Is It Time To Change Your Technology Habits?

There are a few things you could do to clean up your gadgets and make your life much easier.
For many of us nothing has more bearing on our life and work than the way we use technology. We use it to connect with others and to get things done, but we are rarely intentional about just how we use it.
There are numerous bad tech habits that tarnish the experience of using technology, making us less productive and more fed up in the process. The problem is that we often don’t even realize we’re doing it. We get into our tech routines and don’t think about changing them, or at least be mindful of how they’re affecting our mental well-being. Then apparently out of nowhere  we feel the signs of burnout coming, and we wonder why we haven’t been able to hold it all together. Very often the answer lies with how we’re using (or over using) technology.
It may be February now, but it’s not too late to set some goals for the year ahead. How about looking to improve one of the areas which consumes most of your time? Here are five tech resolutions to make in 2016:
Aggressive unsubscribing: The “inbox war” is something we all wage. Email after email demanding our attention can make us feel like we will never truly get to the bottom of our inbox, so why do we bother? The truth is, though, that so much of the email we receive is actually entirely irrelevant or unwanted. It’s not our fault that every time we make a purchase online, enter our email address on a random submission form, or sign a friend’s petition, we are agreeing to become deluged with more and more mail that we don’t need.
The answer is aggressive unsubscribing. This means that every day for a month, resolve to unsubscribe from every single email you receive that you don’t need or want. This is tedious for this 30-day period, but you will be amazed by the burden this lifts. Simply reducing the number of unread email in your inbox lessens the mental toll that opening your email account can often take. Stick to a 30-day plan and you will undoubtedly see results.
Update your software: This is perhaps obvious, but with so many updates happening on our gadgets, we often put off implementing them as things seem to be working “just fine” as they are. In reality, software updates happen for a reason, and tedious as it may be, it’s best if we comply with them. Make a habit of checking for software updates on a bi-monthly basis, or better still, set your system preferences to do them automatically overnight, when your device is connected to power.
Reduce your screen time before bed: Make the 30 minutes before “lights out” a screen-free time. Studies show that this improves sleep and reduces stress levels. Instead of letting your Instagram feed lull you to sleep, read a real book, meditate or do some evening stretches. Your well-being will thank you.
Get rid of “digital cobwebs”: Many of us have internet or social media accounts we set up ages ago and no longer use. This can become problematic when someone Googles our name and finds a baking blog we posted on once in 2011, or a Twitter account where we only have 13 followers. Doing a little digital housekeeping is good for your personal brand and will streamline your existence online.
Clean up your cloud: While the cloud is great in that it keeps all our required digital goods in one place, it also accumulates a ton of junk. Spend some time going through your cloud to delete the myriad stuff you do not need to save: screenshots of social media posts you sent to your friends once, a picture of a WiFi network login that’s no longer needed, or recordings, podcasts and music you’re not likely to ever listen to again. Digitally decluttering your cloud has the same mental effect of tidying your room.
How are you changing up your technology habits this year? Let us know over on Twitter @VPSNET.