Over the years, I've found that if I buy a tote bag, I'll likely fill it to the brim. If I purchase a cross body bag or even a clutch, I'm forced to carry only the essentials. It's the same in a physical space like our homes and it's the same in our digital space. Today I'd like to share with you steps you can take to simplify and declutter your online life.
Recently I came across the term digital minimalism from No Sidebar and thought the term was perfect for what I was trying to encapsulate.
Digital Minimalism is a mindset of questioning which digital communication tools are necessary for your happiness. Whether it be email, social media, or general internet consumption, the purpose of this philosophy is to question whether or not they add value to your life. -No Sidebar
What I'm about to tell you might shock you or even cause you to have pity on us. JP and I got rid of our smart phones in April of 2016 and we haven't looked back. The only social media outlets we use are pinterest and this blog. JP has Facebook but logs in about once every year or so when he gets birthday messages. Call us crazy, but not having a smart phone has simplified our lives and drastically increased our monthly budget. No more alerts and notifications. No more playing the comparison game of whose life looks better online. No more judgments and jealousy. More free time. More contentment. More focus. More productivity. Less distractions. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I hate the internet or social media. In fact, I think social media can be an outstanding tool for most of us. Yes, we were created for human connection but I feel there are other ways to connect to one another that are more personal.
_________________________________________________________________________________________*UPDATE | SEPTEMBER '17* I created a new Facebook account. Yes, after deleting it a few years ago, I decided to sign up again! Since we don't have smartphones, the entire Facebook experience is different. The only time I see friend requests, comments, likes, etc., is when I'm actually logged in, which may be every couple of days? I'm not adding new photos every day and I'm not constantly changing or posting status updates. It has been a good change so far.
What I'm about to tell you might shock you or even cause you to have pity on us. JP and I got rid of our smart phones in April of 2016 and we haven't looked back. The only social media outlets we use are pinterest and this blog. JP has Facebook but logs in about once every year or so when he gets birthday messages. Call us crazy, but not having a smart phone has simplified our lives and drastically increased our monthly budget. No more alerts and notifications. No more playing the comparison game of whose life looks better online. No more judgments and jealousy. More free time. More contentment. More focus. More productivity. Less distractions. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I hate the internet or social media. In fact, I think social media can be an outstanding tool for most of us. Yes, we were created for human connection but I feel there are other ways to connect to one another that are more personal.
_________________________________________________________________________________________*UPDATE | SEPTEMBER '17* I created a new Facebook account. Yes, after deleting it a few years ago, I decided to sign up again! Since we don't have smartphones, the entire Facebook experience is different. The only time I see friend requests, comments, likes, etc., is when I'm actually logged in, which may be every couple of days? I'm not adding new photos every day and I'm not constantly changing or posting status updates. It has been a good change so far.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
If you're someone who for whatever reason isn't able to get rid of their smartphone due to work or whatnot and/or doesn't want to eliminate social media but you'd still like to simplify your online life, keep reading.
Something to consider before you begin to declutter is thinking about your "why" in this process. Why do you want to simplify? What are your motivations? What is your purpose for social media? Do you want to learn and grow in a certain area of your life? Do you want to engage and share your wisdom? Do you want to be uplifted and encouraged? Do you want to be entertained? Do you feel a certain way (whether that's positive, negative, neutral) when you see a specific account? These questions are super important to reflect on because they will help you in your filtering process.
When everything is important, nothing is. -Be More With Less
Ok, let's get started. Ready? Go!
If you're someone who for whatever reason isn't able to get rid of their smartphone due to work or whatnot and/or doesn't want to eliminate social media but you'd still like to simplify your online life, keep reading.
Something to consider before you begin to declutter is thinking about your "why" in this process. Why do you want to simplify? What are your motivations? What is your purpose for social media? Do you want to learn and grow in a certain area of your life? Do you want to engage and share your wisdom? Do you want to be uplifted and encouraged? Do you want to be entertained? Do you feel a certain way (whether that's positive, negative, neutral) when you see a specific account? These questions are super important to reflect on because they will help you in your filtering process.
When everything is important, nothing is. -Be More With Less
Ok, let's get started. Ready? Go!
EMAIL
Unsubscribed to company newsletters and promotions, using the website unrollme. You can also create folders to categorize and manage your emails so you can keep the inbox clean.
YOUTUBE
Set a certain amount of time for watching youtube videos. Take advantage of the Youtube "Watch Later" feature. You don't have to follow every youtuber who has good videos. Don't settle for watching mediocre content. Unsubscribe and unfollow anyone who doesn't inspire you to live your best life.
PHONE // SOCIAL MEDIA
Turn off all phone notifications from social media. You don't need the constant alerts and distractions.
Pick a time to be social media free, like after dinner every night or even every weekend. Along with that, put your phones away during meals.
Give yourself a time limit for spending on social media. When you've reached your limit, you're done.
Call or text your friends instead of stalking them online.
Minimize your phone apps. If you haven't used an app in months and don't plan on it, uninstall. It will give you more space on your phone and will keep your screen tidy with only your favorite and most used apps.
DESKTOP
Have less tabs open on your computer and minimize your bookmarks or un-bookmark them. Sometimes we feel like we need to read and learn everything about everything. We think we'll miss out on some life altering information if we don't read an article or book that is recommended to us by someone we follow or someone who is an expert in that particular field.
If you have any tips for how you've decluttered your online life, I'd love to hear from you in the comments.
If you have any tips for how you've decluttered your online life, I'd love to hear from you in the comments.
I love all of these tips!!! SO MUCH! Being on YouTube and Instagram multiple times a day, I am always looking for other ways to minimize my social media and phone time. I recently removed the Twitter app from my phone (since I'm trying to use all of these platforms to boost my YouTube page) and even thinking of removing Facebook from my phone too and only using it when I know I need to post something to my page, but logging into the computer to do it.
ReplyDeleteI am all about unsubscribing and unfollowing if an account is no longer adding value to you or helping you to be a better person.
I love texting my friends as opposed to stalking them on social media!
Thanks for the great post!!!!
xo Tiffany Marie <3
Thanks so much Tiffany! Though I'm not a youtuber, I would imagine managing social media would be even more of a challenge since the accounts essentially work together to market the youtube channel. I like what you said though about the apps and logging into the computer only, a great way to control the time investment! Thanks for commenting and have a wonderful day!!
Delete