Digital Clutter
Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Our society has become obsessed with surrounding ourselves with stuff; this we know.

But what about the increasing obsession with surrounding ourselves with people and our past? In specific I'm talking about Facebook, email and all those darn apps/notes on your cellular telephone; because these are issues I deal with!



Yesterday I widdled my facebook friends list from 760+ down to 270 (and slowly dwindling). As I looked through my friends list I asked myself "If this person were to call me right now and ask me to meet them for a coffee to catch up, would I?" If the answer was no, then why was I taking the time to read their facebook status updates and look at their newest photos on my news feed?



I also went through and deleted all of those old messages. They dated back to 2006. This is embarassing.

To further my Facebook "purge" I eliminated all apps, groups and pages that no longer apply to my lifestyle; I "like" Sony Canada? Really?

It was a long process, but oh my goodness was it worth it. Now when I glance at my news feed I am truly interested in what shows up there! Instead of reading about what the ex's friend from that cabin party 6 years ago is doing, I can see what that new baby is up to. I no longer have to waste my time sifting through the crap to find the gold. And new baby facebook updates are gold!!!



Along with the Facebook purge, I finally went through my e-mail inbox and cleared everything out. I use gmail, so by using the folders and color coding features I organized all those e-mails that I needed to keep and cleared everything else out. If you had an inbox on your office desk, would you really let 203823722484320 pieces of "new" messages/letters accumulate there?



Finally, the iPhone. I sorted through my contacts, my notes and my apps. Similarly, eliminating the excess and keeping the gold.

The result? A streamlined digital life; no longer do I need to sort through useless information and applications to find what I really want.

posted by Sarah-Mae @ 10:10 AM,

2 Comments:

At November 16, 2011 11:55 AM, Blogger nook. said...

you know what, you are really totally inspiring me to get off my but and get purging. ;) we did 5 garbage full yesterday, mostly of clothing to donate! and it really does feel grand, doesn't it? to be able to breathe in your own space? i love it.

 
At November 18, 2011 12:30 PM, Anonymous Clare said...

I deleted my FB profile outright and it feels gooood. I'm easy to find on the Internet if anyone is so inclined, and I already have an e-mail address or phone number for everyone I'm actually interested in talking to. I recommend it!

 

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