So, I had an idea…
I really wanna do this -- I need to do this -- so if anyone is interested in joining in I can write a bit more about it... rustle up some useful links... and if this week doesn't work, we can do it next week. Either way, I'm going to put some thought into simplifying my digital existence.
What do you think? Is this something you need too?
Totally agree – I need to do this…I feel like having all those “extras” weigh me down! I in!
This is a great idea.
Last week I had a twitter ‘cull’ and got rid of one or two particular people who were making me super angry every time I opened Tweetdeck.
It was so cathartic. I actually feel happier now their incessant drivel isn’t clogging my feed!
I think I might go through my G-reader feed and give that a bit of a spring clean too!
Yes, yes, yes! Especially those blogs that make me feel “less than.” Thank you for this message today it’s a perfect way to begin the month!
Great plan! I agree! I have a certain Facebook person that gets under my skin and there really is no reason to keep them on there.
Sounds scary but necessary. Gulp! I need to de-clutter here as much as IRL. Will be waiting to see what you come up with. Thanks for the reminder to simplify.
I love this idea. I am going to try and take it a step further on the blogs that really, really frustrate me. With the help of my IT friend at work, I’m going to actually “block” certain blogs so I won’t be able to access them, even if I type in their address. I don’t need to read them and feel sad, frustrated or angry.
I go through my google reader every few months and de-tox it. I also do it with facebook. And on twitter, I don’t really allow that many people to follow me and I don’t try to follow unnecessary “drama” filled people.
I’ve also just cut out certain groups that took on a clique’ish feel.
oh wow, honey – you go that extra mile, i love it! :-D
great post, I’d definitely join the digital detox… :)
Love it. Love your honesty. I need to do the same… I’m having a hard time balancing my time on the internet now that I have a blog and write professionally for another one as well… Sometimes I really wish there was NO facebook or twitter since I know I’m “supposed” to use them for marketing… sigh… thanks for posting this- I’ll be following along to see how it goes for you!
Yes, no more stuff that makes us shitty. Simple, clean, clear, nice is a-okay.
I think this is a fabulous idea! Too often I am scrolling through the massive amount of bookmarks wondering why the heck I even have half of them, although I haven’t taken the time to whittle down the list. Same with my Google Reader, I’m almost scared to even go in there because it’s too overwhelming! Don’t even get me started on my images!!! Oh boy, my external hard drive could definitely use a good dump :D
Needless to say, I’m in!
~WW
Fantastic idea. I’m spending too much time slogging through blogs that just aren’t ‘me’. I can’t see the forest for the trees.
Very interesting idea. What struck me was your honesty which left me with the feeling of “thank goodness I’m not the only one”. Mainly in regards to reading blogs/facebook pages that leave me feeling “yucky”. Not their fault per se. It’s my own perception of their take on “life/opinions” etc.. Plus, I also often put my feelings down to my own lack of “self worth”. But actually no.
A digital detox is a very good idea. I’ve been in the space but didn’t really label it. I’m about to upgrade our computers (both hubby and I work from home) and we going “Apple”. As such, I’d started to clean up my pc, my fave links, emails etc… in preparation for the “switch over”. So it makes sense to me to do a proper digital detox and start stripping out links, “friends” from fb etc… etc..
Thanks so much for sharing. It makes sense and a good way to go. And now is as good a time as any ;)
I’m in…way in. I probably go through and do this once a quarter and it’s definitely time again.
I’m not on Twitter or Facebook, but I do need to whittle down my feed reader again. Also, my Firefox bookmarks need some editing; I have links there that don’t even go to active pages anymore!
Another area I need to take a serious look at is my Delicious account. To be honest, I bookmark stuff there out of insecurity (it just makes me feel secure knowing I’ve saved it “somewhere”) and rarely if ever go back to those. And I’ve also found better ways to keep track of some of the categories (tags) that I used most frequently, like recipes and photos. Nothing is a bigger buzz kill than having to click through a bunch of links to enjoy photos that I’ve found inspiring–the inspiration goes right down the drain.
I know you recently started using Pinterest; well, I’ve been using Evernote in a similar way for a couple of years. So much more uplifting to browse through those thumbnails!
Thanks for lighting a fire under us to declutter!
yeah, i tried Evernote, but just couldn’t get comfy with it… Pinterest is working better for me :)
I know how you feel, Susannah. It becomes “quality vs. quantity” and you want to only keep those things that matter to you. If thoughts of certain people, blogs, etc. keep coming up with negative undertones, get rid of them, honey! I have this great book of “daily wisdom,” and today’s piece of wisdom strangely fits: “Today my mind is a temple, and I only allow the highest thoughts to dwell in it.” I suppose this can also work for our digital temple!
YES! my digital temple – i love that!
Amen, sistah! My mantra for the past few months has been, “Make room”…I say this as a single 41-year-old! This is in hopes to allow for other good things to enter my life, in any form the Universe see’s fit…but if he’s 6ft. that’s a good start! :) A digital purge is a fabulous place to start…it gives our overworked brains a break and can lead to the closets! :)
Guess I was a little ahead of the game as I did this last week. I go through my Google Reader about quarterly and get rid of any blogs that no longer make the cut. I look for blogs that inspire me, make me laugh, have writers that I connect with on a personal level. If I don’t make that connection, I unsubscribe. And I avoid the negative bloggers like the plague!
Yes please! I’ve been feeling like cancelling my facebook account, due to just not feeling great about the things I see there. I also find myself not being able to keep up with my blog reader. There are too many in there and I end up using the “mark all read” to get rid of the feeling of obligation. So the long answer is YES, please help. I look forward already to feeling clearer, cleaner and freer!
This is a fantastic idea. I’m in!
Count me in. I’ve been meaning to do this for a long while.
I cleared out my reader a few weeks ago. Now I only have people I love and look forward to reading their blog, plus some photographers I adore the pictures of and three food blogs. It means that now I cannot check for a few days and am not bogged down by hundreds and hundreds of new posts. It’s fabulous.
Hello! I didn’t quite catch all of that as I live in the middle of nowhere in France and the internet connection is pants. But, I wanted to comment and say that I’m relatively new to blogging. My blog is something that helps me focus and remember things the little ones do. I definately agree – fb got out of control and ended up depressing me, so I stay away and choose very carefully! I’m trying to choose those blogs which are inspirational (i.e. yours)I thought it was just me that felt like this!
Sounds a great idea Susannah!! I have just been trying to update my Project 365 and delete some reject photos. My email inbox is bursting and I badly need a detox in all digital areas.
Thanks for the invitation and count me in!!!
I did a digital detox before the summer, and changed my blog address, deleted addresses of blogs I didn’t like, and stopped going on them (and even stop answering the comments of people who I had found annoying in my previous blog)
It felt great!
I think I am going to take it further and delete the links and clear my bookmarks too: thanks for the idea!
I clear out my readers once in a while, and also deactivated my facebook account a while ago. It’s a great social network website, but reading everyone’s news feeds and postings really stressed me out for some reason, and I feel so much better without all that “crap”. Plus, it wasn’t like I was really good friends with everyone on my friends list anyway, and if I need to contact my friends, there’s emails and phone numbers. I think I’m ready for another round of digital clean up, count me in!
Good luck for your digital detox. I need to tidy up or clean my digital stuff now and then, just like I do with physical stuff. It goes so quick to collect digital clutter since I only need to click: book mark, I like it or the “Wanna be my friend?”-button and so on.
You are such a brave and inspirational woman..wow!!! You really made me think – I need to do this too!!! Thank you so much for sharing!!
I have never talked back at your image until today. We are completely 100% on the same thoughts.
You asked, “Should I make a badge?”
I yelled at the screen: “YES! Susannah PLEASE!”
Badge! Badge! Badge!
Love Ya! :) Jules
I’m in…and I can’t wait! Way too much clutter over here. And we can all make room for new, inspiring things coming to us in the New Year! Yes, it’s that time again, already…cannot believe it’s just around the corner. thanks for sharing – this will be fun!
I’m sooooo in!!! Thanks so much for sharing this, Susannah. Your words rang so true for me. I really need to cut out the sites that make me feel shitty.
So funny. I’ve been in the same frame of mind. I’ve spent a few nights this week going through and deleting old emails. Then I needed to change my feed reader because I used Bloglines (and its going away.) It was a great time to start purging. I subscribed to about a billion photographer blogs. When I look at many of them, they make me feel worse about my own work. Finally, I thought…”This is stupid. I don’t need to worry about their work. I just need to focus on my own.”
It’s excellent the getting rid of all the crap that gets your way. Go Susannah!
Yes, yes, Yes! I am so in need of this. My Google Reader is overflowing, I bookmark anything and everything ‘just in case’ and I have ‘friends’ on facebook that I visit just to make myself feel simultaneously smug and insecure. It’s time for it all to go.
i did this about 6 weeks ago – cut blogs, friends on FB and my twitter list. life is way too short to spend time on toxic or dowers.
ps – i also did this with magazines – i have quit taking cosmo, glamour and the like that make me feel imperfect when i’m not a size 2 chick that goes out partying every night. and i am also canceling marie claire when it’s blogger put out a ugly blog about her dislike of overweight people. it’s time to make a stand against things that make us feel bad.
great idea & i love your honesty susannah.
Oh, I need this badly.. not only to get rid of the icky stuff but the stuff that has served it’s purpose and I’ve gone past now but it is still hanging about my reader and such.
My computer crashed spectacularly not long ago, wiping out all those bookmarks and such – what a liberating feeling! I am weeding through my Google Reader to do the same and love your doing this (the idea + sharing the idea). I never signed up for FB or Twitter, thankfully, so won’t have to deal with that! :)
You hit the nail on the head for me when you mentioned blogs that make you feel anxious or less than…Ugh, that is where I am at. I feel a bit guilty deleting them from my files, which I think shows how sucked in I’ve become.
I’m with you.
I have much to let go of in various places online, and I’m using November to do it. My free time is so precious. I want to use it reading at things that inspire and resonate.
Thanks for the kick in the pants I needed to get going on a project that is long over due.
I’m in! I’m in!
I am in! I just went through my google reader again, and will give it another run through.. I am on the journey of shedding these days, so this gives me just the extra push I need at times! I deleted ones that annoy me, but I also deleted ones that are not frustrating just don’t do it for me anymore.. Same with apps… Thanks for the push!
I agree wholeheartedly! I recently quit facebook and have never felt so free!! I also every few months or so go through bookmarks and google reader subscriptions to simplify what I am no longer interested in.
Great idea that is good for the soul! :)
great idea – i’m in. i always seem to stick with challenges/courses that you create susannah :) thanks for getting this started!
Susannah your video always bring a huge smile to my face. I love the idea of a digital detox. Parsing out all the unneeded things that don’t truely support the person I want to be. Letting go of that which makes me feel less than or incapable because I am not those things. I second the motion whole heartedly!
I’m with ya, sister!
I just recently started on my email. I find myself overpowered by the little emails sitting in my inbox blinking at me because I’ve starred them ( I star them if I need to reply). They build up and I feel pressure each time I go to my inbox. So stupid!
You know awhile back, I was reading certain blogs and constantly looking at photos on someones site. And at this time, I was always depressed, always wanting more with my life, always wishing my relationship could be like theirs or thinking that my life wasn’t as exciting as theirs.
And then I stopped reading them because instead of doing something with my life, I was constantly dwelling on someone else’s, even when I wasn’t on the internet.
I stopped moping, stopped wishing for something else, stopped thinking that my life wasn’t as exciting or as great. And it was then that I started my blog and stopped reading theirs and began to realise that my life was how I made it, what I made of it.
My blog and facebook detoxes did and still do me a world of good. I hope yours works out for you.
?
Susannah, you are SO ADORABLE! I am always excited when I see that you’ve done a video post because I think I could listen to and watch you talk about anything in the world for a really long time. :)
Your digital detox idea is brilliant. This week isn’t good for me, but I will definitely be culling through my Google Reader very soon. Also, I know that feeling you’re talking about, and I feel it most strongly on Twitter with just a couple people I started following and then regretted. Over the last month or so, I’ve given myself permission to unfollow … but each time, it feels like a huge risk for some reason. I wonder what that is about.
Anyway, this is giving me a little extra courage to keep doing more of that for the people I still haven’t unfollowed but don’t need in my Twitter feed right now. Thank you!
And PS: Good luck with the chapter that needs writing right now! I know your book will be brilliant because you are beautiful and amazing and we all love what you have to say and to share. xoxo
aw, bless your heart, honey – thank you :) xo
I say go for it! I’m a huge fan of clearing out the junk ~ mental and physical. As I’ve delved back into the online world I’ve been very cautious with how my time gets sucked up… and it’s quite revolutionary when you take your power back and quit reading someone who just triggers bad juju! I’m still holding back on signing up for facebook or twitter!
I don’t really follow many blogs (compared to some), but even so I find myself wondering why I follow as many as I do?!? When I think about it, there are few that I really love and enjoy (you know your’s is the top of my list :).
I know I *should* use FB and Twitter to get myself ‘out there’, but I struggle getting into the swing of it.
I find myself wanting to start fresh all over (as the real me, not hiding behind what I should be), so your post today is a blessing and a sign.
Thank you dear Susannah – you do totally rock!
x
Yes! I’ve been thinking about this for a week or so, and just hearing you talk about it tonight made me feel lighter. All in.
Susannah, I love that you posted this today. Last week, I blocked a very old friend on facebook because as the years have passed, we have grown farther and farther apart. And I found that visiting his page enraged me and all of our interactions became antagonistic. Last week, I let it go. And it felt really relieving. I am in total support of this plan and could definitely go through my bookmarks because that list is simply outta control! Thank you, as always, for sharing so freely and honestly.
this echoes to me. I am not a fanatic of social medias and I do not spend much time on facebook or twitter. However I spend a lot of time reading blogs. I just wrote a post responding to yours at : http://karineardault.typepad.com/karine_ardault/2010/11/blog-reading-stress.html
It is called blog reading stress
When I first read this I didn’t think it was for me, partly because I’m quite new to social media but also if I’m honest, because as a new blogger it fed directly into my ‘oh no, no-one-wants-to-read-this-I-should-just-delete-it-all blah blah gremlins. (Not a criticism of you, I realise it’s totally my own ‘stuff’ to deal with! ;-) )
Aaanyway, I think even though I am new to all of this I could still do with a digital detox. I don’t use Google reader but I do use a lot of bookmarks in my browser, and thought I’d organised them well by subject until I ended up with one called “tweet links to read’… And yes, it’s overflowing with unread links! It’s not so much that there is toxic stuff in there (I wouldn’t know, haven’t read it lol!) but the way it makes me feel – like I should be keeping up / everyone else manages it / already knows about this – and I haven’t even discovered the blog or read the article yet, etc etc. And yet I started all of this to help me feel better!
So I am going to spend an hour later deleting a lot of it so I can start afresh. And I’m going to try to only bookmark things that really grab me in some way, and whilst still loving the idea that we can all communicate in this way, stop feeling that I need to know about it all!
Thank you Susannah, for being honest about where you are at, and helping me to clarify some thinking!
i so need to do this, it’s not even funny. count me in.
OMG, I was only thinking the same thing yesterday, Sus! I am so in the need of digitally cleaning out everything I am “spamming” myself…. perhaps you are person to kick my but into gear and clean out this “spam”…
Thanks babe! You Rock!
Love and warmth Toni xo
I do agree with you, I have done a digital detox to my bookmarks not long ago and to the blogs I was following also.
I try not to go back to blogs that wine me up or that make me feel bad about myself, I try to stick to those which I find inspirational to me as a person and to the things I want to improve myself in.
Life is too short to spend it reading stuff that makes us feel less than we really are.
At least this is what I think and how I try to live on.
Hope your digital detox goes well :)
I appreciate you saying what so many of us feel. I absolutely need to do this…especially in my reader. Have an awesome week!
Wow, this post really touched a nerve, because I have been thinking the same thing. Here are some random thoughts I have.
1) I wonder if this is not really about the online world, but your own head. You are writing a book and that requires a lot of concentration, and the internet is a constant distraction that sometimes feels like “you are working” when you are really not.
I face this problem all the time. I have tried all sorts of techniques, from this software macfreedom, http://macfreedom.com/, which prevents you from going online for a set period of time, to shutting off my wifi button and taping it shut. Lately I have been more effective using the Pomodoro Technique, http://www.pomodorotechnique.com/, which uses timers to force you to concentrate.
Then again, this may be my problem than yours.
2) I see the reasoning behind detoxing yourself from sites that stir you up. I have done this myself. But also remember that as an artist, you want to grow, and it would be a shame to just read “safe” blogs or bloggers with whom you always agree. If I were honest, YOUR blog sometimes sets me off. Your sensibilities are much more say, “artsy” than mine and I have a more pessimistic view of the world, so your upbeat attitude can make me want to bop you over the head with a dead fish. But I come here because I am also a believer that what makes you uncomfortable, does so for a reason, and there is probably something about your or your content that touches me, even if it is sometimes in a different way than you hoped. Like they say, love and hate are close neighbors.
3) As for detoxing. Yes, yes, yes. I recently wrote a post about Dunbar’s Law, which says that a person can only adequately deal with 150 people. That means that someone in London and someone on a farm can really only have the same amount of friends. Most of us have 1000 friends online,and if we are nice people we want to interact with all of them. So many of us are writers and photographers, and each of us has a story to tell. But after awhile you just start going insane if you really take it so much material. I think the key is finding the right balance. Finding friends you enjoy, respecting the readers who come to you, and yes…. sometimes reading those you feel uncomfortable with, just to help you get angry and passionate, and maybe see the world in a different light.
i didn’t think my attitude was that upbeat, actually, as i tend to look on the dark side of things.. but i know that my blog brings out the shinier i-can-overcome-this side of me. but i LOVE that you want to bop me over the head with a deal fish. that is awesome.
also – LOVE Mac Freedom.
I’ve been so thinking about doing this too so I’m in! I sometimes think I’m missing out if I don’t keep up with EVERYTHING but the truth is it stops me from taking action on my own stuff cos I feel that I can’t compete with a lot of the stuff I’m reading so what’s the point in starting. That and the constant “noise” from FB and Twitter!
I’m with you susannah. I actually started doing some decluttering on my internet browser lately after I realized that the feng shui rule of throwing away clothes you have not worn in a year, could be adapted to my digital life: sites I have not visited lately can be trashed, I don’t need them obviously! I’ll continue now, knowing I am not alone, and also because I hate this information overload that prevents me from being creative!!!
excellent post susannah! i try to do the same thing every once in a while- especially in my google reader and flickr contacts. even if what i’m seeing isn’t making me angry or sad, it feels so much lighter to have less clutter of stuff i’m no longer interested in. for a while, i was afraid of deleting someone/thing because i worried that i’d forget about them. but i’ve come to realize that the universe will lead me back to their blog/flickr stream/whatever if i’m interested in them again later. and on facebook- i don’t want to unfriend people, but i’ve found that “hiding” people who post inane crap all day long has really made using facebook a much better experience for me- and more of why i joined in the first place- to connect with people i actually care about and am interested in.
How does that sound?
Fabulous dear! I’m going to start right now. Hope everyone finds a new focus with their clear out!
Yes.
I so get where you’re coming from and applaud you for your decision. I’m feeling the same way.
I’m in! I’ve been feeling the same way and this has inspired me to start “decluttering” my internet. Thanks for starting the ball rolling!
oh, yes! i have been thinking about this for a long time. am definitely with you on this one, Susannah.
why shouldn’t we do what makes us happier?
x
Oh my gosh! This is great! Just what i needed right now. I’m going to type a huge blog post up about this.
Love this!! I am so on board:)
love you more.
Hi Susannah. There must be something in the air because I already found myself doing this. I’m quite surprised that this week (before I read your post) I somehow managed to delete so many contacts, links and groups that didn’t help me feel good. I’ve also moved to a new blog which is free. I am less dependent on the internet now for my ‘fix’.
this is absolutely wonderful, susannah! i thought i was just me ~ the ‘wound-up’ feeling i would sometimes get looking at others (and then feeling bad about feeling that way). i so appreciate your honesty here and i do hope to follow you lead a bit to – to clear out. brava & grazie!!! warmly, s
I don’t know you, but wish I did. You rock!
aw, thank you hon! x
Can I share my dirty little secret with you guys? Seth Godin’s blog really pisses me off. I adore his “Brainwashed” manifesto but his blog posts often just make me angry. I have unsubscribed and resubscribed several times because I think I ought to be paying attention to what he says. Susannah, you have highlighted the total insanity of this to me and I’m off to unsubscribe again! And this time I mean it!
LOL! GO FOR IT!
Wow. Wow! *WOW* Just came here by way of Marisa at Creative Thursday and am feeling rather goose-bumpy at the moment.
I have been feeling pretty much what you’re feeling Susannah. And, it would seem there are a lot of us all feeling this burnout all at the same time. I’ll leave the possible reasoning for the synchronicity to the astrologists and just say, THANK YOU!
I don’t know? Did I need permission? Did I need the validation? Maybe I should leave that up to a therapist and/or an astrologist? But, I’m SO happy you put this out there!!!
Thanks for the extra boost! Yay for you! :)
It’s so good to know that I’m not the only one feeling this way! Count me in.