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Muting notifications might feel a bit uncomfortable: What if you miss something important? But most everyone I spoke to said something similar about this worry: The people who need to get to you will know how, whether it be via text or phone call. Your mental health and attention will thank you.

Celebrate Digital Cleanup January.If youre feeling ambitious, take a page from my colleague Tate Ryan-Mosley,a reporter ondigital rights and democracy.She will be celebrating her fourthannual Digital Cleanup January, where she devotes four weeks to cleaning up each part of her digital life: emails, files, security, and phone.

Heres how it works:

InWeek1, Tate does a massive purge of her email, unsubscribingfromnewsletters and other lists that dont serve her andmass-deleting emails she wont ever read. She also spends a day reaching out to people who might have emailed her and who she has yet to respond to. The new year is a nice time to revive those connections and lets Tate start fresh conversations with people she cares about.

Week 2is devoted to file organization: cleaning up filesinthe cloud, onthedesktop, and in any drives and putting them where they belong. Its my least favorite week, Tate says. But at the end of it, you feel like you really accomplished something. Tates advice? Dont organize files by date,but rather by general category. And treat file organization as real work,because it is. Ill do it in breaks at work if Im waiting for a meeting,or set aside an hour and listen to music and really do it, she says.

Week 3of Tates digital cleanup is devoted to security.Shegoes through each sensitive personal account and creates new unique passwords with the helpof thepassword manager LastPass. Tate also uses this week to Google herself to get rid of sensitive information,like her personal phone number and address,that might be floating around the internet. Tate swears by the New York Times guide to doxxing yourself,available here, which offers clear instructions on how to keep your private information safe online.

Week 4is the most fun, according to Tate. She takes this week to clean up her phones backlog of photos, delete apps that dont serve her, and reorganizethehome screen. The nice thing is that I dont have to be at my desk to do this, she says. I might bewaiting in line or watching TV. Tate also takes the time this week to turn off her notifications (see above).

For Tate, Digital Cleanup January isnt necessarily fun. How many resolutions are? But when the calendar turns to February, shes achieved a ton. I feel so good for the rest oftheyear, she says. And by December, I cant wait to take care of all of this again. I love how I feel afterwards.

Lastly, remember theres a whole world outside of tech.Once upon a time, people didnt crane their necks over their phones, practicing that particular thumb flick of endlessly scrollingsocial media. Some read books. Others chatted with those around themor simply zoned out for a bit.

Cal Newport, a professor of computer science at Georgetown University, advocates heavily for reforming your relationship with technology, particularly when its really not necessary. When you deploy tech toward things that are important,itshelpful, he says. When you use it as a default distraction from unpleasant thoughts or experiences, it can become a problem. So put the phone down and feel those emotions, even if theyre boredom, sadness, or anxiety. It might make you feel a bit more human again.

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Have a better 2022 with these tech resolutions - MIT Technology Review