Clear Clutter From Your Digital Life, Without Completely Disconnecting

What we do online today may become part of our digital footprint for the rest of our lives. It's important to take some time to reflect on just how distracted we are with our digital clutter.

It's important for us to stay up-to-date and connected with our industry news and social contacts by being online. However, being online can also take over our private lives and diminish our attention spans. It's a common problem, but it can be addressed by slowly implementing a few of the tips below into your daily routine. Or, you can start with one tip and then move on to another when you feel the first is complete. Another approach is to go "cold turkey" and unplug from everything social (except for work), then add back in the social elements that you enjoy, such as favorite apps or social media. Whatever approach you take, here are 22 tips you can implement to declutter your digital life without completely disconnecting.

1.  Use Time Blocking Strategies

Blocking off time for certain tasks can be a helpful strategy to increase productivity. Dedicate periods of time specifically for things like checking emails, scrolling through social media, or meeting with clients. You'll find that you can get more done when your attention isn't divided between multiple tasks.

2.  Turn Off Notifications

It's important to be present in the moment and not get distracted by meaningless notifications. If you're with your family, friends, or colleagues, give them your undivided attention. And if you're trying to focus on a task, turn off any notifications that might pull you away from what you're doing. Whatever is causing the distraction will still be there; just deal with it in your own time frame.

3.  Limit Your Social Media Presence

Keep your social media profile presence limited to where you will actually get use out of it. There's no need to have a profile on every platform available; choose the ones that you use most frequently or that best align with your business goals. If there are platforms that you find difficult to use or that your target audience rarely frequents, consider cutting those ties altogether.

4.  Clean Up Your List of Followers

It's always a good idea to take a close look at your social media followers from time to time and make sure that you're only following people who you actually know and interact with. If you're not sure about someone, go ahead and unfriend them. It's better to be safe than sorry when it comes to sharing personal information online. And if you are willing to engage with these people, make sure to do so regularly.

5.  Decide What News Appears on Your Feed

It's important to be selective about the type of news you consume on social media. If you're constantly bombarded with negative news, political rants, or news that goes against your core beliefs, it can be distracting and affect your mood. You are in complete control of who you allow on your feed, so exercise your right to unfollow or unfriend those who add too much negativity.

6.  Declutter Your Email

Decluttering your email can be a daunting task, but it's important to have a manageable inbox. Gmail has tabs and labels to make your life easier, but you should still set up processes to keep your inbox in check. You can also set up filters to send certain types of messages into folders, and remember to check those folders daily. Regularly decluttering your inbox makes managing it a breeze.

7.  Implement a “Touch It or Trash It” Email System

A great way to manage your email is to create a "touch it or trash it" system. This means that when you look at an email, you decide if you need to take action on it, save it, or trash it. No more clicking out of the message and letting it sit in your inbox indefinitely! Take an action right there by answering the email, putting it in a digital folder, or deleting it.

8.  Clear Out Photos on Your Phone

It's a good idea to clear out the photos from your phone on a monthly or weekly basis. How many people do you know have lost precious photos when they dropped or lost their phones? Backup those photos to the cloud automatically on a regular schedule. Not only will those memories be saved but you'll also free up enormous amounts of space on your phone.

9.  Unplug For the Weekend

It's important to take some time for yourself, especially if you're feeling overwhelmed. Step away from work, even if it's just for the weekend. Disconnecting from work will not only give you a much-needed break, but it will also allow you to recharge and come back to your business refreshed and with a clear mind. If possible, unplug every evening so that you can focus on your personal life and relationships. This will help you relax and decompress from the day so that you can enjoy some peace and quiet.

10. Create a Social Media Calendar

Creating a social media calendar can help you avoid wasting time staring at a blank screen or scrolling through your feed without knowing what to post. Having an editorial calendar with content and posting schedule can help make things run smoothly, especially if you delegate this task to someone else. That way, all you have to do is respond to questions or comments after the post is published.

11. Avoid Using Electronics Before Bed

It's best to avoid using electronics before bedtime. Your brain needs time to wind down and relax, especially after a stressful day. Even on regular days, your brain is overloaded with the constant stimuli from your computer and phone. Plus, the blue light from screens can affect your sleep patterns, making you feel tired in the morning instead of well-rested. Shut off electronics at least one hour before bed. Read a book, meditate, or listen to calming music instead.

12. Declutter Your Hard Drive

Keeping your hard drive clean is important for a number of reasons. Not only will it help you be more productive, but you'll also free up space on your computer and help it run more smoothly. To declutter your hard drive, start by deleting any old or outdated files that you don't need. Once you've done that, take some time to organize the remaining files into a logical filing system. This will help you find what you need quickly and easily in the future.

13. Learn To Delegate Tasks

When it comes to running a business, it's important to learn how to delegate tasks so you can focus on what's most important. This can be a challenge if you're used to being the sole worker, but it's essential in order to keep your business organized and running smoothly. Delegate tasks to a team member or virtual assistant and focus your time on creating products and programs your audience wants.

14. Replace Digital Activities With Real Life Activities

Replacing digital activities with real life ones can help alleviate some of the pressure that you may feel. Try cutting down on your social media usage at night and restart an old hobby instead. Or, spend time socializing with friends or family on the weekends. Turning the laptop off 30 minutes early to go for a walk is also a great way to remind yourself of how much pleasure real-life activities can provide, as opposed to time wasted on digital distractions.

15. Live Conversations Instead of Texting

It's generally better to talk to someone in person rather than just texting them. One complaint about teenagers these days is that they don't know how to have a real conversation because they're always on their phones. But when you're talking to someone face-to-face, you can make eye contact and hear the inflection in their voice, which can help you understand them better. While texting is convenient, it's best to continue the conversation the next day via phone or video chat.

16. Clear the Icons on Your Desktop Screen

Having a lot of icons on your desktop can slow down your computer's start-up time and create visual clutter. To declutter your desktop, sweep all the icons into a folder to sort through at a later date. If you decide you don't need a certain program, be sure to delete it from your control panel. This way, you can start your workday with a clear head.

17. Limit the Number of Browser Tabs

Try not to have too many tabs open at once - your computer will probably start running more slowly or could even crash if it has to keep too many browser windows open. Try to stick to 4 or 5 tabs so that you're not distracted, and then close them when you've finished your task. If you're worried about forgetting the web addresses for tabs you've closed, you can bookmark them in your browser or save them in a notepad file.

18. Utilize Cloud Storage

Cloud storage is a great way to keep your files, photos, and collaborative projects safe. Services like Dropbox and Google use top-notch security technology to keep their platforms safe from hacking and data loss. Storing files in the cloud also makes it easy to share them with others and work on collaborative projects.

19. Utilize a Password Manager

A password manager is a must-have for anyone serious about online security. With identity theft and cybersecurity threats on the rise, it's more important than ever to use unique passwords for all your online accounts. But keeping track of all those passwords can be a challenge. That's where password managers come in. RoboForm or LastPass are great options that offers both a computer and mobile app, so you can access your passwords from anywhere. No more sticky notes or memos with all your sensitive information!

20. Perform Regular Backups

Backing up your data is always a good idea. Even if you're trying to declutter your digital life, it's important to have a backup of all your important information. That way, if something goes wrong or you lose any data, you'll have a copy to fall back on. You can create a backup by storing your information in the cloud or on an external drive. Just make sure to do it before you start deleting anything from your devices. Once you're done decluttering, you can perform backups on a regular basis to keep your data safe.

21. Learn to Enjoy Being Alone

Being alone can be a good thing, but it's not always easy to adjust to at first. If you're used to having your phone or laptop turned on all the time, it can be tough to know what to do with yourself without them. A good way to start is by placing your electronics in another room and taking a break from them for 30 minutes. You might find that you get twitchy and anxious without them, but it's important to learn how to redirect your attention to something non-electronic. Pick up a book; listen to your favorite music; close your eyes and think about your next vacation. Over time, you'll get used to being alone and might even enjoy it.

22. Eliminate Unused Subscriptions

If you want to save some money, one thing you can do is cancel any subscriptions that you don't use anymore. You can search through your PayPal account to find any business-related subscriptions. Some subscriptions are essential, like web hosting, but there are probably others that you've forgotten about or simply don't use anymore. So hit the cancel button and don't look back! If you forgot about a subscription, then it's probably not something you need.

Take your time going through these tips - there's no right or wrong way to approach the list. If it helps, close your eyes and choose the tip you want to complete first. It's better to complete these them sooner than later because digital clutter can impact your productivity, but don’t feel like you have to complete one task each day.

Use these tips to help you get organized in both your digital and physical life too. Start small by implementing some changes to the way you deal with the mail and junk mail. Then, move on to organizing your photos in one place. Once you have a system in place for those two things, start delegating tasks to family members or consider outsourcing. As you make progress, document it in a journal so you can track your progress and see how far you've come. Please share how they overcome the common fears in the comments.

We hope you enjoyed this blog post about tips to declutter your digital workspace without completing disconnecting! We're always happy to share our knowledge with our readers, so we hope you find this article helpful. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. Thank you for reading, and we hope you have a great day!

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