A Bit of Digital Decluttering This month
Dear House Peace friends,
This month on Instagram, I am sharing how we can declutter and quiet things on our phones and other digital devices. I hope you can join me over there, @house.peace .
So far, we have talked about keyboard shortcuts to make texting or emailing frequently used info (like an email address, or physical address) super easy. It’s all about the text replacement! On your iPhone: settings > general > keyboard > text replacement. I have made shortcuts for my work email (I type in “tara@” and it automatically changes to “tara@housepeace.net.” I do this with my husband’s and kids’ emails, and even my home address. I type in my house number and it fills in with the street name. Even small tweaks like this add up and save bit of time and fiddle faddle.
On deleting apps.
Here are few folks and resources that have helped me as I sort out digital clutter, try to reduce my online data, and try to battle the appeal of being on my phone too much.
Cal Newport, especially Digital Minimalism
On muting texts.
I haven’t yet talked online about muting texts or putting certain text threads on do-not-disturb, so you are hearing about this here first! The process of muting individual text threads keeps me on task, because I respond to notifications (sounds or vibrate) like Pavlov’s dogs drooled at the sound of a bell. My brain: “Ooooh, someone wants to talk! YAY!” But this severely disrupts my work flow during the day, as well as my family life in the evening. Now, that said, I generally have dozens of phone “pick ups” every day. It’s not like I won’t see those muted texts in a timely manner. I will! But instead of me being interrupted, I can choose when it’s “fun texting time.” Texts I don’t mute: House Peace organizers, my family, my small group members, clients. Texts I do mute: big group texts, or threads where I know for sure it won’t be a big deal if I don’t see it right away. After all, I tell people often, if something is urgent, CALL ME.
I’ll continue our digital discussions on Instagram and hope to see you there! I love it when you DM or email me and engage. My most important goal is that anything I publish serves and blesses. I’d love to hear from you.
Sincerely,
Tara
PS. If you find this useful, I hope you’ll forward this email to someone else who would benefit. It helps House Peace grow, too, and I’m thankful for anything you share!
PPS. My current obsession for cord control (which is digital decluttering adjacent!) are these silicone ties with strong magnets and I highly recommend them! (This is an amazon affiliate link and I get a few cents when you purchase from my link. Thanks as always for supporting House Peace even in passive ways like buying products I recommend!)
