9 Tips to Throw Off the Chains of Consumerism

Photo by fazen

Editor’s note: This is a guest post written by Scott Young.

You already have everything you need. Those of us lucky enough to have been born in this time period in the Western world are experiencing an abundance few of our ancestors could have claimed. Food, clean water, shelter, law and order are almost guaranteed.

Why doesn’t it feel this way? Despite this amazing abundance, why are so many people dissatisfied? Are we doomed to always want more than we have, even if it won’t bring us more happiness?

You Can’t Live in a Vacuum
As soon as basic needs are met, your focus immediately shifts onto creating new problems. Even if poverty, exile from the population or violence are remote threats, new problems fill their place. Our cultural obsession with consumption is a by-product of this need to seek out new problems.

The solution is to find something else to fill the vacuum. Instead of mindlessly adopting the quest for material perfection, look at it critically. You don’t need to sell all your worldly belongings and become a monk, but see what other things can fill the space consumption occupies in your mind.

Here are a few suggestions for how to escape the chains of consumerism:

1. Process over Results. Why are you trying to get rich? Is it simply to be wealthy, or is it because the process of making money interests you. When you focus on the process leading to a goal over the results, you can be satisfied regardless of whether you succeed or fail.

2. Eliminate Noise. Simplify your life. Stop spending money on things that add noise and distract you from meaningful aspects of life. Don’t use your paycheck as the determinant of how much you spend. Lifestyle expansion erodes the base it was founded on as buying new things fails to make you more satisfied.

3. Let Go of Dust. Don’t spend your life avoiding risks to protect what you have. If you aren’t able to let go of your possessions then those objects own you. Doing a job you hate to maintain a lifestyle you don’t need is insanity.

4. Relationships and Status Also Enslave. I’m using the theme of material consumption here, but it applies equally to seeking relationships, status or physical perfection. Anytime results dominate over process, it becomes easy to get trapped.

5. Trash Regularly. Regularly go through your belongings and trash the things you aren’t using. Having a high turn-over rate of physical possessions can mean you are buying too many things to begin with, but it is still better than simply racheting up the amount you own.

6. You Aren’t Possessions, Status or Employment. If you view your identity as being your job, social status or material wealth, these things will dominate your life. Defining yourself isn’t an easy task, but these are bad ways to start.

7. Avoid “I’ll Be Happy When…” Don’t view happiness as anything that exists beyond the present. When you start imagining that happiness exists in things outside yourself, you’ll always be at a loss when trying to find it. Focus on the now and processes over results.

8. Be Non-Competitive. Competition drives consumerism. The zero-sum game of who can have the most stuff before you die. Break the urge to compete with other people and you release the trap it puts you in. Competition can be useful as a driving force for improvement and change, but when winning becomes more important than playing you get caught in a trap.

9. Positions are Equal, Process is Not. Once basic needs are fulfilled, most positions are relatively equal given a brief time to adapt. This means you will be just as happy with a $30,000 per year as with $300,000. This seems counter-intuitive, but even new psychological research is beginning to find that positions have less influence on happiness than we believe. The difference is process. Some processes can be interesting, fun, challenging and stimulating and others dull, forced and painful. A focus on process is the best way I know to slide off the chains of consumerism.

Scott Young is a blogger on learning, productivity and habits. You can check out his website here.

See also:

9 Tips to Throw Off the Chains of Consumerism

Photo by fazen

Editor’s note: This is a guest post written by Scott Young.

Why doesn’t it feel this way? Despite this amazing abundance, why are so many people dissatisfied? Are we doomed to always want more than we have, even if it won’t bring us more happiness?

Here are a few suggestions for how to escape the chains of consumerism:

Scott Young is a blogger on learning, productivity and habits. You can check out his website here.

See also:

Posted on 17 October 2007 in Simplicity |
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Comments (45)

xlerate Says:

October 17th, 2007, 6:55 am

where are the 9 tips?

Jeniffer Says:

October 17th, 2007, 7:07 am

Beneath the sentence “here are a few suggestions for how to escape the chains of consumerism:” there is “The webpage cannot be found”. I’ll look again for the nine tips later.

Josiah Says:

October 17th, 2007, 7:34 am

Great post!

Leo Says:

October 17th, 2007, 7:50 am

Hmm. That’s weird. It’s showing up for me.

Louise Says:

October 17th, 2007, 8:07 am

I cannot read the tips… and I so want to!

Sherry Says:

October 17th, 2007, 8:19 am

I’m only seeing the same as Jeniffer. Darn, I really wanted to see the tips!

Steve Says:

October 17th, 2007, 8:50 am

Weird, the 9 tips don’t show on Safari but do show up on FireFox

The Dividend Guy Says:

October 17th, 2007, 8:54 am

“I’ll be happy when…” is a tough one. It definately drums up a negative connotation in that one is not happy now. However, I do think this is where good goal setting comes into play. Goals are used to focus us on a place we want to be, and in my opinion that goal is usually meant to make people more fulfilled and happier! This is not to say I am not happy now, I just have things I want to achieve. Goals should not always be about “*stuff* though…

texafornia Says:

October 17th, 2007, 9:22 am

Holy crap, that guy can write. Speaks to me like a booming voice. All that stuff is exactly what I’ve been preaching to people for years.

priri Says:

October 17th, 2007, 9:28 am

Same, I cannot read the 9 tips. I use Explorer.

Ophelie Says:

October 17th, 2007, 9:33 am

I couldn’t read the article in Safari, but it works fine in Firefox.

Great tips. This is something I’m looking into a lot these days, and I find my days get simpler, my savings are growing, and, yes, I’m happier.

Mark Says:

October 17th, 2007, 9:36 am

Greetings -

I can’t see the nine tips either but the first line, “You already have everything you need” absolutely says it all.

Kind regards,
Mark

Janice Says:

October 17th, 2007, 9:57 am

“Once basic needs are fulfilled, most positions are relatively equal given a brief time to adapt. This means you will be just as happy with a $30,000 per year as with $300,000. This seems counter-intuitive, but even new psychological research is beginning to find that positions have less influence on happiness than we believe.”

Yes, definitely. There’s research by Seligman and Diener related to income and happiness, and at least when people are self-reporting their happiness, once they have their basic needs yet, there’s no real difference in happiness ratings as one gets wealthier.

The argument (I think; I haven’t reread the research lately) is that you “reset” your desires based on your current level of income, and when you get more income, you tend to just want more stuff.

Linnie Says:

October 17th, 2007, 9:58 am

bummer i can’t see the 9 tips either, here is what i see:

“Here are a few suggestions for how to escape the chains of consumerism:

12 Responses to “9 Tips to Throw Off the Chains of Consumerism””

RayC Says:

October 17th, 2007, 10:07 am

click on the Scott Young link at the end of Editor’s Note to go to the original.

Pgarf Says:

October 17th, 2007, 10:18 am

The inability to see the 9 items in the post is an Explorer problem — I couldn’t see it there either — but it was all there when I pulled it up in Firefox…

Great post, by the way!

J.D. Says:

October 17th, 2007, 10:20 am

Also in Safari, also not seeing the tips.

J.D. Says:

October 17th, 2007, 10:22 am

There’s some strange random script embedded in the HTML. At least it looks random to me…

Jose Says:

October 17th, 2007, 10:25 am

Excellent points. This is like a summary from reading 100+ pages books. I can relate to most of those points…the more you have the more you want…or so it seems.

Two years ago I used to make half of what I make now, and I’m still not “happy”. After reading this, it made me think about what I have and not on what I don’t have. This articles has helped me step outside the box and analyze my situation again.

Like my pops always said: all you need is food, clothing and shelter, everything else is a luxury.

salas Says:

October 17th, 2007, 10:41 am

I saved the post to my desktop, deleted the embedded script from the source, and re-opened the page and then I could view the tips in IE. It seems Safari and IE are trying to render the broken script whereas Firefox is just ignoring it.

nasiriya Says:

October 17th, 2007, 11:34 am

where the nine tips. by the way can you write a post about how to keep simple while looking like million dollars babe?i am a beauty addicted and have tons of beauty products

wealthy_1 Says:

October 17th, 2007, 11:45 am

I love the picture! Those chains of consumerism led me to be shackled by debt.

Aku Says:

October 17th, 2007, 11:53 am

Great post, thanks.

Mary Says:

October 17th, 2007, 12:02 pm

Can’t read the tips either … thought I suspect the article is a good one.

Growing up, when I asked my dad for money to get something and when things were tight, he would ask back: “Do you need it?” Knowing I could make do without, I’d have guilt trips over buying a few new pair of jeans each fall. But I also knew what he really meant. He grew up in post-war Italy under incredibly tight circumstances and as an adult rarely bought things for himself. “I live like a king!” he said, though we lived quite modestly.

We often confuse monetary wealth and consumerism… I know plenty of wealthy folks that don’t have a lot of stuff — which could account for a good bit of their wealth.

They don’t blow their money on stuff, and you’d never know from looking at them or their cars or homes that they have a healthy diversified portfolio (or stash buried out back). Their stuff is functional rather than impressive. They don’t spend weekends at the mall and they don’t worry about keeping up with what their neighbors have or the latest gadget available. Rather than focusing on how to spend their money, most focus on community, charity, family, friends - social relationships. Some are hobbists, travel or are into the arts, and some focus on their livelihoods ranging from farming to running a business or a professional career.

All the time and energy we spend researching, shopping, financing, using, maintaining, storing, and ultimately disposing of stuff… And all the money we pour into it… are the chains of consumerism.

Val Ann C Says:

October 17th, 2007, 12:37 pm

I agree that many of us “look for problems” . I am safe, warm, and fed. Now what???

My answer was in volunteer work. If you are lucky enough not to have serious problems at home, try applying your time, talent, and treasure to solving the problems in your community.

Volunteer work can be incredibly satisfying.

Vincent Says:

October 17th, 2007, 12:43 pm

Excellent post!

Quick question, for Scott (or Leo) —

What recent psychological studies are you citing? Are there any online resources you used? I’d love to read more about this.

Thanks!

Noel Says:

October 17th, 2007, 12:54 pm

Interesting post, but I find the picture disturbing. It looks like torture. Though I see the comparison between the topic and the picture, I can’t get implications of the picture out of my head to focus on the issue of overspending.

Mr. Negative Says:

October 17th, 2007, 12:59 pm

I am curious about the psychological studies as well. I have recently seen news stories about studies that indicate that rich people are, in fact, gernerally happier than poor people. Here is one example:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/29109.php

I’m not saying that I agree with the article… but I’d be interested in seeing what studies support an opposing point of view.

Thanks!

Maria Says:

October 17th, 2007, 13:03 pm

@Noel: well the constant need to buy and the feeling that I will never be completely satisified IS torture to me. i don’t think people are aware how serious this problem is and i dont find the picture any more disturbing that the ubiquitous cult of consumerism. not at all.

Rahul Says:

October 17th, 2007, 14:22 pm

That last point really resonates with me. I’m figuring that out more and more every day. If your basic needs are met, it really makes no difference how much money in excess you are making.

Great post!

Leo Says:

October 17th, 2007, 18:24 pm

OK … sorry guys. I found the script and deleted it. That was weird. I don’t know how it got in there. Thanks for finding it, JD.

Anyway, everything fixed.

And thanks for the great comments, everyone!

Leo Says:

October 17th, 2007, 18:32 pm

@Noel: Sorry … torture wasn’t meant to be implied. I did find the picture striking, and used it for that reason. To me, it conveys a feeling of desperation, and that felt appropriate for this article. But I know that everyone takes away different feelings from strong images such as this one, so it would be hard to predict all the possible responses. I guess I should have gone with a safer image. Live and learn!

Duncan Says:

October 17th, 2007, 18:42 pm

5. Trash Regularly? Shouldn’t that be: recycle, sell, or give stuff away regularly?!!!

Leo Says:

October 17th, 2007, 18:47 pm

As a side note, you guys really should switch to Firefox. ;)

Leo Says:

October 17th, 2007, 21:25 pm

@Duncan: I think by “trash” Scott was referring to the acronym:

Take it to a charity for donation
Recycle
Ask others if they want it
Sell it on Ebay
Hide it in your roommate’s closet

OK, I admit, I just made that up. ;)

Duncan Says:

October 17th, 2007, 21:35 pm

nice!

meagan Says:

October 17th, 2007, 21:55 pm

wow Scott, this was a great post! Right now i’m in the situation where I have enough in my life to be satisfied, but as you say, I’m finding ways to create more problems. This post has really helped me look at what should be important to me, and to look at the process, not the end.

oh, and a special “Hi!” to Leo. I’ve been reading your blog for the past few months but I haven’t commented on anything yet. Keep up the excellent work!

tyler durden Says:

October 17th, 2007, 23:09 pm

well said Leo. well said.

Dee Says:

October 18th, 2007, 3:06 am

It’s true. A person has to begin to look at themselves and figure out what it is they’re trying to fill, in addition to why. We have a tendency to measure ourselves against others instead of measuring how we live against what our capacities.

Are you developing as a person in a positive way? It’s hard work that takes dedication, determination and self-knowledge. You may not be the best of the best, but if you are the best that you are, that should suffice. Somehow it doesn’t. Information travels so swiftly that our range of reference has broadened to commercial references, speeches or performances that have been taped and edited, women who have been airbrushed and had their imperfections visually removed. I am not beautiful. At best, I am cute, still at the age of 48. I will never be beautiful. But I don’t have to be. I am happy knowing that at the age of 48 I have returned to college, studying in a foreign language. I am happy that my social conscience continues to develop as I play a role in integration matters in the Netherlands.

I am fulfilling my role *in the world* but in a small way, with which I am satisfied.

Take the challenge. Pass up the impulse purchase, go home and closely examine articles that you already have.

Learn to live in the here and now, in the moment.

Liara Covert Says:

October 18th, 2007, 3:07 am

Its a great reflection to encourage people to reframe their identity. It is fundamentally grounded in experiences, choices and feelings that people may not typically value. We can all benefit and taking a wider perspective of the world and our inter-connectedness with others.

Eugene (Editor, Varsity Blah) Says:

October 18th, 2007, 13:23 pm

It’s so true that we tend to define our identities too much on external things instead of our internal states. I’ve always believed that we’re not judged by what we do/have but on who we are. The sooner we start realizing that, the better.

Sushi Lover Says:

October 18th, 2007, 13:51 pm

The question is always how much is good enough. You say 30,000 $ or 300,000 $ per year as an example.
Last year I made 8,500 € (I’m portuguese) which is something like 12,000 $. I survived, but it is really hard to try to live with less when you have so little. Things might had been better if I had more or more would still make me look out for more? How much is enough?

Anyway all tips are very clever!

Congratulations on the website! I really enjoy coming here and get an american perspective of things! believe me there is one :)

Adam Says:

October 18th, 2007, 14:25 pm

I derive a great deal of pleasure from watching my savings grow. I find it much more enjoyable than buying stuff, that I have to store, move, etc. The less the merrier.

Fred Says:

October 19th, 2007, 13:14 pm

For the first time in a long time, my iTunes library is down below 100 songs… It feels great.

To get there, I had to focus on the music that I really enjoy listening to often. Even though it doesn’t take up physical space, we consume music and it clutters our minds and hard drives :-)

Vern at Aim for Awesome Says:

November 3rd, 2007, 22:50 pm

I love this topic - and the title was great. I also wrote something a miniseries actually about How little do you NEED?” at my blog. If you’re interested have a look at the aimforawesome blog. Thanks for the article and I’m grabbing your RSS feed as we speak… Vern!