Technology, whether you like it or not, is here to stay. Unfortunately, technology can be tough. It takes time and effort to understand. It can get expensive. We can spend as much time investing into technology as we actually save from using it. And without intentionality, the endless pursuit of the latest and greatest gadgets can be a fruitless endeavor.
On the other hand, technology offers countless benefits: the ability to stay connected, the ability to communicate to a far broader audience, the ability to solve complex problems, the ability to save time, and the ability to clear some physical clutter from our lives.
For those of us who hate physical clutter, consider these 15 ways that technology can help clear clutter from our homes:
1. Photos.
While many of us enjoy our physical photographs arranged in photo albums and scrapbooks, few people have good systems for storing physical photos. Luckily, a simple software program such as Iphoto or Adobe Photoshop Elements not only store your photos digitally where they can never lose quality, but offer a wide range of options for sorting them. Without the right equipment, the process of converting physical photos to digital files can be time-consuming. But, for a fee, services such as ScanDigital will do it for you.
2. CDs.
Even the smallest of MP3 players (8GB) store approximately 1,500 songs in their memory, somewhere around 150 CDs – that’s a lot of shelf space that can be replaced by one device that fits easily in your pocket. And MP3 players can easily be played on any audio system that allows for an auxiliary input.
3. DVDs.
Less and less homes these days are showcasing DVDs. For starters, Blu-Ray players have replaced DVD players in both quality and functionality. But more importantly, companies such as Netflix stream such a large assortment of movies and television shows on demand that keeping all those DVDs on the shelf is no longer necessary. And what about all those movies that you’ve already purchased on DVD? DVD-Burning software (such as Handbrake) quickly eliminates any reason to keep the physical DVDs cluttering up your living room.
4. Contacts / Address Books.
The contact information of business associates, extended family, and old friends used to fill address books, rolodexes, and the margins of phone books. But this is no longer the case. Every computer today provides opportunity to digitally store the information of even your most-obscure acquaintance.
5. Yellow Pages / White Pages.
Depending on the community you live in, those Yellow Pages may be taking up far more space than you prefer. But yellowpages.com contains all the same information… providing an invaluable opportunity to clear up some space in your junk drawer.
6. Maps.
Maps come in a variety of forms: atlas, fold-up, handwritten directions. Today, GPS devices come standard on almost all smart-phones (Iphone, Blackberry, etc.) and even some vehicles. For those of you who don’t use a Smartphone, a simple GPS device can still replace all those maps taking up space in your glove compartment.
7. Cookbooks.
Cookbooks may be among the hardest hit by the recent explosion of free websites and ebooks. The number of photographs in physical cookbooks is severely limited by price, size, and opportunity. But online, recipes are not limited by the same restrictions. As a result, not only can countless photographs be used to guide the rookie chef through the cooking process, but limitless videos can also be used to answer any questions. An entire shelf of cookbooks in your kitchen can quickly be replaced by a few keystrokes on your computer.
8. Books.
Ebook readers (Kindle/Nook) have exploded in popularity and digital books now outsell physical books on Amazon. While reading books on a screen may never replace the actual experience of flipping pages in your world, it certainly provides a golden opportunity to lower your monthly book budget and conserve space on your bookshelf for only the books you desperately need to keep.
9. Newspapers/Magazines.
EBook readers offer newspaper and magazine subscriptions (Kindle subscriptions/iPad subscriptions) to some of the most popular industry journals. This means, of course, fewer periodicals cluttering up your home or office… and more trees standing in the forest.
10. Sticky-Notes.
Ever wish someone would create a product that could replace all those sticky-notes and scratch pieces of paper laying around your home and office? So did the creators of Evernote. And while it may take a bit of effort to figure out how to use, it’s certainly not more effort that sorting through a stack of yellow-sticky notes every time you need to find a note.
11. Cameras (Still/Video).
With the ever-increasing quality of cell-phone cameras, the need to carry a simple point-and-shoot camera is far less important today than it was even 1-2 years ago. Skilled photographers will still use their advanced equipment to capture photos far better than cell phone photographers. But for those of us who just want to be able to capture life’s unpredictable moments in the blink-of-an-eye, the camera lens on most cell phones does the trick.
12. Cable TV.
There are new products entering the marketplace nearly every month that make cutting the cable in your home that much easier. Products such as Netflix, Apple TV, and Google TV are offering more and more television programs than ever before. And while dropping Cable TV from your home may not clear much physical clutter, the savings of $50-60+/month will certainly clear up some space in your checkbook.
13. Landline Phone.
With more and more people choosing to rely exclusively on cell phones, only 49% of American households use a landline phone (that is down from 97% in 2001). People all over the world are making the switch from landline to cell-phone coverage only. After all, why send money to two different phone companies when you can only talk on one at a time?
14. Computer Data Storage.
Computer workstations and office drawers used to be home to floppy disks… 3.5in disks… CDs… and external hard drives – all for the purpose of storing more and more data. But now, office drawers are beginning to empty again as more and more people choose to store their data in the cloud using free services such as Dropbox. Not only does Dropbox keep data safe from fire and flood, it stores it in a place accessible from anywhere.
15. Calendars.
Oh sure, nothing may ever fully replace the family calendar posted on the inside of your pantry closet door, but the Calendar functions and the syncing abilities across platforms (desktop computers, cell phones, and online) of computer devices sure helps the digital storage of your appointments give that old calendar a good run for its money.
Now I know full-well that the use of technology is a personal decision. Some people will never replace their physical books, magazine subscriptions, or favorite cookbooks. People lived their lives free from clutter for thousands of years without the technology available to us today.
But with the recent advancements in both the functionality and intuitiveness of technology there are very real opportunities available to us to clear physical clutter by using it. And if that’s the case, I’m in!
Chuck says
Don’t forget that a smartphone will also replace your alarm clock, digital camera, mp3 player, camcorder, scanner (for simple things), voice recorder… they are currently replacing debit and credit cards as well!! +1 to technology bringing simplicity!
L.K. says
Clearing clutter is great to an extent. Digital technology is good to an extent. The problem I am starting to have with the current program is that we are losing touch with slowing down and focusing on one thing, such as reading a book or looking at the artwork on a record album…remember those? This digital age we live in is starting to give us all attention deficit disorder as well as overwhelm our days with clutter of a different variety….information overload….faster…easier…too many choices…too much input.
Back in the day, kids would grab records and go over to other friends houses and dance to the music and SHARE communal experiences. Now, we have made it too easy to spend all day NOT talking physically with others…we have phones but don’t use them to talk..we text. We sit in rooms and don’t get as much sunlight or exercise as a country as we used to. OR, you can see kids all day long walking around outside with their heads..not in the clouds, but hung down looking at their “gadgets”.
The reason I use records as an example, is that many people are starting to rebel against the DO ALL BE ALL Mentality and get back to porch swings, bicycles, camping and …..records. Our whole country has been pushed down the path of upgrade..Upgrade…UPGRADE!!! to the point that we are tired of chasing the carrot.
We are resold over and over the same media in different forms “to infinity and beyond!”
Clutter, yes get rid of it, but keep a few “A Game” Choices and ditch the rest. My slogan is:
“Keep the best, Sell the rest”. “Don’t upgrade, EVADE!! (advertising, commercials..sales pitches etc…) Enough is enough. Maybe, just maybe we should pull the plug on our overload consumption, before someone else does it for us. How about a new trend slogan :
When you grow tired of the Internet (fake friends, generic tweeting, information overlaod), TRY the OUTER-NET ; ) Good Luck to us all.
Karen T. says
Amen, brother!
everlearning says
While I am doing my best to minimize clutter, I have found on this journey that not all things are clutter (not implying that Joshua Becker has ever called all things clutter). But from my point of view, there are many things worth having that are actually life-giving. One of the things I think we miss as a society is the tactile experience. For me, no technology can replace holding and reading a newspaper or holding and reading a book or holding a framed (or unframed) photo in my hands. Newspapers and books also a lovely aroma – if you’re intuitive enough to notice. Turning pages makes a beautiful sound, if you’re willing to listen. I love it when I see my family sitting in the living room, each with a book or newspaper or a National Geographic magazine in hand. I have a lot of difficulty watching a group of people sitting together looking down at their gadgets.
I couldn’t agree more with L.K.’s observation that we’re all getting ADD with this constant overload of clutter in a different variety. We are not simplifying our lives this way. On the contrary, we are moving at a faster and faster pace because of the overload and immediacy of information. Long ago, we were told that the ‘new’ appliances such as dishwashers, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, microwaves, etc., would give us more leisure time. While I do not want to go back to hand-washing my clothes, it has been proven that these things have not given us more leisure time, but in fact have caused our lives to speed up because we have more “free” time. I still hang my clothes to dry in the summer because it’s a peaceful and soothing action for me. It slows me down, takes me out of the rat race, and gives me time to think in my quiet back yard. All I’m saying is that there is a balance. But technology, from my point of view, has gotten out of hand. I will not use Facebook or Twitter or any of those methods of “communicating”. The people who are important in my life get my time face-to-face, or if they are too far away, they get my voice on the phone or my hand-written letter because our hand writing is like a finger print. I recognize a person’s unique writing just as I recognize their face or their voice. I receive the same gift from my friends and family. Yes, e-mail has it’s uses and conveniences, and I do use that on occasion, but I think we all know that e-mail can be misused as well. I also use my cell phone for emergencies only. I do not keep it on. I don’t even always carry it with me. I don’t want to be accessible 24/7 or even 12/7. I see people in the stores, in waiting rooms, walking in the beautiful outdoors, in their cars, etc., talking on their phones, texting, or playing games on their smart phones, or playing music from their iPods into their ears. When do they get peace and quiet and time to just be? It seems we’re so afraid to be still, to be quiet, to not be connected at all times.
As for smartphones replacing alarm clocks, cameras, debit and credit cards, etc., once again we are becoming a society frighteningly and increasingly attached to those smartphones, all because they have the capability and so many think if it’s available they must have it/use it. It has our calendars, our notes, our to-do lists, our contacts, it’s how we play games now and listen to music and watch movies….. I see so many completely unable or unwilling to let go of this attachment.
As for landlines – I will tell you from experience that parents have, to a large extent, become disconnected with their kids, a large part of their lives, and their friends. Friends don’t call the house phone (landline) anymore, so we don’t get to talk to our kids’ friends. Their conversations take place via technology. Kids don’t come to the door anymore and enter the home and actually talk with the parents of friends. They call from the driveway or from 3 blocks away and the kids go out to meet them. My husband and I encouraged our kids to use the landline and to have their friends come in the house for a few minutes before going out. Sometimes we would go out to the car and greet our kids’ friends. We encouraged them to ask their friends to call the house phone. We often had nice conversations with their friends and become close with many of them. We knew who they were! They actually loved it and many of them often started coming into the house just to chat for a few minutes. Our kids ended up liking it too and started getting to know the parents of their friends in the same way.
I could go on because there’s more in today’s post that I disagree with (what technology can replace my mother’s or my grandmother’s or my own notes next to a recipe in a book???). Mr. Becker, I truly enjoy your website and it has changed my life for the better in many, many ways. But with all due respect, I think today’s post had many flaws and does not represent minimalism. BUT, to each his or her own. Have a great day, everyone!
The Maui Taoist says
less is more….??? this comment was so long I didn’t even read it… sorry
selina says
It was worth the read. I got some good ideas from it and very much appreciated what “everlearning” had to say. :)
Dominique Boisvert says
With all due respect to Joshua and everyone, I also have much more questions than agreements with today’s post.
As a co-foudner of the Quebec Network for Voluntary Simplicity (created in 2000 to promote simple living –another name for “minimalism”– in Quebec and the francophone world), I have written and spoken extensively on those themes for the past 13 years.
And nonetheless, without wanting to “go back” to any kind of illusionary “golden times”, I am more and more drawn to question modern technology and especially “digital/computer/electronic technology”. I agree with Joshua that “technology is here to stay”. Nonetheless, I am more and more inclined to think that its actual (and not theoritical) global consequences tend to be more negative than positive for our societies and culture.
Let’s suppose, for a moment, that my assertion is correct (it would take pages and volumes to demonstrate what I have just concluded: and this blog is not the place to do so): then, what should be my (our) attitude, given the fact that we cannot de-invent technology (we can’t put the “magic” back into the bottle!) but that technology brings us more (new) problems than solutions?
I am personally struggling with those questions daily : as a writer and social activist, probably around 80% of my “contacts”/work/militancy go through my computer; but this computer/email work never stops bringing me more input/feedback/requests/contacts which burden me more and more with possibilities, opportunities, duties and responsabilities!
I agree with L.K., Karen T and everlearning: technology has (great) advantages –as EVERYTHING may have positive aspects; but technology also has numerous and important downsides that are not only consequences of our “bad use of technology” (sorts of “collateral damages”) but that are INHERENT PARTS OF THE TECHNOLOGY ITSELF.
Because technology is aimed at facilitating our tasks and/or lives (which is positive) and to keep on doing so ALWAYS MORE (which starts to be less positive). And digital/electronic/computer technology is aimed at allowing us to access ALWAYS MORE things, with MORE speed and MORE easiness, at LESS cost –in terms of both money and effort– and LESS material space: and this is essentially a road to OVERBURDENING ourselves rather than decluttering, minimalism or simplicity.
L.K. says
Wow! There are more of us out there and that is a good sign. Now let me get this straight for the record, I am not here to bash Joshua or his site. He has tons of great and useful tips to make our lives simpler and I check back to get inspired. My points raised were to put into words a feeling that has come over me in the last few years. We fill up empty lives with stuff or activities that mean very little to us at the end of the day. More and more I see the next generation becoming enslaved to what “bright minds” are selling us on. Today I had the day off and took a drive to my local used book store, where we talked about the idea of something being lost in this society we are now living in. One guy piped up about seeng a kid texting while crossing the street and being hit by a car, while still another told of entire legions of students outside oblivious to the sun and their surroundings. I look at it from a looking ahead point of view and one movie comes to mind.
It’s called “Surrogates”. In the movie no one ever leaves their homes and instead, stay in bed, while they control a surrogate with a mind device and the surrogate lives in the real world. That movie completed the thought of where we could one day be…completely disconnected from our true selves, each other, and nature. Here’s a link to the preview:
http://youtu.be/UGwQ74cH5O0
I believe the key is the same as it’s ever been….moderation. If you spend 1 hour online, then make sure the next one is having fun with someone around you or having a meaningful conversation…offline. We don’t have to live in caves, just make sure that the things you own, don’t own you. That and dn’t buy into the “latest and greatest” gadget that’s sure to “complete” you. Time to go bake some cookies!
Melissa says
Yes! I so agree with you on the tactile appeal of books, photos, etc. People look at me like I’m nuts when I express my feelings on the whole screens-are-taking-over thing. It’s nice to know that others out there share my feelings!
Karen F. says
Well said L.K.!
maureen says
Excellent. So, so true. When I was little music was on 8 tracks and vinyl then in my teen years cassette tapes and the boom box, then the everyone must have a walkman phase then cds then the mp3 players then it was put all your music on your ipod then your computer then we replace it all over again on something new. We are caught in a consumer trap that will never end. I could have put my kids through college if I wasn’t caught in the must have new technology crap trap for so long. My important photos are printed out and in a photo album, I don’t have to transfer them to new technology EVER and I can go to the book shelf and look at them without any machines- even when the power is out.
Larry Underwood says
Well said!
Tom says
I totally agree with the digitisation ideas.
I bit the bullet a while back and digitised over 5,000 slides that I had been dragging around with me for the past 15 years. That was 7 moving boxes of clutter. I used a Canon scanner that could do 12 slides at a time and scanned while doing other work. It took nearly 6 weeks but it’s all done now. The slides went straight into the bin. In reality I now actually look at the photos from time to time while they previously just sat in boxes catching mould.
With book I take an even more radical approach. I pack them into boxes once a hasn’t been touch for 3 months. After 6 months I open the box and scan the book I think I really really want. The rest goes to charity or into recycling. Turns out charity is drowning in old book no one wants.
Did the same with DVDs and CDs. All digitised and packed away in boxes. Just trying to find a space effective storage solution at the moment. I actually found little CD boxes at Office works that look stylish and hold about 100 sleeved discs.
In addition our family has instated a rule that we no longer buy any physical media unless it’s a large format cook book.
Brown Vagabonder says
Books are my arch nemesis. I have hundreds of them in my parents’ house and now in my little apartment. I just seem to collect them without really thinking about them. I get them for a dollar or two at random book swaps and used book stores. But the Kindle has helped me get rid of that habit, mostly. I now purchase books on the Kindle and try to keep the clutter of hardcover books from my already too messy apartment.
Freedom | Rethinking the Dream says
Many good tips here. We’ve implemented 6 of the 15. Of the remaining, some we chose to stick with the more cluttery method in order to improve the usability.
We got rid of many of our cookbooks, but we do keep printouts of our favorites in a folder.
Calendar syncing across platforms and email systems isn’t the greatest. Consider that I use hotmail and a macbook at home, and a windows laptop at work, while my wife uses yahoo mail and an ipad. On top of that, my wife sets reminders for her events, and I’m not sure I’d be able to opt out of those reminders on my devices. It would take a bit of effort to get us all on a single calendar that syncs across all devices. Until we dive into making that happen, we keep a physical calendar in the kitchen that we can all reference.
Our favorite tech moves from this list that we have implemented are cutting cable TV, dropping the land line phone, and getting rid of those unruly maps in favor of google maps, gps, or phone base maps.
Morghan says
Aside from computer data storage and maps I agree with you.
The cloud is all well and good, but an unreliable connection makes that data worse than useless, plus if there’s ever an issue a warrant is needed to access local data, many cloud services just hand it over.
GPS units are unreliable, mountains, canyons, trees, even occasionally the weather can throw off your fix fairly well or even deny it altogether. That’s not taking in to account the errors Google has had, or Apple Maps driving people in to the Australian Outback.
Colby says
I’m glad that I’m not the only one that’s holding out before giving in to technology. I keep hearing all this about the cloud, and all, but frankly, I’m sick of it. I still collect VHS tapes, and never plan to stop. I mean look at history, first were records, then cassettes made them obsolete…now they’re saying cds are no good, b/c of mp3 players. I say watch, and listen to what you want, and just enjoy what little time we have on this earth. It’ll all come back around, anyway.
Tracy B. says
An addendum to the subject of books: one of my first simplifying epiphanies was realizing that I could ditch most of my reference books in favor of websites. Online dictionaries are here to stay, and many e-readers come with them. No need for a thesaurus, crossword puzzle dictionary, etc. I suppose there’s something of a debate still on about encyclopedias–how much can you trust Wikipedia?–but I let go of that too.
Tracy P. says
16. Scrapbooking! (Or 1a)–biggest aha moment ever when I discovered I could have the digital equivalents of all my favorite scrapbook elements–colors, textures, embellishments, everything. I have moved TONS of supplies on to others still in the paper business, and no longer make any mess doing what I love. No more humongous volumes, though I do have the books printed for our coffee table. They are a fraction of the size, and people look at them! Interestingly, in the process, I have completely ditched the busy pages to showcase the PHOTOS–because that’s the story I’m telling.
Kathy says
I totally agree, Tracy!!! I was so happy to get into the digital version of scrapbooking. My biggest obstacle was what to do with all the supplies when I did paper and also I’d just get everything set up when it was time to clear things off for meal time or to get it out of the kids’ way. Now I’m trying to digitize all those huge albums I made and convert them into the smaller printed/bound photo books. They take up SO much less space and my family actually LOOKS at them. They don’t seem to want to drag out & mess with my huge older albums.
Luzia Light says
This is a great collection of simplifying ideas. Thanks, Joshua.
The only thing I find challenging is to keep recipes on my laptop instead of printing them out. When I cook in the kitchen I need a reference and I’m always worried my laptop gets a good spill on the keyboard. Any ideas for that?
Tiffany says
Luzia, iPad on a cookbook stand, LOVE it for cooking all those great pinterest and fb posted recipes my friends are always sharing! Then, if it’s a good one, save it to my OWN pinterest for a go-to good one! :)
And on DVDs, CDs, etc. we just DITCHED THE CASES AND COVER ART! We file them alphabetically in those CD holders you can buy at any big-box store in the electronics department!
Jess says
@Luzia Light
Try using a tablet on a cook-book stand that has a cover. I spend so much time in the kitchen, the stand I have for all my cook books, but it can be used with a tablet too. I made own with supplies from the hardware store that is something similar to this: http://www.organizeit.com/clear-cover-cookbook-stand.asp . Just a suggestion :D
Benjamin Bloom says
iPads fit inside gallon ziplock bags well and the touchscreen still works. For laptops, I elevate them off the surface of the counter (in case liquid runs along the counter) and you can put Saran Wrap over it to protect the keyboard from grime and wet hands.
Charity N says
I print off a copy of recipes that I am trying, and put them in a binder with each sheet in a page protector. This way, I am creating my own cookbook with recipes that I know have worked (along with notes, extra directions, etc. that I have written directly on them), eliminate all of the other cookbooks that I never use (copying the recipes that I love before I get rid of them. You may be surprised at how few you actually use.), and have them always available in the kitchen. I love my ipad, but agree that a physical copy is more convenient for recipes.
Rob smith says
Great ideas and thanks! As a musician I find myself inundated with sheet music and music books. I scanned them all and now just read off of my ipad. I also started scanning any books I can’t find as e-books, then sell them on eBay. Only about a 1000 more to go! Love the blog, keep up the good work.
hwgang says
Uh, Joshua Becket, Rob smith, can you say “copyright violation”??
You can’t keep a book (or anything else…CD, DVD, etc) digitally AND sell it. Clear those DVDs out of your living room, maybe, but they’d better be somewhere else in storage if you’re enjoying the content.
I’d hope one of the many things to be minimized isn’t ethics.
Tiffany says
For DVDs, CDs, etc. we just DITCHED THE CASES AND COVER ART! We file them alphabetically in those CD holders you can buy at any big-box store in the electronics department!
Karen T. says
We did the same thing, and now store all of our DVDs and CDs in two large padded “binders.” They fit in one drawer of a small chest that we use as an end table. Perfect! Plus the binders have handles, so if we wanted to take movies somewhere it’s as simple as carrying an extra purse.
Christopher Storer says
Before I ditched my CDs and DVDs entirely, my first step was the giant CD binders. I had several hundred, so the space savings moving to those was incredible, and I didn’t lose any usability.
joshua becker says
You are correct.
wróżka metylia says
It depends. In Poland (and it seems at least some other European countries) it is perfectly legal to keep a book or a movie (but not a computer program or game) digitally and sell or give the physical one away; or to make digital copies for your friends, or both. It is also legal to download any already published work (again, not a computer program or game) from the Internet, but not to share with strangers.
Beth says
Rob, how were you able to scan books, there are so many I’d like to get off my shelves, but they are not available to buy for the ereaders. With the binding, how are you successfully scanning??
Everyone worrying about copyright, I believe Rob was saying that after he scans his books, he sells the books on ebay, not the scanned copy.