Reading time: four minutes.
There are many ways you can reduce your use of technology, be it emails, shopping, or messaging apps. In this blog post, I'll be covering three common complaints I hear from clients and my tips on how to deal with them. I’ll be looking at: time spent browsing online, social media, and news and media consumption.
Digital minimalism doesn't mean not using technology at all but focusing more on how you use the technology, more intentionally. Let it work for you, instead of you working for it. You decide the when, how long, and why you’re using it.
TIP ONE: Online Browsing
Are you the kind of person who will grab the phone to look something up, on the spot? That used to be me too. The convenience of having access to limitless amounts of information lures us into using it nonstop. What I noticed, was that the minute I'd be looking something up on Google, I'd be distracted by the next interesting headline. And, before I knew it I’d wasted half an hour going down various rabbit holes, and also forgotten what I was looking for in the first place. So, what I started doing was:
Batching. I make notes in a journal I always have with me, or on scraps of paper and keep track of what I want to look up.
Schedule it in. Then, X times a week I'll pop online and look for those things. I do separate my time online browsing, and my time for emails. My habit is twice a week for both reading and answering my emails.
I'll set a timer. A “time timer” (see my tips page for more information) is my preferred choice. I love that my phone has an alarm function, but I want to use it as little as possible. Once the timer’s up I'm out of there, until the next allocated session.
TIP TWO: Social Media
If you cannot do without it, then at least, just like your browsing habits, limit your access and time spent on social media. This one can also be harder to beat because it's the most common thing used to fill in the small moments of silence. Think of waiting rooms, commuting, last thing before sleep or first thing in the morning. All those small pockets of time where you feel the need to do ‘something.’
Batching. Both content and consumption. If you’re posting a lot, then see if you can prepare the content, tags and all, before you’re on the social media platform.
Schedule it in. Choose a specific time of day or week to access social media platforms, instead of jumping onto them every free moment you have. You need to get tough with yourself and set aside specific times a week when you can catch up with your contacts in a more conscious manner.
Set a timer. As with time online browsing, setting yourself a timer will help you stay focused while you're on the social media platforms, and enable you to stop within the time that you’ve assigned yourself. You could use your phone timer, forcing it to close the app after a certain amount of time, for example.
Conscious consumption. When you're on social media platforms, instead of using your feed (which will suck so much time and energy from you) go to specific accounts that you follow and catch up with them that way, avoiding all the advertising you're faced with, and other ways of grabbing your attention away from what you're supposed to be doing there.
TIP THREE: The News
Are you the person who has to check the news several times a day, starting from the minute you wake up?
Many people check the news countless times a day, and almost all of the time this doesn't give them any new information than the previous time they checked it. What it does do is eat away at their supply of happy hormones because of all the doom and gloom that they’re constantly faced with. I encourage them to look at how they’re consuming the news, and things they could do, like:
Scheduling time to check the news. Sticking to certain times in the day or week to catch up on the news, instead of checking every news platform as a way to pass the time.
Where to get the news. Have a good look at one or two sources you want to use, and how best to consume your use. Did you want to do that in the form of newspapers, known and trusted news websites, or apps? Think about adding online news articles to your reading list and batching when you read them.
TIP FOUR: Access
This is for all areas where you need help with reducing your usage.
Block. There are apps you can use that will block your access to websites of your choice, preventing you from popping onto them now and again during those boring moments, or in between your (computer) work.
Screen Time. This function on modern devices is great if you want to check how you’re using your phone, however, it does have some downfalls, in that you can’t change the categories of the apps you use. For example, an app being used as an educational tool will be seen as entertainment, therefore not truly representing how the device is being used.
Manually. You can track how many times a day/ week you use your digital devices. Do this for a few weeks to gauge what your usage is.
One device. Make a conscious effort to browse on anything but your phone, by sticking to browsing or checking social media on just the computer/laptop/or tablet. Go as far as removing the social media apps from your phone, allowing you no access for those in-between moments, while you’re out and about.
Evaluate. Have a moment to consider what you could be doing with all those minutes or hours that have now opened up for you. I realised years ago how precious time is. It’s something you’ll never get back, so I needed to be more strategic with how I spent my hours in the day and looking at what was worth investing my energy into, at that moment.
TIP FIVE: Free Time
This is in my opinion the most important tip, and probably the main reason why people don't stick to it.
Make sure you fill the slots of time, with activities that fill you up. Be it your hobbies, family and friends, or creating something- you have to fill those gaps that have freed up.
Make a list of all the things that you've always wanted to do, things that you haven't been able to do because of lack of time, maybe there's something you'd like to try or learn or pick up from where you left off years ago.
It may take a bit of puzzling and planning around your day, but you have to ensure that you allow yourself to do these things whilst being offline, to make you experience firsthand how much time you've gained.
Thanks for taking the time to read this, I hope you found it useful for strengthening your digital minimalism and slow-living mindset. I’d love to hear what works for you, so reach out and email me, or leave a comment below.
Enjoy your day,
Yvonne Martha x