Savoring Simplicity

Wherever and whenever, what I like to have in my environment are the things that really matter, be it digital space, mental space, or physical space. There is that healthy sense of connection between myself and my environment and peace of mind when most of what's in sight are "the necessities."

I guess that's why I know now that I really do not like to share my space with people. The reality is that I am pretty simple, with certain principles that may come off as strict to some people.

"You are so principled, Jay." A common phrase I hear often for things as little as "do not put water on my table." My table is only for my laptop, phone, books, and anything related. Water on that same table is just a hazard that I cannot risk having around. So the rule is, never put a cup, bottle, or any container with water on my table.

I make use of corners a lot in my space. I like to have that space at the centre for me to freely walk about and not bump into anything. What you'll find in Jay's room is his bed in one corner, his desk for creativity in another, and then his wardrobe and shoe rack in a different corner. And then there would be this expanse of freedom for mobility in the centre.

Most people know me to be a person who is excellent at maintaining things and allowing them to last a long time in my care. To some people, it's impressive that my current smartphone will be three years old soon enough and still look brand new. The previous one lasted even longer before I replaced it, and I often got the same compliment. I digress, however.

The fact that I am good at "keeping things" doesn't imply that I love to store things. No, I do not really fancy the idea of keeping some set of items that I wouldn't use for centuries, just because "they could come in handy some day."

If the frequency of usage of something is really low, I really don't like to have it around. I'd either let it go or maybe just find somewhere really out of sight to store it if it's normally expensive. My mother would disagree, though. She keeps everything!

I always like order in my things. My hangers are usually sorted by color. My clothes were hung or folded according to categories. My wardrobe contains only the necessary things.

Keeping my space decluttered extends to my PC as well. For one, I often like to keep my home screen clear. When I open it, all I want to see is the wallpaper, and there are no software shortcuts around. I'd just search for what I need whenever.

This really is my wallpaper on my phone these days. It's just a black wallpaper with "less is more" written at the center. Something I made on Canva and set as a wallpaper as a daily reminder that sometimes there's beauty in simplicity and minimalism. So every day, I try to set my life according to that, even in my conversations with people.