- Jan 10, 2020

DETOX YOUR DIGITAL DIET IN 2020

Whilst you’re setting New Year resolutions, take a moment to reboot your digital diet.

We get it. As a content agency we know the demands this fast-paced digital world places on each and every one of us. Rather than heading straight back into overwhelm this year, it’s important to take a moment to remember that WE are in control of our own online feeds – news, social, visual and online communication.

Digital marketing is a powerful tool that can be harnessed and used for good – both from a personal and business perspective. It’s up to us to manage what appears on our screen in a way that represents a nice balance of life and work, stimulation and inspiration.

In the same way you resolve to recalibrate your food intake for a more healthy lifestyle, take control of your digital digestion too with a detox of what you’re over-consuming, and seek to weed out the junk to start the next decade with a clean, healthy, sustainable slate.

Here are five places to start:

1. Social feeds

Who are you scrolling past each and every time? Detox your feed of accounts that don’t stimulate your interest or inspire you to do better. Remember to leave a mix of fun and function – keep your favourite fashion muse or designers and/or photographers you love.

Cut the visual clutter and take a stand for quality content (hello @thelifestlyeedit !!) that motivates you and creates an attractive, aspirational, clean, tidy, feed on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or your favourite jam.

2. Photo library

Hands up who’s got no available memory on their phone?! 🙋Time to cull that camera roll! Carrying your entire life wherever you go in pictures can seriously weigh you down.

Start folders to file the pics you want to keep, then upload to the cloud, use tools such as Google Drive or Dropbox or better still, print out for albums using an app, online service or even your local Officeworks to save the moments you love. Set a target of how many images you want to get down to and don't be afraid to get ruthless!

3. Apps

We love apps that make our life easier but there’s no point littering your device with stuff you don’t ever use.

Perhaps you’ve moved on to something more efficient or there’s something on the app you want to keep? Download, move across or simply ditch it – your digital memory will take a big boost and trust us, you won’t look back!

4. Inbox

Let's face it, emails don't exactly spark joy, but they're a necessary communication tool and therefore need to be periodically cleaned up and overhauled. Email overload is one of the biggest contributors to stress in the workplace so it's time to take action! In the same way we Marie Kondo’d our wardrobes this time last year, do a stock take of your inbox to make a fresh start for Y2K20.

Now:

Declutter your inbox by deleting old emails unlikely to see action. Be ruthless.
Create folders by subject for filing work in progress
Opt out of any subscriptions you're no longer getting value from
Reset email notifications to avoid constant interruptions
Activate simple email rules and functions in your email platform to automatically delete, sort and follow up emails as soon as they hit your inbox, such as report

Going forward:

Set aside a realistic amount of time in your work day to read and answer emails
Work to a "zero inbox" rule by using the one-touch method to read and action each email as it comes in, netting you an empty inbox at the end of each day
Move items out of your inbox as soon as they appear
Keep it simple - answer in short, direct responses in a timely fashion to keep email trails short
Don't check emails if you're not in a position to answer and action effectively (eg. standing in line for a coffee!)

5. Desktop & downloads

Laptop running slowly? Desktop literally swamped with ideas and images? It’s time to put a broom through and start fresh using these quick steps:

Sort by size and trash huge files and anything else you’ve used
File new ideas together by project or topic, ditch all those screen grabs and dump past projects
Change up your desktop with a new quote or image that reflects your intentions for the year and makes you smile every time you open your laptop!

So, how’s your digital fitness looking for Y2K20?