How to declutter your digital spaces

Digital clutter isn’t always visible, so it can be easy to ignore - until you are spending your valuable time searching for a file or email, deleting the same marketing email for the tenth time, or realizing you have no idea what subscriptions you are paying for. The cost of digital clutter is real: it costs you time, money, stress and overwhelm. 

The good news is that you don’t need a weekend or a special app to reclaim your digital life. Simply follow four easy steps to declutter and organize your digital spaces - just apply them to whichever digital space is costing you the most. 

Step 1: Declutter

Before anything else, first declutter and clear out your digital spaces. 

Email Inbox: Unsubscribe from marketing emails that you usually delete without opening.

Files: Delete drafts, duplicates and clear your file downloads.

Photos: Delete duplicates, blurry shots and screenshots that you don’t need.

Subscriptions: Scan a recent bank or credit card statement and cancel anything you no longer use or had forgotten about. 

This step can feel the most overwhelming as you are getting started. Progress over perfection - select one digital space and declutter just a few items each day!

Step 2: Categorise 

Sort like items with like items, in whichever way makes sense for you. Some people like very specific categories, others like fewer, broader ones. 

Create email folders (or labels) for emails that you need to keep or reference, using simple, clear labels like “Bills”, “Receipts”, “Travel”, etc.  Similarly, create or update folders for digital files that you need to keep or reference. Your file folders may mirror your email inbox labels, or may be structured by project or year. For photos, create a small number of albums for the photos that are most important to you, for special events, a vacation or even by year. Lastly, make a list of your remaining subscriptions and renewal dates - a simple post-it note or a detailed spreadsheet. You might also find it helpful to create an email folder or label for all your subscriptions. 

Stay away from using labels like “General”, “Other”, or “Miscellaneous”. These folders are destined to become a digital junk drawer and will usually result in the need to re-sort in the future.

Step 3: Contain

Now we’re ready to assign a home to your digital items.

Move emails and files into your newly created folders, and photos into your newly created albums. Be sure to enable automatic back-up, if available, on your digital device. Move subscription confirmation or renewal reminder emails into your newly created Subscriptions inbox folder.

Assigning a home to your emails, files, photos and subscription services doesn’t have to be done all at once. Remember, progress over perfection!

Step 4: Maintain

Maintaining your newly organized digital space is a habit practiced over time. Repeat the above Steps 1, 2 and 3 to help keep digital clutter from creeping back.

Daily: Move emails into relevant folders as you receive and open them.

Weekly: Spend just a few minutes each week keeping your folders organized.

Monthly: Do a quick photo declutter once a month.

Quarterly: Revisit your subscriptions every few months, unsubscribing as you no longer use services. 

There is no magic to maintaining an organized space; it’s the small, frequent habits practiced over time that help to reduce your digital clutter, and in turn, help you to save time, save money, and reduce stress & overwhelm. 

If your digital clutter feels bigger than a checklist can solve, or you’re facing a larger project - digitizing years of files and photos, or setting up a system for your passwords - let’s talk! Book a free 30-minute consultation.