I wonder how much time a person is pouring into the bottomless mugs of YouTube and social media these days. The endless news feed of these apps says it all by itself.
A few months ago on one fine Wednesday evening, I gave my input query into youtube search bar which returned me 2-3 apt solution videos. The cruelest part here is the sidebar of suggested videos. Unknowingly, this small tweak of YouTube made me sit before my screen for almost 4 hours watching videos which I did not intend to.
And when it comes to Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, the situation is no less horrible. This is same in the case of browsing or downloading music, customizing our phone, choosing and editing profile photos, posting status or photos on socipedia, texting on WhatsApp or hike, etc.,
My incessant urge to do something out of 24 hours a day and 7 days a week forced me to adopt few hacks in the day to day life which rescued me from drowning in the ocean of data. I listed them all below.
Following Youtube homepage suggestions which are based on our YouTube search and watch history.
Using YouTube for split TV or Web series.
Use paid subscriptions like Amazon prime for stand-up shows, etc instead of watching split content.
Example: Using Flickr for photography, Twitter to follow people and Skype to connect.
Generally, we mess up all our social media accounts by following celebrities, comedy pages, photography pages, etc., everywhere. By confining specific social accounts for specific purposes, one can easily handle them all without wasting any amount of time on them. I have listed out my primary usage of these accounts.
Twitter
Twitter is a great platform to known about fellow human beings who have achieved something and are inspirational to other tenants of this planet. So, use twitter to follow celebrities, great personalities and connect with them.
Pinterest
Pinterest is a super cool site for curated information. Make use of it by following fashion trends, top lists, etc.,
Facebook
I mostly use facebook to connect with all the people I knew, to follow the brands I like and some other entertainment pages.
As Facebook rolled out new updates to customise our newsfeed, time spent on scrolling unnecessary stuff can be greatly reduced.
LinkedIn
A professional network of people from whom we can get advice and help from.
Maintain a clean profile and add your skills and experiences to get an opportunity to work at a great place.
Example: Using SoundCloud, Apple Music and Gaana for browsing new music, saving favorites in playlists.
Podcasts - Overcast
Music - Apple Music, Gaana, Soundcloud
Videos - YouTube, Net Flix
Photo editing - Snapseed
Video making - Quik
Travel - MakeMyTrip
Flashcards - Quizlet
Bookmarking & Offline reading - Instapaper
Track time - Toggl
Virtual Workspace - Asana
A few months ago on one fine Wednesday evening, I gave my input query into youtube search bar which returned me 2-3 apt solution videos. The cruelest part here is the sidebar of suggested videos. Unknowingly, this small tweak of YouTube made me sit before my screen for almost 4 hours watching videos which I did not intend to.
And when it comes to Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, the situation is no less horrible. This is same in the case of browsing or downloading music, customizing our phone, choosing and editing profile photos, posting status or photos on socipedia, texting on WhatsApp or hike, etc.,
My incessant urge to do something out of 24 hours a day and 7 days a week forced me to adopt few hacks in the day to day life which rescued me from drowning in the ocean of data. I listed them all below.
1. The YouTube Mania
By making YouTube a clean interface for searching essential videos, adding informational videos to playlists and subscribing to only a few worthy channels, one can make most out of the world’s largest video library.
Common Mistakes what we do:
Subscribing to each and every channel just because of one video which returned our search query.Following Youtube homepage suggestions which are based on our YouTube search and watch history.
Using YouTube for split TV or Web series.
Some useful hacks:
Only subscribe to those channels which are worthy. Use playlists instead to bookmark useful videos from various channels. Don't subscribe to every channel you come across.
Turn off YouTube search and watch history to avoid unnecessary videos.Use paid subscriptions like Amazon prime for stand-up shows, etc instead of watching split content.
2. Social Networking
Clearing the clutter by using social media for what they are intended to use.Example: Using Flickr for photography, Twitter to follow people and Skype to connect.
Generally, we mess up all our social media accounts by following celebrities, comedy pages, photography pages, etc., everywhere. By confining specific social accounts for specific purposes, one can easily handle them all without wasting any amount of time on them. I have listed out my primary usage of these accounts.
Instagram
Instagram is known for amazing photos. Use Instagram to follow photography pages, curated pages like india_pictures, Photraits, etc., avoid following all other stuff what you follow on Facebook like celebrity pages, comedy pages, gossip pages, etc
As Facebook rolled out new updates to customise our newsfeed, time spent on scrolling unnecessary stuff can be greatly reduced.
Maintain a clean profile and add your skills and experiences to get an opportunity to work at a great place.
3. Personal Data
Since the advent of the smartphone, personal data of individuals has skyrocketed. We are now capturing more and more photos, and listening to various music.Photos
Using online sites like Google photos, Flickr will not only back up our data but also organize it well. Google is enhancing its algorithms continuously providing us with great features. On the other hand, Flickr has provided 1TB of space to save our photos online.Music
Depending on Apps for music will save us loads of revolutions on the clock.Example: Using SoundCloud, Apple Music and Gaana for browsing new music, saving favorites in playlists.
4) The Notification panel
Here is the thing. Every app we use has got one common thing that triggers our attention from time to time. That is the notifications monster. Just turn off every damn notifications toggle of every app and see the magic. You will be awestruck by the serenity of your phone. I only turn on basic notification essentials like phone, message and if necessary few other important stuff.
5) Prefer voice call over dumb texting
Don't just stare at chat boxes for hours. I tried limiting very much of my phone communications to calling and the result is just amazing. Hours we put into typing sitting in front of light emitting diodes straining both retinas and little fingers can be easily replaced by vibrating our vocal chords in front of a mic.
Notebook
Whether it's Evernote or Notebook (by Zoho) writing down anything on the go has become so simple.Suggestions for some of the apps:
Calendar - VantagePodcasts - Overcast
Music - Apple Music, Gaana, Soundcloud
Videos - YouTube, Net Flix
Photo editing - Snapseed
Video making - Quik
Travel - MakeMyTrip
Flashcards - Quizlet
Bookmarking & Offline reading - Instapaper
Track time - Toggl
Virtual Workspace - Asana
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