By Slavica Zlatar-Banika

Introduction

We all learn differently. Some of us hate being told what to do.

So, in this post — we’ve got you covered.

Aesthetics can enrich our lives and well-being, but why bother?

Here are 20 tips to ensure your aesthetic sense stays dull, uninspired, and stagnant.

These tips promise to stifle your creativity and keep beauty at bay.

Some are easy to try right away, while others might take a bit more effort to neglect.

Stay inconsistent, and you’ll never notice a difference — or reap any rewards.

So, here they are — 20 tips to keep your life bland and uninspired. Let’s not do it!

1. Avoid self-discovery.

Skip any self-reflection.

Avoid personality tests like Dr. Jordan Peterson’s Big 5 at understandmyself.com. Why would you even want to know your score on aesthetics or openness?

Don’t bother with mood boards.

Total time-waster. And don’t get the workbook shown here. Ignore tools like Pinterest. Let your tastes remain vague and undefined. Avoid discussions that start to veer that way.

Stay vague about your personal aesthetic or lifestyle design persona.

Minimalist? Bohemian? Who cares? Lock yourself into whatever you’ve got and resist evolution or clarity.

2. Ignore your emotions

Tune out how you feel.

Treat emotions as irrelevant noise — not signals for refining your aesthetic sense.

Avoid developing sensitivity.

Stick to logic only — don’t ‘feel’ beauty.
Shrug at it.

Chase experiences that drain you.

Hang out in irritating, badly designed spaces and ignore anything that lifts your mood.

3. Avoid self-improvement.

Avoid self-critique.

Leave your character, appearance, and lifestyle exactly as they are — no analysis needed.

Ignore areas for improvement.

Don’t make lists or take steps to better yourself. Keep it status quo.

Copy others.

Forget authenticity — mimic someone else’s style without considering your values.

4. Live aimlessly.

Skip the starring role.

Be the spectator in your life movie, not the main character. Just let it happen.

Avoid visualizing your dream life.

Keep things blurry. Don’t define things. Don’t bother with details or mood boards.

Ignore your personal brand.

Let it define itself. No blueprint required.

5. Neglect your space.

Don’t curate anything.

Let your stuff pile up randomly — future generations can deal with the mess.

Embrace clutter.

More is more! Keep junk around, and ignore quality.

Avoid creating an inspiring space.

This may contribute to unwanted changes in your mood and productivity.

6. Practice mindless consumption.

Buy on impulse.

Don’t worry about how an item fits the ‘creative direction’ or ‘overall plan’. Remember, you don’t have one.

Buy more cheap stuff.

If it’s on sale, get it.

Doom scroll on social media.

Soak up visual pollution and toxicity. No need to be selective or strategic about what you consume.

7. Embrace wardrobe chaos.

Don’t create a ‘capsule’ wardrobe.

Collect as much clothing as you can — or you won’t have anything to wear.

Skip the mood board.

Forget researching fashion or pinning outfits. This takes time away from doom-scrolling. See #6 above.

Buy the cheapest you can find.

Avoid custom or luxury brands — quality and fit don’t matter.

8. Stay unfocused.

Don’t start a collection.

Don’t pick a specific passion like graphic posters, watches, vintage cars, or fine wine. Let your interests remain scattered and shallow.

Skip the research.

Don’t learn about anything you might collect; ignorance keeps things boring.

Set no goals.

Let any potential collection fizzle out — don’t connect with others who care about these things.

9. Only scratch the surface.

Stay superficial.

Avoid becoming a connoisseur — diving into wine, art, or anything else too deeply.

Don’t bother fine-tuning your senses.

Skip tasting, observing, or noticing details.

Avoid enthusiasts.

Don’t join clubs or meet people who could deepen your knowledge.

10. Ignore the art world.

Don’t invest in art

Don’t spend time learning about artists, designers, styles, or trends.

Stick to bare walls.

Skip art — posters, canvases, or sculptures are unnecessary. What function do they serve, anyway?

Galleries and museums are boring.

Avoid galleries, exhibits, or networking with artists or collectors.

11. Ignore beauty every day

Overlook small pleasures.

Butterflies? Rainbows? Who cares — keep your head down.

Rush your coffee or tea.

Chug it from a paper cup on the go — no rituals needed. Coffee with a friend? Who has the time?

Skip the beautiful presentation.

Eat on the go or — even better — over the sink.

12. Stay in your ‘comfort zone’.

Don’t travel.

Avoid culture, landscapes, architecture — or anything breathtaking. Stay in familiar surroundings.

Drive everywhere.

Don’t urban walk or soak in the surroundings. Park as close as possible to your destination.

Skip photos.

Don’t capture beauty with photography. Let it pass you by unnoticed.

13. Avoid upscale spas

Stick to the basics.

Ignore these luxurious environments — keep your surroundings mundane.

Skip the pampering.

Don’t take time out for this nonsense.

Dull your senses.

Avoid calming scents or soothing vibes — keep it harsh and chaotic.

14. Avoid luxury.

Deprive yourself.

Luxury is so bourgeoisie! Think like a communist. Skip anything that might bring you joy or uplift you.

Go all cheap.

Avoid mixing high and low items — stick to low-end everything; no personality needed.

Keep it generic.

Don’t customize or tailor anything — mass-produced works fine.

15. Tune out nature

Avoid the outdoors.

Stay inside, preferably under neon lights. Don’t enjoy sunlight, fresh air, lakes, trees, colours, or patterns.

Ignore nature’s perfection.

Take it all for granted.

Don’t buy fresh flowers.

Keep your indoors sterile — nature is overrated.

16. Skip the performing arts

Stick to Hollywood blockbusters.

Let Hollywood determine your values and standards. Avoid international films or documentaries — keep it predictable.

Avoid live performances.

Skip theatre, ballet, or musicals. And opera.

Don’t participate.

Never try dance, acting, improv or theatre yourself — leave creativity to others.

17. Don’t create anything

Keep your hands idle.

Avoid painting, building, or making anything with your own hands. You might get dirty.

Skip the cake.

Don’t bake or decorate a cake yourself.

Don’t cook.

Don’t learn to cook or appreciate homemade anything. That’s so trad. Buy prepared food in acetate packaging.

18. Look — don’t touch.

Ignore your sense of touch.

In a world dominated by screens, who needs it anyway?

Avoid tactility.

Don’t pay attention to the textures in your environment or nature. Your screen is enough.

Dull all your senses.

Stop focusing on textures, sounds, aromas, lighting and tastes.

19. Don’t read or write.

Avoid books.

Skip fiction, poetry, and literature. Non-fiction, too. Don’t read about artists, designers and their unique styles.

Don’t write by hand.

Putting pen to paper — journaling — can bring up all sorts of emotions. Best to avoid.

Stick to texting or nothing.

20. Avoid learning from others.

Don’t get a mentor.

Don’t seek guidance from people you admire — figure it out alone.

Don’t ask questions.

Don’t learn from the experience of others. Learning the hard way is best.

And don’t read lifestyle design blogs that focus on aesthetic sense.

They’re the absolute worst! 😉

How to NOT improve your aesthetic sense: 20 terrible tips.

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