(c) 2009 & 2020 Ann Babiarz & Associates LLC
It’s been several months since traditional spring cleaning. Have you taken the time to “de-clutter” your physical space and breathe? If not, take the opportunity to continue and to reinforce the habit of cleaning your space. The transformation of your home or office will literally transform your life! Your expanded space will provide you with more than you realize. It can provide some very significant clues about the who that you want to unlock to become your best you!
Today, we are going to focus on the techno-side of your world. Because of the way we are bombarded with information on a daily basis, it’s no wonder we feel overwhelmed. We are over-stimulated. Constant overreliance on external information to make informed decisions puts us in the habit of looking outside of ourselves to make an “informed decision”, rather than relying on our intuition, the place where true wisdom resides.
The key realization here is that if you are a physical pack-rat, if the thought, “I’ll keep this in case I need it, someday”, is a standard for you, then your computer probably looks like your home or office.
There may also be some things that you have been putting off or avoiding that have landed in the back of your mind that you may have thought you’d forgotten. This is not so! Every unfinished task on your computer and in your subconscious has an energetic cord that drains you of energy until it is completed or deleted.
Answer the following questions to determine if you are a tech-no-crap-inator:
- Is your email box overflowing with unread or SPAM emails?
- Is your computer desktop (the screen that you view upon startup) cluttered with downloaded documents or programs that you don’t need?
- Is it an agonizing experience to find files on your computer (if they are not in the “open recent” section of your file prompt)?
- Are there stale documents (old documents that you do not use) on your computer?
- Is your computer filled with unwanted photos, music or movies?
- Are you receiving more notifications than you need in connection with your social networking sites? Maybe it is time for a social media fast.
- Does the thought of clearing out files on your computer cause night sweats?
- Has your email provider threatened to shut you down because you have too many emails?
- Is your voicemail box full of unanswered messages or messages that you haven’t listened to?
- Is your phone filled with old text messages (answered or unanswered)?
- Is your phone filled with unwanted photos, music or movies?
If you answered yes to even one of the questions, it’s a great possibility that you need to go on a byte-busting journey. Please set aside time each day and tackle one area.
Chances are, you may need some technical assistance if the extra stuff on your computer consists of programs that you are not sure that you need. In that case, don’t go too wild with the “delete” or “move to trash” commands until you call in a techspert. This could also be a wakeup call that you need further training on your computer and how to get the best out of it.
Byte-busting emails and documents is a different story. The decision on keeping or purging documents, emails, music, photos and movies is an individual one. Perhaps the system you have for organizing your emails and documents is working for you and you do not feel the need to change it. However, if the space on your computer is at a minimum, you have documents that could and should be archived, and or you have an email box that would frighten Bill Gates, it may be time to set aside an hour a day to rid yourself of unwanted emails and unsubscribe to mailing lists that no longer serve you. If you hire a techspert, he or she will be able to make suggestions for improving your system of organization and security, but you are still the primary decision-maker on what will stay and what will go.
Do you have any of the following collecting dust (unused) or tucked safely away in NOCUT land (no one can use this) in your home or office: batteries (computer, cell phone, etc.), cables, cell-phones, computers, monitors, programs or OUP (other unidentifiable equipment)?
Maybe it’s time to dust these things off and get them to a proper destination. If you are not using them, take some time to separate them into the following categories:
- Recycle-You can recycle just about everything on this list. It is extremely important that you recycle batteries and cell-phones. There are many organizations that offer recycling programs.
- Donate to Charity
- Give to Friends or Loved Ones
- Trash (careful about things that contain hazardous materials that don’t belong in a landfill!)
If you are unsure if a piece of equipment will be useful to you again, call in the techspert. I know a few that will come in and sort through your equipment with you. Once you sort it, put it in your car and take it to the designated places. Do it as soon as you can! Remove any possibility of changing your mind.
The best way to start your techno clutter-busting journey is good old-fashioned gratitude. While you may have accumulated a great deal of techno-crap and you may sometimes be overwhelmed by it, now is a great time to step back and recognize how fortunate you are. Can you imagine trying to produce those documents and spreadsheets with a typewriter and a calculator or writing and snail mailing all those emails? Talk about overwhelming! It would be downright impossible.
As for me, a cabinet full of equipment and a telephone call to a techspert awaits.