Angela Crocker

Write. Teach. Organize.

Dedicated Devices

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The Digital Cleanse Day 4:
Dedicated Devices

To streamline your digital life, you need dedicated devices. We’re talking full-blown, long-term commitment. Decide which device does what. Then stick to it.

Laptop computer with WordPress dashboard and iPad screening The House of ElliotHow you divide your digital activities will be a matter of personal preference. Your choices will be unique to your hardware and the content you create or consume. A dedicated device strategy creates patterns that focus your efforts. Here’s how I dedicate my devices:

I use my mobile phone primarily for phone calls, text messages, photography and Instagram.

I use my tablet, an iPad, to write rough drafts, read Facebook, peruse Twitter, read e-books, listen to music and watch TV either from iTunes or on Netflix. I also use it to delete spam emails and read/reply to priority emails from a small group of carefully selected VIPs.

I use my desktop computer with its two monitors to read and reply to email, format and upload writing for the web, to organize and edit my photos,  for spreadsheet work and file management.

My one exception is travel. I love to travel light. Carry-on only is ideal in this era of excess baggage fees and intensive security screenings. With the right combination of apps, I can do 85% of my work and digital leisure on my iPad.  I don’t work as efficiently as usual but its a joy to travel with ease. (If you’re interested in packing light, too, my gurus are Rick Steves, Marc Smith and Alex Tilley.)

If you’re struggling to decide how to use your devices, I suggest you go analog for a few minutes. Get out your sticky notes in two colours.  Using one colour, make a sticky note for each of your soon-to-be dedicated devices. Mobile phone, tablet and computer will get you started. Don’t forget your digital SLR camera, web enabled television, game console, fitness watch and other electronics.

Next, use the other colour of sticky notes. Make one note per digital task. Email. Photos. Instagram. Facebook. Twitter. Writing. Video game. TV. Movies. Music. E-books. And so on.

You’ve probably gathered by now that you simply match each digital task with a digital device. Likely, you’ll need a test period before you finalize how you’ll organize your dedicated devices.

More on the 30 day #digitalcleanse tomorrow. Hope to see you then!

(If you missed yesterday’s installment, take a couple extra minutes to explore How Many Social Networks. For links to the complete Digital Cleanse series, click here.)

 

How Many Social Networks?

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Digital Cleanse Day 3:
How Many Social Networks?

social networks, pins for WordPress, Foursquare, Twitter, Social Media Camp, Northern VoiceHow many social networks do you belong to? Last time I checked, I had about 450 accounts. Now, I am decidedly ABOVE average as most of my accounts were created for research purposes. Mashable’s research finds that the typical social media consumer has two accounts. If you’re doing a digital cleanse, I suspect you are also above average.

A digital cleanse is a good time to revisit your social networks. Think about each account and ask yourself the following questions:

  • Do I use this social network all the time?
  • Do my friends/colleagues use this network?
  • Do I use this social network at home?
  • Do I use this social network for work?
  • Do I create content suitable to share on this network?
  • Do I know how to use this account?
  • Is this account for a current project?
  • Does this account amuse me when I’m bored?
  • Does the network still exist?

If you answered no to any of those questions, it might be time to break up with one or more social networks.

Before you delete, deactivate or close your account, consider whether or not it’s important to you (or your business) to keep control of your name. (I’m aware of 21 other Angela Crockers who use social media. Maybe you have doppelgängers, too?) Also, consider that you may need to keep select accounts as the log-in for other purposes. For example, don’t delete your Facebook profile if you manage any Facebook pages or groups.

When you’re 100% ready to break up with a social network, proceed with the delete, deactivate or close procedure for that network. Generally, you’ll find the appropriate link on your profile page. It will likely be tricky to find. The social networks don’t want you to leave the party. It’s ok if you’re ready to leave! In some cases, there is a waiting period before your account is fully closed. Those social networks give you an out in case you change your mind. An oops is possible if you’re digital cleanse ritual includes a nice Pinot Grigio!

More on the 30 day #digitalcleanse tomorrow. Hope to see you then!

(If you missed yesterday’s installment, take a couple extra minutes to explore Turn Off Notifications. For links to the complete Digital Cleanse series, click here.)

 

Turn Off Notifications

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Digital Cleanse Day 2: Turn Off Notifications

Turn off notifications for all of your mobile apps and desktop applications. They distract you from your current task, ruin your productivity and stress you out.  Plus, a notification alert derails a task list in less than one second.

Turn off notifications from Twitter, App Store, blab and KickstarterNotifications drive many people crazy! Bing. Bing. Bing. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Frankly, in public, your notifications are as annoying as mine. So, turn them off. It’s very freeing. 

You’ll still see the flags, mentions or comment alerts in whatever tools you use. The difference is that you’ll log in when you can deal with them in a focused, organized and thoughtful way. 

Check each app or application at the interval that makes sense for you. That might be twice a day, once a week or randomly when you have a few spare moments. If you’re worried about response times, schedule regular, recurring “look at notification” appointments in your calendar.

During your notification time, do the following:

  1. Read to gather information communicated.
  2. Deal with the quick replies in the moment.
  3. Diarize any action items arising to act on them fully when you have time.
  4. If possible, archive or delete anything you won’t need to see again.

Clustering your notification time improves your productivity, protects your daily task and keeps stress at bay. Sounds good, right? Go turn off notifications now.

I concede one exception to the rule. Kids. The school’s got to be able to reach you if your child is injured or ill. Or you may have some equally important reasons you must be reached. For example, stock market information if you’re an investor, medical professionals if you are in their urgent care, or the security alarm system for your business.  If you must be instantly reachable, then settle on one communication method for urgent situations.

More on the 30 day #digitalcleanse tomorrow. Hope to see you then!

(And, if you missed yesterday’s installment, take a couple extra minutes to explore The App Diet.)