Your tech stack may not take up any physical space, but it can weigh you down. Editing and organizing your digital life can have a very positive effect on your sense of well-being, ultimately freeing you up to reach your goals.
I recently read the admonishment, “Focus on goals, not tools.” This rang so true. Every day new digital products come to market designed to make work easier. Accumulating them, though, can be a trap. A common pitfall for writers, for example, is to obsess about having just the right software, or notebook, or routine—the trappings of writing—without actually sitting down to write. Where in your life have you gotten bogged down in the trappings of your work identity, as a way to avoid doing the work?
I’ve found a few places in my own digital life that have benefited from decluttering and paring down.
Duplication of function
Do you use several platforms for the same purpose? I recently fell victim to function creep and realized I had several tools for writing. They were all basically word-processors, but each with a different twist or benefit. Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Scrivener: I liked each for a different reason (and had a few pet peeves about each, as well!). The problem was, I often had trouble remembering which one I had used for different projects. Finally, I reevaluated and decided to commit to Google Docs. It’s not perfect, but it feels easier and I always know where to look for my work.
Subscriptions
Whether paid or unpaid, subscriptions just keep coming at you! The perils of paid subscriptions are obvious: easily forgotten costs. Even very inexpensive subscriptions can become a real drain when you comb through your credit card charges and realize you have a dozen of these.
To address this, I recently made a master spreadsheet of my paid subscriptions, including cost and renewals dates. The spreadsheet took under 30 minutes to create, mostly by memory with a few quick checks on data. Then for the next few weeks, I added to the sheet when another would come to light. Seeing the big picture caused me to cancel several. More importantly, just having the collection in one place gave me some peace of mind.
Free subscriptions, especially newsletters, can also easily get out of hand. Now, every time I delete a newsletter without reading it, I think, “Would it be wiser to unsubscribe?” This has had a very positive effect on my inbox.
File organization
Most people I know could use some house cleaning in the file management department, myself included. Unfortunately, this task is as onerous as cleaning out your garage. I like to use the last week of the year, when traditionally not much active work gets done, to organize. And I usually pick one morning during that week to go through my files and straighten up. Having a set time to do this regularly, even if just annually, is doable enough to actually attack it.
Charging
The fact that so many digital devices have proprietary chargers is endlessly annoying. On a regular basis, mostly daily, you’ll find me charging my laptop (standard AC cord and brick), iPad (USB-C), iPhone (USB-A), Apple Watch (circular magnet), Oura ring (different type of circular magnet), and AirPods (USB-b). Add travel into the mix, and it’s a mess.
To streamline, I just purchased one device to handle three: phone, Airpods, and Apple Watch. It’s a cinch to use every night. (Habits help.) I’ve also made daytime charging happen in just one location at home, so I know exactly where everything is. Finally, I purchased a technology organizer like this for travel, which has been a game-changer. No more fishing around in the carry-on for just the right cable.
Fight off the enablers
Finally, don’t defer. Bloat is easily solved, but I’ve tried to resist the companies enabling my disorganization by selling me more memory. When I approach a limit, I’ve made my first line of defense to do some trimming. It’s not foolproof, but I treat offers for additional memory as a reminder to do some housecleaning. Otherwise, when does it end?
With every area of your digital life that you simplify or edit, you’re bound to feel a sense of spaciousness that allows your creative juices to flow and productivity to grow. Time well spent!
Photo by Manuel Geissinger from Pexels