The internet is an amazing place. It is also a double edged sword. I can sit at my desk and can find information on anything from particle research, foreign languages, military tactics or agronomy. Basically if it exists there is information on it on the internet.

Not only is there a massive amount of information available from our desktop – we can also access it from our phones, netbooks/laptops or even mp3 player or tablet device. Combining this with the communication options available on phones nowadays – calls, text messaging and email – we can be in touch with anyone anywhere and can get information anywhere.

All of this is fantastic when you compare how difficult it used to be to find out anything or to get in touch with someone but it also has its drawbacks – it makes it harder to focus. Some personality types will find this a miniscule distraction. Other people, like myself have to be very disciplined to ensure that the distractions are kept to a minimum.

I have tried all sorts of techniques to discipline myself in order to reduce the time wasted by unneccessary tasks. I have yet to find a definitive method that works for me. I have tried blocking off time, restricting daily internet use, setting specific times for checking email, banning myself from multitasking. All seem to work to some degree but I find myself gradually slipping away from each method.

What are your tips or advice to improve focus whilst still keeping the benefits of ever present sources of information and communication?

Many of us will have shelves full of books and DVDs. Even more people will have desks covered in gadgets and paperwork.

While all of this may seem harmless enough, to me every item lying around is one more thing that I shouldn’t have to deal with and this adds stress to my life.

I have shelves and shelves full of books – some I have loved to read, others may be interesting reference books one day. None of them are read repeatedly or often enough to justify taking up so much space in my life. I want to reduce my book collection to almost zero. I am slowly but surely donating them all to charity shops and will replace them with digital versions or borrow them from a library when required. With so much information available through blogs, wikipedia and general websites, there is less need for an extensive book collection.

CDs and DVDs have a similar fate in store. I have already donated all my music and will make do with services like Jamendo.com, Spotify.com and Last.fm. I am unsure about what I am going to do about my stand up comedy DVD collections but think a permanent loan to my friends will be the solution.

To reduce the amount of paperwork I have to store I will scan and shred all the non essential documents and simply keep a folder for the originals of the few things I need – birth certificate, passport, etc.

Other items I still have to decide on how to simplify are my wardrobe and my digital life – phones, computers, hard drives, etc. I will post about these at a later date.

Overall I believe that by reducing the visual and pysical clutter and time consuming nature of our possesions that we can have more time and energy to complete the tasks we want to focus on and will have positive impact on our lives.

When we finish using something nowadays there is a social pressure to recyle. Whether it be the advertising of “We will recycle your old product for free” to entice us to buy a new gadget or the little logo on the packaging of food.

In principle this is a good thing – we all want less waste. If you stop to think about it though, it’s not really the best solution.

The worst case scenario (which I have read about in various countries) is that the cost of actually recycling the stuff we have seperated into different bins is too great and that it all ends up in the same landfill anyway. The best case scenario is that more time and resources are dedicated to converting a percentage of waste back into a usable product.

Before we simply throw that item into our recycling bin it would be much better if we could find a way to repurpose it or, even better, to reuse it as is.

Repurposing our item will involve some time or effort and maybe involve using some extra resources to make it into another item but it will have a smaller impact on the planet than the amount of resources required to completely recycle it (especially if you live in an area that the recycling doesn’t happen as mentioned previously).

The best of the lot is just the straightforward reuse of an item. It takes no time in comparison to repurposing, consumes a minimal amount of resources (maybe just a clean out or something similar) and will have almost no cost. Items like storage jars or water bottles are obvious examples that spring to mind but I am sure that you can think of relevant ways to apply this to your own life.

I hope we can move from the mindset of “Time to recycle this,” towards “Can I reuse or repurpose this?”. Making recycling the third choice and not the first one.