The Framework for Digital Sanity
In the previous article, I shared my thoughts and insights about the Problem of Two Worlds and the Digital Information that surrounds us.
But what’s next? What to do with all that?
Roads with no Signs
First of all, what actually happened with the start of this Digital Era?
We have created something new, something really massive. Something that can be very helpful and bright, but at the same time, something that can bring mess, darkness, and pure evil, if out of control.
We started it, but I’ve never seen anyone taking a responsibility for where this is all going globally.
We have millions of apps, services, platforms, types of information, and each one living in its little universe, chasing its own goals and dreams, doing things in its own way. They are born, die, merge, split, multiply, duplicate, and so on.
So we, as users, as visitors of this Second World got here with no map or GPS, and just accepted the burden of sorting the navigation out on our own.
But how? Nobody told us.
For some reason, we think that the accessibility of the technology equals simplicity in managing it
But this is a broken logic. It’s actually the other way around. We have endless options, a myriad of directions to go, and ways to operate, but no compass for navigation.
We need a framework
So I thought, for something this massive, there cannot be an easy one-step solution. There cannot be just one action or measure that will magically sort everything out.
Since we are here on our own, face to face with challenges in this anarchic world, we need some standard approach towards all this and — very important! — a certain level of self-discipline to manage through this.
It’s not like 5-days-at-the-gym-every-visit-planned-according-to-the-program discipline, but maybe 2-days-at-the-gym only — that sort of discipline. But for sure no “I’ll skip the gym this week” allowed.
There are certain levels we may look at. Let’s talk about them briefly.
Mental level — change attitude and habits
Psychology is important. This 2nd World, while being so much interesting, should not become an abuser. Its gems and tools should serve you and not vice versa.
Unfortunately, a lot of people are to a different extent failing to do exactly that. In the best case, they are not using digital tools to their full potential. In the worst case, they are becoming slaves and are just losing their life energy on dealing with mess and stress.
We will need to change attitudes, grow certain habits, and a very small portion of discipline.
First and foremost, you need to stop reacting and act compulsively on the incoming everything.
Before you jump into composing the next reply to the email right after it has arrived, give yourself 2 minutes to think. Next time, when you see some useful website or instruction, don’t just bookmark it in the browser or leave the tab open, hoping to find it later in the open browser window. Next time, before your weekend is over, don’t just follow your standard routine of watching a movie and getting to sleep.
The whole purpose of this story is to be super effective living in the Second World while getting our life goals accomplished.
The part in bold is important.
What are the goals we are pursuing? We gotta have some. Because goals have a magical ability to structure things on their own. Without the goal set any movement will be in the wrong direction. On the contrary, if we have one, it will very well filter out everything irrelevant and distill only the content that matters and approaches that bring value to us.
Goals have a magical ability to structure things on their own. Without the goal set any movement will be in the wrong direction.
Remember, the world we’re living in “suddenly” became dual — physical and virtual. And both worlds, whether we want it or not, are connected. The goals we are pursuing will eventually affect all parts of our digital world — from the file and note structure to the way our home screens are configured.
Structure level — get familiar with your 2nd World
Like a stranger in a foreign country, we gotta understand where we’re at exactly. What is it that surround us? What abilities do we have? What are the rules out here? Culture? And most importantly — what goals are we pursuing here?
Need to think ahead. If we understand what types of information we are dealing with most, how we can categorize it, what are the biggest “contributors” and what are those points in time when we need to do something with it, we will be able to come up with very interesting conclusions.
The result of this might be a structure that can be used throughout your toolset — from the file manager to the notes and to-do applications you are using.
So here is where you’ll need to devote some effort to understand your very own structure and apply it throughout your tools.
If we take a very primitive (and most common) example of splitting the content into “Work” and “Personal” structural groups, then the best practice would be to have both “Work” and “Personal” folders reside in Files, Notes, Todos, Bookmarks, and whatever other digital information related tools you might be using. Most probably, there will also be “Work” and “Home” home screens configured on your phones and tablets. Each one with only relevant applications and widgets.
This way we think we are supposed to be drastically shortening our time navigating through our content.
But if we are talking about building a structure that is strong and effective, “work” and “personal” split might not be enough. Moreover, sometimes splitting explicitly between “work” and “personal” may steal potential effectiveness and opportunities for synergy.
There are frameworks out there, great attempts to structure all this, which you can use as starting points. One of them is PARA Methodology (or GAPRA as one of its derivatives). But while it is a very thoughtful method, I feel it still may not fit everyone.
A universal system to organize digital information has to be broad enough to work everywhere, but it also has to be specific to be useful. That’s why if you’re willing to succeed and maximize your effectiveness in this domain, you will have to invent a structure, tailored to your needs. And surely, let it be based on some of the available best practices.
Tools level — sharpen your tools
Tools are probably the biggest part of Our Digital World. Heck, this 2nd World itself is represented by tools, it has been created by Tools and the information is flowing between the Tools, from one to another.
The operating system in your PC or phone — is just a tool, that helps you understand zeros and ones in some meaningful way. The Internet is basically nothing without a Tool that will allow you to see the Internet’s content — I’m talking about Browsers. Events in the Digital World happen in Digital Calendars, and nowhere else.
So how exactly do I configure all this? What sharpening are you talking about?
There is a truly vast variety of tools out there that help to manage digital information in all shapes and forms. Numerous Todo applications, Note-taking applications, Calendars and Planners, Bookmarks Managers and Scrapbooks, Journals and Diaries, and many many many more. That list does not even include built-in information management functionality in such services as YouTube (“Watch Later”) or Instagram (“Bookmarks”).
There are certain principles in managing digital information, that to my understanding dictate application features and abilities you will want to look at.
Key principle #1 — ideally, there should be one single entry point for the incoming information. That’s why the central management tool you will choose has to be:
- Universal across the devices you are using. At least it has to have Desktop and Mobile versions, ideally tightly integrated into the OSs you are using.
- Content-agnostic. It should be equally capable of dealing with various content types.
- Easy to populate with new content. A couple of clicks and you get your stuff in there.
Key principle #2 — the information has to stay relevant
This point is more about us understanding our Goals and being able to distinguish what is important and what is irrelevant, than the tools themselves.
However, a Tool may or may not be helpful in that. Ideally, a Tool should be able to help you identify those connections between your Goals and the Information you’re operating with. Be able to create structures and links between content.
And that is why today’s latest trend is those Obsidians and Roam Researches of the world, which are starting to outplay structure giants like Notion.
Key principle #3 — relevant information has to stay accessible
One of the main principles, that the applications have to comply with. There is zero point in generating knowledge and storing the most important data in the most comprehensive ways if the excavation of this data takes more time than its population.
You gotta be able to find your stuff quickly — and that’s mandatory.
From this standpoint I think Apple products have nailed down #1 and #3. Their tools are easy to use, tightly integrated into the Operating Systems, and their Spotlight functionality, which is equally capable on all of their products and systems, puts any amount of information just one swipe (or one key 🔍) away from you.
And this gives you a couple of unfair advantages. For example, even if the Structure you created is sub-optimal, the ability to quickly find what you need with the help of built-in search, rather than navigation, will outweigh this gap most of the time.
Ok, let’s summarize
- There should be a single entry point for incoming information. Tools have to be able to deal with various types of content.
- Information has to be relevant = 100% aligned with your goals. Tools will help you align and link content.
- The relevant information has to stay accessible. Tools should be able to excavate the content quickly.
As I said, there is a multitude of tools available on every software platform. And their combinations are a nightmare on their own. But if you follow the main principles it will be easier to narrow down the preferable list of your tools. Remember: each one of them requires a separate education process. Their user interfaces are different. Content representation and handling are different. So try to minimize this list as much as possible.
So you got your tools right. Now there is something very essential left to take care of. The workflow and the way you operate with your information daily. This is something that will be covered in the next article.
