I’ve been reading the book Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport. I had been concerned about the affects of so much distraction and connection. But, you know, for other people. Certainly not me.

I worried about losing deep thought as we are fed things that may or may not be true by the media and social media designed to get a reaction to get views and shares. It seems people fall into their camps on whatever issue without looking at the other side, without noticing the manipulation of feelings. What do you think of a liberal? What do you think of a conservative? What if it wasn’t true? Have you even checked? Have you had live conversations where you didn’t want to push your view, but you wanted to understand?

With no quiet for thinking, everyone is spurting out talking points fed to them from whatever media they consume. Which comes in rapid fire with one “outrage” after another.

And of course all the gatherings where people are sitting around looking at their phones or in restaurants or at the playground. You talk to someone and you can feel them pulling away when they want to “quick check” their phone.

Plus, I often see (in myself as well) using multiple technologies at once. Watching TV while playing on the tablet while texting. Half watching a video while emailing. Reading an ebook only to jump to an app that pinged.

We used to spend way less time interacting with our phones and playing on our tablets. The technology was created to be addictive and it is. If we aren’t aware, we can easily get sucked in.

Newport says digital minimalism is focusing “online time on a small number of carefully selected and optimized activities that strongly support things you value and then happily miss out on everything else.” He suggests asking is this the technology to support this value best?

The stats were not comforting. He says kids born after 1995 are more anxious than past generations. Part of this is the lack of solitude and constant online comparisons.

The average Facebook user uses some form of Facebook 50 min a day. There is an app called Moment that tracks cell phone use. The average user spends about 3 hours a day looking at their smartphone screen and picks up their phone 39 times a day. And these are people trying to slow down their use.

A digital fast from optimal technologies is what Newport suggests, replacing it with meaningful activities like solitude, journaling, music, learning new skills, meditating, and actual conversations.

It turns out, this is more difficult than anticipated. I am starting over today after somehow going down the Facebook/news rabbit hole yesterday after being off them a week except for business.

“I am waiting for a video to download so I might as well peek at the news.” “That news article is taking awhile to load, let me look at Facebook.” Then I am getting angry with nice people being completely close-minded and separating from each other. Back to the news which is trying to get me angry and succeeding.

Only then did I remember the digital fast. Oh yes, I am supposed to be allowing space as I wait instead of filling it immediately. I am seeing what life would be without reading everything, playing every game, or allowing every input that comes my way.

I’m sure everyone thinks it’s other people who have the problem with technology. We usually have a blind spot to our own. Not sure? Try the 30 day digital fast on unnecessary technologies and see.

Besides the fast he suggests some other ideas:

• Carefully select, based on what is important to you, newsletters, blogs, social media, news services (preferably a curated one like allsides.com)
• Cull people you follow on social media to a reasonable amount (the suggestion was 150 people)
• Have a curfew for your phone
• Spend time daily without technology
• Batch text messages
• Reclaim your leisure with something other than technology like outdoor projects, exercise, reading, writing, playing an instrument, swimming, crafting, classes, board games, fixing, building, learning, joining.
• Delete social media from your phone and only use it on the computer
• Be mindful with news and realize news 24 hours after the fact is more complete. Read from the opposite of what you naturally support.
• Choose when you use technology. Put limits on.

In general, be mindful and conscious with your technology. Don’t follow every ping (in fact turn notifications off.) Limit the blogs you read, people you follow, and game apps you have. Take your life off line sometimes. Don’t allow everyone else to tell you what to think. Contemplate. Let’s see if we can do things like laundry, eating and going to the bathroom without a digital distraction.

If you try the digital fast, I’d love to hear about it in the comments. And if you have any tips on reducing technology use you can put those there as well.

Remember we are in charge of our technology. Let’s act like it.

This is an excerpt from my book, Create the Declutter Habit.

• Delete the ones you don’t like or are duplicates
• Move your photos from your camera or phone weekly or monthly depending on how fast you fill it up
• Have computer folders for each year. Create folders with the year first, then the date and what it was. ie 2018-07-greatblueheron Then the pictures will stay in chronological order
• If you don’t take that many pictures you can organize by season ie 2017-Fall
• Back up your pictures regularly – Amazon Prime has photo storage as does Google Drive. You can back up to Dropbox or Mediafire. Or to a flashdrive or other hard drive.

Photo Management Software – not necessary, but nice

1. For the Mac: iPhoto
2. Google Photos
3. Portfolio

If you want to create quick albums from digital photos:

• Shutterfly
• Snapfish

Other Photos

• Only do 15-20 min at a time if you feel overwhelmed
• Spread them out so you can see them
• Decide whether you want to put them in an album, scrapbook, frame or photo box or a combination
• Do a quick sort for bad photos you can toss
• Sort into categories
• Decide whether you want to arrange them chronologically, by event or by subject
• Duplicates can go out to family and friends
• Put them in the box or album labeled
• Keep them in a cool, dry area

Now: Maintain

            1) Weekly or monthly move your photos from your camera or phone to your computer.

            2) Monthly or quarterly go through your photos, picking the best ones and sorting by date so you can find them again.

            3) Quarterly or automatically back up your digital pictures.

If you didn’t know, I often post today’s declutter action step from the Declutter Calendar on the My Simpler Life Facebook Page. This past week I posted, “Declutter china you don’t use”.

This was actually quite controversial. Some people said you should use it instead. I love that idea of using your beautiful things. Someone else said she wouldn’t use it as it’s not her style.

One person said they were unfollowing? In jest, I’m not sure.

Quite a few people said they feel they should, but can’t bring themselves to do it. I think china often falls under sentimental items. You can deal with it the way you would other items like that. Decide how much of your home you want to use to store or display the past, and curate what you keep. Almost everyone has sentimental items. If you want to keep your china – go for it.

I love when you are able to display or at least store carefully the sentimental items. Too often they end up gathering dust, getting broken or not easily found. So if you keep your china or other sentimental items decide what you will do with them.

I always consider the Declutter Calendar as a guide. If you don’t know what to declutter today, look at the calendar and get a nudge. You never, ever have to declutter what’s on that day or anything else. We can’t know what’s important or useful for another person.

Your home is your home and you get to choose what is part of it.

As my 20-year old cat has gotten older, he has gotten more focal. In the first couple hours of work, he will come in the meow for his soft food about 5 times. Sometimes right after I have fed him and food is still in his bowl. I have to point his face to the full bowl and he will happily eat it up.

If I don’t get up right away to feed him, he will meow over and over and over. I love my cat, but by this point I am annoyed by him.

I was tired of feeling frustrated at my cat all my work day, so I needed to reframe this interruption. I started to see it as a chance to show love to my cat, Thomas. I would talk sweetly, sometimes pick him up and pet him before bringing him to the kitchen.

This loving time made me feel less frustrated. It also brought some much-needed lightness to my day. A little shot of love, that helped me with my other work.

Most of us deal with interruptions during our day. Some, more than others.

Life isn’t all about what we plan. Meaningful moments often come as interruptions or unexpected events. When we only want to follow our plan, we can miss out on opportunities to connect. Like the phone call you “don’t have time for” or the doorbell ringing or the last-minute invite. How about the kid who has said, “Mommy, look,” for the millionth time today?

Interruptions are going to happen. We can either get anxious and upset, or we can reframe them into opportunities to love and connect.

Now I need to go feed my cat who is sitting on the floor next to my chair meowing and glaring.

When the weather heats up, the urge to travel naturally increases. Traveling can be both fun and exciting, but unfortunately it also has a largely negative impact on the environment. Before you rush out the door to parts unknown, make sure you are traveling in an eco-friendly manner. Whether you’re headed to another city, country, or continent, keeping the environment in mind can still be a priority. Even though the changes you make may seem small, we can do what we can to help reduce our ecological impact.

Research your Companies

Eco-friendly travel may be somewhat of a challenge, but it used to be much more difficult. Fortunately, there are more companies dedicated to sustainable travel.

Hyatt for example, currently holds a 64% Corporate Social Responsibility rating, which is very impressive for a hotel conglomerate of their size. They’ve also announced an Environmental Sustainability Strategy to reduce their energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. I loved the Hyatt Place I stayed at in Charlottesville, North Carolina. My friends rave about cruises though I’ve never been on one. Virgin Voyages is an all-inclusive luxury cruise line which has the practices of eliminating ocean waste, and converting geothermal heat into clean electricity.

Whatever kind of trip you’re planning, doing some research before you book will ensure you’re patronizing like-minded companies.

Do Not Disturb

If you’re planning an extensive stay in a hotel, consider cleaning your own room. The maintenance staff at a hotel will use copious amounts of water per day washing their patrons’ sheets and towels, and waste additional energy and electricity on continually vacuuming rooms. You can do your part to reduce this by simply utilizing your “Do Not Disturb” sign when you leave your room during the day. Cleaning up after yourself is not only a good habit to be in, but it will help guarantee no additional water or energy will be unnecessarily used on your behalf.

Some hotels give you the option when you check in to do housekeeping only after 2 or 3 days.

Go Local

Once you’ve arrived at your destination, the best thing you can do to support sustainability is to shop, eat, and drink locally. Giving your money to the community helps local culture flourish. Eating locally also encourages you to try new foods that you wouldn’t normally find at home. One of my favorite parts of traveling is trying the local cuisine.

Be sure to gently enjoy the natural areas around as well. Each new place gives you new wildlife to observe and views to take in.

Before You Leave

Sustainability starts at home! Even though you may be headed elsewhere, you may still be wasting energy at home. Most appliances and devices will continue to draw energy even when they are turned off. For some, the difference in energy consumption while they’re on versus when they’re off is negligible. Items like a washing machine, Apple TV, or your cable box will continue to use almost as much power while they’re off, while things like your television, routers, and modems, are never technically “off” to begin with. If you want to keep your energy usage to a minimum, make sure that all non-essential appliances and devices are fully off and unplugged before you leave for your trip.

These are just some of the things you can do to make your next expedition eco-friendly. What are some of your favorite tips and tricks for travel?

I used to be the biggest procrastinator. I had great intentions, but not much follow-through. I never wanted to do it. My to do list created a struggle. But, working from home I need to get myself to do my work.

Here are some ideas on what worked to get me unstuck so I could get stuff done.

Get Clear on What You Want to Do

Most of us feel we have too much to do to spend time planning. Not to mention, people (ok, me) can get carried away with the planning and not do much. Fancy planners or bullet journals. Intricate to-do systems. Detailed project plans that fall apart as soon as the project changes.

But, if you don’t do any planning, it’s hard to know what to do and what has higher priority.

Spend a five minutes thinking and jotting what you need to do down in a notebook. Then pick the next three items to work on.

If you are still scattered, organize your desk or workspace for some space around you and in your head.

Feel How It Will Feel When Done

We tend to think about all the work and reasons why we don’t want to do something when the energy is at the end. How will you feel when you have accomplished it? Got it off your plate? Made progress?

If you are coming up with some major resistance, don’t run away to Instagram – figure out the feelings. Are you afraid of something? Are you putting a lot of self-pressure on yourself? Are you not feeling confident?

When you figure out the resistance you can work with it. Reminding yourself they are thoughts, not truth. Making the task easier. Creating a reward. Upping the self-talk. Watching a quick motivation video.

Start the Day with Projects

It’s easy to get right into email or social media in the morning. But, for me, I have the most energy in the morning. I want to make progress on the harder, more meaningful projects within the first work hour.

Willpower wanes throughout the day making it harder to push yourself to get things done. Maybe schedule meetings, routine tasks and communications during the afternoon.

Don’t forget to break those projects down into 15-30 minute segments so you don’t have a mammoth task on your to do list. What are the next two actions of your projects? Can you plan one early tomorrow?

Random

Some days your to do list is full of bits and pieces. Smaller tasks. But, they are so numerous. How do you choose?

Get random. Either making a numbered list and using https://www.random.org/ to choose your next thing. Or write them on pieces of paper and pick a task out of a jar.

If you can get moving on something – anything – you will feel less overwhelmed.

On the weekend sometimes I will do 3 tasks per line – 1 work, 1 home and 1 personal so I know I am somewhat balanced.

Breaks and Focus

For me it’s helpful if I know I don’t have to do something forever. I like the tomato-timer where I can work 25 minutes then have a 5-minute break. I don’t let myself play on Facebook, check email or get lost online until break time. Most of us have limits to our focus.

Focus on the task and notice when your mind wanders so you can bring it back. We get work done faster if we focus on now and not what you may need to do in the future or a past drama. You may want to set a timer for shorter than 25 minutes if you are having trouble staying on task. When it dings you can check to see if you were on task.

Sometimes I’ll get in the flow and go over my 25 minutes. But, the timer was good to get me started. Other days 25 min seems like a long time. If I know I have a break coming up I am less likely to get distracted.

During breaks I also like to dance a bit, take some deep breaths or do some stretching to get the blood moving again – hopefully to the brain.

Get Accountability

When I was a stay-at-home mom I did almost daily challenges with online friends to keep up with the house. Now I have a weekly accountability session with Marcia for both business and house goals.

I do accountability with some of my clients, either as an email accountability partner or in our coaching sessions. I also host every-once-in-awhile Get it Done Days reminiscent of my old challenge days. (The next one is July 8th.) No one likes to admit they get more done with a group or accountability. But human nature being what it is, most of us get much more done.

Notice When You Did It

Too often we move from one task to another on the little hamster wheel. No wonder we seem to think we are always behind. Pause, notice what was completed, and give yourself a little pat on the back (or get it from someone else if you are doing a challenge). Then you can move on. Sometimes taking 3-6 breaths between tasks can help you pause.

What is your trick for getting stuff done when you don’t want to? Any of the above ideas you are willing to try?

Many people I talk with think they don’t have time for fun. They have all the other duties, tasks, kid activities that they can’t play.

Often the real reason is people don’t think it’s a priority so they don’t plan any. They forget the energy and joy you gain from fun. The connection when it includes other people. And the release of have tos for a moment.

Think about the last time you had fun. Would you like to add more into your life?

Planning fun is helpful especially when you are rusty in that department. For instance, my hairstylist is near Lake Michigan. If I plan to leave 30 minutes earlier I can get a little walk in at the beach. And it’s a lot less time than taking another day to drive the 20 minutes there.

• What fun item can you add to an errand?
• Make it easier to find fun, local activities by getting their emails or follow them on Facebook (your city, the next city over, the county parks, local newspaper, radio station, etc.)
• Weekly plan one thing you can look forward to each day – it can be as small as blowing a few bubbles or doing a cartwheel
• Write out a fun list and post to your bulletin board for when you need an idea
• Ask your kids for ideas
• Some ideas for fun
• Notice when you are trying to get out of fun with “I’m too tired, too busy, etc.” Ask yourself what that is all about.
• Expect some guilt and learn to be ok with that.
• Sneak in fun – a 30 second funny video, cutting pancakes into shapes, dance crazy to one song, bounce on a mini-trampoline, keep a deck of uno cards in your purse for waiting time.

How do you plan for fun?

When we shop, our purchases affect the planet, something we rarely think about. We would all love to see changes in the manufacture of goods, but we can make a difference as consumers as well. Thankfully there are more eco-friendly shopping options available today than ever before. Follow these helpful tips to help bring about a change in mindset and energize your own ethical practices.

Reference the ‘Buyerarchy of Needs’

If you’ve ever taken a psychology class, you may have heard of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. If you’re not familiar, it takes a look at the structure of needs that influence our choices and behaviors. A few years ago, Sarah Lazarovic, a Canadian illustrator, created a newly imagined hierarchy of buying behavior. The ‘Buyerarchy of Needs’ looks at buying as the last level after all other areas have been tried. It’s a great way to look at the choices we make when it comes to buying and focus on going up the pyramid in how items are obtained that we need or want.

Here are a few of the main ideas gathered from the ‘Buyerarchy of Needs’

• Shop your own wardrobe. You might be pleasantly surprised to re-discover some much loved pieces hiding in the back of your closet.
• Stop treating your clothing as disposable. Learn to take care of what you have so you can love your pieces for years to come.
• Only buy something new when you have to replace something that can no longer be worn or to fill a gap in your wardrobe. (Check out my article on Do You Need to Buy New and how to shop secondhand)
• Invest in quality pieces and items that you’ll wear frequently or for a long time.
  

Shop and sell to secondhand stores

As consumers, we often don’t think about the impact that the clothes we wear has on our planet. Did you know that it takes 1,800 gallons of water to make one pair of blue jeans? Rather than throwing out clothing after a few uses, donate or sell them to a secondhand store. This will ensure that your clothes go to a new home for many years to come. While it may not seem like you’re making a big impact, take a minute to think about where your clothes actually go when you throw them out; landfills. When things get thrown out by hundreds of people, at around the same time, it creates an exponential amount of waste. However, when people use clothes to their full extent, it can take up to a decade before they touch a landfill.

On top of donating or selling your used clothing to secondhand stores, consider shopping secondhand as well. This is one of the best ways to deal with textile waste as it creates a recycling community. Not to mention, you can save a ton of money on brand name items and even score one-of-a-kind pieces! Many thrift stores are now offering their clothing selections online, making it easier to shop your favorite styles. Online thrift stores, like thredUP, offer clothing from your favorite brands at a fraction of the price you’d spend at department stores. They even have a wide selection of hard-to-find items, including their collection of affordable Lularoe items.

Look for ethical fashion certifications

When shopping for clothes, check the labels for ethical fashion certifications. These certifications ensure that the clothing has been made under fair and safe working conditions. While there are hundreds of ethical fashion certifications, here are a few of the basics to be on the lookout for during your next shopping trip. You can read more about other ethical fashion certifications here.

• Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) – This certification is known worldwide as a textile processing standard. In order to gain this certification, a brand is assessed for the fair harvesting of their raw materials as well as their social responsibility, environmental impact, and water and energy use. Additionally, GOTS identifies that a product is at least 75% organic.
• Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP) – This is a non-profit organization that accredits facilities when they practice safe, responsible, humane, lawful and ethical manufacturing processes. On top of their accreditation, they also focus on training and education.
• Fairtrade – This certification is the promise of fair trading terms, sustainable production practices, and the promotion of economic security. Additionally, Fairtrade advocates for fair pay and working conditions and the just management of people in farming and factory environments. Not only will you see this mark on many food items, it’s also used to certify and regulate the cotton industry.

Celebrate small changes

You may experience a sort of consumer paralysis as you begin to learn more about the changes that you should make in your lifestyle and shopping choices. You may even start to think that there’s too much that needs to be done and that you’ll never be able to manage it all. This is why it’s important to reinforce and encourage the small ethical changes that you do make. Be delighted in wearing your secondhand clothing, you thrifty eco-conscious person, you. Smile as you buy local. Celebrate when you drop off your gently used clothing to a local thrift store. Pat your self on the back every time you participate in eco-friendly shopping. Big or small, the changes you make can have a significant impact on our planet.

What are you doing to be more eco-conscious in your buying?

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Buyerarchy of Needs graphic found here

One way to simplify your life and feel better is to limit your consumption of news. News used to give information that we should know about. But, now that it can track clicks and get considerable information about consumers, the business model has changed.

The more amped up it can get you, the better for the company because you are more likely to tune in or click. News and opinion start to merge together. Speculation, mind-reading and “if it were true, then…” masquerade as facts. Selective editing and taking things out of context so it relays the story as they want it to be seen rather than how it was. Even the pictures and language they choose convey a point of view. They want to shock, outrage and scandalize you. It’s a “bombshell”,”catastrophic”, or “shocking.”  The more emotion they can get out of you, the better as you are more invested in the story.

The news acts like it is the conveyor of truth about what is happening in the world. But, they make decisions about what to share from all the things that happen every day. They usually share what’s negative because that is what sells. Matt Wuerker created a cartoon where hundreds of people are holding peace signs, united we stand, hate has no home here and then the news cameras on the four hateful racists.

I can always tell the news junkies because they are the ones running around saying the sky is falling, the sky is falling. Over 90% of the news is negative because that’s what grabs attention. If you think 90% of life is negative, that’s a lot of cynicism.

The news is making us less trusting of one another, more divided, and less optimistic. Psychology Today writes that in studies those who watched negative news were sadder and more anxious. Plus they started catastrophizing their own personal worries. So you may be worrying a bit about finances, then watch the news and now you think your whole life savings will be gone.

The stories that the news got wrong recently – majorly wrong – are too many to count. The retractions are always smaller than the story so people keep believing stories that have been debunked.

Before you get upset about a piece of news, think about how likely it is that it is actually true the exact way it is portrayed. Most of life is nuanced, but news tends to be black and white. Check out opposing news sources on it. Watch the whole video or read the whole transcript. Definitely wait a couple of days so see what else comes out.

We say we want to know the news so we can be “informed.” But, most of us don’t do anything about the news we see, except feel fearful. We consume news addictively when we could be doing something that actually influences the community.

If you are looking for more peace in your life, watch/read/listen to news no more than one time a day. Turn off the notifications and breaking news alerts. Go on news fasts every once in awhile, especially when you have been feeling anxious or down.

Instead get into nature. Call a friend. Do an act of kindness. Host a dinner. Journal out your worries. Volunteer. Write.

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Wanting more space? Declutter Your Social Media.

This Earth Day, go beyond recycling to show your love and appreciation for this planet! For those who are unfamiliar with the annual holiday, Earth Day is held every year to raise awareness of environmental issues and show collective support for actively working towards a healthier world for all.

Going green can seem overwhelming, especially with the misconception that you can’t really make an impact by living more sustainably looming over you. There are plenty of ways- both big and small- to start being more eco-friendly. What better time than on Earth Day, this April 22! Still feeling a little lost? Lean on these tips for celebrating Earth Day right from the comfort of your home.

Plant a Garden

Adding a garden to your yard not only provides a unique opportunity to bond with your family, but also serves as a great opportunity to help the environment. Firstly, the addition of a home garden can improve your home’s general soil quality as well as increase the quality of oxygen due to the addition of life- suddenly those heads of broccoli and beet greens you avoided as a kid don’t seem so bad.

Although it will take some time to get your garden producing goods to harvest, opting for easy growing options like leafy greens, summer squash, cucumbers or tomatoes will have you chowing down on fresh produce in no time! Once your garden is bountiful, relying on it as a source of food will minimize food miles- the miles spent sourcing food from farm to store (and then to your plate!), which adds a lot to your carbon footprint.

Be more conservative with water usage

Being more conscious of your utilities can save money while saving the environment. This Earth Day, consider making some long-term changes in the home. With spring right around the corner, you may be itching to make some home upgrades. If major renovations aren’t in your budget- such as calling in a local plumbing professional to replace PVC piping with eco-friendly and recyclable materials like iron- start small with smart-gadgets to help conserve water. Flush monitoring gadgets for your toilet can create a dual flushing system, allowing you to use small flushes (and less water) unless disposing of solid waste. Installing a water tracker while you shower will keep you mindful of how much water you’re wasting rather than using to maintain hygiene! Utilizing eco-friendly gadgets like touchless faucets can cut up to 50 percent of water usage.

Eliminate Plastic

If you’re one to rely on plastic food storage containers, baggies, or water bottles, now is the perfect time to consider switching over to more sustainable materials. If you love to meal prep lunches for your busy week, consider buying glass containers with spill-proof lids in addition to one or two larger glass containers. Prep your food ahead of time, and portion them in each container. Put the leftovers into the larger dishes and re-portion new meals as you clean each container.

To eliminate plastic water bottles, switch over to an eco-friendly bottle in a sustainable material like BPA free steel or glass. If you’re not looking to spend a ton on a trendy water bottle, consider reusing a glass bottle from a small milk jug or Snapple bottle, or opt for a mason jar. If you buy plastic bottles for the filtered water, consider purchasing a filter for your water spout or a filter pitcher for your fridge.

Support local

Similar to the argument for growing your own garden, supporting local farmers or eating at restaurants that source their ingredients locally is a great way to minimize carbon footprint. Educating yourself on how the food you eat gets to your plate will help you be more conscious of the next time you grocery shop or go out. Food miles contribute to air pollution and increases the CO2 emitted, contributing to global warming.

Go for a hike

Probably the easiest on this list- get out and start enjoying all that the Earth gives you! Whether it be going for a walk around your neighborhood, tackling a true nature hike, or simply going to the local park for a picnic (with locally sourced ingredients and fresh veggies from your garden, of course!), you’ll give you and your family the opportunity to appreciate everything around you this Earth Day.