You picked up your phone to check the bus timetable. Now you know how to restore a chair, you have watched a goat climb onto a car and you are three videos into a bloke's argument with an air fryer. Still no idea about the bus.
If that sounds familiar, pull up a woodland stump. We are not here to confiscate your phone. The goat sounds quite promising, actually. We just wondered whether you still want to watch, or whether your thumb has taken on a shift of its own.
What do we mean by digital clutter?
Here, we mean the stuff we keep watching out of habit after it has stopped interesting us. It is not a scientific category or a claim that a funny video matters less than an essay. One person's delight can be another person's unwanted noise. The useful question is what you want to see right now.
Not everything has to teach you something
A joke, a song, a conversation or something gloriously daft can deserve your time too. You do not need three learning outcomes and a certificate to justify a bit of leisure. Finding the right lid for the lunch box is quite enough achievement for one day.
Opening an app for one thing and drifting through video after video is a different matter. If you recognise that pattern and want to change it, try something small: close the app when you finish the task, mute an account you no longer enjoy or save an article for a proper read later.
News is not rubbish simply because it is upsetting. You can choose where to get it and when to read it. Following the same argument repeatedly is different from finding out what happened. You do not have to stay for every comment.
Even our fictional grandad needs a filter
In our stories, Grandpa Avelino has a line for this: “You don't have to swallow everything put in front of you.” Then he tells the same anecdote three times over dinner. We love him, but the filter applies to him as well.
You can decide that something is not for you today without putting the whole internet on trial. If you spent longer scrolling than you meant to, there is no need for a great palaver about it. Pick one thing you would like to try differently next time.
Do I have to give up social media to have a break?
Not necessarily. You could close one app, put your phone aside for a while or choose something else to watch. You may also need it for work, company or an important call. Try a break that fits your day without making it compulsory or expecting it to fix your mood.
The woods do not come with a magic wand
If you fancy it and can get out, take a walk among some trees. Or sit near a window, listen to a song, ring someone or do nothing for a bit. A change of activity need not involve a woodland expedition.
And if the world feels heavy today, you may have very real reasons. A worry does not become trivial when you switch off a screen. This little note cannot explain why you feel bad or promise that a walk will put everything right.
We Magikitos will be in our woodland stories, wearing wonky hats and looking into that business with the goat. You can close this page whenever you like. If you came to check the bus, perhaps now would be a good time.
