How to live with your technology
This introduction should start to get you thinking about how you use and interact with your technology. Computers and digital devices have left our desks and are all around us now, so we need to take control. Most of us are bombarded with notifications, pop-ups and prompts that are always demanding our attention and expecting us to react.
If we don’t do something about all the distractions around us, we can quickly become overwhelmed and it feels awful. These simple suggestions should help you.
This post is just the beginning though, as we’ll explore a lot more in future. To help you get started, here are three easy things you can do right now to help you live with your technology.
Master email
Email is one of the most frustrating aspects of modern technology. Most people are simply too busy to respond to everything, so it becomes a dangerous game of Russian roulette choosing which ones you need to devote time to. Email is also a great way to upset people, even if you don’t mean to, and most of us frequently misunderstand or fail to interpret messages properly. Here are three easy things you can do right now to help you master email.
Create email action folders
One of the easiest ways to get stressed and get out of control is to be presented with a long list of emails at the start of the day, and still have it there at lunchtime. For most people, the only time they will ever see a clear inbox is their first day at work. After that, it’s an instant, overwhelming list full of urgent flags, invites to nights out and long, sprawling messages someone thought you should be CC’d in.
It frustrates you just to look at a list like this, but there is a better way. You simply need to create four ‘action folders’ in your inbox:
@Action | @Read | @Wait | @Chase
Now when you receive an email, you simply put it into one of these folders if it’s not something you can respond to immediately or just delete. All you have to do is keep checking them, especially the ‘@Action’ folder. This is where things are kept until you have time to do them. Anything you need to take time to read through is in the ‘@Read’ folder until you’re able to get to it.
‘@Wait’ is there for all those things that need a response from someone before you can do anything. The ‘@Chase’ folder is often necessary when this doesn’t happen, or you know you’ll need to ‘politely prod’ someone for a response.
The @ symbol is added to make sure they are at the top of your lists where you can see them.
This isn’t intended to be used as storage though so when you’re done, store them somewhere else if you need to. The whole point of this exercise is to separate the things that will need your attention from the things you need to store.
I strongly suggest you set this up and see what happens. If you think you don’t have time, just think how it will feel when you can enjoy ‘inbox zero’ all the time and instantly see what’s waiting for you.
To take this further, take. look at my post, How to get organised >
Use an email app
Over the years, most of us have probably set up multiple email accounts and they’re unlikely to be of equal importance. A lot of people will probably log into separate services to view them as well, which takes quite a lot of time and effort.
The best thing to do is to put all of these accounts in one place and use one single app.
The only problem is that doing this will probably result in more emails you have to look at every day, but there’s a simple solution. Why not have a separate, focussed account (where you get all the messages you probably need to see as soon as possible) set up on your main email app, like Apple Mail or Outlook.
You can then group everything else (like those old Hotmail and Gmail accounts we all seem to have built up over time) in a separate app. One designed specifically for multiple accounts. If you’re using an Apple device, I suggest looking at the Spark and Airmail apps.
This will help you keep all those special offers, subscriptions and notifications out the way.
If you put this in place, you know it’s worth your time looking at messages that arrive in your focussed account as soon as you can. Everything else can probably wait to be checked once a week at most.
For more ideas like this, listen to my podcast episode, Own information >
Keep It focussed
It’s so easy to write a rambling message in a rush that bores everyone, or becomes something no one else can understand. Just taking a few seconds to think about what you really need to say and the simplest way to set it out can really make a difference.
If you can, try to let people know why you’re writing to them, what you’d like them to do or how the message could benefit them in the first few lines. Try to remember how busy people are as well, so they’re sure to appreciate a scannable message that’s easy on the eyes.
It also helps to think about the subject line. If you know someone’s likely to be busy, why not add that your message isn’t urgent, or when they might find it helpful.
Collect your content
Most of us are probably overwhelmed by the number of apps delivering news, articles and updates we’re told we just can’t live without. It’s so easy to miss something important, while the ones that get your attention are irrelevant. Why not put things in place to avoid this? Here are three easy things you can do right now to help you collect your content.
Create a news feed
Rather than looking at separate apps and sites for each news outlet, you might want to think about putting everything in one place. By collecting all your feeds together, you’ll save time and be presented with everything you need to see.
Most apps and services that do this for you also let you group everything together in clusters, like news, sport and technology. This really helps, as everything is right there when you need it.
Want to quickly get up-to-date with everything first thing or while you’re on your lunch break? No problem, you just need to invest a few minutes to flick through.
Save things to read later
It’s so easy to see a great post or article when you’re busy and then completely forget about it. Why not save it somewhere and read through it when you’ve got the time to take it in?
There are plenty of apps out there like Instapaper and Pocket that let you save the things that interest you online. These apps can be essential if you’re commuting and you can make sure you only invest your time in what you really need to see.
Take a look at my Essential Apps posts for some helpful suggestions >
Use browser extensions
A lot of people overlook these handy helpers, but they can make your online life a lot easier. Browser extensions are simple buttons you can add to your web browser to create shortcuts.
If you want to save something quickly, just add an extension for an app you use regularly (if it’s available). If you also use a password manager like 1Password, a browser extension can really make a difference and help you unlock everything in just a few seconds.
There are plenty of browser extensions available for online services like Pinterest, Evernote, Instapaper, 1Password and eBay.
I use Feedly to put my newsfeeds in one place. I also use Instapaper to collect everything together and I honestly don’t know where I would be without them.
Focus on one thing
One of the biggest problems we face when we use all our gadgets is that they encourage us to do several things at the same time. Even when we’re doing something important, a notification or an email comes along that often sets us off in another direction. This isn’t good for us, so we should think about doing something before it really starts to do some damage. Here are three easy things you can do right now to help you focus on one thing.
Cut down notifications
Do you really need all those pop-up notifications? Seriously, is a new podcast episode or a special offer more important than what you’re doing? Even the smallest interruption can make a significant impact when we really need to focus, so we have several options available to us.
The one I like is to turn off everything but the most essential notifications on your devices. Just try it when you’re not expecting anything urgent and see what happens.
Another option is to set your device to ’do not disturb’ when you know you need to focus on something. If you really want to go all-in, why not turn on airplane mode or unplug your router. I’m pretty sure your ruthlessness will be rewarded.
Have device free time
I was getting worried that I couldn’t remember key storylines in the TV shows I was watching. I soon realised though that I’m usually using a digital device at the same time, so my attention is split down the middle. It’s also easy to lay awake for hours at night because you’ve been using a digital device right up to the moment you’ve settled down to sleep, regardless of whether ‘night mode’ has been enabled.
It’s so important to take breaks from your digital devices and if you can, try to be more ambitious and schedule a ‘screen free’ day into your week.
One of the biggest problems a lot of people have is drawing a line between work and relaxation. It’s really important though, so I suggest you make as many sacrifices as you can to stay fresh and focussed.
Don't multitask
Regardless of what people in business say, science has shown us that no one can really multitask effectively. If you try to do two challenging things at once, it’s a safe bet that you’re not going to do them well.
We also fail to make important connections with people if our focus drifts off to our phones and devices. It’s not good for us either, as we’re unlikely to effectively remember anything if we’re distracted.
Let’s save ourselves from a future where we’re all ignoring each other and living life on autopilot. There’s a huge world out there and there’s a lot to explore.
I hope you’ve found something here that helps you live with your technology. As I’ve said, this is just the beginning as there’s a lot more to explore on the site. When it comes to all this technology around us, we really need to take control and remove distractions so we don’t feel overwhelmed all the time. Let’s start now before it really becomes a problem.