What ::
Late last fall, Susannah Conway did a digital detox. It consisted of not just a physical purge but also a spiritual one.
Why ::
Cuz it's gotta get done! I think my spiritual cleanse will be a natural (and welcome) result of less clutter in my virtual life. Bottom line: if you can't find it then it is just clutter.
How ::
You know how I don't like to reinvent the wheel? I'm going to "roughly" follow her formula, tweeking it to meet my own particular programs. Unlike dear Susannah, there is no way any one project will take only one hour, but I will make every effort to spend no more than one hour on the smaller projects and only one hour chunks, many times over, for the bigger projects (iPhoto, Word and Bookmarks).
MONDAY Social Media: detox Facebook, Twitter (use UnTweeps) and Flicker; specifically focusing on the purge inactive "friends"
TUESDAY Google Reader: purge unread, inactive or negative blogs. I have been adding like crazy over the holidays and I now have 498 subscriptions. Hello? That's insane.
WEDNESDAY Desktop: tidy, purge, tidy some more :: Blackberry: clean up contacts, applications, memos
THURSDAY Address Book: declutter and organize, complete partial listings, delete the rest
FRIDAY Google Calendar/iCal: check for accuracy, make necessary changes and updates
SATURDAY Downloads: delete anything not used - especially e-books and digi elements!
SUNDAY Email: figure it out. Yes. Really. What program is this and why can't I add folders? Then put a plan together and purge and organize.
BIG PROJECTS to do through week:
- Firefox: Purge and organize all bookmarks, tidy toolbar
- iPhoto: Delete, delete, delete, file
- Word: Delete unnecessary files, organize remaining
- Network: Call Dean and get the house organized
- Old computers: pull off all necessary information and properly dispose of hardware
BACKUP
BACKUP again.
What about you? Do you save your digital cleansing to do all at one time or are you able to keep up with it all as you go? What are the best tools you've found? Tell me your secrets to digi organization!
