I usually never turn off my computer. I like to be able to pick up right where I left off. However, that means, that some state is piling up. For instance, since I never close my browser every tab that I open stays open indefinitely. To make things worse, I set the browser up to reload that same tabs in case I do quit the browser.

A similar thing goes for my desktop: I have several workspaces in my window manager (for the reader using Microsoft Windows: yes that is possible and very practical) that keep the open programmes grouped by project. However, this again means that I will have workspaces in my tab that are associated to projects that are not currently relevant, blocked by outside factors or simply on hold due to lack of motivation.

I took me a while to understand that having all these things open is not a comfort but rather a weight on the mind. Because by keeping tabs and windows open we are constantly reminded about the unfinished work they represent. They are add-ons for the browser that will automatically close tabs older than a specified time (and I recently discovered that firefox on mobile by default hides older tabs in a drawer). I opted for another option where I feel a bit more in control. As part of my weekly review I now close all browser tabs and unused workspaces. If I feel any tab should remain open I capture a note and paste the URLs inside. Some tabs you will always want open e.g. company home page or webmailer or others. For these I found the Firefox pin tab functionality helpful. These tabs are pinned to the beginning of the tab bar and will not be closed by commands such as Close Other Tabs. In practice, I will move to the last of my pinned tabs, right-click it and select Close Multiple Tabs then Close Tabs to Right and close all tabs that are not pinned.

To showcase the extend of the problem: the first time I did this it closed over 1700 browser tabs. Today I still close hundreds of tabs each week. A true weight lifted of my shoulders. I also have a monthly reminder in my calendar to clean up my desk, for the same reasons. Both of these tasks keep my mind free of nagging thoughts and have now become an important part my routine. Give it a try, you might be surprised how good this feels. Embrace the clean slate!

In the future, I might want to experiment with turning off my computer at the end of the day. This is the ultimate guarantee of starting fresh. What keeps me from doing so right now, is that it feels like a drag having to open the many programmes I use daily (mail, password manager, emacs, video conferencing, …). I might invest time into solving this. A last advice I want to leave my readers with: whenever you feel overwhelmed by your digital tools or task lists, go back to paper! Most processes can be mapped to a paper based version (as they were before digitization). For example, whenever I feel overwhelmed by my extensive task list, I turn it off, take a piece of paper and write down the 3 most important tasks. You instinctively know which they are without consulting any TODO list. Then work on these and repeat the process until you feel the need to go back to a digital tool.