For a More Peaceful Home: Minimize Your Tech
Do you wish your home was more of a peaceful sanctuary? A getaway from the hectic world? A place you can relax in, yes, but more importantly, recharge in? There’s something you can do that could add to a sanctuary feel, and it involves minimizing the appearance or existence of tech in your home.
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Is the technology in your home getting out of control? Taking over your rooms? Distracting you from living? Sucking you into hours-long Netflix binge sessions? You might consider finding a way to make technology take more of a backseat in your home, particularly if you work at a job where you’re in front of a computer all day (or if you have a bad habit of comparison-surfing on social media on your breaks).
Consider doing a home tech assessment to see where you can purge, where you can declutter and how you can help the technology in your home make your life better, rather than more distracted or stressful. Consider the ideas below if you think your home tech setups could use a makeover (or make-under).
Let go of or disguise your television
If you feel like you watch too much television (that novel’s not going to write itself, you know), you might consider getting rid of your television set all together. Doing so will make your living room focus again on conversation, connection or creative endeavors. If you’re not ready to get rid of your television completely, consider disguising it with decor so that it doesn’t stand out so much.
Declutter your old tech
Still have a VCR in your media center just in case you want to watch that couple of tapes you’ve been toting around for years? Or that old computer you replaced long ago but haven’t gotten around to recycling? Or a drawer full of old phones? Or even just some technology you don’t use like a gifted e-reader? These things are just dust catchers now, and getting them out of your house and out of sight will not only free up more space, but also make your home just feel better.
Upgrade to sleeker, smaller and wireless
Can that clunky stereo system you’ve had since college be upgraded to a newer, smaller, wireless speaker system? Do you have the budget to upgrade to a screen and projection system for movie nights so you can roll the screen up and out of the way when you’re done? If you’re not a big tech person, you might have old technology that’s clunkier than it has to be. Grab a tech-loving friend to help you upgrade the technology you do need and use so the stuff you have in your home is as streamlined and useful as possible.
Handle the wires
Because not everything in the world is powered wirelessly, chances are you have wires somewhere in your home, even after a good tech purge. Put the work in to organizing them and your home will look and function better.
- Tame This Out-of-Control Spot for an Instantly Less Messy Looking Space
Go for furniture that doesn’t scream “entertainment center”
Remember that time a couple a decades ago when furniture was made to show off and display your technology, and words like “entertainment center” and “media center” became things you actually wanted in your home? No more, please. Invest in high-quality furniture made for tech that hides seamlessly behind doors and drawers or DIY existing furniture to house the tech you need without screaming “this is where I keep my Roku!”
Tuck away daily technology
From the cell phone, to the cell phone charger, to the iPad to your laptop — these are all pieces of technology we need that can (and usually do) bring joy and helpfulness to our lives. But that doesn’t mean they need to be laying around visible all the time. Carve out or create spots that they “live” in that are tucked away out of sight so when you’re finished with them you can really set them down, hide them away and focus on other activities.