Let’s do a digital decluttering! We often hear about the importance of decluttering our physical environment. But with the amount of time we spend online these days, the digital environment is just as important.
So how much time do people spend looking at a screen anyway? One report showed that the average American spends just over 7 hours a day on screens. That’s a huge chunk of our day. So, it is important to make sure that the screen time is organized and not chaotic.
Decluttering has many benefits, such as increased focus, a better lifestyle, and even a higher view of one’s self. I know when my physical environment is clear, I feel more at peace. This is often why I have to clean off my desk or table before even beginning to work.
Tips for a Digital Decluttering
Start with your offline digital space
Desktop
Think of the digital spaces as online and offline. So, starting with the desktop offline – Do you have documents saved on every inch of your desktop? Start by making folders and dragging relevant files into the folders. Then, you can group the folders or color-code them. I created a background on Canva that helps me group my folders.
Go through your applications folder
You can either manually remove files and applications you no longer need or utilize a service. Personally, I subscribe to Avast Premium, which declutters the files on my computer and recognizes which ones are taking up a lot of space.
Move to your online space
Email!
When you move to the online portion of your digital decluttering, make sure to spend some time on email. Some initial steps would be to archive all of your current messages. I wholeheartedly believe in inbox zero to the best extent possible. Unsubscribe from everything you don’t need.
Group tabs
Are you guilty of having a million tabs open on your desktop? Utilize resources to make it fewer tabs. One tip is to utilize a chrome extension called session buddy. Another option is to use the grouping feature in the Google Chrome browser.
Online/Offline
Another way I like to complete digital decluttering and organize is by creating multiple desktops. On a Macbook or PC, it is easy to separate your tasks into different desktops.
Moral of the story: as with your home, car, or office, keeping an organized digital space is an essential part of maintaining a productive groove.
Love this! I love a good Spring clean and a digital one is just as important!
Thank you!! It’s such a big part of our lives now so it’s important to remember it 🙂 Thanks for your comment!