I think we all agree that we spend far too much time on devices. So here’s how I thought this could be reduced, as well as simplifying workflows.
The Rules
- Computers aren’t inherently bad, and neither is the Internet. These can be used for your own good!
- There are only 24 hours in a day, put them to good use.
- Avoid chaining yourself to technology (more on that later).
Why?
I’m trying to sell this to you, but you need to sell it to yourself as well. If you want to keep social media in your pocket so badly, or would find it too hard to go without it, then that’s OK with me. There is no point in trying something if the outcome is arbitrary or unhelpful.
Even then, it’s probably worth reading the rest about simplifying your digital life. Or maybe because I want to stay on my site for a bit longer (trust me: I don’t gain anything from it anyway!)
Setting Goals
Goals are important as they will say out loud what you want to work towards. To do lists are very helpful and I make plans for what I want to do day by day, as well as any larger projects for the week or so.
If there are any recurring tasks that you need to do, it might be useful to list them out as well.
Use Your Time Wisely
Managing your time can be quite easy once you know what you have to achieve. However, don’t fall into the trap of delaying things for the next day, next week etc. It’s important that when you set goals, they have a time frame that they need to be completed in. It would be helpful to start by considering what order you will complete them in.
I have recently learnt about the “Pomodoro” technique. This is meant to boost your productivity by working for a fixed amount, let’s say 25 minutes, before taking a 5 minute break. The idea is that you will be able to stay focused for longer. Personally I haven’t tried this myself, though I have probably “naturally” done this through getting bored of my work. I’d be interested to hear from anyone who has tried this.
As with a lot of things, you’ll have to see what works for you. For me, when it comes to writing, I have moments where I can focus and write for a couple hours, if not more, then on others I don’t feel like it at all. Being able to know when to stop is a useful skill, not necessarily in case you write too much, rather so you don’t get burnt out before wrapping it up.
App Usage & The Internet
To be clear, I use “app”, “program”, “application”, etc interchangeably. Many people say things started to go downhill when programs became apps, which I agree with, but the name itself didn’t make that happen.
Computers don’t have to depend on the Internet. If a program grinds to a halt when you disconnect from the Internet, then that’s an oversight on the software developer’s end. Take Google Docs as an example, where everything is stored in the cloud be default. Eventually, you’ll realise the trend that is open source programs will work with you, whilst anything proprietary (especially if it’s tethered to a server) will work against you.
Storing files on device will make your life much much easier. Your device probably has a storage limit much much higher than what is provided by the cloud (specifically, someone else’s computer) for free. Neither do you need a subscription to upgrade it, since external hard drives are extremely cheap nowadays. You will own your data forever and it won’t be used to train AI! How cool is that?
I will make an exception for servers hosted by your employer or yourself. I am not against those, since they don’t have the same injustices that ones like Google Drive do, though they are harder to set up and therefore beyond the scope of this article.
How to Use Social Media
Lurking on social media sites to read what other people have said isn’t a bad thing, I do it myself. But this article isn’t about giving me an ego boost. Since blogs have fallen out of fashion for many, they now tend to post on sites like Twitter or Mastodon. Written content requires more brain power to comprehend than other contemporary forms like TikTok or Instagram, hence I avoid sites (or apps) and read.
I think YouTube blurs the lines when it comes to social media, given many people use it as free video hosting (rather than a platform to interact) and the fact that a significant number of its users don’t even have accounts, nevermind publish. Therefore I don’t consider it social media.
It would be foolish to say not to post online (as I am doing it right now!), rather you should be conscious of how constructive the things coming out of your mouth are. How often you post will have a big emphasis on this, especially if there is a timer in your head telling you to do so multiple times a day. Blog posts like these are more akin to books or newspaper articles and require a lot of effort to write. I enjoy writing, and encourage others to at least try it, but I won’t blame people for posting on the fediverse. However, Mastodon and other fediverse sites revolve around lots of short posts, which naturally end up becoming ragebait and hot takes for a little bit of e-validation.
Mobile Phones
Phones are part of the reason why society says it’s addicted to the Internet. Phones are easy to carry around and modern ones are extremely powerful for their form factor. I’m not here to tell you phones are unjust and you should reject them (to an extent, this is an issue, but it’s for another day). Sadly, life depends on one and it would be too impractical for most of use to stop using them.
Consider separating your digital life from other times by doing as much as possible through a dedicated device. I would use a web browser on my desktop or laptop to do this. This includes checking social media, (non urgent) emails, YouTube, etc. Many people are unhappy with the amount of time they spend online because it has created a void, therfore it makes sense to restrict when and where you can worry about it.
While we are on the topic of doing things through a “real” computer, now would be a good time to install an ad blocker too. I recommend uBlock Origin, it works on all sites, including Youtube and Spotify.
Where I Draw the Line
In the beginning I said that you should avoid chaining yourself to technology. That means if you can go without the electrons, go for it. Here’s what you probably don’t need, and more importantly wouldn’t suffer without had they not been invented:
- Wearables (smart watches)
- Smart home
- Excessive subscriptions
For me the computer is still a means to an end. I don’t need one on my wrist, nor do I need one to control my lights or feed doorbell footage to Amazon.
When it comes to subscriptions, you’ll realise how much money you could save by cancelling one or two. Too many services which you would normally own have been turned into subscriptions to extract money from people. If possible, use the freedom you have to block any ads on lower plans. I do this with uBlock Origin on Spotify and it works perfectly.
Conclusion
This post was aimed at myself, as much as anyone else reading it. Throughout writing I didn’t want to repeat the rhetoric of “social media is bad” or that life is better living in a cave. Regaining the ability to use computers for good is what is one of the first steps to making them work for us.