My example
Today peoples always do something, like reading news, chatting, watch social media, and etc...
So, we are don't take a break, when we should. Sometimes it's need to stop. Let's try to take a new breath of life.
This thing is take a lot of your time. YouTube, news, social media - it's take their beginning from smartphones.
Recently, i found my mother's old Samsung Galaxy Ace La Fleur. And I understand, how technic can be beautiful. If i can, i will still use this smartphone, but sadly, it's a little bit old and damaged. This flower patterns and compact size makes it's smartphone with soul.
Ideas like this can be found in Frutiger Aero style, and maybe it's pretty good way to express that feeling.
Just agree, that you are use computer not to watch all of this things, because it feels more harder. Just make some experiment:
Computers can be connected to networks, like Internet. And it's beautiful, that today we can contact people in seconds, or found new people, or some shy person like me try to do something great.
Closer to mid 2000's, websites like MySpace and Facebook become popular.
Let's take some example, MySpace - it's social media that connect people by music interests. A lot of bands get their first popularity on MySpace, like Bring Me The Horizon, or Hollywood Undead. And, as i think - it's a great example of Internet-project, where people create, share and listen. But some time passed, and MySpace become zombie.
But, there is a few websites, that try to recreate that atmosphere of MySpace, or Bandcamp website, where beautiful independent artist, like LukHash, She Official, AcousticLabs, C418, Ken Ashcorp, or even some underground artists like Acidgvrl and others publish their music, and people can support them, buy music, or just listen album for free. I like this website so much, maybe it's one of the last beautiful islands of Internet.
As i think, it's that reason, why I prefare services like this. Using Spotify, maybe you are have a better algorithms for searching music, but the same time you are got infinite music library, so you cannot concentrate on listening to a few artists, it's just infinite music flow. You are buy subscription, but you can pay to artists itself, buying their discography.
The same can be said about Netflix. Internet become anti-social form of Capitalism, where you don't buy product, you buy service of entertaining you.
Personally, i think, that we should give more time for social life. We should stop use social media not because they are take our time for useless things, but firstly because they are don't create that community. Services like Discord better than Facebook and Instagram because they are connect people. Social life - it's the most important part of every person, so think about time you are waste on social media, it's time can be wasted around family or friend, even if they are far away, using Skype/Discord. Yes, it's a lot better to waste 2 hours in dialogue with friend, than waste the same time scrolling feed, or watching YouTube video. Instead of visiting the most popular websites, maybe you could find something interesting with Internet Maps, like Open Street Map, or Google Street View? Sometimes i found myself wasting 30-40 minuites just looking for some places on maps.
There is also interesting website, that can answer a lot about Internet: End of the Internet.
Messengers like Signal, Telegram and others try to connect people, but in awful way, like making person depending on some platform, or require phone number for registration. The main reason, why i leave Telegram, and move to Vkontakte (a russian social media), it's because Telegram become social media itself. It's start to have short videos like in Instagram on main page, and other things that cannot give me concentrate on dialogue. The same time, Vknotakte is used by me as messenger, and have possability to hide feed or any other recommendations.
And, the same about television - they are entertain you, give you information noise, and useless information flow. Many people have problem, that they are cannot work in absolute silence, and they are have TV, radio, or YouTube on background. Sometimes i also find myself doing something with TV or YouTube on background, but i am trying to reduce this, because i don't have any profit from this, but in result i feeling tired. I like to work near windows, so i am usual hear birds and wind sound, and this is more relaxing, than all this garbage.
I recommend to take a break from work every hour, for 15 minuites, because we are not robots, we have feelings, and things, like "headache".
It's better to just break in silence, without smartphone, music, or videogames, because it's the same work. You also can sleep this time.
If you are limit yourself to something simple in art, or maybe some technology, you are trying to make the best things only with this basics. Let's look at some examples:
Last years, ideas of minimalism and similar philosophical movements is getting more popular. People use minimalism in every parts of their life: apartaments, digital space, views on life, or even art. This way of life not always been good, as I understand this on myself.
It's really exciting, that people get rid of all unnecessary things, but sometimes it's getting too far, when person get rid of all around... Looking at this emptiness, sometimes it feel like sadness.
With coming of digital technology in our life, we are get rid of a lot in our houses. We are don't need to have player anymore, to watch films or listen to music. We are almost get rid of physical photography, we are don't need camera roll anymore, and this is helps us a lot. But, sometimes people minimize work with paper books, replacing them with digital copies.
It's personal opinion, but i am prefare to have phyical contact with things, like reading a paper book, we are feeling it better, and it's easier to concentrate.
It's useful, when person should always work with books, or just cannot acess his collection at any time. But, we are shouldn't underrate physical things. My friend synapsebreak describes it very good with example of notepad, and modern To-Do and note taking applications.
I also have some tips for minimal and comfy enviroment:
A little example of my beautiful and minimal XFCE desktop :D
You are use computer for work and fun, so please, don't setting up it's every day, you are don't get some new knowledges about computers, but you are waste a lot of time.
When we are understand more about some of my habits, that make me happier, let's start to make your own enviroment.
Take a notepad, and write something, find some ways to have fun with it. After, write the list of bad things for you, like this:
This is your self-portrait, to see side of bad emotions. Work on it, but don't take it too serious and radical.
It's also important to make your personal backpack with important things. It's very useful and easy to find all things in one place. If i need to leave my house, it's very useful thing. Also, if yours backpack is large enough, like mine, you can take some memories and other fun things. Personally, i have all my usb flash drives, my HDD and copybooks.
I am like to play music and programming. But sometimes, when i want to take a break, i cannot, just because it's my only interests. When i don't play music instrument, i listen to music, when i don't programming, i am still use computer. If you are feel like this so long, you are going crazy. So, recently i understant, that you can find something new, that don't take so much time, but give you a time to break. Sometimes i like to draw some pixelart sketches, it's so relaxing and simple thing. You also should try to found something, it's also can help you in hard times.
It is simple, but very fun. You need to paint 5x6 grid with circles, and paint some objects around them. It's give you a lot of fun, and a good way to "kill time", if you need this.
The easiest way to do this - just make font size on your computer as large, as possible, in this way you can sit back from monitor, and in better position for spine.