Have you ever been bothered by the sheer number of files that are scattered on your computer or phone? Well, you’re not alone.
From students and teachers to online freelancers and entrepreneurs, many people in today’s generation struggle to keep their digital devices clean and organized. Unfortunately, this results in a slower computer and smaller storage space available for your personal files and data. This is why it’s essential to clean up your devices. And no, you don’t have to reset your device and delete all your files. Instead, you organize them and delete what you no longer need.
Here are ways to declutter your devices for a more organized virtual workspace.
1. DELETE all unnecessary files or duplicates.
I’ve highlighted the term DELETE because you don’t really need to hesitate. Start by viewing them as a list and sorting them by file type or date. This will make it easier for you to go over your files and delete them in groups. All random PDF downloads, very old files, and duplicate photos must go. Do this in all your folders, including downloads, documents, and your desktop.
And this does not only pertain to your computer and online cloud. Check your phone or tablet and do the same with your photos and files in the download or files folder. You might not like it, but it may be best to delete those screenshots and multiple pictures of the same pose.
2. Organize your apps.
Check whether or not you’re using all those apps on your devices. If not, you may want to uninstall or clear the app cache. You may group your applications based on their purpose or your liking. Only pin the most important apps or those you frequently use in the Taskbar or Dock.
Read more: Need More Time to Get Things Done? Try These 7 Productivity Apps
3. Name your files properly.
We all want to finish our work early. Still, it’s best to consider a proper file name because it can affect the organization of your files. So, be more mindful in naming your files, even if that file is a screenshot or a picture. It will be easier for you to identify and group them in a specific folder.
4. Declutter your email.
Entrepreneurs constantly use email to communicate with business partners, teammates, or customers. You may even have more than three email accounts, making it hard to manage all messages.
To declutter your email, go to each of your accounts and delete or archive old and unnecessary emails like promotions and social emails. Unsubscribe from shopping deals and newsletters and update your email preferences to receive fewer updates from specific sites. Finally, manage your incoming emails by filtering them to automatically sort, delete or label them.
Read more: 8 Tips to Simplify Your Email Marketing Efforts
5. Clean your social feed.
Yes, you also need to add this in your declutter project not only to have less distraction but also to improve your mental health.
Unfriend, unfollow, and unlike some people, irrelevant pages, and brands that you’re not interested in or don’t provide any value to you. Instead, follow the pages that are value-adding or inspiring.
Conclusion
It would be best if you dedicated some of your time to organize your files, especially when they’re all over your devices. If you’ve already finished some projects above, congratulations! Remember to maintain what you’ve already started and regularly clean your virtual workspace for increased productivity, mental clarity, and happiness.
