Digital Clutter is Clutter too!
Quick question: Are you reading these words on a phone? If the answer is yes, you're certainly in good company. According to recent research, people touch their phones an average of 2,617 times per day. Tally up the hours we are projected to spend on social media apps over a lifetime and the sum comes to a whopping 5 years and 4 months. (To put that in perspective, it's 36% more time than any of us spend eating and drinking.) And don’t even get me started on the time we spend on our laptops and tablets.
Digital clutter is similar to physical clutter. If we don’t use our devices effectively, everything we’re gaining in convenience is outweighed by the frustration and anxiety it causes, not to mention the lost time. What’s unnecessary? How many clicks does it take you to find something? Are your precious memories and photos backed up? Is your data transparent across family members so that decisions can be made faster and easier? All of these things add up to our daily dose of digital frustration.
Lately, I’ve been working with a lot of clients who feel inefficient when it comes to their devices. It is no surprise that while we all carry around these “necessary evils”, we don’t always use them in the most optimal way.
Setting boundaries and investing in the proper tools can help clear common digital cobwebs. Think about:
- Safeguarding your passwords
- Freshening up your profiles
- Taking better notes
- Upgrading your to-do list
- Going on an app diet
- Organizing your inbox
- Unsubscribing from the noise
- Syncing your social networks
- Scheduling maintenance
- And backing-up
There’s no denying it, technology is always changing. If you choose to use technology strategically and invest in the proper tools you will undoubtedly save time, feel more productive and be able to unplug! (Now that’s a whole other topic)…