Digital Detox: Making Specific Goals
So I have some broad goals set for what I want to accomplish. Now comes the how. We need specific goals that I can consistently act on. In each broad goal, I make specific goals and prioritise actions that make the most impact with the least effort.
1. Fewer notifications on my phone
A. Reduce Apps - Fewer apps equals fewer notifications. This is a simple fix as I tend to have a bunch of apps I don't use often if at all. As a bonus, this will make my phone run better with less space used up. This doesn't have the same impact as getting rid of an app I commonly use with high notifications like a social media app, but this is super quick to go thru and find what I don't use. The hardest part is with apps that I got wanting to use but just haven't done it yet. My solution to the FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) is simply writing down the ones I want to use later. I still have them for later if the motivation comes, but they aren't taking up space and notifications in the meantime.
B. Social Media Cleanup - This will not be easy but the impact will be severe. Now since I'm a professional overthinker, I can't simply go through and be reasonable about this. So what I'm doing to prep this step is identifying why I have each social media. What's my intended use case for it? Am I following that use case? If not, I have already justified to myself when I need to remove something. For example, I use Twitter to follow individual artists and creators I want to support. So if I followed Pixar cuz it's Pixar, that's not something I need. I'll hear about Pixar stuff without following their Twitter. I need to cut out any big companies and studios, even if I like them. They are simply unnecessary as part of my social media life. There will be other distinctions made but that's a quick example.
C. Youtube Cleanup - This could really go in the second category, but I've never really viewed Youtube the way I view other social media platforms. Also, Youtube has less of a defined purpose for me. I watch for music, comedy, gaming, information, DIY, and many other reasons. This will be more of going case by case and thinking if I really watch most of the videos on a channel or if I saw one I loved, subbed, and never looked again. Or someone I just no longer have the time or desire to watch for any reason. This will have a pretty big impact but will take a gigantic amount of time. To say I have a lot of subscriptions would be an understatement.
2. Spend some time organising and simplifying programs and apps
A. Sort Apps/Programs - This will somewhat overlap with 1A - Reduce Apps. But more than just removing unused programs, I will be looking at organising what I have. I need a clean work environment, and my phone is part of that. Putting work-related or less distracting apps on the home screen area while having a second screen for more distracting apps like social media and games can help to make me less likely to waste time. As for my PC, I can reduce programs there and put a folder on the opposite corner of the desktop with all the distracting icons.
B. Sort Files - I have a NAS (Network Attached Storage) I have been neglecting to really use. I want to start using it more and having a well-organised file system there. Then the actual PC will focus mostly on programs instead of storing things I don't need most of the time. This should help with a clean distraction-free workspace.
C.
Less things giving me notifications - I realise now writing this I had split this function between frequency and overall reduction, but I did not do that in this post. So the previous section of goals will be for the phone and the next section will be for emails as intended since I don't really get notifications per se on my PC.
C. Reduce Emails - While this doesn't affect my time greatly (due to me ignoring emails), This is a small source of notifications on my phone. Also, the fact that I've already hit notification fatigue relating to my emails means I'm long overdue to reduce them. I constantly miss important emails as they drown under the hundreds of other things that come in daily. As with the apps, some subscriptions might be things I had good intentions to make use of later but simply haven't gotten to. I will write these down and save them for later if I am ever so inclined. I might also make a separate email for certain purposes to help reduce inbox clutter in my main ones.
D. Delete old emails - Pretty self-explanatory, but I specifically put this after email reduction. This process will take several days, and even longer if I have to contend with new stuff coming in as I delete the old. Once my emails are reduced, it will be more manageable to go through and delete.
E. Browser Bookmarks - I have way too many tabs most of the time, and when I don't, it's because I saved all the extra ones as bookmarks when my PC was running too slow from tabs. Same to sorting files and apps, I need to sort the bookmarks in my browser toolbar and make a cleaner workspace for myself.
3. Routines and Family Time
A. Cleaning Routines - I have actually already started on this one, I will be making a post later about it. Essentially, prevent the mess rather than reacting to it. If we can get ahead of the mess and stop it from accumulating, we won't be so overwhelmed all the time. Also giving some of the responsibility to the kids for small more manageable things means one less thing on my mind. This means less time on TV and computer ignoring the mess and stress.
B. General routines - These is basic things like getting home and doing homework, and set out clothes for the next morning. Small but impactful tasks create a sense of control over the day and make everything run far smoother daily. Some of these tasks will be for the kids, and some will be for Wifey and I. Same as the last one, improved living efficiency means less time on TV and computer and phone trying to ignore the overwhelming feelings of life.
C. Setting aside family time - Along with general and cleaning tasks, I want to set aside time that involves all of us doing a fun activity or a learning experience. This makes sure I'm not just using the TV as a substitute parent, and it helps us bond and have better communication with our kids. Also, any learning experiences for them are a plus, and as before this will help get us off the screens more.
Conclusion
Now that I've set some more specific goals, I'm going to make individual posts for each, detailing what I do, how it worked or didn't, and how it impacted me. This isn't going to be magic and life-changing perfection. I will stumble and mess up, and you will hear it when I do. This is a journey and hopefully will inspire your own journey and maybe keep you from hitting some of the same potholes along the way.
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