A new story can start on any page. When it comes to a personal life story, everyone wants to make it good, if it’s possible. Probably this is a big reason for writing down resolutions lists. There’s a saying that telling about plans makes Him laugh; we cannot predict many things, it’s true, but we can set a direction.
A start from a new page?
The days of catching yourself losing your focus humming Christmas songs or scrolling Instagram, instead of fully immersing yourself on working through your daily to-do list have ended. So to say, holidays are over and it’s time to get back to work. You’ve opened a laptop after a one (or two) week pause… And here begins the period of thinking of you and your habits — How do you want to work smarter in 2022?
Well first things first, cleaning up and clearing out your digital space. Everything going on in your phone, iPad, or computer can and does influence your inner world. As the saying goes, a tidy desktop is a tidy mind. Imagine an attic full of junk: the view out of the window lost behind a pile of unused boxes. The same can happen with your digital space. With so many apps, notifications and messages, we can become overwhelmed. They can sap our attention and drain the storage of our devices. The more unneeded things you have, the less focused you are.
So let’s clean up our online act together. The only good way to add a bit more fresh air to your digital space is filtering. It’s about getting rid of things you don’t really need. It is not so easy to delete things, especially because we came to love everything inside our digital friends. But if you only could feel the signs of good digital habits, that would become much easier for you not to check your smartphone so often.
Finding a bunch of files scattered across your devices is like stepping on a Lego with bare feet: it hurts, you don’t know what to do but it’s easier to leave the lego all over the floor. Your Downloads folder is brimming with backups that are no longer needed or downloads you’d managed to forget about. And sometimes it's where that crucial plane ticket or all-important PowerPoint lives. Clean. It. Up. File it correctly, upload to your cloud, or simply delete. You’ll feel fresher starting the year knowing where everything is.
Even if there’s a terabyte of free space on your favorite device and you can take dozens of romantic photos of falling snowflakes, it’s still good to know only you have access to these photos and your personal information. There are certain things you have no wish to share about yourself: on iOS, you can easily check which apps have access to what under Settings > Privacy. Do it. Make sure you’re not sharing yourself unwittingly and there are no skeletons falling out of the digital closet and into the ether.
Your environment is the biggest factor in changing who you are. This applies not only to the people you are in contact with, but also to the information you consume, even music. What do you usually see in your feed? Recommendation lists? Next time you see a post that doesn’t evoke the right feelings, click the “Hide post” on Facebook and “It’s not relevant” on Instagram. There are things helping you learn and grow and there is the content that does the opposite. Cut out what (and who) you aren't making you feel good. Choose wisely, and start 2022 with the things and feels that make you feel good.
In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, the little things that take your joy may go completely unnoticed. This is easily reversible if you give yourself a right to relax. Remember: your huge, never-ended to-do list should include blocks for rest-time. It’s a time when you can do the things that take you back to feeling more like yourself. Fifteen minutes to meditate or maybe that drawing class. Or, the ultimate relaxation: Do. Absolutely. Nothing. Add time-off in your Calendars, using our new Routines function, which helps you pre-set those little daily and weekly activities that matter to you. It’s in the small moments where new energy and fresh perspectives come.
Notifications are coming and coming, scrolling posts turned to be a bridging moment between actions. We talk about digital detox or a digital diet but so little progress towards making it happen ever really happens. But it is really necessary to have a couple of digital free days, that will give you a sense of freedom. Starting from walking around at least one hour outside without handphones, books, or other supportive noise on the go. Yes, your reflex will go to the phone, you’ll feel sweaty and panicked, but push through. It’s worth it.
By the way, as a bonus, you’ll get free of compulsive phone pick-ups. Picking up phones while standing in the queue for coffee, scrolling social media pages before the zoom meeting starts, or feeling uneasy when the mobile screen turns dark — these are actions that have become far too normal. Well, pause before picking up the phone and think why? It is a quick language lesson? Or to sort out some finances? Do the things that matter. It’s about purposeful use, not to just passing time. The quickest tip to put it into words, but the most pleasant for you to do — Add all your 2022 special events to your Calendars. Let the good day roll with you this year.
The big idea
So, if you've detoxed your favorite device, and have even managed to say 'Goodbye!' to your irrelevant posts and notifications, then we'd like to congratulate you: you're already halfway there. Because whilst you've been deleting files and decluttering what's not needed, you might have found photos or screenshots with pieces of text that are close to your heart. You may have rediscovered your greatest sources of inspiration. With that in mind, let's do these little things to gain and maintain energy, power, and inspiration in this new chapter.
With love ❤️
Your Readdle team
Vita Vypovska 
