A Fine balance between curiosity and digital hoarding – Em's Notes

A Fine balance between curiosity and digital hoarding

14 Jul, 2026

In part one of my digital decluttering journey, I wrote about the outcome I desired, what was currently working, and what wasn't. Here in part two, I outline what steps I took and what I learned after several months of experimentation.

01. I created a ‘Learning Hub’ using a Notion database.<br>The idea is that I wanted a digital library that I could browse and reference, but also to help me share cool resources I stumbled upon with others. It’s still a work in progress as I balance my desire to be intentional and my tendency to want to bookmark everything.

02. One folder structure to rule them all.<br>I decided on a core folder structure, which I’ve applied across my digital spaces. The hope is that it’ll make it easier for me to file things away and know where to look when I need a reference.

03. Fewer apps, please.<br>Because there's a cool new app/SaaS tool being created every 5 seconds, and the Generalist in me struggles with "shiny new object" syndrome, I took the time to reflect on my existing tool kit.

Do I even use this app? Do I need it? Be honest, c'mon now.

Am I just complicating my life (a.k.a. using this tool is actually taking up more of my time than saving it)

What's wrong with using a simple Word doc? Do I need a fancy writing app, or do I have some old grudge against Word...

Does using this bring me joy? Great, maybe we can keep this one (yay!)

Key takeaways:<br>It’s all about gentle structure.<br>Being too rigid with my personal schedule doesn’t work as well as allowing curiosity to be my guide. I can time-block but what I do with that time needs to remain open. I’m currently using time-block categories: Reading, Learning, Project, Community, but I leave the ‘what’ (book, project, etc.) open to whatever is piquing my interest in that moment.

Things on the internet get old, fast.<br>Deleting over 100 bookmarks reminded me that the internet moves quickly, and chances are, what I bookmarked four months ago is now a beautiful 404 page. Pause before you star.1

Things always take longer than planned.<br>I went into this thinking it would take a few months, but sorting out my photos folder alone took an eternity. On the upside, it’s been fun to revisit memories, and very cringe to see how many B.S.P selfies2 I took during my teenage years.

And it’s not just photos that are time consuming, closing old accounts is just as tedious. You risk falling down rabbit holes; there's accounts you can’t delete without contacting support teams… sigh. Everything seems to require your email address these days, and deleting an account is such a pain in the arse (Ahem, Hello Fresh).

Final thoughts.<br>All this tinkering around has helped me think more deeply about my relationship with technology. This project was never about productivity hacking,3 it was about being intentional. I don’t want to be chronically online, in fact, I long for the opposite, but I know there is value in online experiences and digital tools. I’m not sure what my philosophy on tech is, right now it’s nebulous (⬅ new favorite word). I find myself aligned with many modern-day Luddite ideas, but I’m not naïve enough to think that I can just go live in a cabin in the woods either. As usual, it seems like I’m trying to find the right balance between two worlds, knowing that either extreme isn’t where I want to live.

I tried to come up with my own clever "think before you ink" statement, but alas...↩

Before Smart Phones↩

Stacking? Maxxing?↩