How I am Declaring My Independence from Technology Today

For those of you in the US, Happy Independence Day! There are lots of ways to celebrate this amazing holiday. In New York, the Statue of Liberty crown is finally re-opening. Every town, it seems, has a parade. Here's another idea...
-
First, I am eliminating any bookmarks, software/webware that I haven't used in the last seven days. This is an idea I picked up from my friend Jeff Sandquist at Microsoft.
- Second, I am down to two devices for everything - a laptop and a cell phone. Period, end of story. This means my Kindle is going on eBay (eBay is one of our clients).
- Third, all my critical data seamlessly syncs between these two devices. If a service doesn't allow me to sync stuff via the cloud and access it both online and off, it's toast. Evernote and Google (Google Reader, Gmail IMAP, CalDAV) are lifesavers here. My business data already syncs wonderfully via Exchange.
- Fourth, I dumped tons of of stuff: RSS feeds and virtually every email newsletter, with two exceptions - Marketing Charts and the Social Media Smartbrief
- Fifth, I am setting up lists on Friendfeed to help me find signals in the noise and so that I can do the same here for you, my audience


Comments 38 Comments
Simplifying is good, but there's also the notion of having the right tool for the job. Neither the notebook computer nor the phone are great e-book readers. I think it might be smarter to keep the Kindle if you read a lot of books.
Getting rid of it just in the name of reducing hardware may be a baby-with-the-bathwater move. Would you get rid of all your traditional tools but a screwdriver and a hammer?
You might well get rid of your Kindle, but it's not the hardware that's the problem - it's the profusion of content. Almost every day you seem to start using a new type of content hosting, and while it's your job to do so, it's hard for most of us to keep up with the cascade of new ideas you try out. We are drowning in new ideas.
In my particular niche, which is much more 'end-user', I notice that all the most impactful people seem to stick to one or two particular input/output streams. I'm a blogger (and lately also a twitterer, as an adjunct), but I've variously tried and dropped Del.icio.us, Facebook, Flickr, Friendfeed, xxxxxckR, etc etc etc. I'm fast losing track of RSS feeds. I rely on a delicious specialist for links and a photographer for photographs, etc, etc, and I know they rely on me for longer, thoughtful blog posts.
The prospect of the multi-dimensional threads and conversations on Google Wave worries me. What will it do to my attention span?
What I'd really like to do is integrate *ALL* my input - words, pictures, multimedia - into a single queue in my email Inbox - perhaps with a set of rules to embolden the more important stuff. But I've not yet found a way of doing that. It would make sense, because ultimately I've only got one set of attention to give the world.
Whether I read it on my iPhone, my Kindle, my laptop or my TV, I'm not fussed.
I'm also getting fed up of the huge variety of papers - newspapers, magazines, junk mails, flyers, etc - I have to wade through every day!
Yes, if you are not reading a lot of books, then getting rid of the Kindle makes sense - economically as well as simplification-wise. The Kindle is an expensive device, and casual readers may not be able justify its high price with the savings in books they buy. Voracious readers, though, can save a bundle using it.
Some marketers (like yourself) are Conquistadors and African Explorers, mapping the territory. But as with colonisation, in the online world it's the settlers who come afterwards who set the tone, and as with settlers, they create their own communities but they don't tend to explore much.
This is rambling a bit, I'm sorry.
I did, however, clear my browser history, cashe, everything. Starting it over clean. Nice - though a pain to log back into everything.
I don't see a huge reason to dump RSS feeds (though I do at times). They are there if you want them, mark 'em read if you don't.
And I too have been setting up better FriendFeed lists and groups. Helpful, but all I've done so far are lists around geography. What are some good list ideas?
I am a big fan of the right tool for the job. I could play games on my netbook or my phone, but the games on the DSi are better as is the platform, so I carry a DSi. I could record video on my phone, and i do, but the Flip HD is a better camera so I carry it. I don't always have each of these devices with me, but I do regularly carry them.
I use my Blackberry, EEE PC and Kindle every single day so those come with me pretty much everywhere.
It seems the natural assumption, but I'm also finding that online social networks are becoming a great way for teens to get great book recommendations and create a lot of buzz about books.
The other questions is whether people will end up reading new forms of fiction that are online & interactive, rather than a straight linear narrative.
Have a wonderful Fourth and a fabulous rest of the year!!
That said, please don't go extremist on us just because you're a PR guy. Maintain your balance. You can afford the Kindle. (Though mine's in a drawer somewhere.)
jay
If you need for communication with others to be connected and maintain 100´s of social media and gadgets its like having 100´s of mouths and ears and fingers: you start forgetting who you are and what you stand for.
Lets free all of us from becoming always-busy insects and look for a unique and human way to express ourselves while keeping connected. Lets declare independence from noisy and intrusive technologies.
Thanks for enduring this ramble. Here are my punchlines:
1) I follow only you and Guy Kawasaki on Posterous
2) This post complete with comments is pivotal.
3) Please return to this theme whenever you think you have a worthy addendum - heck, you could monetize a site dedicated to this theme (not that you may personally need it :-)
4)THANK YOU, Steve
Seriously, I can use some unplugging myself from technology every now and then. It pays to be connected to the hive, but not at a personal cost - especially when the quality of inputs/conversations dip because of lack of the time for introspection. Superb post. I love it.