yoga, meditating, digital clutter.

we're enjoying even more snowfall this month which is great, it’s brighter outside when the snow is reflecting the light. even though I look forward to spring I really like snowy landscapes.

i hope everyone enjoyed their new year. this month will begin with a 30 day yoga challenge (move @ yoga with adriene on youtube). it’s great if you like to start building muscles in a calmer and steady way. no need to go to the gym.

along with the yoga practice i meditate everyday. right now i'm focusing on zen meditation and gratitude practices. gratitude practices can be in forms like guided meditations or journaling where you reflect on what you're grateful for. i use insight timer for meditation and dayone for journaling.

i am surprised at this but i've managed to take control of my digital clutter this week. i had many profile account but i'm in the process of deleting the accounts i don't use or haven't used for many years. if you know that you have all these accounts with old passwords, my advice is to permanetly and completely delete old accounts - and safely store active accounts and passwords in an app like dashlane.

thank you 2021.

saying goodbye to 2021 and welcoming this new year with this post. here's a recap:

did you do something 2021 you never did before?

i quit social media this year. i enjoy more privacy. i am more present in the moment. i have reduced my screen time by more than 75 %. i have more precious time and i invest in better activites. quitting social media has been really good for me.

what was your biggest success 2021?

34 written songs, 14 released original songs (planted 140 real life trees), 5 released covers, 1 released spotify single. i made my music making process more effective and simple. i spent time planning and managing my private economy and financial savings.

some of your favorite places 2021?

i love camping by forest lakes and the sea.

how did you spend your birthday?

i spent it out in forest and out with friends and some days later on a spa.

some good habits of 2021?

• strength training, yoga and walks

• reading books

• meditating

• journaling

• nature

favorite purchases of 2021?

i try my best to make sure i only buy things i need:

• alarm clock - leaving my phone in another room

• second hand clothes/shoes - capsule wardrobe with the basic colors

• yoga mat - in great quality that lasts for many years

• hiking boots - for the outdoors

• razors and shears - i save around 90 USD for every haircut

• eyebrow piercing - glad i did it, had to remove it though

• juicer - because juice

favorite food 2021?

it has to be vegan fried artichokes, vegetable sticks, dipp sauces, tabasco and beer.

favorite songs 2021?

click here

favorite series 2021?

• my next life as a villainess season two

• comic girl

• orange

• fruits basket final season

• yuru camp season two

• kobayashi's dragon maid S

favorite read 2021?

• hello habits - fumio sasaki

• fame - justine bateman (audio book)

• the simple path to weatlh - jl collins (audio book)

• altered traits - daniel goleman, richard davidson (audio book)

• and lots of mangas!!

and some plans for 2022?

more: music, training, archery, books, meditation, gratitude and nature.

less: tv-series, screen time, distractions, negativity, stress, alcohol and sugar.

i want to spend more time on vocal practices and yoga.

in general, i want to have more time creating, taking care of myself and enjoying moments.

happy new year!

「High value activities - being off social media (or minimizing).」

This autumn I decided to quit social media. I deleted the majority of my social media accounts, the only account I have right now is my Facebook account and I use it only for the Messenger app on my desktop. So I’m not active on Facebook, I don’t post stuff and I don’t read posts from other people. I don’t comment and like. I don’t engage in groups. And in this very moment, I don’t decide to go back. I’m perfectly happy.

Here is one of the reasons why. I’m more deliberate with my digital usage and these days I experience a greater amount of free time that I’ve never experienced before.

”To make use of time in a productive way is the antithesis to boredom.”

I spend time on high value activities like making music, exercising, meditating, staying in nature, reading books, journaling, and so on. I like taking walks. I like doing archery. I like playing and cuddling with my cats. There are so many great things that I get a lot of value from. For me, these activities are much more vital than social media scrolling.

Some other low value activities I’ve cut down on, apart from social media, are video games, watching series and spending too much time on the sofa. So spending a lot of time in front of a screen consuming entertainment is definitely a low value activity for me. I don't like being passive and just consume a lot of information, instead of being active and doing things. So I try to limit the low value activies.

I use to compare high value activities with healthy food that nourish your body and low value actives that are like junk food. High value activities is healthy and makes you feel good in the long run and low value activites is unhealthy and makes you feel good in the moment but bad in the long run. It’s good to identify and reduce the "junk food" in your life - not necessarily going cold turkey - but to identify and fill your life with more "healthy food".