For things that don’t take up any physical space, it’s amazing how much clutter we can collect that weighs us down. We’re talking about digital clutter: files, photos, emails, folders, accounts, subscriptions…all those things we keep stored both online and offline. But just like that box of kitchen stuff you got from your great aunt Ida…do you really need to keep hanging on to it?  

Keeping your digital clutter pile low can be hard. It builds up so fast! But keeping on top of it is actually a good habit to get into. While you might not feel the same stress you feel sitting in an overly messy office, digital clutter can still have a negative impact. This can include things like the unintended sharing of data, security concerns, device issues (batteries draining and outdated apps slowing down device), information overload, and getting targeted by way too many ads. We found an article on this topic that we thought was pretty interesting! 

Getting to ‘Inbox Zero’ and deleting files when you are done with them isn’t exactly a reasonable goal for everyone. That said, you can still strive to get into a regular habit of clearing out and managing your digital clutter. Some of them are super simple, while others can be time consuming. 

INBOX MANAGEMENT

Whoever that person is that has ‘Inbox Zero’ is pretty much our idol. That is dedication and OCD right there. ‘Inbox 5000’ isn’t exactly good though. So where is the balance in between? These are three actions that we try to do regularly to keep on top of our inboxes: 

1. Unsubscribe from those emails you never read as they roll in. This can be done pretty much on the fly. Over the next week, as you see those emails hit your inbox, if you know you aren’t going to read it, do yourself AND the person sending it a favour…unsubscribe. 
2. Set aside 20 minutes each week to scroll through the emails that have come in over the past week and delete the ones that aren’t necessary. 
3. Create folders and then place those necessary emails in the right folders so you can find them easily later on. 

DESKTOP AND HOME SCREEN

This is going to apply to both your computer and your phone. Get that sh*t off your screen. If you have apps or programs that you don’t use at all…delete them!! If you have old documents that you don’t use anymore but you want to keep, transfer them onto an external hard drive or save them to a cloud account. All of this stuff we keep on our devices slows down their performance. Why not aim to have them at optimal performance?! (Also, scroll back up a second and click on that article link to learn other reasons why you should be doing this!). Once a month spend about 10-20 minutes doing this. 

PHOTO MANAGEMENT

If you happen to be a shutterbug, you likely have a bazillion photos in your photo library. It’s so easy to snap and forget. We don’t know about you, but getting a good photo of our kids means we need to take like 20 pictures just to get that one. You can only imagine what our photo libraries look like! Just like your inbox and desktop, you should be mindful of the volume that is building up. Create folders for the ones you want to keep or transfer them to external drives or a cloud account, just get them off your device. Aim to review your photos regularly to do a quick clean up. 

Just because we can’t see our digital clutter in piles around doesn’t mean that we should ignore it. We challenge you to start cleaning it up today. You’ll likely be surprised by the amount you’ve collected!