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Current status: Enough to read for now. More to come.
Look, I won't give you the preamble on why you should do a digital declutter. Chances are, if you are on Gemini, you know that the web kinda sucks shit and most technology, if not homemade, is malicious.
For a really thorough guide, check out Lauren's site on the concept of Digital Wellbeing.
My guide here will be PRIMARILY based around the idea that it's extremely easy to turn off "parental controls" or web blockers or literally anything else of the sort. Because it is. Lord knows how many times I've tried to use these to limit my computer/internet usage only for me to just uninstall an extension or whatever.
I say that but... I'll still list a few "blockers" that I actually like.
LeechBlock is a web browser extension that you can use to block websites. Shocking, right? I find this one makes me the least angry to use. You can create different website block groups and also whitelist certain sites or subdomains of sites you may have blocked.
ALSO, you can restrict access to sites with the use of a password. You can use the password to restrict access to the extension's settings as well. Anyways it can be literally anything. I set it to the extremely repetitive lyrics of a song I was (at the time) very addicted to. If you set it long enough like I did, you won't even want to bother typing it all in unless there's an emergency.
This is the ultimate program. This thing is very difficult to find workarounds for. You can set it to block websites, programs, OR even your entire computer for a specific amount of time. Even turning the computer on and off again won't lift the block. I have no clue how this thing works and I don't care to know.
Technically this is three programs... There's Blocker, Micromanager, and Writer. And Blocker and Micromanager are the only ones with free versions. You can always compare the two either by the website's "product comparison" or just by downloading the free versions. Either way, I'm a fan.
The idea of a Digital Declutter comes from Cal Newport's book, Digital Minimalism. I'd like to make this as simple as possible for anybody who doesn't feel like reading through his book. Frankly, I think he tends to ramble a bit, but he also goes more in-depth with the philosophy of digital minimalism which is helpful. Speaking of which, here is what digital minimalism (the philosophy) is all about:
>Digital Minimalism
>A philosophy of technology use in which you focus your online time on a small number of carefully selected and optimized activities that strongly support things you value, and then happily miss out on everything else.
>
>Principle #1: Clutter is costly.
>Digital minimalists recognize that cluttering their time and attention with too many devices, apps, and services creates an overall negative cost that can swamp the small benefits that each individual item provides in isolation.
>
>Principle #2: Optimization is important.
>Digital minimalists believe that deciding a particular technology supports something they value is only the first step. To truly extract its full potential benefit, it's necessary to think carefully about how they'll use the technology.
>
>Principle #3: Intentionality is satisfying.
>Digital minimalists derive significant satisfaction from their general commitment to being more intentional about how they engage with new technologies. This source of satisfaction is independent of the specific decisions they make and is one of the biggest reasons that minimalism tends to be immensely meaningful to its practictioners.
So that's digital minimalism, the philosophy. The digital declutter process has three main steps, and a short preparatory phase.
In this particular step, you want to figure out which technologies are "relevant" and which ones are "optional". Obviously you're gonna need stuff like your fridge and microwave or whatever, but this mainly applies to digital tech like computers, cell phones, etc. This process is a bit complicated because you may have relevant uses for something like your phone (basic communication) but have alot of optional distractions on it as well (Reddit, Twitter, etc.). Other times you might have something you can drop for a month that won't disrupt your important dealings, like game consoles.
In the former case, you'll want to define "operating procedures" for technologies you know you'll need sometimes. Basically, decide HOW and WHEN you should use a specific technology. For example, say you need your computer for school. Specifically, you need it so you can turn in your essays. You could probably write the actual essay on paper, but you might want to set aside use of your computer SPECIFICALLY for typing it up in a word processor and then sending it over on turnitin.com or whatever. That's ALL you'll be using your computer for during the declutter.
You heard me. Don't bother with any of the optional technologies you identified and only use the allowed technologies for the purposes you outlined in Step 1. The first few days really fuckin' suck, but after about a week you really start feeling a sense of inner peace.
Remember, the whole point of the digital declutter is to escape the chokehold your tech has on you and to be more Present in real life. You should probably make a list of hobbies and activities you would like to reconnect with during your 30-day break, otherwise you are gonna be excruciatingly bored. I ended up getting back into playing guitar after literal months of avoiding practice. I even managed to overhaul and tidy up my room!
This doesn't mean you should immediately log back into Twitter, but decide which technologies you realized serve a good purpose in your life. It's kinda like a Konmari method sort of thing- deciding which apps, websites, and other technologies actually "spark joy" and do real good for you.
>To allow an optional technology back into your life at the end of the digital declutter, it must:
>
>1. Serve something you deeply value (offering SOME benefit is not enough)
>2. Be the BEST way to use technology to serve this value (if it's not, replace it with something better)
>3. Have a role in your life that is constrained with a standard operating procedure that specifies when and how you use it.
I complained about it earlier, but I really do recommend you go ahead and read Cal Newport's book for more information. If you think you've gotten a good enough grasp on the tech cleanse then you can skip to Part Two, where he discusses methods for "re-introducing technology" and how to keep up the minimalism after you complete the declutter.
I did this myself a year or two ago and it was an amazing experience. Didn't even care to go on social media, which was essentially my own little diary for a while there. I kinda fucked it all up by not being more careful with my technology reintroduction, so... I'm gonna give it another go soon.
If you really wanna optimize your usage of technology, you may want to invest in devices that are tailor-made for certain things that your phone may have an app for. It's a lot easier to get distracted by notifications on your phone than, say, a CD player.
Yeah, this is the big one, isn't it? If your smartphone is a BIG problem in your life, you might wanna consider switching from your smartphone to a feature phone (or a dumbphone, as some call it). These can range from basically-still-a-smartphone (CAT S22 Flip) to a bare minimum dumbphone (Light Phone 2).
I actually switched to an LG GD580 Lollipop flip phone for about a year, which was actually more for trauma reasons than anything else. It was still a good choice for me at the time, though. It was pretty slow though, and found I would end up having calls drop alot (might have been T-Mobile's fault though). Really, you want to shop around for different options.
This one is a bit of a pain, but I think it's kinda worth it to be honest. While I wouldn't exactly say that there's anything harmful about how they treat consumers, they can still keep you pretty glued to the phone and easily distracted by the other bright flashing lights begging for your attention. Plus, it allows for more intentional selection of the music you want to listen to. Yeah, it's a pain to download an entire collection (mine is almost 1TB) but truly worth it in the end. I'm also a music guy, which might be adding onto it...
I own a FiiO M6, which is pretty small and can fit in the tiniest of pockets. It runs on Android but the OS is set up to only have a few whitelisted apps... including Spotify if you REALLY need that! I've been considering upgrading to a different FiiO option but I'll have to look into the specs and pricing first.
Alternatively: you could also go crazy oldschool and just get a Walkman CD player. There was a brief period of time where I would burn music to CDs and then bring them to school to listen to when I was taking tests. Can't say I'm cheating when this stupid thing only has a teensy tiny LCD screen and an entire Korn album on it!
I fully stand by my assessment that buying an eReader will help you actually get back into reading. I bought one sometime last year and I read two books, which is the most I've read since leaving school. You really want to look for one that doesn't have a functional Internet browser, and I'd recommend one wth an e-ink screen. These generally don't have a backlight which makes it feel like you're reading on paper, and also just doesn't cause eye strain. If your eReader has too much functionality, it'll just turn into a glorified tablet like my old Kindle Fire did.
I've been shopping around for something new, but I use a pre-owned Kobo Touch 2.0. This thing was released in 2011 or something so it's DEFINITELY limited in its capabilities, but works like a charm for what I need it for - reading. It also syncs with Calibre real easily so it's not a great ordeal throwing all my books on there.
Sometimes your devices (computer/phone) can get pretty cluttered and full of random garbage you don't need anymore. This is a checklist I've had saved for years that I occasionally go through every other month.
Delete old contacts. Start with your phone, then email, THEN prune your followed accounts on social media.
Delete old texts/threads you don't care about anymore. Maybe texts from an old boss or verification codes.
Delete old pictures. Maybe not all of them, but come on. If yu took 8 selfies in a row and forgot to delete the rejects, now's the time. Put everything else somewhere safe on external/cloud storage.
Delete any extensions/bookmarks you dont use or need saved anymore.
Uninstall old apps and programs.
Clear out your Downloads folder.
Clear out any old notes.
Oraganize your apps and files into folders.
Clean up your desktop/home screen icons.
Use Unroll.Me to prune email subscriptions.
If you feel like it, try going through your emails and mass delete/sort them.
Change up your wallpaper, ringtone, or general layout.
Review your notification settings.
Replace physical things that are broken, if you can.
Clean off the screen and case with a microfiber cloth.
Let your device sit and fully recharge.
More to come when I get to it.
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