A recent post gave me this idea for a thread. I'd like to hear how you have used electronics to cut down on clutter or simplify your life. Our phones and computers can do so much, but is it better?
Overall Rating: votes
-
Posted 1 year ago #
-
I have been drowning in paparwork and finally broke down and bought a Scansnap a couple of months ago. I haven't had a chance to do much with it yet, but over the next couple of months it is going to help me get rid of 6-8 totes of paperwork (some will be scanned and some purged).
On a smaller scale, I use my iphone for grocery lists, notes and reminders, so I'm not constantly cluttering up my purse with bits of paper stuck everywhere.
Posted 1 year ago # -
It doesn't really help me, I think in the end it evens out.
For ever problem technology solves for me it creates a new one.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I'm afraid this sums it up pretty well: http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php?f=878
Posted 1 year ago # -
i digitalized a lot of things, e.g pictures, documents, cds. i am in the progress of scanning (after getting rid of a lot of paper first) and i think i have downsized from about 60 ringbinder to 4, from about 500 cds to zero, from 8 picture albums to zero. it's on my laptop now and on 2 extra harddrives for backup reasons. plus: i dont have the cd-player anymore (what for) and i could remove three huge shelves.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Okay, now on a more serious note: I have a masters' degree in maths and I'm working on a second one in CS. That is not exactly simplifying. :) But! Getting those degrees wouldn't be possible if it wasn't for all the information out there on the internet that I can browse from home. This last semester, I went to my data compression class *once* and didn't spend a dime on textbooks - friends sent me notes and slides, I googled and I got a C in the end that I am very happy with.
Then there's online grocery delivery services - these force me to plan my cooking a bit! And the Unclutterer forums. ;) There's e-mailing my busy girlfriends when we want to plan a girls night out. But boy, are there distractions as well...
Posted 1 year ago # -
Technology makes it possible for my husband and I to work from home, which saves us commute time -- three adults get by fine with one car -- and the need for a work wardrobe different from our ordinary clothes. I have visual limitations, but thanks to accessibility software I can keep doing my job, and I can keep reading (my favorite leisure activity).
I have a dishwasher: there are people who find deep satisfaction in hand washing the dishes, and sometimes I do, too. More often, there are days when I have a deadline and just want the counters clean, and my Miele gets a kiss on the door as I start a cycle.
Line drying my clothing is my go-to choice in the summers: when it's 100F/40C and 15% humidity, I can have a load finished in half an hour. But when I injured my back and was out of commission year before last, the tumble dryer was a blessed thing.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Having cleaned the bathroom, I've just thought of another one:
We have an electric toothbrush and Water Pik. Yes, they take up space on the counter, but DH has periodontal disease, and our insurance company won't pay for treatment until his condition becomes bad enough to require surgery (!!!!); as our dentist wants to avoid this if at all possible, he uses them twice a day and only needs to visit the periodontist once a month.
Posted 1 year ago # -
It let's me pay my bills online, to buy things from stores I have no hope of ever visiting, keep in touch with people who won't/don't phone or who live so far from me it's a job just to figure out the time where they are. I love digital photos and the fact I can share them without having to make prints. I'm working on getting my cd's onto digital devices, and then there are the lp's to deal with. It's not perfect, but I also have met lots of people online, some of whom are now "real life" friends as well. Heck, I rented this vacation house online, paid for it online, all without dealing with anyone in person.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I, too, pay most of my bills online. Also, I love to be a part of Unclutterer (thanks, everyone)! And researching information is a breeze...Wikipedia, WebMD, Mayo Clinic, Google...I could go on. Recipes, etc.
But I do still like to have my one magazine subscription, and some (ergh) of my books to hold and read. I seriously doubt that I will convert entirely to electronic.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I love gadgets when they work. My computer has been a blessing, really! Since it's an iMac, everything is integrated and I still almost feel like kissing it each morning when I turn it on. The user interfaces are a treat to look at as well.
My iPod touch is equally integrated and ever since I realized my uni produces calendars for each course, I've chucked the paper version out the window (not really, I still have to figure out what to do with the old calendars). It was a true pain to fill out all necessary details (course, time, place etc.) for every lecture by hand and when something was moved to another spot, consequently the calendar looked like crap; I didn't use pencils because I don't like them. I've set every calendar I'm subscribing to to be updated in iCal at least once an hour, because sometimes informations were changed very late and one Semester my hospital was very far away.
I would never use my mobile phone to keep all information. They break down too soon and it's a hassle to move everything to another one. The iPhone user agreements have been too silly to be acceptable in my opinion and way too expensive as well, but in reality I don't mind having a separate, very basic phone.
My all-in-one scanner might be a slow type of scanner in comparison with the ScanSnap, I hear, but I don't care since I deal with each file I'm producing immediately; name, correct archive folder. I might be old-fashioned in that I don't use tags, but for some reason that extra step would create more clutter for me than the folders. I don't use special software either, but the normal Mac Finder and I've made my own version of GTD (archive, project and tickler) in it, meaning types of files go across the preset folders into a context folder (most pictures are in fact in Documents, not Pictures, as an example).
Bento was the best investment of this year, at least so far :D I have it on the iMac and iPod touch now and am working out what I can put there, how it integrates in the best possible way. Small notes will be gone when I'm done, just like happymonkey has found out.
Ideas are collected in Journler, a freeware that isn't updated anymore, but I find it powerful enough anyway. Almost all ideas on loose papers are being scanned now and slowly 'imported' to Journler.
Bills are - if possible - sent electronically to me now and I save them as pdf too. Netbanking is one of the greatest inventions ever. I just purchased a license for iCompta and will look into getting the iPod app later today.
I have two external harddrives working as Time Machine; one I'm about to take to my parents for storage outside the household, the other one is used daily. A third one collects bigger files since my iMac is a bit older already with not that much storage.
Only this week I've chucked out many ringbinders' worth of paper; old lab notes, research articles to be found online and/or saved as pdf if necessary. Some notes were saved, which I will scan come Summer, others will remain in paper format (can be brought to the bench). I'm also trying to learn how to use EndNote (my Master's Thesis was written maaany years ago lol).
School projects will be scanned, then made into one thin book instead of taking up space worth of one ringbinder. The format now is also not very pleasant as there are papers flapping everywhere, sort of.
I was hesitant to get a digital camera, but now I can't see myself ever going back.
The few magazines that I'd like to subscribe to (most I can read at my local library) would be both cheaper in price (import) and less space-demanding if bought electronically. I'll treat myself to them once the budget isn't as tight, maybe in a few years.
When I'm done with establishing my new paper-less system, there won't be paper clutter anymore. The few documents that are necessary to be kept as originals will be neatly organized then and all electronic files equally nicely archived. Next step is DH's paper war...
I got an early gift from my parents; an eReader, the Cybook Orizon by Bookeen. I love it already and definitely see myself using it a lot over the coming years. Letting go of books I wouldn't recommend to others and wouldn't read again myself feels great.
The only seriously annoying downside to all gadgets are the cables that they come with. Curse. The pros are many more than the cons so I'm still satisfied.
***
Edit: gosh, what a novel.Posted 1 year ago # -
My Kindle is great for being able to read all the journal articles I have to read on the go. My iPod touch is my favourite item of technology: I listen to podcasts, read and send emails, find info on the internet and shop on there, and I'm experimenting with putting project lists on there (using SpringPad). I also use a timer on there to get me started, and to get the kids to do a quick tidy of their rooms. I'm also tracking my time on different uni projects there, as in the past I've found it useful. Plus I have my noise-blocking ambient sound app on there to block out distractions when studying. Oh, and it's very handy for keeping 5 year olds entertained with a drawing app and Jelly Car when they are tired and grumpy and not capable of behaving well in public! I seriously love my ipod, sometimes I even listen to music on it :) I use texting to arrange my social life as it's easier than ringing friends usually. I use Skype sometimes for talking to people overseas.
Ninakk: I just started using EndNote now I have access to it at uni, it's great! I only have a basic understanding of it right now, but it's so handy to have a back-up of all the papers I need and a good way of organising them by project. It's also saved me probably hours of doing bibliographies as you can just copy and paste the lot into a bibliography. Next I need to learn how to do the Cite while you Write thing, but I'm not sure if I can do it at home on my laptop, will have to investigate.Posted 1 year ago # -
Tech has had most impact on decluttering of paper and small gadgets, for me.
I pay my bills and get my bank statements online, I use Evernote to clip pictures and notes that I'm interested in, I no longer have boxes full of photos of dubious quality (thank you digital cameras), and I use my iPhone to record my shopping lists, expenses, jottings and to-dos – and many, many other things.
The phone has also replaced a lot of things (paper and otherwise): it's my music player, calendar, alarm clock, navigation guide, book reader, routine reminder, camera, guitar tuner, restaurant guide, etc. etc.
It's definitely better and easier!
Posted 1 year ago # -
how has technology NOT helped me?
i use my laptop and iphone for just about everything.
travel plans. maps. booking flights/hotels/cars. communicating. buying/organising/listening to music. storing and taking photos. buying and reading books. paying bills and general banking. running my business...ordering raw materials/selling product/researching new ingredients/communicating with customers.the other night we had no electricity or telephone.
but my iphone 3G was running fine.
i lay in bed in pitch darkness, with my iphone hooked up to a petrol generator and i organised my travel plans for next week.
RACQ showed me the roads between here and townsville were cut in a bazillion places.
a local report told me townsville airport had reopened after cyclone yasi that morning.
i decided i couldn't risk getting to my flight at townsville airport by road, as planned, so i found, booked and paid for a virgin blue flight on the relevant morning.
all without getting out of bed!
then i checked the currency exchange rates and saw that there was no point buying some US dollars to take to indonesia for the first time ever!i used my iphone to check the water bowl in the garden was level before refilling it.
i use my iphone for calculations all the time.
it's my calender...note filing system...all the lists.i use skype a lot. i can take photos of documents and send them via email on my iphone...just like a fax.
in london, paris, sydney, tokyo, i use the iphone apps to show me the subway and bus routes.
i've got a thing in the kindle app that gives me excellent guided audio tours around dozens of paris landmarks.
it translates words for me.
i can identify songs that i hear in restaurants and on the radio.i use the iphone all day every day for so many different things, it's crazy.
i love the kindle, though it is actually my husband's.
i got a digital camera and found a wonderful new pastime that didn't cost an arm and a leg to enjoy.
i got an ipod and started enjoying my music collection about a million times more, because it's now so portable and flexible.ten years ago, i was a complete luddite.
in january 2001, i used a friend's computer to google something for the very first time and that was the thin end of the wedge for me.
my friend said, just think, you'll be having coffee in front of your screen, checking your mail and reading the headlines.
and i said NO WAY BUDDY.
LOL, little did i realise.Posted 1 year ago # -
- Receiving electronic copies of most bills (reduces paper clutter and makes bills easier to find)
- Paying all bills online (saves time and effort, and, for me, is more accurate)
- taking digital photographs (saves money and the hassle of getting film developed)
- Using Google calendar (easy to use at work and at home, and simple for my wife and me to find each other's schedule)Posted 1 year ago # -
I get rid of most paper. When I was a student, I often kept some of the notes from high school. Computers were rather expensive compared to the price recently, I shared the computer with my family. However, when I got into college, I could have one as the price lowered. All the notes were posted online, although I still printed out the notes for the lessons, I recycled it right after each semester and my room was not overwhelmed anymore. Usually, I wrote some notes during the lessons. I finally scanned the notebooks into my pc as someday I may use it. I don't save any reference notes as it is pretty easy to find online.
But these days, I have rethinking about the options to digitalize things into pc. In fact, it is really time consuming. I can use the time to do something else. I'm not trying to transfer all the stuff into pc because I don't want to rely so much on the computers. Usually, I transfer "2nd priority" things into computers. I don't save useless things. For "1st priority" things, I usally have hardcopy too, so that I can enjoy without a computer.
Posted 1 year ago #
Reply
You must log in to post. If you do not already have an account, you can register here.
