Declutter Your Digital Life

It’s no secret that a home in disarray creates a less-than-ideal living environment.

The task of decluttering your closets (and therefore minimizing your wardrobe) can feel overwhelming, but taking time to create a peaceful, enjoyable living space improves more than just your aesthetic—it could also improve your overall sense of well-being. Not only is clutter linked to overall life dissatisfaction, but a disorganized household can also induce a cortisol response, negatively impacting mental and physical health.

And then there are the other, less tangible messes. From the digital clutter on our phones to a chaotic calendar, disorganization in other areas can lead to the same feelings of stress and overwhelm.

But where’s the best place to start? Have no fear: We’re here with a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to decluttering your life and improving your sense of well-being—one section at a time.

Photo by Joe Lingeman

Declutter Your Digital Life

It may be less concrete (and visible) than other forms of clutter, but a cluttered phone or computer both zaps your device’s battery and takes up valuable storage space—not to mention makes your work and communication less efficient.

1. Back up everything stored digitally

Backing up photos and important documents not only speeds up your device and frees up memory; it also ensures that if your phone or computer crashes, your information (and memories!) are safe. Enter cloud storage. Take some time to backup the files you want to save on iCloud, Google Photos, or a paid cloud service with more storage space. You can also set your device to automatically back your files up periodically.

2. Delete what doesn’t serve you

When was the last time you used that karaoke app you downloaded last year on a whim? Deleting what you haven’t used recently (a good rule of thumb is anything that hasn’t been opened within the last month) is a great way to de-clutter your devices. Just like you’d throw away trash in your home or office, get rid of any apps, blurry selfies, and text threads that don’t add to your digital well-being.

3. Organize files and apps

Now that you’re left with only the most useful and beneficial items on your phone, it’s time to organize. How you move things around is up to you—you could try organizing by category or color—but either way, you’ll find that having an organized device streamlines your digital experience. We all need less screen time, right?