This post is part 2 of The Ultimate Guide To Digital Minimalism.
If you haven’t already read the previous post, check that out here.
Digital Minimalism – Services
Digital minimalism is about having your services streamlined. This helps to make your usage of technology more efficient.
To best do this, use services that sync up together and are best for your specific purposes. Cloud storage is a great example. There is no point storing your files in three different Cloud storage sites when one will do fine.
Google Drive is great for this and syncs across all your Google accounts and services. Google has so many useful services that it makes the most sense to centralise your usage around them. They’re also reputable and trustworthy.
Where possible, choose a service that is accessible across devices. Apple notes is useful for note-taking and syncing if all your devices are Apple. It’s not as useful if you own an iPhone and a Windows PC. Microsoft OneNote or Evernote might be better alternatives.
Decide on which service you want to use for each regular task you have, and stick to it. If you prefer to use an analogue written To-Do list, don’t also use an online To-Do list service.
Do a backup
Cloud storage is a brilliant thing to use. But sometimes, for our own peace of mind, doing a hard backup to an external SSD is preferable. Having a safe copy of files and photos stored somewhere, disconnected, will help keep you organised and calm.
Before migrating to the Cloud, it will be worthwhile backing everything up in this way. Further, set a 3 or 6-month reminder to do a physical backup, to ensure important data is never lost.
Google Photos
Google Photos has an option to provide unlimited photo storage, for no cost. The drawback is a hardly noticeable reduction in quality.
Most of the time, you won’t need the HD of an original image, unless you’re a professional photographer. If you are, you’ll likely have bought cloud storage for photos anyway.
In Google Photos, setting the quality from ‘Original’ to ‘High quality’ will allow you to do this. It’s amazing. You can best use this if you use Google Drive, as files sync between the services.
You can make the most of this service by exporting PDFs and saving as JPGs, then saving to Google Photos. This allows you to store documents like bank statements and contracts with no cost to your space. It’s a sneaky trick to save on free Google Drive storage.
YouTube
For video storage, make use of YouTube. Upload your videos in the ‘unlisted’ format to YouTube, keeping them there for free. This takes up no Google Drive or HDD/SSD storage space.
Digital Minimalism – File and Browser Management
Like email management, you can use specific folders for relevant websites and documents. It’s a great idea to use Google Drive Backup and Sync to save your files to the Cloud, using selective saving.
In Google Drive, use folders with names and colours matching your email labels.
Bookmarks (Chrome)
Our web browser bookmarks bar can stack up with random links. If you don’t already use folders in your bookmarks bar, start there.
Next, categorise into the same folder categories as with your email – Work, Personal, etc.
Delete any useless bookmarks. It’s nice to keep a ‘research’ folder on the bookmarks bar for projects you’re currently working on.
Where relevant, you can transfer bookmarks into separate services. For example, I used to have a ‘wishlist’ folder where I would save bookmarks for things I want.
Instead, I spent 5 minutes adding them to a wishlist on Amazon. That way, I know they aren’t going anywhere and are easy to access without taking up bookmark space.
File management
Two quick tips on file management:
- Try and avoid vague names for your files and folders. ‘Junk’ ‘Random’ and ‘Other’ are a nightmare to sort through.
- You can name folders beginning with a number to order in any way you like. 1 will sort before 2, which will sort before 3.
Extensions
Extensions can be tricky, as sometimes they are useful. But, most of the time, they don’t provide enough value to be worth keeping. Like apps, you can reinstall as and when needed.
There’s a feature in Chrome to hide extension icons, which makes the browser look a bit cleaner. Hide extensions that don’t need you to click on the icons.
For example, I have ‘Save to PNG’ and ‘Video Speed Controller’ extensions. Neither needs me to click on the icon, so they get hidden.
Digital Minimalism – General Tips
To wrap up this ultimate guide to digital minimalism, here are some general tips to aid with your own digital minimalism practice.
Get clear on your devices
List out all your devices and the purpose they serve.
Is there any overlap?
Does each serve a useful purpose that provides value?
Can you use any device for several tasks? You can replace your speaker with a home assistant like Google Home or Amazon Alexa, for example.
Manage your taskbar
With your taskbar or dock on Mac, manage this often. Check to see if applications are piling up like they often do on Mac.
If a piece of software isn’t something you use at least once a week, remove it from the taskbar. Keep software you access daily in the taskbar for a more efficient workflow.
Turn off desktop notifications
Notifications, particularly on your computer, are a huge source of distraction. They can disrupt Flow.
Most often, our work will involve a computer in some way. By turning off desktop notifications, we become more productive.
Put your phone face down when working
Or, even better, keep your phone face down and out of arm’s reach. In another room is best.
Phones are a huge distraction and destroy productivity. A face-down phone stops us from seeing any notifications that pop up. This allows us to focus longer on the things that matter.
Conclusion
To wrap up, digital minimalism is an ongoing practice and lifestyle. It requires your regular attention and management.
Things can get out of hand and unorganised very fast if left unmanaged. We can help control this by setting regular intervals. At these intervals, we can sort through and organise our files. That could be daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly.
Congratulations, you’ve now reached the end of this ultimate guide. You now have all the information you need to begin on your digital minimalism journey!
Thanks for reading.
If you enjoyed this post or found it useful, share the site with your friends. We have loads of other useful posts if you want to learn more, so have a browse. Cheers!
Further Recommended Reading:
These posts are relevant to the post you just finished reading: