Digital Minimalism: How to Declutter Your Online Life
I sometimes feel like every notification, newsletter, and “recommended for you” tab is screaming for my attention and stealing from my mental capacity in small pieces. Those 8,543 unread emails in Gmail are also giving me anxiety.
In order to steer clear from the stress of online living, I try to channel some digital Marie Kondo vibes to reset. If you’re searching for practical habits, read on. Let’s talk digital minimalism—also no, you don’t need to isolate yourself in Bali for a month to make it work.
1. Audit your apps on mobile
Before I did this, I probably had more than 100 apps on my mobile. Some apps were actually unopened for years to a degree I didn’t even remember what these were about. So, it was about time to be ruthless and delete them all.
If you haven’t opened that photo editing app since 2021 or have three meditation apps you never use, please let them go. Keep only the essentials, kind of like the capsule wardrobe. A clean home screen is oddly calming.
2. Unsubscribe like there’s no tomorrow
The good old inboxes before everything used to be classified according to some mystery... Between social, promotional, and other tabs, emails can be absolutely draining. The solution? Unlike what Youtubers suggest, hit “unsubscribe” and don’t look back.
If you want to level up even more, you can turn off email notifications, daring to miss some sales for the love of simplicity. At least every once in a while, it truly helps.
3. Clean your social media
The infinite scroll of chaos! First off, I unfollowed everything and everyone who didn’t bring me joy or inspiration. As part of my mindset shift, I am really conscious of the content I consume. Too much sadness, too much crime-I just stay away from that.
So, just take a look at your following. If there’s any content causing unwanted emotions, consider unfollowing or at least muting.
Second step is the obvious: setting boundaries and limiting times spent. Even though two hours on Instagram might feel like five minutes, our brains unfortunately know better. So, less is more.
4. Silence the noise
Do we really need a ping every time someone likes our Instagram post or a random app sends us an “exciting update”? I doubt so. We don’t need to be digitally alert and present all the time. If you feel the same way, you can customize your notification settings so only the truly important stuff gets through.
I’ve been functioning so much better since I started using different modes on my phone, for work, time at home, or even sleep.
5. Schedule digital detox days
I recently started picking one day (or sometimes an afternoon if things are tough) each week to unplug completely. No scrolling, no notifications, no endless Reddit drama. Just a walk in the park or reading at a coffee shop in silence. I even leave my mobile at home (hello there Emily in Rome.) It is surprisingly empowering. So, I just recommend that you try it out at least once and see how it feels to be free from your digital identity.
Final words
Digital minimalism is pretty much an effort to reclaim our time, energy, and attention from the endless demands of the online world. I know it is not always easy, but like any habit, we can build this in small steps.
Maybe the notifications stay on, but you delete TikTok or avoid checking your phone after 9 PM. I think it is more about trying and finding just what works for us individually.
Thank you for reading as always and wishing you happy digital detox!
