Simplifying Digital Clutter: Experts Recommend a 7-Step 'Digital Tidy-Up' for Stress and Anxiety Reduction
Accumulating and managing digital clutter can negatively impact one's wellbeing, productivity, and even cybersecurity. Professional organizers recommend undertaking digital decluttering to prevent clutter and boost productivity. This guide explains the process and benefits of digital decluttering, along with expert advice on how to achieve a tidy digital life.
Digital decluttering goes beyond tidying physical spaces to profile digital devices, including laptops, smartphones, and tablets. Organizers like Shantae Duckworth, founder of Shantaeize Your Space, argue that digital wishlists, bookmarks, and excessive email subscriptions can all lead to impulse shopping and subsequently clutter. Regularly purging these digital items can prevent accumulation and help individuals embrace underconsumption trends.
Marine Andre, home organizer and founder of En route to Joy, further emphasizes the importance of digital decluttering, as digital clutter has the same negative impact on wellbeing as physical clutter, causing stress, anxiety, and reduced productivity. In addition, digital clutter can pose cybersecurity risks, from autologins to passport scans. Regularly reviewing and purging digital possessions, such as old emails, unused apps, and stagnant social media followers, can help mitigate these issues.
To digitally declutter, individuals can incorporate digital decluttering as part of a home office decluttering project or add it to their regular weekly chores. Organizers suggest following seven steps for thorough digital device cleanups:
- Treat your email inbox like your mailbox. Daily emptying of the inbox and handling required actions can help anyone achieve inbox zero. Having a physical to-do list can aid in keeping track of digital tasks.
- Declutter digital bookmarks by removing tempting shopping bookmarks and unsubscribing from marketing emails. Regular purging helps reduce the mental load of potential wants.
- Set aside a space for digital bills and documents. Monthly reviews, organization, and removal of duplicates or outdated versions help individuals assess and manage their financial landscape and reduce unwanted accumulation.
- Use the one-screen method, restricting the number of open tabs on a laptop screen. Research shows that too many open tabs can overload the brain and reduce concentration, so using tab managers can help declutter digital spaces without interfering with work.
- Create a digital closet, sorting files by season or relevance, and color-coding files for quicker access.
- Don't shy away from sentimental files. Old photos can quickly clog up storage and make devices slower, so it's essential to remove duplicate, blurry, or unnecessary photos to free up space.
- Use little and often. Similar to decluttering a house, digital devices should not be decluttered all at once. Instead, take control of your digital life by tackling it one photo and one email at a time.
By implementing these seven steps, individuals can create a more organized digital environment, reduce stress and anxiety, increase productivity, and enhance their overall wellbeing. Incorporating digital decluttering into a daily or weekly routine can contribute significantly to a harmonious and clutter-free lifestyle.
Incorporating digital decluttering into a home-and-garden project or regular chores can lead to a more organized digital environment, aligning with the underconsumption trends of a lifestyle centered on wellbeing, productivity, and cybersecurity. The same negative impact as physical clutter, digital clutter causes stress, anxiety, and reduced productivity, making regular reviews and purges of digital possessions essential to maintaining a harmonious home-and-garden lifestyle.
