How to Organize and Eliminate Digital Clutter

Hundreds of unread emails, lost contact information, and a desktop full of icons.

If this describes your digital life then read on, please! I won’t address photos but you can read about digital photo organization, here.

Digital clutter may not have the same impact on our physical space but we are still aware of the disorganization and burden. It weighs on us every time we try to complete a project or simply search for a phone number.

The key to organizing this information is to know yourself and establish new habits. And adopting tools and technology that work for you.

Consider these questions:

• Do you use a computer? MAC or PC? Pick one. I’m a MAC girl.
• Where do you work online? Through which device? Phone, tablet or computer?
• Is it feasible for all family members to have their own device or do you share? Sharing is great but you must consider the needs of all users.
• What email client do you prefer? Create a “spam” email address for account registrations and online purchases.
• Is your current email account overrun with spam? Start fresh. Share a new email address with just friends and family. Turn the old one into your “spam” account.

Digital Decluttering Strategies

Email – Sort by sender. Tackle mailing lists. Delete all but the most recent email. Then, unsubscribe from mailing lists that do not support your values or current needs. Set a goal for your inbox. Mine is 30. Do a Daily Delete each afternoon. Save mornings for deep work tasks. Email is something I can tackle even when my energy is lower; like the afternoons.

Emails from Actual People

• Respond if required.
• Delete if the discussion has ended or is OBE.
• File if the information needs to be referenced at a future date. Create a few folders to save important information. Or Print to PDF and save to your computer.
• Delete frequently.

Contacts

• Update Your Contact List – My contacts are saved in Gmail but sync to my iPhone.
• Pick one system and stick with it to maintain version control across devices.
• Delete contacts who are no longer relevant.

Computer Files – Do not save all your files to the desktop. It’s messy and visually distracting.

• Establish folders to organize your documents.
  • Bills/Receipts
  • Medical Info
  • Church
  • Travel
  • Home Improvement
  • Kids
• Move and delete files until the desktop is empty.
• Set a new desktop photo for inspiration. 
• Consider cloud options such as Evernote, Google Drive, or DropBox to save space on your hard drive. Cloud storage is great because it’s accessible from anywhere.

Check out my desktop view. 🙂 What’s your biggest digital clutter challenge? How can I help?