4 Steps To Declutter Your Digital Life
An ultimate guide to a simple and clutter-free digital life.
Just like your regular life, your digital life also needs a declutter-drive now and then. As we use the internet and digital devices for more and more services, our life may get easier but our digital life gets messier and messier.
Many people have no idea how many emails they are subscribed to or how many online accounts they have. To get hold of your digital life, follow these steps:
1. Declutter Your Smartphone
a) Disable notifications
Every mobile app these days comes with a plethora of notifications. Most of which are garbage and are the ways to grab your attention.
In both Android and iPhone, you can disable notifications for individual apps by going into the Settings.
b) Delete Unused Apps
Go through your phone’s App Manager and check all the apps installed on your smartphone.
Chances are there would be apps like some photo editing app or a habit tracking app that you never use. Delete them. Free up phone’s memory.
c) Move Photos Away
Free up your phone from photos and back them up to cloud storage. If you don’t have much cloud space, you transfer them to your computer.
This step will not only clear up your phone’s storage but will also make sure that your memories are safe in case you lose your smartphone.
Also read: 9 Tips to Reduce Technology Usage
2. Declutter Your Computer
a) Clear Up Your Desktop
If you are like most people, your desktop screen will be crowded with Word documents, Excel sheets, and photos of your children.
Out of all those items occupying your home screen, move the useful ones to their respective folders and trash the remaining.
Similarly, keep the shortcuts of only those programs that you use on a regular basis. I usually don’t keep any shortcuts on the home screen except the Recycle Bin. (I just search the app I need to open)
Moreover, set a simple wallpaper for your home screen. Currently, I am using this simple retro wallpaper that I designed myself. Download it here. (Gdrive link)
b) Limit the Number of Startup Apps
Startup Apps are the programs that load up automatically when you start your computer.
When you have too many Startup Apps, your computer will take longer to start. In Windows, by default, many apps are set as Startup Apps.
Make sure to turn off the apps that have ‘High Impact’ because these are the ones that consume most of the processing power.
c) Organize A Folder System
Use a folder system to organize your files. Movies go in the movies folder. Songs in songs folders. So on and so forth.
Establish a folder hierarchy if a simple folder system doesn’t work for you.
d) Backup Photos
Just like your smartphone, backup your photos to a cloud service. You can also transfer them to an external hard drive.
3. Declutter Your Social Media
a) Take A Break From Social Media
Practice a social media detox. It may sound impossible but it is worth giving a try.
Take a month off or at least, and notice the changes in your life. Write your thoughts and feelings in a diary. The benefits of disconnecting will surprise you.
Tell your close friends and family in advance that you will be away from social media for a while.
In the words of Cal Newport, author of Digital Minimalism:
Simply put, humans are not wired to be constantly wired.
b) Delete Social Media Apps From Phone
First and foremost, kill the biggest culprit. Social Media Apps. Use social media in a mobile browser or on a computer only.
These apps are designed to keep you glued to your screen. On an app, rewards are high and friction is low. However, using a mobile/computer browser offer considerable friction, and thus you can resist temptations more easily.
Maybe when you are going to be away from your PC for more than a day, it is okay to reinstall them temporarily.
c) Use Fewer Social Media Accounts
You don’t need a have presence on every Zuckerberg platform. Ideally, you should have only one social media account. Maybe two.
Use a social platform that suits your needs. For example, if you are a photographer, Instagram will be the best fit. Similarly, for writers, Twitter is there.
There might be some social accounts you created just to test the platform but they didn’t stick with you and you haven’t used them since then. Time to close them permanently.
4. Declutter Your Email
a) Unsubscribe from Newsletters
Every one of us has a limited amount of time. You surely don’t have time to read all 30 motivational newsletters you have subscribed to overtime.
You can unsubscribe them by scrolling to the end of the email and clicking the Unsubscribe.
Stick with two or three quality newsletters.
b) Clear Your Inbox
Take a tour of your inbox and Archive any emails that can be important in the future but are not urgent. Delete any spam or marketing emails but be sure to unsubscribe from them before deleting.
Sorting your emails in folders is also a good way to declutter your inbox.
c) Use Email Less
The world today revolves around email. But there should be limits. You don’t need to constantly check and immediately respond to every new message.
Follow this golden rule: “The fewer emails you sent, the fewer emails you receive.”
I’m usually facing someone who wants to send twenty-nine emails to fix a problem. His solution is simpler: “Go talk to them.”
― Cal Newport, A World Without Email: Reimagining Work in an Age of Communication Overload
Conclusion:
Once a month, take some time to check on your digital life. Keep things simple and easy.
Have you done a digital declutter before? Feel free to share some bits from your declutter-drive in the comment section.
Lets’ wrap things up with a quote by Chris Bailey from his book Hyperfocus:
Technology should exist for our convenience, not for the convenience of anyone who wants to interrupt us.
Further reading: 5 Tips To Simplify Your Online Life
