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Ask HN: How have you successfully simplified your life?

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Ask HN: How have you successfully simplified your life?

#1
I’ve read that the likes of Barrack Obama, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg built daily uniforms for themselves. Others have moved into Tiny houses, or moved to all cash to limit spending, or eliminated political news consumption, etc. I’m curious what ways you’ve successfully reduced and simplified in your life.

Re: Ask HN: How have you successfully simplified your life?

#2
blocked all social media(except HN) and news sites. It truly changed my life, I am not it continuos gloom and doom mood, my mind is in a clam exploration mode rather than some sort of media induced frenzy. I am unable to access some good links to medium from HN but I am willing to pay that price.

I've done this for over 8 months now, never going back to reading "news".Ignorance is bliss.

Re: Ask HN: How have you successfully simplified your life?

#3
Get rid of as many things as is possible. Imagine that you'll need to grab your closest family and friends, a bunch of survival gear, and the 10 things you value the most, and escape to a remote region. If you can't carry it, don't bring it. If you haven't used it in the last year, sell it.

Re: Ask HN: How have you successfully simplified your life?

#4
post #2

blocked all social media(except HN) and news sites. It truly changed my life, I am not it continuos gloom and doom mood, my mind is in a clam exploration mode rather than some sort of media induced frenzy. I am unable to access some good links to medium from HN but I am willing to pay that price. I've done this for over 8 months now, never going back to reading "news".Ignorance is bliss.

Good stuff. Do you use a particular extension for that? Any fall out?

Re: Ask HN: How have you successfully simplified your life?

#5
post #3

Get rid of as many things as is possible. Imagine that you'll need to grab your closest family and friends, a bunch of survival gear, and the 10 things you value the most, and escape to a remote region. If you can't carry it, don't bring it. If you haven't used it in the last year, sell it.

Been thinking along the same lines but having a hard time moving the family fully in that direction. What are your core belongings.

Re: Ask HN: How have you successfully simplified your life?

#6
post #2

blocked all social media(except HN) and news sites. It truly changed my life, I am not it continuos gloom and doom mood, my mind is in a clam exploration mode rather than some sort of media induced frenzy. I am unable to access some good links to medium from HN but I am willing to pay that price. I've done this for over 8 months now, never going back to reading "news".Ignorance is bliss.

Good stuff. Do you use a particular extension for that? Any fall out?

no. I just add it to /ect/hosts file as I go.

Re: Ask HN: How have you successfully simplified your life?

#7
Phone specific:

Delete as many apps from your phone as possible. If you can do it on a computer, ditch it.

Turn off notifications. Check apps when you're ready, not when it tells you it needs attention.

Personal hack, using Tasker, the phone stays in monochrome except for a few apps. HM and websites feel more like newspapers. Simpler in a cognitively relaxing way.

Re: Ask HN: How have you successfully simplified your life?

#8
+1 for the elimination of news. I've found one useful tip for that on HN - never read an article when you click on a headline - bookmark it, so if you really want to, you will read the next day. Probably 90% of stuff I was reading before, fall in that category.

Re: Ask HN: How have you successfully simplified your life?

#9
post #7

Phone specific: Delete as many apps from your phone as possible. If you can do it on a computer, ditch it. Turn off notifications. Check apps when you're ready, not when it tells you it needs attention. Personal hack, using Tasker, the phone stays in monochrome except for a few apps. HM and websites feel more like newspapers. Simpler in a cognitively relaxing way.

I've turned my phone to gray scale. Everything is a lot less interesting.

Re: Ask HN: How have you successfully simplified your life?

#10

+1 for the elimination of news. I've found one useful tip for that on HN - never read an article when you click on a headline - bookmark it, so if you really want to, you will read the next day. Probably 90% of stuff I was reading before, fall in that category.

I love that idea!
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