The surprisingly difficult art of doing less

In our consumer culture, we end up buying more and doing more. To be satisfied is almost considered an offense because it means you're not chasing after the next thing.

Part of the same vicious cycle of wanting more is the desire for continual self-improvement and the development of other competencies. 

Taking secularization into account, the idea that we don't live in order to obtain some kind of salvation in the afterlife leads to the belief that we have to achieve everything we desire in the here and now.

If we miss out on anything in this life, it is seen as some kind of existential failure. Carried to an extreme, it is tragic because it's rarely a recipe for a good life.

We gain from it the chance to engage in activities and experiences that are deeper and more meaningful. Because the mentality of fearing that we will miss out makes us always worried that something better might be waiting for us.

And moving through life, where everything becomes a means to the next thing, prevents us from understanding that certain things are inherently valuable and meaningful in and of themselves.

Many people believe that the key to happiness is to have more choices, but it is really the opposite.

To free ourselves from the result of our consumer culture, we should work on our self-control. We have to develop the strength to resist these constant temptations.

While some people can opt-out of the culture, most need to make the best of it within the system we have.

• Reading a book is very disciplining. Most people have lost the ability to sit for hours and read a book without looking for a smartphone distraction. In a way, reading a book is like mindfulness, only you focus on something different.
• Instead of always focussing on the positive things, focus on the negative things. We have to see what's wrong to have any chance of fixing it.