Project Simplify

Up: § My note taking system, § My productivity system

Project Simplify is my way of spring cleaning my digital life. It’s essentially tidying up Fleeting Inboxes and other digital lists.

The name came from my desire to significantly simplify my digital life, while still taking advantage of the benefits of technology and social networks. When I first conducted Project Simplify I took my Twitter followers down from around 6,000 to under 1,000 and my Instagram followers down from around 3,000 to 500. It really helped me feel lighter, my feeds became much more useful. Ever since then, I’ve found that carrying this action out several times a year is very useful for me.

I’ve been successful in conducting Project Simplify on roughly a quarterly basis, and I often find that I’m inspired to do it during a vacation (the first time I did it was on vacation with Andy in Nosara).

When I conduct Project Simplify, I go through and tidy up:

  • Following on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Mastodon
  • Pocket saved articles
  • RSS feeds
  • Clear up Todoist
  • File away or delete desktop files
  • Update and tidy Goodreads book lists
  • Amazon wish lists
  • Note Taking Spring Clean

Other concepts:

  • By clearing slightly deeper than I feel comfortable, I create space to follow and connect with more people over the next period until I repeat Project Simplify
  • For task management, I aim to repeat each action individually on a recurring basis, rather than doing it all in one go as a task, however if I choose to I can make it one larger task for a full cleanup

I see Project Simplify becoming a valuable part of § My note taking system.