How to Clear Digital Clutter – Part 3

Once you’ve done a thorough assessment to identify the extent of digital clutter in your life and created a gameplan for tackling it, the real work begins. Today I’m going to focus on the next steps and want to share these 7 tips for clearing digital clutter.  

One point to remember before reviewing these tips….Your digital decluttering goal should be treated just like any other goal that you may have set for yourself. Being committed to this goal will be essential for a successful outcome.

7 Tips for Clearing Digital Clutter

1. This is a project not one simple task. If you’re like most people, there is digital clutter on your desktop, in your files, photo files, etc. It will take a series of clearly defined tasks to eliminate all this clutter.
2. Embrace the timeline. This is probably one project among many that you are tackling all at the same time. In reality this one is lower priority which means that it will take a little longer to complete. Set a reasonable completion date and just keep chipping away at the tasks.
3. Be Present. Whether you have blocked 10 minutes or 30 minutes to work on the digital decluttering tasks, give them your full attention. This will ensure that your actions and decisions are consistent. Set the timer on your phone so that you honor the time commitment and don’t exceed it.
4. The process is just like with stuff and paper. Whether you are decluttering your computer desktop or email inbox, sorting the contents is the first step. Being systematic as you review the contents will be even more important since you can’t pile up the keepers. Pick a starting point, make note of it, and start sorting.
5. Just because you can…this isn’t a reason to keep bad photos or no longer needed document drafts. Keeping all these makes it challenging to quickly access information. This is the time to delete (purge) all that digital clutter. If you’re having trouble making decisions regarding what to keep, ask yourself these questions.
6. Designate a place for the keepers. Once the sorting and purging is done, the documents, photos or emails that are being kept should be given a home. Setting up (or fine tuning) an easy to navigate digital filing system is essential. Be mindful of keeping the structure simple so that there are less clicks to navigate through it. Once this is done, file away.
7. A rose isn’t always a rose.  The most important aspect of a filing system are the folder and document names. These must resonate with you and whoever else uses the filing system so that it’s easy to file/retrieve information. Otherwise, there will be lost time and more digital clutter as folders are created for those that already exist.

I hope these 7 tips for clearing digital clutter prove to be helpful. Check back to read my next post on keeping your digital life clutter free. If you have any questions in the meantime, let’s talk.