One neat, but ultimately dangerous, feature for tab hoarders in Chrome and Android is the ability to sync the browser so that you can see and access tabs that you currently have open on other devices. Another standard feature on all the major browsers, the ability to view the most recently bookmarked pages (shown above in Firefox), gets around the problem of losing your pages among a sea of other bookmarks.īeware of these two built-in features of Chrome and Firefox that may seem to help with tab management, but in my opinion only exacerbate it.ĭon't use synced tabs. When your list of tabs includes only articles, Safari also has the option to add all open tabs to your Reading List, a feature that lets you access those tabs from any Safari browser that's synced to the current one, and read the pages in a pared down view for optimal concentration. One of my favorites is the button to bookmark all open tabs, shown above in Safari, which lets you close tabs knowing that you can quickly re-launch them from their bookmarks. Get to Know Your Browser's Built-in ToolsĪll the major browsers have some built-in tools for helping you manage tabs.īookmark all. (Of course, if you find personal mail and social media distracting you from the task at hand, you should quit that second browser entirely see " How to Stay Focused".) One remains dedicated solely to the tasks at hand, and the other I keep loaded with personal pages that I like to keep an eye on through the day, such as Web mail and social networking sites. Third, if I'm focused and diligent, I can close each tab in that window as soon as I'm done with it and have a finite selection of content to read, rather than an endless string.Īnother trick I use, especially when I work from home, is to run two browsers. Second, all my other work-related tabs are out of view while I'm focusing on reading. First, it allows me to quickly minimize or quit that group of tabs when I'm done with it. If I need to read extensively about a given topic, I often start a new browser window and keep all the related tabs only in that window, which accomplishes a few goals. The very simplest solution is to compartmentalize. The thought in your mind, whether implicit or explicit, becomes, "Look at all this information I haven't absorbed yet!" That's not exactly an efficiency driver. If you look at a sea of open tabs all pointing at articles you should read, products you ought to buy, and so on, you're putting unrealistic expectations on yourself and perhaps even creating unnecessary stress. Most people cannot work or think effectively when they're disorganized (that's why you're reading this "Get Organized" column in the first place). Usually, though, we don't need much of it, and the most obvious consequence, aside from eating up space, is unnecessary data creates clutter. We save digital files and data because there appear to be no immediate consequences for keeping them, and besides, what if we need them? A software solution will help you manage the excess, but it will not reign it in or get you to reassess why you have so many open pages in the first place.Įxcessive tabbing seems to me to be frighteningly similar to hoarding emails, or keeping every single photo you've ever shot on your local drive (see " Get Organized: When is it Okay to Delete?"). Technology alone cannot shape your habits. I don't have a problem with tools per se, but I do believe that being organized is partially a state of mind, a lifestyle choice, and a series of habits. Readers of this column may have noticed that my proposed solutions for organizational problems seldom require you to buy a product or install software. The desire for this excess comes from you. The problem with having an excessive number of browser tabs open is excess-not the browser. And yet, it brings out the pack rat in many who flood their screen with dozens upon dozens of tabs, articles that should (but ultimately won't) be read, products to buy, and more and more information to absorb. It revolutionized the way we surf the intensely complex Web of interconnecting ideas, resources, and information. Tabbed browsing: What a blessing and what a curse. How to Set Up Two-Factor Authentication.How to Record the Screen on Your Windows PC or Mac.How to Convert YouTube Videos to MP3 Files.How to Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill.How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad.How to Block Robotexts and Spam Messages.
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