The Tips - Part 5 (Simplifying Our Life)

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   Simplify your online life. Your online life can quickly dissolve into a mess. Bookmarks here and there, emails cluttering up the inbox (many unread), sites you've joined and have no memory about, etc. All of this has the potential to decrease the utility and enjoyment of time spent online and give you a sense of complexity that really shouldn't be there given the ability of technological solutions to clear the clutter. Avoid this by simplifying your online life as follows:
   • Declutter your digital packrattery. Do a massive purge of the things that are cluttering up your computer, start keeping things simple and maintain a regular purging regime.
   • Try to keep your email box empty. Answer, file, or delete emails upon reading.
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   Simplify your media diet. TV, the internet, radio, magazines, newspapers, podcasts - there is a lot of media available. The trick is to use media effectively without letting it dominate your life.
   • Take regular media fasts. Have weekends where you are completely unconnected to the internet, the TV, your electronic games.
   • Place timers on electronic things that suck your time without you noticing. If you can spend more hours than you'd like online, install a timer – and use it! You might be surprised at your level of intensity. Even if you simply add in enforced regular breaks, your use of the technology will instantly simplify.
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   Simplify your communications. Communicating with other people is a vital part of life but it can be too easy to let it take over in the form of IMs, emails, texting, etc. Limiting the times for communications can help you to keep this part of your life simple and effective.
   • Keep email replies to certain times of the day only. Stop checking them every few minutes. Turn off the ping noise to stop your reaction for checking.
   • Make all return phone calls at a set time of your day.
   • IM or text for a limited time each day.