Most of us now are required to spend lot of time on our digital devices for work, study and personal use. Therefore, it is just as important to organise and maintain a clean and simple digital life to reduce clutter and increase our productivity in digital usage. I have also briefly discussed digital clutter in my previous blog post '5 things you can minimise to instantly simplify your life'. Listed below are few tips specifically on how you can declutter your digital life.
8 EFFECTIVE WAYS TO SIMPLIFY YOUR DIGITAL LIFE:
I would highly highly highly recommend unsubscribing from email lists. Especially the ones that email you daily regarding all sorts of promotional offers, news and distracting informations. You don't need to be constantly reminded to buy useless things when you were not necessarily thinking of it to begin with. Neither do you need to be constantly tempted with so called 'sales' that impulses you to think you are grabbing some sort of once in a lifetime bargain all the damn time.
Whether those emails influence your purchasing behaviour or not on a daily basis, it certainly does however clutter up your inbox. Save yourself the time and hassle of always going through and sorting out promotional email by just simply unsubscribing from the list. Also next time make sure to opt out promotional newsletters options so that you don't get bombarded with emails of such nature to begin with.
2. DELETE UNUSED SOFTWARES AND APPS
If there are certain softwares in your computer or apps on your phone you find that no longer serves any purpose for you, take few minutes to delete and uninstall to declutter your digital space. This will make it easy for you to navigate your way around and find softwares and apps that you actually use along with the fact that save up space on your devices by no longer hoarding on to unnecessary things.
I am sure so many of us are guilty of having multiple windows and tabs open in the browser until eventually gathering overwhelming number of things open and becoming confused of which was the most relevant tab you need. This also applies for the amount of folders and files you open on your comptuter and then just leave it hanging instead of crossing out immediately. I know i personally can say that so many times before i have managed to get distracted or lose track of my work due to this issue of having uncontrollable amount of things opened and running at the same time. Get into the habit of immediately closing any tabs, files, softwares or even apps you don't need for the moment.
Saving files on the desktop to immediately access is a very common practice. However, if your desktop is already cluttered with previous useless files and messy folders, it can just become huge mess that in fact makes it difficult to deal with files that you actually need find and use in the moment. Clear out and organise your desktop and try to infact leave it as empty as possible to be able to quickly save and access things asap. Once done with a file store it away in relevant folders or discard to avoid clutter.
Nowadays new forms of social media pops up on a constant basis. We are always in the look out for next best app and social media site to stay connected and discover new things. However, if you find your self from really not benefiting nor actually using certain social media sites, apps and accounts, just simply take the time to discard and delete to further minimise your digital footprint. For example, Do you really need 5 different apps for texting your friends? If you find that one single app can achieve what you are looking for, then just simply consider gathering all your contacts and conversations in one place and discard the rest.
6. IMPLEMENT CLOUD DATA STORAGE
With ever evolving technology. More and more people are now using cloud storage rather than traditional usb and hard drives. The beauty of cloud storage is that it does not take up space in your device and also make it easy for you to access your file from anywhere without having to carry anything with you. Storing your files in cloud also means that there will be less things in your devices to become cluttered and also create a safety net for any unplanned issues with your devices that may lead to losing data.
Try implementing either online cloud services such as google drive, dropbox etc. Or purchase your own personal cloud storage hard drive. I personally use a personal cloud storage system to store and backup all my digital files in one place in order to not only keep it safe but also to be able to access from anywhere when needed. I use the brand western digital (WD) they make excellent cloud storage hard drives.
Try implementing either online cloud services such as google drive, dropbox etc. Or purchase your own personal cloud storage hard drive. I personally use a personal cloud storage system to store and backup all my digital files in one place in order to not only keep it safe but also to be able to access from anywhere when needed. I use the brand western digital (WD) they make excellent cloud storage hard drives.
You don't need a sound, pop up or email notification every time someone follows, comments, likes or even update something on online. Receiving notification 24/7 can become highly distractive and unproductive. Constant notifications can not only clutter your mind, trigger procrastination and reduce productivity but it can also also ultimately clutter up your digital space. If you are finding your self from always clearing out notifications and reading notifications, it's time to turn it off. You will see your notifications when you actually log in to your accounts and intentionally plan to spend your time catching up.
Do you really need 10 different photos of the same thing under the same angle and lighting? Go through and delete multiple copies of things that you don't necessarily need to keep. Copies of things such as photos, documents and download files can easily be paired down and simplified. For example, if you have saved up documents that have multiple version of drafts and final copy, consider getting rid of older versions that is no longer applicable. This will make life no much easier when searching for things and most definitely simplify your life.
