How to Clear Digital Clutter – Part 4

Check… Your digital decluttering project is finally done!! It took longer than anticipated but you stuck with it and crossed the finish line. Congratulations!! However, your work is not completely done. Yes, you did a thorough assessment to identify all the digital clutter followed by creating a gameplan and then got to work. To keep your organized digital life clutter free, a simple maintenance plan will be needed. Here’s how to maintain your digital organizing systems.

How to Maintain Digital Organizing Systems

1. Focus on New Habits.  As part of your digital decluttering project, you probably created some new systems for better managing your computer desktop or digital filing system.  Those new systems will require new habits. The goal now is for those habits to become part of your routine…so practice these new actions regularly.
2. Schedule Digital Decluttering Blitzes. Even the most organized filing system or space requires periodic decluttering. Know yourself and your clutter tolerance. Schedule small blocks of time at a frequency that makes sense for your situation. This could be as little as 15 minutes once a week if clutter accumulates quickly or 15 minutes once a quarter if there’s less.
3. Be Selective. As a result of your digital decluttering project, you have set parameters for what you’ll keep.Be sure to follow those parameters moving forward so that you’re not only being consistent but also limiting your files to only the essentials.
4. Put the Train Back on the Track. Once the decluttering is done, it’s common to become lax. Pay attention to your filing system, photos, email, or whatever areas were decluttered.  If the clutter is starting to pile up again, it’s time to immediately clear it and practice the new habits referenced above.
5. Fine Tune your Filing System. If youspent time decluttering and re-organizing your digital filing system, be sure to periodically review it. Keep an eye out for documents that aren’t in folders or additional folders that have been created. This could be a sign that the folder names aren’t intuitive enough so you can’t quickly file documents.

I hope these suggestions for how to maintain your digital organizing systems prove to be helpful. Be sure to check out my digital decluttering videos as well. If you have any questions, let’s talk.