Websites and companies constantly come up with tricks that entice you to live your life in front of a screen. Their intention is sometimes different, but this is often the result. How can we subvert this?
Each Thursday on “Simple Gadget,” I’m going to bring you a trick to fight back and take control of your computing!
I’ll teach you how to apply simplicity and minimalism to your tech life so you can focus on your real life.
This week’s trick is to turn off distracting themes in your applications and websites!
What Is A Theme?
Themes are ways for us to customize the look of our web browser, e-mail client, music player, and other computer programs. They’re sometimes known as skins, personas, color schemes, etc.
Sometimes themes are minor color changes—these aren’t what I’m talking about. This article is about themes that are meant to be “fun,” “pretty,” or “cool.” Themes with graphics, advertising, and flashy looks.
So What’s The Big Problem?
Let me ask you: what do themes do?
You might say they make things look nicer, or allow you to express yourself, or just make things more fun. This all may be true, but there is another major thing that themes do:
Themes distract.
Whether your web browser has a photo of a dolphin, a girl in a swimsuit, or one of the Twilight characters, it’s not going to improve your life. It’s just a distraction.
After ten minutes of novelty, themes become white noise.
Every time you open your web browser, your brain must filter out that noise. Your attention and focus have to push past this clutter.
A picture’s worth a thousand words. I use Firefox and Gmail…both have themes available…the difference between a cluttered, themed application and a clean, theme-free design is incredible!
Which of these four do you think is going to help you get your e-mail done?
You can’t even read some of the text in the first three because of the background graphics!
Isn’t the theme-free browser and Gmail refreshing?!
[For the curious, this is how my browser and e-mail really look. Ultra-minimal beauty.]
The funny thing is, we go out of our way to create this distraction for ourselves. Why? I think it’s only because we don’t often consider why not when presented with something easy and slightly enticing.
Don’t Express Yourself!
Your web browser has themes for you. “Express yourself!” is what they tell you.
Your e-mail has themes for you. “Experience!” is how they advertise.
Your music player has themes and asks you to “Wear This Skin!”
Express yourself? Experience? Wear? This is all terribly “human” and “personal” language. Don’t imagine that picking an edgy look for your music player is self expression.
If you want to express yourself on your computer, do it by producing something. Do it by doing things. Not by tinkering with the looks of tools that are meant to help you do the things you want to do.
Your computer is a tool, and themes are merely distraction.
Now Get Rid Of That Theme!
Please? Pick a color theme that suits you, sure. But when it comes to graphics and pictures, themes are distractions and white noise. They don’t serve you at all.
If you don’t know how here are some links on how to remove or change themes for some common browsers and e-mail services:
Web Browsers: Firefox. Chrome. Opera.
Music: Winamp. Songbird. Windows Media Player.
Now get to it!
Delete! Remove! Disable!
Thank you kindly for reading,
~loy
P.S. This is my first article for Simple Rabbit! I hope you subscribe, stick around, and tune in for next week’s Simple Gadget article.
