Digital minimalism? Definitely, not me, right now though.
Digital minimalism is something I've never tried, nor given much of a thought.
I'd say, I'm more of a digital maximalist, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't spend more time staring at my screen, than I probably should.
But, my frequent screen usage isn't a symptom of laziness. It's just simply a byproduct of my passion for learning, connecting and exploring.
My "just ignore it" approach has left my apps overflowing with unread notifications, my email filled with unimportant inboxes and a collection of unwanted spam.
It's not that I thrive on disorder, or I want to have a brag off it, rather, I've come to get used to the constant barrage of notifications, emails, whenever i put on my data, and the constant "lack of memory storage" message on my phone. And also, tend to forget to even delete something I don't longer need
While my phone might look like a digital market, with rows of currently using, and unused apps lying dormant in "deep sleep" mode, because I don't use them anymore(i currently have 27 apps in sleep mode), I don't think they are completely useless, just waiting for the day I might need them again.
Reinstalling an app, sometimes, isn't stressfree, so I prefer to keep them around, just in case.
And cutting down my screen time? Sounds like an idea that belongs in the "easier done than said" category 😅.
Sure, the idea of a simple, cluster-free digital life sounds appealing, but where's the fun in that? Plus, you never know when you might need to re-read that spam email from 3 years ago, or revisit those random screenshot from 2016.
Starting a digital minimalism sounds easy, but If I should decide to start deleting unused apps, unsubcribing and deleting unnecessary emails, getting rid of spams, removing random files, deleting images and videos that are no longer needed, I think I'll need a whole day to do that.
But if I'm to start digital minimalism, these are the approaches I'll consider using:
▶️I'll start by identifying the apps that are currently in "deep sleep" mode. Apps that I've not used in a long time, and won't be using anytime soon, I'll have to uninstall them.
▶️And then my screen time 🤔🤔. I'll see what i can about it (might not do anything about it 😅)
But let me be real, if I'm serious about cutting down my screen time, then Instagram has to join my list of apps to uninstall. Because, scrolling through Instagram can be very addictive, and then, I've lost track of time.
▶️Then I'll turn my attention to the files, images and videos that are taking up spaces in my phone. I could try backing them up to my Gmail before deleting, just in case I need to access them again later in the future.
▶️My next step would be to unsubcribe to those newsletters, website, even apps, that are filling my email inbox with unnecessary mails and text messages also, for daily deals, promotional blast, coupon for things I never wanted in the first place.
These are the steps I'll take if I should decide to try digital minimalism, it's something that might not happen tomorrow, or even next week, but it's clearly one that would bring some much needed-clarity and focus into my digital life.
FIRST THREE IMAGES ARE MINE