When the online realm is more of your daily ‘reality’ than the perceived tangible world, it is easy to get caught up in the moment—you will subscribe, add a friend (or ten), perhaps bookmark this and that and leave a comment here and there. It all seems harmless enough initially, but you have to wonder, “How did I get here, and how much of my info is ‘out there’ now?” Both valid questions will be addressed as we tackle five tips to quickly get your digital life back under control so you can move forward with the projects and issues that matter the most—in your ‘real’ world.
1. Eliminate the ‘Fuss’ on Your Social Media Accounts
The fact is that in the social media realm, most of us simply add that friend of a friend, follow recommended groups and absentmindedly click an emoticon button that expresses our response to a post. Do you really think about it beyond that moment? It’s likely you don’t, but your email and message box are likely to overflow with replies to your replies, etc.
Go ahead and take that first step to declutter those social media accounts without fear of being called out for clicking that unfriend or unfollow button. This alone can save you hours of time daily, not to mention the undue stress that ‘seeing’ other’s problems can source for you personally. Reclaim your independence and trim the online issues and people you follow, and focus more on who and what matters to you NOW.
2. Label and Organize Every Document and Folder
When your life revolves on the net, it’s only natural for downloaded documents to end up on the desktop. Those binges of research or reminder files to look this and that up (eventually) add. Unfortunately, it all too often adds up to a lot of files—and if you were planning a bit ahead—maybe even a folder or two or ten have been compiled. First, delete duplicate files, and then progress to organization.
While it may have taken hours and hours to gather all those goodies, it’s likely the documents are unlabeled and are somewhat mysteries by the time you get back to them. Do yourself, your desktop, and your hard drive a favor by appropriately labeling the files you really need, and tuck them into a folder. Get rid of the nonsense, and take a few minutes to compress the folders that make the cut to maximize on hard drive and memory space.
3. Stop Feeding the Feed
While the traditional initiatives of the RRS feed are slowly fading into the past, a number of other attention hungry threads and messages swooped in to take their place. When the box is bombarded by subscription feeds that are irrelevant to you, don’t hesitate to take the appropriate actions necessary to unsubscribe. It usually just takes one click, whereas all the clicking and scrolling to pass them by or delete them will surely take much more time. Those still hesitant should ask themselves, “Are you really going to read that later?” Stop pretending, stop feeding the beast and nip it in the bud.
4. Eliminate Bookmark Clutter
Surfing the web and clicking on what looks amazing at that moment is a wonderful thing. Unfortunately, so much awesomeness is out there that our fingers can flow with our curiosity with the best of intentions that we just don’t have time to get around to. And if you’re anything remotely similar to average web crawler, you have more than a few open tabs begging to be closed. Read it now, or create s designated ‘to be read’ folder labeled appropriately. (See step #2 for a reminder.)
5. Delete Irrelevant Accounts and Apps
Got junk? You don’t need to call a 1-800 number to get rid of those problematic screen and time consuming distractions—just delete them. Don’t feel guilty because that part of your life that beckoned you to create the account or app is a thing of the past, but embrace it. Embrace it with a goodbye and good riddance.
Protect Yourself and Your Privacy Online
If you need help managing your social life in the online realm, let us help guide you to victory. At Go2s.com, we are driven by the people we deal with rather than by overwhelming data. Create a personal account today to get started.