Shedding that which no longer serves

Dogs don’t hold onto garbage that could get in the way of living the good life, why should we?

Back in 2020, I was furloughed from my job for about six months. For a portion of that time, I was living at home, collecting unemployment and with plenty of unstructured time. I spent a week going through everything in my childhood room. Since graduating from college, I have developed an appreciation for practical, useful objects that actively play a role in everyday life, so I was able to make decisions quickly and relatively painlessly. Throughout this week I donated, recycled, or repurposed much of what had been sitting in drawers or on shelves for over 10 years.

Deciding to recycle artwork from elementary school is something I would have never dreamed of being able to do just a few years earlier. Stuffed animals from childhood going to Goodwill? Forget it. What about all those trophies from karate? How could I let that happen? Well, it turns out that none of the above serve a functional or emotional purpose and instead take up emotional and mental space. Even when I don’t look at the items I’ve held onto regularly, I know they exist and they maintain a certain weight in my brain. Most items were a quick decision once I got in a rhythm and anything that I was on the fence about parting ways with had its photo taken before going in the “go” box.

While the process of letting go can be emotional and challenging in the moment, as soon as I realized the feeling of liberation associated with moving on with fewer things, I started to see the benefit of making this a part of everyday life.

My family has been in a period of letting go and shedding physical items for years now. We used to hold onto a lot because we have the space to do so - a blessing and a curse. Bins, boxes, cubbies filled with things that once held significance were tucked behind every door. We were never hoarders or even close to that level of keeping, but like any family, we saved things that mattered to us and then forgot about them.

It turns out that we are no less human or well-lived by having fewer physical posessions. Those experiences and memories we associate with things don’t vanish as soon as the box of trinkets and souvenirs gets packed in the car to be given away or repurposed. On the contrary, we have more space for clarity and reflection in everyday life and for new memories yet to be made.

I believe the same to be true of digital things. Our lives are packed with stimuli coming from screens all around us. We opt in to social media platforms, news outlets, streaming services, and other subscriptions with (at least sometimes) the goal of connecting with friends and family and to watch impactful content. What we are left with is so much more information than we intended and it can affect our emotional state and mental bandwidth, much like having an office filled with clutter.

Instagram is, for me, the metaphorical massive box of 20 year old trinkets and keepsakes sitting in the middle of the living room that must be walked around several times a day. I was actually off of Instagram for a year or two before starting #EyesUpRide and then got back on as a way to connect with the community supporting me during the ride. For this reason, Instagram was a blessing and I believe it added a good deal of value to my experience.

Despite knowing that dozens of people watched my daily stories and looked forward to my posts , each time I open the app I feel a small pit in my stomach knowing I am feeding into the very problem #EyesUp aims to mitigate.

Whenever I am on Instagram, I never scroll mindlessly or for extended periods of time. Still, because of my regular exposure to the content and platform, I find myself victim to impulsively checking the app to see stories from the few people I genuinely do enjoy seeing and looking at a few posts here and there. While it is fun to see those peoples’ content, I don’t think I have had a single moment where I felt better off than if I did not have access to that media whatsoever.

With the ride over, two things keep me regularly engaged with Instagram at this point: the Eyes Up | Maxxis series that’s been rolling out since January and my fundraising for TextLess Live More. It’s important to me that I keep my profile current with those projects. However, the Maxxis series will be wrapped up by early November and I aim to hit my $50k fundraising goal by that point. What happens then?

TextLess Live More recently moved their focus away from posting regularly on social media, and I love that.

TextLess Live More recently posted on their Instagram page that they are moving away from regular posts to better align with their mission. While they haven’t shut down their account, it’s clear on visiting their page that they care more about people putting the phone down and living their lives than posting regularly. Seeing this and feeling an ever-growing fatigue with the false realities and “highlight reels” portrayed on these platforms has helped me reach the decision to follow suit once the two aforementioned projects are wrapped up.

I cannot wait to celebrate hitting my goal by removing Instagram from my everyday life. Communicating directly with people who are invested and who care (like in these newsletters and not on social media) is far more healthy for me and more rewarding than just adding another post to the endless expanse of content grabbing for our attention.

So, that’s my plan. My focus will turn wholesale to life outside of the digital world: my career, these newsletters, communicating directly with the people I want to hear from and talk to, and exercising the way I want to (more balance with biking and other activities I love).

It’s okay to say goodbye to the things in life that no longer contribute positively. There’s not enough time in life to waste on carrying these burdens. Take a deep breath, make a decision, and be confident that you’re doing the right thing. And, if you really want to, take a photo before you say goodbye to whatever it is.

Thanks for reading and for not driving distracted.

-Ben Grannis
#EyesUp