Technology is supposed to be a tool that makes your life less stressful and easier. However, modern society has turned it on its head made tech something that we need to take vacations from. The endless notifications and alarms are sometimes just too much to bear.
Marie Kondo’s Netflix series titled Tidying Up has sparked an organization revolution of sorts. As a result, second-hand shops both online and offline are getting flooded by newly retired pre-loved t-shirts, gadgets, and other belongings. An Australian second-hand shop, for example, had to close its doors because there are just too many donations that suddenly came into the shop.
But we live in two worlds now. Our possessions are no longer just stored in a physical space like in bedrooms and storage units. Some of our most prized belongings are stored in the digital realm. And we may be hoarding harder there than in the real world.
So, if you’ve been seeing that dreaded “iPhone Storage Almost Full” notification, maybe it’s time to delete a couple of pictures instead of coughing up the dough on more iCloud storage. In your case, the KonMari method may also be applied in your digital life.
Have a Designated Space for Your Electronics
Using your smartphone in the bedroom is bad for your sleep anyway, so why not just keep your gadgets and peripherals somewhere outside the bedroom? It’ll look best if you have a designated cabinet or drawer where none of them will be in sight. This way, you’re less tempted to use your gadgets at night.
Purge Those Loose Cables
Label and categorize your cords and wires so you know exactly which one to get when you have to leave the house quickly. One way of doing this is by putting each one in a separate labelled Ziploc bag. If you’re the type to lose these items, save the duplicates and just store them in a similar fashion – labelled and Ziplocked but keep it capped at two per particular cord. This a good compromise because having a neat space to work and live in is so much better than wasting space on something that you might hypothetically need.
Doing this also helps you discern if you still have a use for a particular item. If you've already moved on from USB-A to USB-C, there’s no longer any point to keeping the latter. People don’t tend to give sentimental value to power cords and data cables so it’ll be easier to purge them than your other digital clutter.
Organize Your Work Desk
As for the power cords and USB wires that you leave plugged in forever at your work desk, keep them out of sight by tying them to a table leg with a rubber band or any other cable management tool that you can find at your local office supply store.
Power outlets should be accessible to you at your work desk. I suggest that you keep an extension cord permanently plugged in near it and leave the inlet where it’s easily accessible.
Be Responsible with Your Digital Waste
For the things that you do purge, make sure that you’re throwing them out in a responsible manner. Items with batteries, for example, can be hazardous to the environment if improperly thrown out. Make sure that these items go to e-recycling programs or maybe trade them in for other items. Some programs even give you cash for your digital trash.
Organize Your Apps and Photos
Digital hoarding doesn’t end with cords and earphones. Your phone can also hold vast amounts of clutter. You just might not notice it because they don’t occupy a physical space. However, having that “iPhone Storage Full” notification pop up just when there’s an Instagrammable moment unfolding right in front of you is just as stressful as physical mess. As if taunting you, Apple or Google offers you extra cloud storage for a few extra bucks. It also makes it difficult for you to find important files when you need them.
App Management
There are apps on your phones that make it easier to purge other apps that you don’t really need. Apple has the iPhone Storage tool that lets you see the list of apps installed on your phone and the last time you used them. From there, you can make the decision if you really need the app to be on your phone at all times. Google has a similar tool that you can use on Android devices.
Your app notifications can also blow up if you don’t manage them well. Ask yourself, do you really need to get notified by your local café or bar about promos when you're often there anyway? Each Instagram like might give you a quick hit of dopamine but do you really need that in the middle of a meeting? Try to set only the important notifications on.
While you’re at it, you may also want to do something about the toxic people in your life that keeps blowing up your notifications. That friend that keeps calling you just to gossip? Maybe It’ll do you some good if you put them in silent for a few days. Ask yourself, “does talking to this person spark joy in my life?”
Photo Management
You can manage photos through similar tools too. Google Photos is perhaps the best in this department. The introduction of Google Assistant gives it a powerful search function that lets you organize not only according to geotags and dates. You can also choose to filter photos according to objects. You can, in theory, search for mountains and Google Photos will show you just the photos of mountains. From there, you can click on the ones that no longer spark joy and delete. You’ll have the option to delete them from either the phone, from the cloud, or both.
Your Tech Should Spark Joy
Just because our digital lives don’t have a physical representation doesn’t mean that they can’t cause stress in our real lives. From toxic people constantly calling us to the apps that constantly crave attention, the frustrations from these things create very real distress. It’s important to get rid of these in order to have a more stress-free digital experience. Only then will technology actually make your life easier.
Marie Kondo’s Netflix series titled Tidying Up has sparked an organization revolution of sorts. As a result, second-hand shops both online and offline are getting flooded by newly retired pre-loved t-shirts, gadgets, and other belongings. An Australian second-hand shop, for example, had to close its doors because there are just too many donations that suddenly came into the shop.
But we live in two worlds now. Our possessions are no longer just stored in a physical space like in bedrooms and storage units. Some of our most prized belongings are stored in the digital realm. And we may be hoarding harder there than in the real world.
So, if you’ve been seeing that dreaded “iPhone Storage Almost Full” notification, maybe it’s time to delete a couple of pictures instead of coughing up the dough on more iCloud storage. In your case, the KonMari method may also be applied in your digital life.
Have a Designated Space for Your Electronics
Using your smartphone in the bedroom is bad for your sleep anyway, so why not just keep your gadgets and peripherals somewhere outside the bedroom? It’ll look best if you have a designated cabinet or drawer where none of them will be in sight. This way, you’re less tempted to use your gadgets at night.
Purge Those Loose Cables
Label and categorize your cords and wires so you know exactly which one to get when you have to leave the house quickly. One way of doing this is by putting each one in a separate labelled Ziploc bag. If you’re the type to lose these items, save the duplicates and just store them in a similar fashion – labelled and Ziplocked but keep it capped at two per particular cord. This a good compromise because having a neat space to work and live in is so much better than wasting space on something that you might hypothetically need.
Doing this also helps you discern if you still have a use for a particular item. If you've already moved on from USB-A to USB-C, there’s no longer any point to keeping the latter. People don’t tend to give sentimental value to power cords and data cables so it’ll be easier to purge them than your other digital clutter.
Organize Your Work Desk
As for the power cords and USB wires that you leave plugged in forever at your work desk, keep them out of sight by tying them to a table leg with a rubber band or any other cable management tool that you can find at your local office supply store.
Power outlets should be accessible to you at your work desk. I suggest that you keep an extension cord permanently plugged in near it and leave the inlet where it’s easily accessible.
Be Responsible with Your Digital Waste
For the things that you do purge, make sure that you’re throwing them out in a responsible manner. Items with batteries, for example, can be hazardous to the environment if improperly thrown out. Make sure that these items go to e-recycling programs or maybe trade them in for other items. Some programs even give you cash for your digital trash.
Organize Your Apps and Photos
Digital hoarding doesn’t end with cords and earphones. Your phone can also hold vast amounts of clutter. You just might not notice it because they don’t occupy a physical space. However, having that “iPhone Storage Full” notification pop up just when there’s an Instagrammable moment unfolding right in front of you is just as stressful as physical mess. As if taunting you, Apple or Google offers you extra cloud storage for a few extra bucks. It also makes it difficult for you to find important files when you need them.
App Management
There are apps on your phones that make it easier to purge other apps that you don’t really need. Apple has the iPhone Storage tool that lets you see the list of apps installed on your phone and the last time you used them. From there, you can make the decision if you really need the app to be on your phone at all times. Google has a similar tool that you can use on Android devices.
Your app notifications can also blow up if you don’t manage them well. Ask yourself, do you really need to get notified by your local café or bar about promos when you're often there anyway? Each Instagram like might give you a quick hit of dopamine but do you really need that in the middle of a meeting? Try to set only the important notifications on.
While you’re at it, you may also want to do something about the toxic people in your life that keeps blowing up your notifications. That friend that keeps calling you just to gossip? Maybe It’ll do you some good if you put them in silent for a few days. Ask yourself, “does talking to this person spark joy in my life?”
Photo Management
You can manage photos through similar tools too. Google Photos is perhaps the best in this department. The introduction of Google Assistant gives it a powerful search function that lets you organize not only according to geotags and dates. You can also choose to filter photos according to objects. You can, in theory, search for mountains and Google Photos will show you just the photos of mountains. From there, you can click on the ones that no longer spark joy and delete. You’ll have the option to delete them from either the phone, from the cloud, or both.
Your Tech Should Spark Joy
Just because our digital lives don’t have a physical representation doesn’t mean that they can’t cause stress in our real lives. From toxic people constantly calling us to the apps that constantly crave attention, the frustrations from these things create very real distress. It’s important to get rid of these in order to have a more stress-free digital experience. Only then will technology actually make your life easier.