I'm rather a fond of
unofficial and off-beat holidays, and the ISTJ in me doubly
appreciates when unofficial holidays serve highly functional
purposes. Last Tuesday was a perfect example: National Clean Out Your
Computer Day.
In this age of
digital everything, it's all too easy for our computers, phones, and
other devices to become cluttered with old and duplicate photos,
ambiguously named files, defunct links and bookmarks, and other
outdated remnants. Data storage being what it is, these things are
easy to ignore on a day-to-day basis, but the sad truth is that they
tend to cost us time and energy when we can least afford it. As
anyone who's ever ransacked their hard drive for a critical file
needed on short notice knows, clutter gets frustrating fast
when you're in a hurry.
Interestingly,
I was reminded several times in December by unrelated sources that
the difference between businesses/households that thrive, succeed and
function smoothly and those that don't can often be summed up in one
word: systems.
Even
exceptionally simple systems, when well designed and followed
consistently, can radically reshape our lives for the better. It can
take a couple tries to establish and refine systems that work for our
unique needs, and the creation or reformation of habits is usually
involved, but the relative payoff is huge.
I
didn't get my computer (or my Pinterest account) completely cleaned
out last week, and I admit I'm still actively working on establishing
and revising systems for a variety of aspects of my life. I also have
yet to address at all the whole necessity of properly backing up
important files. But I did
appreciate the reminder that this is an area worth focusing on, and
the challenge to pick up my pace in this respect. After all, what
better time to roll up one's sleeves and do a little digital purging
an organizing than when it's cold and inhospitable outside?
What about
you? Could your digital life
and personal/professional systems use some refining this year?
No comments:
Post a Comment