How to rid your life of digital trash

Why is the digital stuff is harmful

As things, applications and websites by themselves are not a problem. The problem comes when they become too much of our lives and when they require too much attention. Then applications and websites are converted into the digital trash. Get rid of it, you will breathe a sigh freely, you will be easier to focus and regain valuable time, which used to have shamelessly stolen Facebook and Instagram.

Digital trash as regular garbage deposits, leading to stress and feelings of helplessness. Thousands of e-mails and endless notifications from several social networks, dozens of open tabs, most of which you do not remember, and all this on one little device you have in hands. In such circumstances, it is impossible to focus on something one, not to mention the fact, to choose the most important.

You know the feeling of satisfaction, peace and relief, which comes after a thorough cleaning? The same feeling is waiting for you after the purification of the digital space. You will gain the ability to re-focus on such important things as a family, a good book or even just good food.

How to separate the wheat from the chaff

Analysis of trash in the room usually begins with the fact that we examine the field of action and decide what to keep and what to send to a landfill. With digital space should do the same.

Every day, ask yourself two questions:

• That today makes my life better?
• That today takes away from my life?

Very soon you will find that your whole flurry of activity on the Web and applications generally takes from you life, and do not fill it. Then what makes it better? For some it's a cup of coffee and a good book, or favorite work, or walk in the fresh air, or contact with children. And it is unlikely it will be at least something to do with the network activity.

It is important to bear in mind that garbage of any kind - the category of very individual. The fact that one obvious trash is another person can be a valuable thing.

So do not try to blindly copy other people's practices. Understand that it is clutter up your personal mental space, and that it takes in a small but important role. For example, the council "remove all toys from your phone" will not help you if you play half an hour a week, but can not break away from the chatter in the messenger.

How to clear your digital space

Do not be afraid to go too far and fall into the extreme. You can always return it, without which can not live.

Thus, following the principle of "less is more", try to put in order their digital space in the following ways.

Clean Mailbox

Adjust the filters, which do not skip commercials and messages from social networks. Unsubscribe from all unnecessary mailings. Make your inbox gets only important emails and personal messages from relatives and friends.

Get rid of the applications on the home screen

If you have a mobile phone based on Android, the application that you are removing from the home screen, do not disappear forever, but simply remain in the folder with the applications. On the iPhone is a little more complicated, because the applications are automatically installed on the home screen. Remove them into folders, drag to another desktop or just use the following advice.

Remove all network applications and use the browser on your computer

Most likely, you will be too lazy to open the page whenever the social network: it will require more gestures than open an application in one click.

Turn off all notifications

They always require you to make you something immediately discovered and watched. Instead, select the 15-20 minutes a day to check email, social networks and news reading.

Leave the accounts in social networks 1-2

It takes a lot of time and effort to simultaneously support activity in Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, «VKontakte" and other social sphere.

Put the phone

Constantly keep your phone at hand - is the same as that to keep on the nightstand stack of newspapers, which means it is necessary to read someday. You will not miss anything important, if you throw all this trash, or will not see fresh meme.

Learn to switch to other activities without gadgets

When you are tired and you want to unload the brain, you will immediately grab the phone and start flipping news feeds. And you only a couple of minutes should be about anything not to think. Instead, you score a head any nonsense - do not unload the brain and its load the garbage. Learn how to switch in some other way. On anything, which is not at the screen.

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When the time comes the next general cleaning, do not forget to clean up not only at home but also in their personal digital world. Keep only the most necessary. In the end, minimalism is still not out of fashion.