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Mar 19
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5 Easy Tips to Get Started with Digital Minimalism

By Blog, Digital Minimalism, Digital Organizing, Simple Living No Comments

Before practicing these 5 easy tips to get started with Digital Minimalism, finding peace and productivity felt like an uphill battle.

 

Did you know that the average American checks their cell phone 344 times a day? That’s a jaw-dropping statistic, which highlights just how entangled technology has become in our daily lives.

 

But what if there was a way to break free from this cycle of digital dependency?

 

Over the past two years, I’ve been on a personal journey with Digital Minimalism.

 

I have dedicated these years to making significant changes in my digital habits and reclaiming control over my device use. It’s been small steps over a period of time as I ease into a new workflow and get clearer on my priorities and goals for my life.

 

In this blog post, I’ll share the insights and strategies I’ve learned along the way. These 5 easy tips to get started with Digital Minimalism are sure to help you declutter your digital life and find greater peace and productivity!

 

5 Tips to Get Started with Digital Minimalism

 

Step 1 – Delete Non-Essential Apps

 

The first step in embracing Digital Minimalism is to declutter your phone. We’re starting here because this device is the main time-stealing culprit!

 

Take a critical look at each app on your device and ask yourself:

 

Does this enhance my life or is it merely a source of distraction?

 

Organize your home screen with only the most essential apps that you use daily, minus social media apps. Shuffle over your less frequently used apps to the following pages. If you’d like to organize a step further, set up folders for different app categories.

 

By streamlining your app pages, you’ll reduce digital clutter and naturally create a more focused digital environment. Plus you’ll be helping yourself quit the tempting habit of doom-scrolling once the social media apps are out of sight!

Step 2 – Organize Your Computer

 

Most people who come to me for digital organizing come with the main concern of a disorganized computer. Your computer desktop can quickly become a dumping ground for folders, files, shortcuts, and visual clutter since we don’t always see it piling up.

 

Take the time to organize your desktop by removing unnecessary icons and creating a simple system for file storage and organization.

 

Utilize cloud storage solutions like Google Drive to store files and documents to keep your desktop clean and running smoothly.

 

Get your FREE Digital File Cabinet Planner here!

 

 

Step 3 – Organize Your Email

An overflowing inbox can be a significant source of stress and distraction from the moment we wake up.

 

Take back control of your email by unsubscribing from unnecessary newsletters, store flyers, mailing lists, and spam.

 

Create categorized folders to organize incoming messages. Add labels to your frequent incoming emails so they can auto-sort into their respective folders.

 

Set aside a few minutes each day to manage your inbox, archiving or deleting unneeded emails to keep it clutter-free.

 

Step 4 – Declutter Your Calendar

 

Your calendar is a powerful tool for managing your time and staying organized in all aspects of life. However, it can quickly become cluttered when we aren’t reviewing it often.

 

Take the time to declutter your calendar by reviewing upcoming events, tasks, and appointments. Remove anything that doesn’t align with your priorities or goals.

 

Create dedicated theme days, like content creation on Monday, filming on Tuesday, and blocks of time for specific tasks (task-batching!). With these in place, you will be able to save that 20 minutes lost to task-switching and minimize distractions.

 

Give yourself the time freedom for activities that truly matter to you!

 

 

Step 5 – Prioritize Personal Enjoyment

 

Finally, don’t forget to prioritize your own personal enjoyment and leisure time.

 

Embracing Digital Minimalism isn’t just about reducing visual clutter and distraction; it’s also about reclaiming your precious time and energy for activities that you love to do.

 

Whether it’s going for a walk without your phone, spending time with loved ones, or zoning in on a favorite hobby. Make sure you’ve always got time for the things that nourish your soul and bring meaning to your life!

 

Digital Minimalism is truly a journey of self-discovery and intentional living.

 

By decluttering your digital life and minimizing your technology use with these 5 easy tips to get started with Digital Minimalism, you will create space for greater peace, productivity, and personal fulfillment.

 

Take the first step on this journey today and start experiencing the transformative power of Digital Minimalism in your life!

 

Do you practice any habits for Digital Minimalism already? Drop them in a comment below!

 

 

 

 

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Dec 12
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The 5 Daily Digital Habits of Successful People

By Blog, Business Organizing, Digital Minimalism, Digital Organizing No Comments

Ever wonder what the 5 daily digital habits of successful people are, and how you can start adopting them today?

 

If you’ve experienced the overwhelm of desperate searches in the depths of your digital files… keep reading, this one’s for you!

 

The frustration of navigating through an unruly inbox or a cluttered desktop is a commonly shared struggle. It’s not easy to avoid in our hyper-connected world today. The constant incoming emails, habits of saving everything to the desktop for “later,” and the perpetual fear of losing important information – it is a digital jungle out there.

 

Inevitably, your digital files will soon enough become a mess. It gets so overwhelming that you don’t even know where to start picking through.

 

Below, we’ll delve into the very real challenges of digital disarray. As well as combat each of the 5 struggles with an even stronger habit to overcome them. Also known as the 5 daily digital habits of successful people!

Being digitally organized is not just a matter of convenience. It’s a key to reclaiming your peace of mind and boosting your overall productivity. Allow these 5 habits to be your compass in navigating the sea of digital clutter. Together, we’ll work toward guiding you towards a more streamlined workspace and stress-free digital experience.

 

 

Here are The 5 Daily Digital Habits of Successful People:

 

Tip 1: Schedule Dedicated Email Time

 

Getting up first thing in the morning and going straight to check your phone is going to derail your day. Not to mention heavily impact your productivity.

 

Seeing all the emails that you have waiting is never going to do your mental health any favours. Avoid diving digitally head first upon waking up. Instead, schedule two or three times a day to check your email regularly. This first habit of the 5 daily digital habits of successful people creates space in your schedule. Now you can work on improving the other four habits. Make sure you implement this as soon as possible to be able to move on to the others!

 

During those blocks of time, you can quickly process your emails. Review them, reply to anything that takes less than two minutes, schedule appointments into your calendar, and so on. Whatever it may be, just get it off your plate, then archive it out of sight.

 

Tip 2: Avoid Computer Desktop Clutter

 

Don’t save files to your desktop and leave them there to deal with later. This is not one of the 5 daily digital habits of successful people, as staying successful means staying organized.

 

What happens when you save files to your desktop, you may ask? Your desktop becomes a big, cluttered mess. It may appear convenient at first. But there is only so much room for convenience until it becomes in-convenient to find what you’re looking for. We have the ability to create folders for a reason, right!

 

Once it piles up, then you’ll say, “I’ll deal with it later.” But as we all know… later doesn’t come. Then it’s just a huge, annoying, time-consuming, daunting task. Let’s face it – it’s overwhelming to deal with a cluttered computer desktop!

 

So do yourself a favour and deal with it in the moment. Save your files in a folder that makes sense to you. The next time you go to retrieve that file, you will be able to find it.

 

Tip 3: Implement a File-Naming System

 

If you are already practicing a system of where to save your files, it makes it a lot easier to name your files. And to find them again!

 

You may want to file them by date format or alphabetically (A – Z). I highly recommend that when you’re naming the files you use a space, underscore, or dash between keywords. You can also use a capital letter for each word. This makes it easy for you to scan quickly. It’s a whole lot simpler to search for your files when you separate the keywords in the file name.

 

You won’t waste any time searching through your computer again. It will be much easier to find your files the next time you need to access them!

 

Tip 4: Save Files Where They Belong

 

Saving your files immediately where they belong in your folder structure is quite possibly the most important habit.

 

To use the default computer Downloads folder, make an agreement with yourself to only save files there temporarily. Know that you can do a quick delete after you’ve used what you need.

 

I delete the contents of my Downloads folder about once every 2 – 3 weeks. It’s not information I need to save. This releases any stress about having important files randomly saved in there or needing to spend time-saving them beforehand. My files have already been saved into my folder structure the moment I downloaded them.

 

Tip 5: Filter Email Subscriptions

 

Create a filter in your email system for subscriptions. You can thank me later!

 

This last habit of the 5 daily digital habits of successful people is a simple automation. Predetermined emails will skip your inbox and go directly to the folder you set up in the filter. You won’t have to process them one by one manually, which is going to save you time every single day. You can adjust your filter settings for specific email addresses to be forwarded directly into a label or folder in your email upon arrival. This is a great hands-free way to declutter your inbox.

 

To view the sorted emails you can simply go to your subscription folder at your leisure. And the emails are not cluttering up your main inbox!

This week, put into practice the 5 daily digital habits of successful people! You will definitely see a massive difference in your productivity in only one week.

 

You won’t have anything piling up, causing you stress, and wasting your time anymore. Maintaining digital organization does require consistent effort, but the benefits far outweigh the initial investment of time.

 

What is your top tip for keeping digital clutter from piling up? Share with us below!

 

 

 

 

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Organize + Level Up Your iPhone for Better Productivity

 

 

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Oct 30
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Tips for Working From Home Effectively

By Blog, Business Organizing, Time Management No Comments

Whether you’re new to or have experience with working from home, there are similar challenges we have all faced at one time or another. Working from home has become more prominent than the typical “office lifestyle” now more than ever.

 

But that’s great! This opportunity can give many of us more freedom and a less stressful workday.

 

However, it takes a lot of adjusting to work from home. Especially for those who are just beginning their first transition! This is also where self control and accountability come into play.

 

I’ve got your productivity covered 😉

 

Below are my top practices for how I plan and execute my productivity goals when working from home.

These tips also double as mental health tips for working from home!

1. Balance Family Obligations

There may be times when younger kids are home from school during your work week. For parents who work from home, caring for kids can make staying productive even more of a difficult task.

 

If this sounds like your life, it’s important to create a schedule that works to balance your family and work commitments effectively. This might look like one partner waking up to work earlier while the house is quiet and the other working later in the day afterward, or sharing the responsibility of taking the kids to/from child care. Having a plan ahead of time can eliminate a lot of stress from having to make in-the-moment decisions.

 

2. Prepare Meals

It can seem convenient to have the ability to make nice meals for yourself during the day, but you don’t need to waste productive time on this every day. Preparing food ahead of time ensures you are using your meal times to eat.

Have your meals ready the night before. To avoid wasting time, cook and prepare all of your meals ahead of time just like you would for a day at the office.

3. Be the Early Bird

It’s tempting to sleep in when you’re setting your own hours and not having to rush away to the office. But if you’re struggling with consistent productivity, challenge yourself to get up anyway.

 

Set an alarm for yourself an hour before your partner and kids wake up. Make a cup of your favorite morning beverage and start tackling one of your more unfavorable tasks. You’ll be surprised at how much you get done when you give yourself a little extra quiet time to be productive.

4. Batch Time for Emails

Do you find yourself going back and forth between a task and each ping of your email? If your work doesn’t require you to be on top of every email all day, set times to check and follow up with your emails.

 

Use these email breaks to sort through your inbox and reply to any that need your attention. Multi-tasking might sound like a good strategy, but dividing your attention between multiple tasks will spread you too thin. You gain productivity by accomplishing one whole thing at a time.

5. Set a “Finishing Time”

It’s easy to get so wrapped up in your work that you lose track of time. Working from home seems like a positive work-life balance attribute, but be careful not to get caught up in the relaxing environment and workflow too often.

 

Make a clear boundary for your work and personal life. Use an alarm to remind you when your work day is over. This doesn’t mean you have to quit at that moment – but use it as a guide to know when you should start to save and tie up any loose ends from work.

6. Trick Your Brain

Who doesn’t love a pajama day? Working from home offers the convenience of comfy clothes and alleviates the pressure of “getting ready” for work at the office.

 

Pretend you are getting ready for a day working in the office. Just changing clothes to something more formal will give your brain a signal to get work done throughout the day. It gives you a boost in the back of your mind throughout the day to be more productive and often energizes you as well.

7. Use a To-Do List

Working entirely from home can feel like you’re taking on a lot all by yourself. Keep your work organized in a paper or digital list.

 

Visually seeing everything you need to do can calm your mind and you are less likely to forget the small things. Use this method to cross off completed tasks for a sense of accomplishment, and jot down any notes or new tasks that come up throughout the day. You should also include any meetings or calls you’re participating in.

How do you keep yourself focused throughout the day?

Comment below!

 

 

Like this article?

You’ll love this one👉 7 Psychological Benefits of an Organized Home

 

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