Reclaiming your space makes a huge difference in day to day life. This includes your "digital life." Clutter drags you down and hampers creativity. So how do you tackle all of the clutter when it feels so overwhelming?
I've seen the idea of digital decluttering
other times, but many of the articles are more focused on purging files,
photos, subscriptions, etc,. In the past, this has seemed like a nice idea, but
not a primary concern or good use of time.
My recommendation is doing a media
purge before tackling those major physical projects like the garage, the
avalanche closet, or that drawer that never closes all the way. So much of our lives now revolve
around social media, TV shows, texting, emails, video games, etc,. Nearly every
aspect of our lives has been digitalized in some way, even the way we eat and
sleep is monitored by apps. All of this was originally designed
to help us in life. Convenience is not a bad thing, but when media begins to
consume us, it becomes a problem. Do you watch life through a camera screen?
Capturing memories is great, but live enough without it to have something worth
remembering.
I understand the need to maintain
contact with people through media. Therefore, in the challenge I'm about to
propose, think of it as being like an elimination diet. You strip everything
away except what's absolutely needed, then you slowly reintroduce things to see
how you react.
The
Goal:
See how much media you're actually
using and eventually scrap what you don't need. You'll notice that when it's eliminated you'll have more of a
drive to tackle those other physical projects, and more time.
First, think about where you want to
start from. If we're brutally honest, none of it is truly necessary, but at the
same time, the world we live in now depends so much on media and digital
communication, so we do need some of it.
The
Challenge:
Keep only what you need. As a rule
of thumb, I would say calls, emails, and texts should be what you strip down
to, but if you find yourself still excessively consumed by one of these, delete
it. Detach yourself from the digital chains. Basically, everything you don't need for work or school goes.
This may still be feeling a little
extreme if you're really hooked. You may be asking how long? I would a say week. Eliminate everything but the
necessary for at least a week. After that you can start reintroducing things,
but in the meantime while you're missing your media, set a physical goal to
clean out that closet or something.
When the week (or whatever you
choose) is over, pick one item to
reintroduce for the next week. Don't pick the one you've missed the most or the
one you know you spent the most time on. Also, no cheating.
If you're really brave, eliminate
television, all social media, unnecessary group chats, emails, video gaming,
everything. I think you'll find it difficult, but refreshing. If you find
something that wasn't missed while it was gone, delete it permanently!
Bonus! Pick a Bible study to do for
the next month or so while you're cutting out a few of the unnecessary parts of
modern life.
Good luck and be sure to share your
results--after you've reintroduced blogs, that is.
Also, if you think it'll help,
challenge someone you know to do it with you, everything is easier with a
friend.
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