Practical Steps for a Mindful Digital Declutter

Practical steps for a mindful digital declutter can help you optimize your time spent on devices. These tools paired with steps for a mindful digital detox can help you take control of your time spent online and on social media.

A digital detox focuses on reducing less productive time, especially mindless scrolling, and time spent leading to negative thoughts. A digital detox also focuses on increasing positive time spent on your devises and social media outlets. For more on the topic read our post Practical Steps for a Mindful Digital Detox.

A digital declutter focuses on removing the digital clutter from your life so you can optimize the time spent on devices and online. A digital detox and a digital declutter can be done individually or at the same time.

First Steps towards a Digital Declutter

Take stock of all of the devices you use in a typical day.

This can include a cell phone, tablets, e-readers, laptops, digital cameras, personal computers/laptops, and work computers.

Once you have an idea of all the devices you use, take some time to consider which ones are working well for you and which areas you would like to streamline.

Next, before you start cleaning out the inside of your devices, take a few minutes to clean the physical items themselves. Use gentle, technology safe cleaning items to wipe down screens, keyboards, and cases.

Practical Steps for a Mindful Digital Declutter

As you declutter your devices, think about what can go (be deleted) and what needs to be better organized.

Deleting Digital Clutter

This is very similar to a physical declutter of your home or office. Often there are items on your devices that can be deleted. Try some of the following ideas.

• Delete 10 photos a day for 10 days. Once you get started, you may find yourself able to keep going and clean out more. Look for duplicates, fuzzy pictures, and unflattering snapshots.
• Delete an app a day for an entire week. Many phones and computers will let you know the last time you used an app. This may help you decide to keep the app. If you are unsure, many phones let you take phones off the home screen. Many apps are easy to download if you find you miss the app.
• Go through texts and delete ones that are old or no longer needed.
• Delete old voicemail messages. Please note many phones require you to take a second step and delete the deleted messages!
• Go through your contacts and update as needed and delete old contacts that you no longer need.
• Delete or snooze social media accounts and friends that no longer interest you. This is important for accounts that lead to negative feels when they show up in your feeds.
• Delete old email that you no longer need.
• Unsubscribe to email lists that no longer interest you or that send too many ads and “sales” to your account.

Organizing Your Digital Devices

• Use email folders for email you want to save, but do not need in your main email list. This is especially helpful for items you may need to find at a later date. I have folders for my children’s medical appointments, correspondence with their case managers, and another one for each school year.
• Flag or star important email to make it easier to find in the future.
• Put apps in folders on your phone. I have a few apps for audiobooks and e-books that I put together in a folder labeled Books. I also put the grocery app and restaurant apps together in another folder.
• Put your most commonly used apps on your main phone screen and additional apps on secondary screens. You do not need to fill a screen with apps before spreading them out a bit across a few screens. Apps you may be trying to avoid, such as a social media app or a store app can be put in a folder on a later screen to increase friction if you are not ready to delete them.
• Close out tabs on your Internet screens on your phone and computer.
• Use bookmarks for favorite online sites instead of having multiple tabs open.
• Use folders to organize digital photos and documents. This can make them easier to find than one long list of documents.

Conclusion: Practical Steps for a Mindful Digital Declutter

Remember, digital clutter took time to accumulate. Give yourself time to organize and remove it from your devices. Try a few of these tips a day over the course of a week or two and you will have a much tidier digital environment.

What are some ways you have organized your digital worlds and reduced digital clutter? Share with us on the Full Cup Caregiver Facebook Page.

If you are interested in a Digital Detox, read our article on the topic here.

If you are interest in a declutter of your physical space, check out the ideas in Organizing Physical Items to Improve Quality of Life.