1.) Don’t Get Carried Away With Digitization
I know what you’re thinking. What does this have to do with preventing digitization from ruining your life? It has everything to do with it! I’m going to take a different approach than most of the other articles on this site and tell you why it is good for you, but then I’m going to give you some advice on how not get carried away with it. Let’s start by making sure that we understand what digitization really is. Digitizing something means converting a physical object into a digital one. That might be easier said than done, but digiphiles (people who are crazy about digitizing things) are working hard every day to make the process easier and more efficient. I filled out the online forms for the Digitizing Project, a project that asks you to fill out detailed forms about your life, and it took me about 30 minutes. That’s pretty good!
I really like digitization. I love being able to have all of my important papers in one place instead of filling up drawers or boxes with them. I love being able to carry around hundreds of books on a small device instead of having them take up space in my room and be hard to get at when I need one right away. But what is the danger? The danger is not getting carried away with it! If you get swept up in the idea that everything needs to be digitalized, then you may end up spending too much time doing this instead of living your life. It’s easy for me say this as someone who doesn’t use every little function that my phone has! You may find yourself sitting down at night trying to figure out how many steps you’ve taken today (a popular app) or studying pictures from your vacation last month rather than making plans for next weekend. I know that there are some people who really enjoy studying pictures from their vacations, but I would venture to say that most people don’t.
2.) Don’t Use Digitization to Replace Your Relationships
This advice goes hand in hand with the last one. If you’re spending too much time studying your vacation photos or trying to figure out how many steps you’ve taken then you’re not spending enough time talking with your friends, making plans for a fun night out on the town, and just enjoying life! If we use digitization as a replacement for our relationships we will miss out on so much more in life than if we never used an app at all! I’m not saying that you should delete every app on your phone right now. I am saying that it’s important not to let digitization replace real relationships in our lives. It’s one thing if it augments them! For example, instead of sending text messages back and forth while hanging out with a friend, send pictures of what you’re doing (or even better video!) so they can enjoy being there right along with you! Another example is using maps when going somewhere new instead of asking strangers directions; this way they can see where exactly where it is without having to go outside and look.
3.) Don’t Let Digitization Make You Forget Your Roots
This is a point that has been brought up by a lot of people, but it’s one of the best. If you’re putting too much time and energy into digitizing all of your important papers then you may end up forgetting where they came from and how they were used. These things have been around for years before technology came along, so why can’t we just leave them alone? I think it’s good to digitize your important papers because then you never have to worry about losing them or damaging them (and having to pay hundreds if not thousands of dollars to get them back). Let me give you an example using my college application as an example.
I hope this post is helpful! Thank you so much for reading. I really appreciate it, and I hope you have a wonderful day!
