How to turn down the volume on a digital culture that’s constantly yelling at you

This is the first year that I’ve ever kept a new year’s resolution for longer than a month, because the benefits were instantaneous. The goal? To stop reading anything on my smartphone after waking up in the morning. My success rate is over 90%; on the days I succeed, I have at least 20 more minutes to use as I wish before work, and I begin my day with the thoughts I choose to focus on rather whatever a content feed algorithm churned up.

Our time and attention are so precious, and the volume of things competing for both grows daily.

We need to step away from the echo chamber, but we don’t want to shut ourselves off from reality or ignore unpleasant, though important, truths. So, how can we stay informed without becoming mired? How can we stay connected to each other without becoming disconnected from our surroundings?

Even the media channels and voices that we like most can wear us down in excess. Rivers are great, but floods destroy settlements. Even messages to “be kind to yourself and live your best life” can subtly morph into “why aren’t you an instagrammable Goddess by now?” after scrolling through too many wellness blogs.

Suggesting that we seek “balance” when it comes to internet and social media usage is about as obvious as saying, “here, breathe more oxygen!” I cringe as I write it, but it’s true. That balance will look different for everyone, but here are a few immediate, small actions that should help anyone get started. They’ve helped me create and maintain a healthy distance from the internet’s many voices, and to give more time to the things that truly deserve my attention.

1. Use a real alarm clock and avoid reading on your phone in the morning. For years, I did this to delay the inevitability of getting out of bed and facing the unpleasantness of work or college. My tired, comfort-seeking mind wanted the powerful hit of entertaining feed blips. The fact that by lunchtime, I could rarely remember a thing I’d seen or read, is good evidence that this was doing nothing to improve my life.
2. Turn off all possible notifications and uninstall as many apps as you can. Think of this as a mini KonMari session for your phone. Do you really need to break concentration to swipe away that flight deal you’re not even looking for? Or the Instagram photo of your former colleague-frenemy’s expensive, low-carb lunch? No. You do not. Uninstall. Deactivate. While you’re at it, why not replace your background image with something soothing or inspiring, since you can actually see more of it now?
3. Use GMail filters to eliminate needless marketing. Instead of individually unsubscribing to dozens of newsletters and retailer updates, create GMail filters to either categorize or delete those messages automatically. It’s much faster. Similarly to that frenemy lunch notification, there’s nothing quite like seeing the little envelope icon appear when you’re expecting an important email… only to realize that the novelty party goods shop you ordered from once, five years ago, is having a sale on bulk orders of St. Patrick’s Day themed plasticky doo-dads.
4. Log yourself out of social media sites and apps, especially Facebook. For me, this was a huge first step in batching my social media usage. I aim to check Facebook once a week only. If the temptation strikes to check it sooner, having to log in — with my ludicrously complex, secure password — makes me think twice. Depending on how heavily you use Facebook to communicate with those closest to you, checking once a day might be a more realistic adjustment. Either way, try this step to prevent unplanned hours of mindless scrolling through the blue and white overshare machine. I find that the less frequently I use Facebook, the higher the impact of the posts it shows me.
5. Create a list of “safe” websites and resources to visit in those moments when you just need a break. For me, this includes National Geographic, TED, Duolingo, and the Geoguessr game. These are all pleasant and refreshing distractions that don’t ignite my political outrage or social-media self-consciousness. They’re also enriching without being overly emotionally or intellectually demanding, so they don’t feel like a waste of time.

The most entertaining and important content will make its way to us somehow, whether through friends, family, or company Slack channels. We don’t always have to go looking for it. I hope these tips will help you relcaim time and turn down the volume.