A Day in the Life of a Minimalist.
DISCLAIMER: Note: The following is the output of transcribing from a YouTube video by Matt D’Avella.
It’s 6:00 a.m. I’ve trained myself to wake up at the same time every day, so I have no need for an alarm clock. My name is Matt, and this is a day in the life of a minimalist. My life is about efficiency, optimization, multi-functionality. Nothing goes to waste. You may notice that I don’t have a garbage bin, that’s because I don’t have anything to throw away. This may look like just a normal cereal bowl to the non-minimalist, but to a minimalist, it’s also a coffee cup. If it does not add value to my life I get rid of it.
Some have asked me, “what about things that bring you joy?” I got rid of that as well. This isn’t what my day actually *laughs* looks like. I’m not that much of an asshole~ You guys want to see what an actual day in the life of a minimalist is like? Well, I’ll show you mine.
I usually wake up between 6:00 or 6:30 A.M. Depending on how many times I hit the snooze button Apart from what you may have heard about minimalists. I do have a toothbrush and I shower daily. True to the stereotype, I actually do wear the same thing pretty much every day. A charcoal t-shirt, and a black pair of jeans I have a stack of the same t-shirt. You know what they say about minimalist and pour over coffee, “they’re really annoying and they don’t stop talking about it.” Now as I make this hipster cup of coffee, I’d love to talk for just a moment about my Patreon account. I’ve been making some pretty cool videos there, that I don’t release anywhere else Like videos about how I make my videos. Including a breakdown of the one you’re watching right now. I talk about my process, how I come up with ideas, tips for growing an audience, and advice on how to build a successful business.
I usually get in about an hour of work before Natalie starts stirring in bed, at which point I’ll take a little break You want to talk? Natalie: Noooope! And chat for a little bit before she gets ready for work Then I get back to work. As an independent filmmaker. I spent about fifty percent of my time right here at this desk editing projects. When I first started out I worked with only clients so clients would pay me to make weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, eventually, I graduated to working with startups and tech companies but to To this day, even now that I’m working only on original projects like my podcast YouTube videos and your films Much of my time is spent editing now I know not every filmmaker loves editing and that’s why there’s people that exclusively just edit and there’s people who exclusively Just direct but I love something about tackling every part of the process and to me editing poses so many challenges…
To tell a story through editing requires a certain kind of mindset and a certain kind of independence that I really enjoy so I’ll usually put in about two to three hours of editing in the morning and At which point around eleven o’clock I’ll get some food which Actually that’s right now I like to keep my lunches pretty simple I’ll typically make two or three times as much as I need and save the rest for the next couple days One of the biggest benefits of working from home is the access to my kitchen I find I spend less money eating out and I eat much healthier than when I had an office space
After lunch, I’ll get changed and make my way to the gym So I’ve been going to the gym pretty consistently for probably the past Ten years now I started really building the habit of working out and going to the gym everyday at least five days a week during college and There have been times when my routine falls off and I get sick or I’m traveling and I don’t have time to fit in a workout but I’ve always been able to pick it back up. It’s just been one of those things that helps to ground me, especially being a freelancer and running my own business; It can be very stressful and I find that it’s a really great way to just blow off some steam but also to feel better. So I have more energy throughout the day. When I get home from the gym, I’ll make a protein shake [is it weird to shake it like this?] make a second cup of coffee and Then I’m back to work. If I’m not editing I might be scheduling future podcast guests recording episodes or filming videos since most of my family is on the East Coast Sometimes I’ll make a call home.
Right now I’m explaining a video idea to my mom and she doesn’t get it. “No just hustle in general” “No, that’s that’s you’re thinking of Hustler” When Nat comes home from work, I usually shut down my work for the day as well, if it wasn’t for Natatile I’d probably keep working Nat, can you give me your best Italian accent? Ah, this weekend we went down to Olive Garden, and they had a fantastic dish called the “Carbonara á Natatile” And I was like EH! Umm, I don’t know. *laughs* That was really good. I don’t know if my day looks very different from someone who isn’t a minimalist if anything it comes down to the things I don’t do. I don’t waste a lot of time thinking about what I’m gonna wear in the morning. I’m intentional with how I use social media, so I don’t get easily distracted from my work. It takes a lot of intention upfront as well as the ability to adapt as my life changes But I don’t spend any unnecessary time chasing things that aren’t important to me Before bed I’ll take a look at my calendar, to-do list, and prepare for the following day It helps me to wake up early and motivate it to get to work Then it’s lights off.
