinct email clients for work and personal emails.
    • Apple email for work.
    • Spark for personal email.
  • Mark calendar for work and personal account too, separately. Do not unify the two, it does not help.
  • Visual differentiation of colours will keep you from mixing, the categories.
    • In electing the colour-codes make sure that you pick a distinct and opposite colour, not just for email and calendar but and also for file and folders, related to different areas of your life. (Here are the colours that I go with)
      • Blue for work.
      • Purple for personal.
      • Green for learning.
  • Unless you work in email support in which replying to incoming emails with speed is vital to your job role, you do not need to be hooked on to your mailbox all day. Set time, one that suits your routine and work urgency. I check emails three times a day for not more than 2 hours combined each day.
    • You can create custom alerts for important clients and other important people/matters/projects, and allow them to bypass, everything and everyone else can wait, it is ok.
  • Naming your data files on the project that they belong to will help you find them quickly later when you need them. Because you will always need information in relation to a project. Also, never keep files in the email or floating around on their own. You should not have to dive into the mailbox or hard drive to find a file, always save files as they come to you in their designated folders. Create a shortcut for the folders of the current projects so that you can get to the current resources in no time.
    • Do not create duplicates.
      • Final1; Final 2.0_XYZ, Final final new - these are not the best ways to name a file.
      • Use better version control nomenclature, learn ISO; it is a good standard to follow.

Browser

Most of us spend most parts of our day in a browser, therefore organising it becomes significant, too. Here are a few things that I do.

• I port the colour scheme from the email and folders on to website bookmarks for work, play and learning life areas so that I have a visual reminder in front of me which stops me from mixing work for play and vice versa.
  • If you have the luxury to, separate browsers.
    • Let Chrome/fire-fox be the workhorse
    • Safari/Brave be the place for play-related internet excursions.
    • Explorer for learning.
      • Or whichever you like, the idea is to create visual reminders that you are in a certain zone.
• Do not let news/ social media notification be on. You do not need them. if something is big enough, the buzz it creates will find you.
• Be mindful about the extensions that you keep on your browsers, the idea is to only keep the plugins that help you do your job better. You do not need FB lurking on you. It just does not add any value to your life, get rid of them.

SmartPhone

One of the greatest inventions of our times, this single device has effectively replaced so many things, from physical calendars to notepads to the phone book and so much more. But let us not forget that this always connected tool is also the greatest source of the disturbance, that we come across. It has games, social media, endless feed of news, YouTube and the mother of all a browser in it which has the ability to keep us entertained all day long. And not to forget it is always with us. Remember, the goal is to be intentional about the use, we should not let unplanned and mindless entertainment get in the way of our being productive.

• DND (Do not disturb), use it at every opportunity that you get.
• Messages and phone calls barring from key people are best returned at a time when you find fit and not when your caller finds suitable.
• Grayscale (I use it to on my iPhone) it makes your phone unattractive black and white, you miss the colour so much that you do not wish to use it, more than you should. It is a bit extreme but it works. Try it.
• Your iPhone has a million application and each of those is a 'business' that wants you to spend on them. You do not work for them, so turn the notifications off. Review the apps that you do not use frequently - delete them. Let the applications not enjoy, rent-free space in your life through your phone. You do not need them to disrupt you with a rubbish offer notification which you do not need, while you are at work or with your family.
• Be very selective with notification permission, only allow, those that you absolutely need.
• Do not have duplicates, for instance, at a time when you are on your computer there is no need for your phone to buzz with the same notification with which your computer has gone abuzz.
• Set a limit for screen time and stay committed to it.

Remember, our limited time on earth is not to be wasted chasing digital villain on a game of PubG, or crushing candies (I'm not against gaming, but I do stress that it must be enjoyed in moderation), it is meant to be used judiciously to achieve our life goals. Technology is not the enemy here, our indisciplined nature is. The aim is to live a mindful life, to bring intentionality in whatever we do, we should employ technology, we should not let the technology contract us.

A decluttered and minimal digital space is a must for an essentialist lifestyle - when you get there, you'll feel good and in control, I speak from a place of personal experience.

Here is the link of the article on essentialism I spoke about.

link : http://www.lavkush.co.in/essentialism-care-to-try/

Till we meet again, take good care of yourself and stay safe.

Method to the madness!

Prudential algebra, the Benjamin Franklin way of plotting ‘pros and cons’?

Or the ancient Persian way of ‘deciding twice’: once when sober and once when drunk?

Or ‘decision science’ is where you get your juice from, as the New Yorker points out that it is Barack H. Obama’s decision method -  a research field at the intersection of behavioral economics, psychology, and management?

Or do you prefer the Charles Darwin method of listing possibilities?

Or do you find yourself close to the ‘Gandhian method’, that stems from principles of morality, quality, civility, humanity, inclusivity, and collective good?

How do you decide? Do you have a method for it? If not why? Is there merit in having one? Are some of the things that I wish to explore with you, today. The art or as many call it the science of decision making is perhaps the most essential skill one needs to own, not just for sustenance but also for success. We make hundreds of choices each day; some more critical than the other, but decisions nonetheless. Every decision necessitates a definite consequence. If it happens to be a sound one, outcomes are balmy and if it goes south, things turn ugly. Therefore, it is crucial to pause to analyze the process that we might have for arriving at decision. At this stage, for argument's sake, let’s admit that all of us have a method, it's just that some of us recognize it and others do not, but trust me when I say no human mind is devoid of one.

While we’re at it, let’s bust the most common myth, the oldest surviving decision fallacy: Lack of knowledge/intellect causes poor decision making, undividedly. 

This is believed to be the gospel by many but it is not entirely fact-based. I am not saying that information and intellect are not useful in making a selection but I am simply saying that it is not the ‘sole’ contributor in decision making. Knowledge deficit is not an issue as much as, behavior deficit is, let me give you a few examples:

Common facts are known to most if not all. 

1. Carb/sugar is poison. 
2. Wearing a seatbelt (even on the rows behind the driver) saves lives. 
3. Smoking kills. 
4. Not reading ‘good stuff’ makes us dumb.

Yet, these blunders are choices that billions of people make every day over the known ‘right choice', and the science behind it, completely’; as I said, awareness is not always the issue, the behavior is. A person who makes the weighing scale arc beyond the healthy mark and those with a special medical condition, let’s say diabetic, hypertensive, cardiac issues - know that the voluptuous bite of burger, will set them back by a few weeks of hard work (assuming that they have been refraining) and yet when presented with one, they hog it, in 8 out of 10 incidents. And while at it they also order a bag of fries; some in guilt override even finish the job with ice cream (with disproportionate amounts of creme). Have you ever thought why some of us slide on the hideous slope? Behavioral psychologists explain, it is because of the combined effect of the below : 

1. Present Biase: Absitation, in this case, is hard work. Which even if observed is only going to materialize into tangible results in the future but letting go, being slothful, rewards here and NOW (the bite). So most people go for it. 
2. The emotional context of the pleasure centers: Social contract accounts for a lot of what we do, an enclosure full of reckless burger eaters, tricks your brain into believing that after all a burger can’t kill and then you intellectualize in your mind, while you have already queued up for the order, that, "I have been on salads for nearly 7 days, I have earned it". So with a smile broader than usual, you order double cheese and whatever else it is that you enjoy consuming.
3. Fear of losing out: We’re motivated more by fear of loss than possibilities of gain: not taking the bite looms larger than the possibility of being on the healthier side of body mass, in the long run. So at the moment, burger seems like an ok thing to do so you go for it.

Human beings are irrational subjects but in the most predictable ways, therefore, as long as you are able to tame the ‘cue, routine, reward’ cycle as the ace writer Charles Duhigg defines in his book the power of habit, which is to say that behavior accounts for more than information in decision making, you'll be fine. But what is also true is that all circumstances that we face are not an outcome of routine, we often encounter unique situations, to which we have zero familiarity with. That begs that question, how should we approach decision making in those cases? A few examples of those scenarios are: 

1. COVID has dented the business substantially, should I, therefore, rationalize the cost structure of my organization now, or wait for the situation to unfold a little more? 
2. Which job offer should I take as both of them promise to pay nearly the same and are in the same city? 
3. Should I marry or not? What my ideal match will be? 
4. What should I learn next? 
5. Which investments make sense .. which is dud? 
6. Who to befriend and who to actively avoid? 
7. How polite is it too smooth? 

You catch the drift, I hope?

Decision making is often an art of juggling between conflicting objectives and undiscovered options. You’ll never have all the information that you need, security will seldom be answered conclusively and yet you’d be required to exercise your choice and sometimes without much notice too. What do you do?

I think we have succeeded in doing a good job in setting the context right. We’ve defined the issue at hand well, we gotta now unravel the solution part of it. And before we get there I must in the benefit of full disclosure, admit that I have made many terrible choices, straight up unwise ones when measured against the common parlance and I also can’t even say with certainty that I have never repeated a judgment error, in my life. But I must also place in your knowledge that I have been intent on discovering the art of decision making for over 16 years, now.  I have read a wide variety of philosophers and observed modern-day exemplary decision-makers to better my own process. I have also written about decision making (12 articles in the last 10 years, you can find them on the website)

So, when you learn what I have to say on the matter, take it for what it is worth, no less no more.

What you’ll register from here on is a condensed version of a discipline that I have created for myself, and so far it has served me well or so I think.

Step 1 - is to figure out what is it that matters the most to us? Or put differently, what makes us most appeased. 

• Is it wealth?
• Does intellectual indulgence count above everything else? 
• Do you crave for happiness in the conventional sense the most?
• Is morality and social justice, the mission of your life?
• Do you get motivated by societal positioning, which is about going a bit over the top in the display of possession?
• Are health and emotional well being most dear to you?
• Are you looking for love and a sense of belonging? 
• Or you simply want the ZEN, like peace?

Or anything else? 

Decisions are the vehicle on which we travel to the destination of our life goals, therefore it is vital to sort out what we really desire for first. It is crucial to not haste here: take your time, speak to your friends, family, and most importantly your mother: she knows what you want more than you do. After you’ve made up your mind on your life goal(s) and related priorities, give it some resting time. Let say 90 days or so, revisit the list again, and if then also it makes the same sense that it did when you originally created it, chances are that you’ve hit the GOLD. And if you feel like you need to change a few things, go right ahead: it is your life and there is no deadline for this activity. The goal is to know the thing that you deeply desire at a level much deeper than what is easily influenced by superficial worldly influences. After watching the BATMAN movie if you want to be one too, you know it can’t be your life's GOAL, because there is JUST ONE BATMAN!   

Also, at this stage you must know that :

“We judge ourselves by our intentions, but others by their impact.”

Let’s scope our decision-making process to say that we’re blocking important and interesting decisions like the items listed below, from our endeavor

1. What to watch on Netflix. 
2. Android Vs iOS.
3. Youtube Vs TIKTOK.
4. Kohli or Dhoni.

We’re trying to narrow our conversation on rather uninteresting aspects of life, those decisions which often mean more than one thing. Things that have an impact on our lives in the medium as well as the long term. The set of decisions that help us get through the familiar part of the day are important but they do not determine the quality of our lives. Who we are today and what we will be tomorrow are a function of the other kinds of decisions that we take; the ones that require cognitive investment: logical thinking, rationalization. Matters that require intentionality, are the ones that we are going to talk about in this article.

The decision is a statement of intent, in fact, the most potent one.

As significant as the intention is to a decision-maker is, it is also open to interpretation by others, who may or may not be impacted by it. Opinions are not the same as facts and therefore must be taken with a grain of salt. We should shape our system of decision making, by trying to be rational, comprehensive, progressive. Inclusive, moral, and most important of all ‘right’. A smart man once said ‘when facts change I change my mind’; when one of his discussions was called into question, by the press. From peace to war; every outcome at an atomic level is a decision. 

It is comforting to know that no one ever walked on the planet without making poor choices. A bad decision is undesirable but not completely avoidable. It is humanly impossible to effectively insulate the decision-making process from error. No matter how bright you are you’d still make regrettable choices, it is ok, do not beat yourself over it. It is, however, crucial to have a system of making decisions, so that you get is right more often than you get it wrong.

Actions work best when they are themed to a carefully chosen principle. I personally believe in the three value systems that we will go over one by one. In my view, it provides beliefs needed to form a sound decision-making process. I credit the below philosophies for all the right decisions that I took in my life. And I attribute all the decision errors that I have made thus far to a shortage of discipline, intent, and sometimes even bleak desire to make them right. 

1. Stoicism: Stoic philosophy can’t be discussed without mentioning the stalwarts who propounded this line of thought, eloquently :
   1. Seneca  (4 AD - 65 AD)
   2. Marcus Aurelius (121AD to 180 AD)

I have had the good fortune of reading writings of both of these heavyweights, in the university: It was not an extracurricular reading, philosophy was one of my subjects.

Other thinkers have also spoken and written about Stoic philosophy but I find these two thinkers most prolific. If you were to deep dive you’ll find that “Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy which was founded by Zeno of Citium, in Athens, in the early 3rd century BC” (Wiki will also tell you this)

So what does it really cover?

The virtue of action, tolerance, and self-control, it professes remaining calm under pressure and avoiding emotional extremes. Personal improvement is at the very core of this philosophy. It simply mentions that everything that happens in our life is a result of connected cause and effect. It says that we can only respond by adjusting our attitude towards the prevalent circumstances. This discipline is about accepting the worst possible scenario and actually living it a few days a year to know what it is like to face the worst fall. It advises against making anger the response but leans on the side of intellectual arguments. It propels, that it is going to be ok in the end. This principle is also dead against, empty hope, passion, and mindless motivation. It is about being objective and free from emotions to the extent possible. 

2. Buddhism: It is about confronting suffering by practicing compassion. Budhha seconds, blowing out the flames of desire, by living in moderation, ‘the middle way’. Four important aspects of this philosophy are :
   1. Suffering exists.
   2. Suffering is caused by desire 
   3. We transcend suffering by managing our desires.
   4. If we change our outlook the changing circumstances won’t impact as badly.

Buddhism is about converting Ignorance into wisdom, Anger into compassion, greed into generosity. It teaches us to focus, to internalize the world around us, and to give. It tells us that peace is the ultimate goal that we must go after. I’m not detailing the origins of Sidhartha and how he became the enlightened Budhha because I assume most of you already know about it.

BR Ambedkar’s writing on Buddhism is worth reading

3. Essentialism: Disciplined pursuit of less. Less is more! It does not mean that you should aim for less - you have every right to desire wealth, materialistic pleasures, or just about anything that you deem fit. This philosophy is about attaining those goals by removing the vital few from the trivial many. It talks about devoting all your time and resources only to the things that really matter. It does not advocate “I will do everything”. It teaches us to declutter our lives, being intentional about what we do, and not diving into every pool that we find in our way. The principles of minimalism are also covered in it. Do more with less, be productive, and not busy. It speaks about, not following the pattern, but finding one’s own path and then pursuing it with laser-sharp focus. 

You should read Greg Mcknew to learn more about this philosophy.

When I try to converge these philosophies to find workable guidelines, I take the below out.

Tool Kit : 

1. Saying “NO” is ok. You do not have to say yes to every opportunity. Less is more!
2. Delaying decisions is better than taking the wrong one. 
3. Pro and Cons is important for maintaining objectivity 
4. Emotional wellbeing is displayed by not letting sentimentalities cloud judgment
5. Be aware of your biases and work actively to shield your decisions from them.
6. Be compassionate and be willing to share the fruits with those who deserve it. 
7. Always be on the right side of the moral principle in doing so uphold the law of the land, too. 
8. Stand for what you believe in even if doing so is the hardest thing to do at� the moment.

With that, I take your leave. I hope you found it useful. 

Remember, you have to make your own framework, pick what is right for you, and then run with it.