10 Ways to Spring Clean Your Digital Life

Spring cleaning is upon us. While I always strive to declutter and deep clean areas of my house, I realized another space in my life desperately needs a spring cleaning. I’m talking about my digital life.

Things pile up in our digital worlds just like they do in the real world, which is why I am going to focus on spring cleaning my digital life this year.

Here are the 10 ways I plan to spring clean my digital life.

Clean Out Your Inbox

Just like you declutter your junk drawer each spring, you need to declutter your inbox. If promotional emails have piled up, delete them. If you still have emails in your inbox from last year’s teacher, delete them. If you still have emails with previous vacation itineraries, delete them.

Hit Unsubscribe

After you do a big inbox purge, it’s time to think about how you can cut down on the number of emails you receive regularly. I’m a big fan of hitting unsubscribe at the bottom of emails as I receive them. However, I know of several people who really like unroll.me, which is an online program that unsubscribes you from an email list you don’t want to be on.

Delete Photos

If you’re like me, you take approximately 10 photos of your kids to get one good one. But, I tend to allow the other 9 photos to take up storage space on my devices or my cloud service. I plan to sit down one evening with a glass of wine, a good mindless TV show, and delete, delete, delete.

Curate Your Social Media Feed

Make sure you spring clean your social media. If you follow people that make you feel bad about yourself, unfollow them. Who you follow should bring you joy. Also, if you have people following you that you wish wouldn’t, remove them.

Say Goodbye to Contacts

I recently discovered that my Amazon Alexa connects to all my phone’s contacts – email and phone contacts. Since I have random contacts from years ago, it means my kids could accidentally call one of these strangers. Yikes! It made me realize that I really need to delete contacts of people I have no intention of ever speaking to again.

Cancel Spam Callers

Tired of getting spam calls or spam texts? Take just a few minutes to register with the National Do Not Call Registry.

Remove Unused Apps

It only takes a few minutes to remove the unused apps on your phone if your phone doesn’t do it automatically. But, I also think now is an excellent time to review the apps on your phone and see if they are time wasters. For example, this may be the time you decide to delete social media apps from your device and only check those sites from your computer.

Set Digital Reminders

Have you ever questioned when you need to go to an annual doctor’s appointment? If you don’t stay on top of it, these things slip through the cracks. This year, I set reminders for the month I need to see each of my doctors to call and schedule my annual appointments.

Use a Password Manager

Instead of forgetting passwords and having to reset them constantly, I am going to invest in a password manager this year. Password managers keep all your passwords and monitor them to make sure they are keeping your accounts safe and protected. Check out PC Mag’s The Best Password Managers for 2022.

What tips do you have for spring cleaning your digital life?

Summer Safety Tips for Kids

Even though New York families are still pushing through distance learning, Memorial Day weekend unofficially marks the start of summer. While everyone is firing up the grills and heading outdoors this weekend, I thought it would be a good time to review summer safety tips for kids.

Protect Their Skin

Did you know the sunburns your kids get when they are children can result in skin cancer later in life? It’s true. That’s why it is so important to make them put on sunscreen with SPF whenever they play outside. It is also wise to invest in some children’s clothing with UV protection. You should also try to limit their exposure to the sun’s strongest UV rays that occur during the middle of the day. Instead, aim to play outside in the morning or the early evening.

Keep Them Hydrated

Dehydration is a serious problem on hot summer days, especially for kids. That’s why it is so important to make sure they are drinking enough water. Children’s Health suggests, “The amount of water a child should drink varies by age, weight and activity level. However, a general rule is take half of your child's weight (up to 100 pounds) – and that's the number of ounces of water they should drink every day.”

Teach Them the Pool Rules

My girls love swimming and going to the pool is a regular activity for us. But, even so, I make a point to teach my daughters the pool rules and teach them to swim. During the summer, the number of pool-related injuries is alarming. For example, running around the slippery pool deck is a leading cause of emergency dental visits during the summer. And, sadly, “drownings are the leading cause of injury death for young children ages 1 to 4.” Adults should always supervise kids at the pool.

Keep Them Cool

Even kids can suffer from heat-related illnesses, such as heat exhaustion. That’s why you should never leave your kids in a parked car. Also, kids should be dressed appropriately for the summer temperatures in lightweight and loose clothing. You should also avoid being outdoors during the hottest parts of the day – the hottest part of the day is typically 3 pm.

Make Them Wear Helmets

Whenever your kids are enjoying any activities with wheels, such as riding bikes, roller skating, or skateboarding, they need to be wearing helmets. According to Children’s Health, “Apart from automobiles, bicycles are related to more childhood injuries than any other consumer product. Wearing a helmet is the first rule to preventing serious bicycle injuries in kids.”

Protect Them from Bugs

When spending time outdoors in a locale where bugs are biting, be sure to use insect repellant. Insects, like mosquitos and ticks, can bite and spread disease. Plus, bug bites are super annoying. You can also avoid getting bit by saying no to strongly scented soaps and lotions.

Summer Safety Tips During the Time of COVID

The summer of 2020 will look different than previous summers because we are still dealing with COVID-19. As a result, it means there are some additional summer safety measures parents will need to consider. For example, kids (and parents) are still encouraged to practice social distancing. Plus, as pools and other kid-friendly spaces open back up, parents should remind kids not to share anything – especially things like swim goggles or nose clips.

Is Your Family Prepared in Case of an Emergency?

The heartbreaking stories coming out of the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian has got me thinking about what my family would do if we were in a similar situation. While New Yorkers typically don’t deal with hurricanes, we do face plenty of other emergency situations. Therefore, it is wise to have a family emergency plan in place.

I know it feels scary to think about, and it feels overwhelming, but taking a little bit of time today to prepare for an emergency tomorrow can make all the difference. And, for those working moms who already don’t have enough time, I am attaching links for as many pre-made tools as possible.

Sign Up for Emergency Alerts

First, be sure to sign up for emergency alerts on your cell phone. These alerts are lifesavers. You will receive notifications for any potential emergency, including tornadoes and winter weather. You can do a quick Google search for your town and the word “alerts” to find the one for your area and opt-in for alerts.

Write Out Emergency Contacts

If you are like me, you don’t have very many phone numbers memorized. With cell phones, memorizing numbers is a thing of the past! However, in case of emergency, it is helpful to have your emergency contacts written out – and it is especially helpful if you have children. I like FEMA’s Family Emergency Communication Plan form, which also has space for email and social media handles. All you need to do is write out all your important phone numbers and save it.

Have an Evacuation Plan

Next, give thought to where your family would meet and go if there was an emergency. Then, communicate this plan clearly with your family and anyone else it involves (such as evacuating to a different family member’s home). The American Red Cross has an excellent Family Disaster Plan template. Likewise, it is important to have a fire escape plan for your family. For an example and checklist, see the National Fire Protection Association’s Home Fire Escape Plan.

Store Important Documents Safely

It is also important to store your family’s important documents safely. You want to place documents such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, and passports in a fire safe and waterproof storage container. Use The Spruce’s guide to The 8 Best Fireproof Safes of 2019 to help you shop.

Prepare an Emergency Kit

Last but not least, it is wise to prepare a family emergency kit. This kit should include the essentials for your family in case of an emergency. Ideally, the items should be stored in a duffle bag or storage container that is easy to grab and go in the event of an emergency. If you want to pack your own emergency kit, see FEMA’s Emergency Supply Checklist. If you don’t have time to put one together yourself, you can purchase a pre-made emergency kit from the American Red Cross, which includes first aid supplies, emergency food, and other essentials.

Remember – a little planning today can make a huge difference tomorrow. Here’s hoping your family never has any need to use your family emergency plans.

Let's Look Beyond this Summer!

When one thinks of the oil and natural gas industry, what usually is the first thing that pops in your head? Cars, tires, energy, and fuel, right? But if you look beyond that and stop and think for a second you'll see that oil and natural gas makes a much bigger impact and affects every part of your normal day. Did you know that pillows, toothpaste, laptops, lipstick, aspirin, even antennas and receivers of streaming devices are all connected to the oil and natural gas industry? You'll be surprised to see that many things that help you live, play, and connect everything around you is all made possible because of oil and natural gas or materials made from a byproduct of petroleum.

I decided to go on a family day road trip to Sesame Place in Langhorne, Pennsylvania and there were many things that need to be packed to make sure our trip has all the tech, safety, and travel care covered.

When it comes to electronics, I have to bring my cellphones, tablets for our daughters, and a laptop for any on-the- road office work. In order to charge all these devices, I have to make sure I have travel adaptors and car adaptors and long wires to connect them all. To make sure my girls don't get sick all of a sudden, it's always important to have extra allergy and fever medication for any signs of trouble. Bandages and antiseptic are required if there are any little trips and falls on the trip. Of course a trip to a water adventure park isn't complete without bathing suits, sunglasses, suntan lotion and water inflatables. Many of these things are made from plastic, rubber, synthetic fibers, nylon and polyester which are all created with the help of the oil and natural gas industry.

This trip reminds me of one of my favorite memories of taking my daughters to the beach when they were old enough to go to the water and play in the sand. Being able to see the joy and also the nervousness of their first time is one of the greatest memories I've ever had in my life. Looking back I realize that there are so many things I used and wore that were made from oil and natural gas. Her adorable bathing suit is made of polyester and the life jacket I put on her is made of nylon, all originating from the oil and natural gas. The bandages we bring for their safety and even the glasses they wear are all made possible with the help from the oil and natural gas industry.  To find out more information, check out the official website http://lookbeyond.org.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Look Beyond. The opinions and text are all mine.