Digital Declutter: Organize Your Devices for a Fresh Start

After the chaos of the holidays, it’s no wonder that getting organized is one of the top New Year’s resolutions. While most organizing is done around the house, don’t miss the chance to organize your digital life as well. Decluttering your files, apps, and photos can help enhance productivity and reduce mental fatigue.

Cell Phone

With so much information on our phones, there’s a lot to declutter. Delete unused apps and organize the remaining ones into folders; do the same with unwanted files and downloads. Next, go through your contact list and remove those with whom you aren’t in touch anymore. Organizing photos can be hard, so start by deleting screenshots and duplicates, then grouping them into albums. Revisit your notifications as well—a few fewer alerts a day is a good thing!

Computer

Help your computer run faster by getting rid of files and applications you don’t need. Start with decluttering your desktop and continue with your documents and photos, categorizing them into folders along the way. Uninstall software that’s no longer needed and clear your cache and browser history to allow pages to load more quickly.

Tablet

Tablets are frequently used for entertainment, so they end up filled with e-books, movies, and games. Clear out any media content that you don’t use anymore to help free up space on your device. Organize the home screen with folders by how they are used or who uses them, for example, “Work,” “Relaxation,” or “Kids.” In addition, consider adding widgets for apps that you use frequently.

Gaming Systems

For gamers, decluttering can make a big difference in the performance of the system. Remove games that you don’t play anymore and clear saved data from old games (it’s often automatically saved even though you might not want it). In addition, remove accounts or profiles for guest players as well as trials and demos for various games.

The key to staying organized on your devices is to make a habit of it! Decluttering a little bit each week or month goes a long way.