When many of us think of clutter, we tend to think of physical clutter. But there’s also a different type of clutter that can equally pose a problem – and that’s digital clutter. Many of us ignore it because it’s largely invisible to others, however it can still negatively affect us. Clutter of any kind can make it harder to think straight and could be causing us to complete digital tasks at a slower pace. Here are just a few ways digitally declutter.
Delete files you don’t want/need
There are likely to be huge amounts of files on your devices that you don’t want or need. They could be taking up unnecessary storage space, which could be slowing down your devices. A few common culprits include old documents from work or school, old photos, downloads and notes on our phones. There could also be other less obvious files taking up huge amounts of space – there are tools such as these apps that can find type of data. Deleting all your unwanted files could take several hours depending on how many files you have to get through. While you’re doing this task, it could also be worth reorganising your folders in case any files have ended up in the wrong place (such as word documents that ended up in photo folders).
Tidy up your desktop
Is your computer desktop a sea of icons? Consider getting rid of icons for programs that you don’t regularly use. Just like constantly working at a messy desk, a messy desktop can subliminally make you more stressed and unfocused – even if you’re certain that you know where everything is.
Uninstall unused software/apps
There could be programs or apps on your devices that you never use. On top of taking up unnecessary space, they could be adding to the cluttered feel of your devices. Some software/apps may come pre-installed on your devices, while other software/apps may have been installed yourself. This guide lists some of the programs and apps that you may likely never use.
Unsubscribe from unread mailing lists
Many of us are signed up to mailing lists that we’re not interested in. This results in our inboxes getting flooded with emails that we have no interest in reading. It could even be causing you to miss important emails if you’re getting huge amounts of spam each day. Take the time to go through these mailing lists and unsubscribe (there will usually be instructions at the bottom of each email detailing how to do this). On top of email mailing lists, there could also be SMS mailing lists and browser notifications that could be nothing but a nuisance – unsubscribe from these too if you can.
Clear out your bookmarks
Do you have lots of bookmarks saved on your browser? Consider which of these bookmarks you really need – some may be shortcuts that you rarely ever visit. If you have extra tabs that open up whenever you load your browser, you could also consider clearing these out. This will help to make your web browsing feel faster and more focused.
Go on a Facebook friend purge
A Facebook friend purge could also be necessary for reducing clutter on your timeline. Many of our ‘friends’ with people that we don’t know all that well. It’s possible that you could keep seeing posts from these people, despite having no interest in their lives. Consider unfriending these people so that you no longer have to deal with their posts. Unfollowing pages that you have no interest in could also be worthwhile. You could find that scrolling through Facebook is a lot more rewarding afterwards.
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