So we have covered decluttering quite a bit with the de-clutter-a-thon challenge, de-cluttering stress free, and more. However, those focus on the physical clutter. But there is most likely more clutter lurking behind your screens on your computer and phone.

With that in mind, I decided to put together the next level of de-cluttering – a  digital de-cluttering challenge! Here are some steps to get you started and I hope to have more resources ready for you really soon.

Desktop or Home Screen

The desktop on your computer or the home screen on your phone or tablet is a good place to start when decluttering your digital devices. If it looks messy when you start it up, chances are the rest of your time spent will follow suit.

So delete the files or apps that you don’t need on your front screen and organize what does need to stay there.

Photos

Are all of your photos in one place? Start by getting them to one device and folder, then start organizing into folders based on date taken, category, etc.

It’s also a good idea to back up your photos, which can easily be done through a cloud account or an external hard drive or USB port.

Files (Documents, etc.)

Next up is all of those files filling up your documents.

Step 1: Delete all the files you no longer need

Step 2: Start categorizing into folders based on  your needs and personal preferences.

As for me, I try to keep my blogging and personal files separate. I also separate PDF ebooks, free printable worksheets, etc.

It takes some time getting things organized but then it’s SO much easier to find what you need.

Folders

If you have a ton of files in each folder, you may want to take it a step further and create sub-folders within the folder to make things even easier to find.

Just don’t go crazy with creating sub-sub-sub folders because that can end up making things harder to track down! Plus, it ends up just being annoying when you have to click a TON of folders just to get to one file.

Music Files

If you keep a lot of music on your phone or computer, it’ll help to sort by artist, genre, album, etc. A lot of times it will do this automatically when you download or upload music, but not always.

Printables and Downloads

I mentioned these before under files, but it’s worth repeating. There are some great resources available online for free or very cheap, but they’re not worth much if you’re not using them or at least know where they’re stored.

When you know how to easily access these resources, you’ll be able to quickly find the information you need.

With all of the electronics in our world, they’re bound to get a little over-stuffed with apps, files, photos, videos, and more. Taking these first few steps in digital de-cluttering will lead to happier experiences using your electronics and it will make all of your things much easier to find!
How do you keep your electronics de-cluttered?