The Weekly Review 06-26

The Weekly Scribble 

"Writing something down should be as simple as having a thought." - Tiago Forte. 

I should have posted two weeks ago but life and work got in the way. So, here’s what has been going on and what changes I have made during the fortnight away. 

Simplifying my app stack

I have phases I go through and most of them are reactive. With the pressures of work and home life getting the best of me, I decided to review what challenges I was facing. As suspected, I had slipped into a trap of looking for the next new shiny toy in terms of an application that would change my life for the better. 

Guess what? I thought I found it. Instead, I wasted many hours configuring, optimising and testing out a plethora of apps I had discovered. Nothing stuck. There was an emptiness and frustration setting in. Too many setbacks, doubts and regrets to name but, in essence, I had fallen for the pseudo-productivity trap.

I should have stuck with what I knew (it would have been cheaper). I went back to the classic and reliable Apple stack within their ecosystem. I am back with Apple Calendar, Reminders, Notes and Email. In fact, this blog post was written in Apple Pages. 

Over the next few weeks (maybe earlier), I will share an image from Apple FreeForm to show how I have my setup configured. There are very little third-party applications in my stack now. The four I am relying on are: Awesome Habits, NordPass, Wipr and SideNotes. 

Digital Declutter

In addition to my app stack ‘awakening’, I spent many, many hours deleting, migrating and archiving digital clutter clogging up my MacBook, iPhone and iPad. All three devices were given the factory reset treatment. Back to square one with no backup restore as an option. I analysed what I really needed and excluded the rest, even if I had spent money on other apps. Similar to my MacBook, I have stuck with Apple’s offerings and the four apps listed above. 

Email accounts have also been a focus. I hadn’t realised I have eight or so different email accounts, which have been acquired over the space of twenty plus years. I’m still in the process of the purge. However, I am getting closer to reducing the number of accounts and re-registering email addresses to my services, so I can delete unused email accounts.

I am under no illusion that the process is going to take a long time. 

Mindful consumption

I am spending fewer hours in front of a screen, going to bed earlier and spending more time to pursue hobbies. On top of that, I am eating less by reducing my portion sizes. I can tell the weight is coming off but I am not any ‘slimmer of the week’. 

There is another aspect to my current frustration - endless scrolling. I am spending fewer hours online. However, I noticed I was accessing Reddit, YouTube and X (formerly Twitter) when I was ‘free’, which was not helping me unwind. I have stopped using Reddit and YouTube. X is gone. I deleted my account. The platform is toxic and knew it but I still went on there.

The Media Shelf

• Digital Minimalism: The Ultimate Guide - Freedom Matters: A worthy read about digital minimalism. My favourite part is “Digital minimalism is not so much about unplugging from all technology, but about plugging into the technology that matters most in your life. And doing so wisely, following a plan set by you.”

The Link Log

• https://www.digitalminimalist.com/ - great blog posts, wallpapers and icon packs.
• The Art of Digital Minimalism: 5 Steps to Detox Your Digital Life by bemorewithless

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As always, thank you so much for reading. The Weekly Review is simply a place to gather thoughts, ideas, links, and recommendations — the kind of things I would have once shared on social media.

Mark