Digital Declutter
A Short Guide to Managing your Digital Space
Your physical spaces aren’t the only places that benefit from decluttering from time to time. With so much of our lives crossing over and existing in the digital world, it is imperative to consider keeping our virtual spaces clear from clutter.
Why? I’m not sure about you, but similar to my physical space, I get quite overwhelmed when I have to spend time looking for the things I KNOW are around somewhere. So here are a few steps you can take to spend less time searching for files, sifting through emails, and looking for your favorite memes and photos for you best friends’ birthday posts. They can be done on your laptop or desktop AND your phone.
Steps to Decluttering Your Digital Space
1. Delete Emails. Don’t just read them. Delete them. Go back as far as possible and delete any email you don’t need anymore, and file the others away in clearly named folders (not just Favorites).
2. Unsubscribe From Emails. Those emails advertising sales? The ones promoting and marketing things you no longer need? Unsubscribe. It will save you the hassle of constantly deleting emails in the future and money in the long run.
3. Clean Up Your Desktop. This one is simple. Delete all of those files on your desktop that you don’t need immediate access to. Where do they go? More on that in just a few.
4. Update Favorites and Bookmarks. While is it nice to have easy access to our favorite website, many times our favorites are filled with sites we no longer visit. The same goes for our bookmarks. I personally had reading bookmarked for later that no longer exists. Update both so you have access to what is relevant to your searches now.
5. Delete Apps. Are there any apps on your phone that you no longer use? Delete them. I know its hard, but we’re clearing things out!
Added tip: Want to boost productivity? Turn off notifications for apps that are not immediately important. (iPhone users, try removing apps from your Home Screen, too!)
6. Manage Your Camera Roll. Have some down-time? Go through your camera roll and delete pictures that you don’t want or need. I like to go through by folder and then my recents folder to make sure I clear everything out.
7. Make Consistent File and Folder Names. It is easy to lose files or have them saved multiple times in different folders. Try making consistent file and file folder names to clearly organize anything you have saved.
8. Take Advantage of External Space. Not ready to let go of some files, photos and memories? That’s okay. Investing in an external hard drive where you can offload all of the files and folders you don’t need immediate access to can help save you space where you need it. It’s still a good idea to use consistent file names to keep things organized so that you don’t end up with a digital junk drawer.
Pro Tip: Mark time in your calendar every month (or quarter) to edit and declutter your space so its not a daunting yearly task.
Now that you have the tips you are ready to get rid of the clutter. If you still need help, or aren’t ready to do it yourself, contact a BH Team member for a consult on how we can help!
Happy Organizing, Friends!