The First Step is Awareness
How many times have you fallen down an Internet rabbit hole? Or turned on your phone just to kill time while waiting? We all get caught up sometimes, and the first part of minimizing your digital use is figuring out how you actually use your time.
Decreasing the Noise of Daily Life
Digital minimalism looks different for each of us. Do you really need to be pinged when an email comes in or are you checking email on your own schedule? How about this week’s cookie notification from Crumbl? Or an alert when the litter box is full?
Are you seeing double?
Like many people, I tend to get more work done when I know someone is watching me work. It’s why I love having an accountability partner and participating in co-working sessions – they are both forms of body doubling. Body doubling is a productivity/accountability trick where you have someone present to keep you focused on your task.
How To Clear Your Digital Desktop
Regardless of whether you are working at home or in an office, we all have a desk of sorts. It might be the dining room table or a dedicated desk in your private office. When it’s clean, work is easier. You can find what you need quickly and the things that need your attention are front and center. All things that can lead to increased productivity.
Empty Your Brain to Sleep Better
Have you ever woken up at 3 in the morning, frantically trying to remember if you sent that email you promised a client? Heart pounding and mind racing? Yeah, nobody likes that feeling. But imagine the peaceful dreams you could have if you knew everything was documented, prioritized, and waiting for you to tackle in the morning.
You are the solution!
Sometimes the failure isn’t in the system, but in us not using it. Creating new habits takes time and stick-to-it-ness.
Don’t forget the milk.
Let’s say you’re at the grocery store picking up fruit for tomorrow’s breakfast when you suddenly remember you’ve got to make a dentist appointment for your youngest. What do you do next?
4 Steps to Organized Files
Check out my Four Steps to Organized Files! All you need is 10 – 15 minutes a day to tackle all of your folders and files, and before you know it, you’re on your way to a better organized system that allows you to be more productive!
Check and go!
Trying to Get Things Done but don’t know where to start? Check over your to-do list for those 2-minute tasks. If you can get it done in two minutes or less, do it now! Then check it off and move on to the next task.
How to stay on top of your list
Our brains weren’t designed to hold everything in memory, and it’s easy to forget what you’ve done or didn’t do. Email is like that too. But instead of anxiety about not knowing if you’ve followed up or not, what if you could check your Waiting Folder and quickly find out the status of your conversation?
Delayed decisions lead to clutter.
We get a new action email, read it – and decide it would only take a few minutes to complete – then leave it in our inbox while we wander off to do something else. Our delayed decisions lead to clutter – both in your inbox and in your living room.
Are you seeing double?
Are you having trouble sticking with a task that you find boring or cumbersome? Body doubling is a productivity and accountability trick where you have someone present to keep you focused on your task.
Decluttering Versus Minimalism
There are times when it can be a challenge to differentiate between decluttering to clear space and aiming for a more minimalistic approach.
Using Evernote and ‘Getting Things Done’ to Rock Your To-Do Lists!
I use some of the principles of Getting Things Done by David Allen when using Evernote for task management. The program called The Secret Weapon really helped me figure out how to marry the two. Here’s how I’ve set up Evernote to be my to-do list.
Keeping in touch when you are away.
Vacation time, baby leave, even sick days are times when you might not be in your inbox regularly. I know that as entrepreneurs, ignoring email isn’t really an option. However, there are things you can do to manage expectations for those who are trying to get in touch with you when you’d rather be out of touch.