1 August, 2019
in inspiration
Checklist for a digital declutter
Who doesn’t like a good declutter to kick off a new month? I’m talking about a kon mari of the digital variety.
Digital decluttering helps me focus better. Warning: Do not use this as a procrastination technique!
The trick is to start with a few easy things to build momentum.
Here’s a checklist to get you started on a speed digital declutter:
- Delete phone apps you no longer use and move all the ones you hardly ever use into a separate folder to free up screen space.
- Clear your computer desktop so that you only have the essential folders and files on there. Minimise what you save to your desktop because despite the best intentions, it will “grow roots”.
- Unsubscribe from newsletters that you no longer read. Be honest with yourself about whether you are REALLY ever going to get to the ones you’ve filed to read later.
- Close browser tabs on your computer that are no longer relevant, or you’re unlikely to actually read. Do the same for your phone (my husband had 200 tabs open on his phone until recently. Not exaggerating.).
- Clean up your inbox AND empty the trash afterwards. During this process, I sort my inbox by sender so I can quickly delete multiple emails from the one sender.
- Do a speed delete of photos on your phone that are blurry, irrelevant screenshots, and snaps you’ve taken for reference and no longer need. Set a timer and see how much you get through. Great for when you’re waiting (train, coffee, appointment, school pick up).
It feels so good when you do even just one of these things. I think it must shift stuck energy or something because I always feel more motivated to get started on projects I’ve been putting off.
Are you a fan of digital decluttering?