GoodTrust Digital Legacy

Estate Planning

3 Things For Healthy Digital Life And Digital Legacy

Jan-28 2021

This article is provided by GoodTrust - your trusted digital legacy advisor. Learn more about GoodTrust.


As we bravely go forth into 2021 - and in the spirit of a New Year, New You - we want to offer 3 things you can do today to both live that prosperous and beneficial digital life but also 3 things you can do today to best preserve it.

On the one end of the spectrum is whenever and however we leap into being connected - it may start at a relatively young age or we may be digital immigrants who entered later in life. But regardless of our entry point there are important tips to remember along the way to both live a long and healthy digital life but also ensure that digital life is not lost at the end. Each of us has a unique experience with a digital existence - just like with our “real” lives” - and the decisions we make along the way should empower us to make it meaningful. Right up until the end.

A healthy digital life:

  1. Consider charging your smartphone outside the bedroom. It can be anywhere else but give yourself the necessary headspace to experience a restful sleep.

  2. When possible turn off the sound notifications on your smartphone and computer - those constant pings and distractions can generate levels of anxiety and disrupt your home and working environment.

  3. Try taking at least 30 minutes every day to entirely disconnect from your devices and fill that time with something that improves your overall well being like journaling or meditation or reading. 

And for a healthy digital legacy:

  1. Take the time to consider what matters to you with anything you’ve created online - it could be content like photos and social media posts or financial accounts or emails. And we’d encourage you to sign up to GoodTrust and select the ones most meaningful to you with instructions on how to manage them upon your passing (e.g. memorialization, deletion, etc.).

  2. Consider adding a Trusted Contact to your GoodTrust profile - a trusted friend, family member or legal advocate - who can act on your behalf and ensure all your wishes are carried out in a respectful manner. Remember that it’s not just the priceless content - it can be financially valuable digital assets and other directives.

  3. There are several key steps to undertake with your GoodTrust profile including the creation of various directives, choosing what happens to certain sites and accounts and assigning Trusted Contacts. But perhaps the most important first step is to save your smartphone code under Digital Vault. You can create a simple note there with the code so your Trusted Contact doesn’t get locked out from receiving a two-factor authentication or other ways to get started with carrying out your wishes.

As always we wish you a long and healthy digital life (and real one!) and we want to help you take action today to preserve and protect your invaluable memories, stories and digital assets.