Distraction. Oversight. Unproductivity.
Digital clutter could be that one thing messing with your digital work life and hindering your productivity.
This could be in the form of notification overload, files scattered on your desktop, multiple open tabs, and redundant apps on your devices.
Digital decluttering should then start from designing a system that uses your devices to increase focus and productivity while reducing distractions.
Here’s how to get started.
Understand What Digital Clutter Really Is
Digital clutter means different things to different people. From wasting time consuming unnecessary digital information and using redundant apps for work, to having notification overload and leaving work files unorganized.
These clutter situations can be quite evasive even when they have a work-degrading impact unlike physical cluttering which is easy to detect.
Hence, before you can start decluttering, you have to know what digital clutter means for you, so you can design the right system for digital decluttering.
It could be that you need to focus better at work, or that you need to keep files organized and easy to retrieve, or you need to reduce noise in the form of notifications, or even to avoid getting mentally overstimulated which often leads to fatigue and loss of concentration.
Start with File Organization
One of the first steps to digital decluttering is organizing your work files. This includes setting up and naming the right folders, using the right storage systems, and syncing your folders across devices.
This way, you can quickly access files for work, backup files to the right storage and collaborate with others remotely.
Manage Emails Effectively
Email clutter is one the popular forms of digital clutter for creators and freelancers. With the average worker receiving more than 100 emails per day, it is important to sort that clutter if you want to increase productivity and work smarter.
You could apply a few strategies such as leveraging tools like Cleanfox and Unroll to unsubscribe from unnecessary newsletters, use labels to sort important emails, archive read emails, and allocate specific time of the day for checking emails.
Control Notifications
While notifications are necessary for receiving alerts for important messages and reminders, they can be a constant source of distraction if not properly controlled.
This could be costly in terms of time and productivity losses per notification, as a University of California study reveals that it takes the average person about 23 minutes to get back on track after a work interruption.
Hence, creators looking to maintain concentration, especially those necessary for deep work, should employ strategies to reduce distractions from notifications to the barest minimum.
You could do this in a few ways, such as:
- Allowing only important notifications
- Allocate time for checking specific apps and social media
- Disable desktop notifications
- Restrict open tabs and apps to current work project
Declutter Your Apps & Tools
How many times have you installed an app for a single use and then forget to uninstall it thereafter?
I’m definitely guilty of this, and I can’t count how many unused apps currently sit on my devices.
Well, this could be a prevailing source of digital clutter, as having too many redundant apps and digital tools may lead to decision fatigue and digital noise.
This proves that in terms of achieving productivity and working smarter, less could be more. Decluttering your apps and digital toolkit could help you translate saved time from switching between apps into actual work.
To start decluttering your apps, you could delete apps that are redundant for over 90 days, merge similar apps into groups, and leverage multifunctional tools to perform similar tasks.
Declutter Your Desktop & Browser
A cluttered desktop is just a click away from you losing focus for work. This could be in the form of unorganized files in the desktop home or a noisy wallpaper in the background.
This kind of clutter is a source of visual overload, which could affect work efficiency and performance.
You could counter this by decluttering your desktop and browser in several ways, such as:
- Using a neutral desktop wallpaper to reduce visual noise
- Creating specific folders for similar files
- Opening only tabs used for current work
- Clearing your browser cache periodically
Automate Routine Tasks
If you want to work smarter and more efficiently, then you must learn to reduce engaging in repetitive tasks.
That’s where automation comes in.
Digital clutter could also mean battling with work overload, where you have a messy desk or a pile of work that you don’t feel motivated to complete.
With most workers spending over 50% of their time on repetitive tasks, it means that the majority of the workload you are battling with are probably repetitive in nature. So, why not just automate them and save yourself the fatigue?
Some repetitive tasks include:
- Email correspondence
- Social media posting
- File backups
- Website moderation
- Image resizing
- Keyword tracking
- Inventory updates
- Generating periodic reports
Manage Your Digital Consumption
Digital clutter could also mean overconsumption or too much intake of digital information.
Typical examples include overusing social media, or using work devices for other entertainment purposes.
So, decluttering in this case isn’t just about deleting apps, it’s about moderating and managing how much digital content you consume.
Hence, digital creators who want to improve creativity and the quality of their decisions, must learn to reduce mental noise to the barest minimum.
You could achieve this in a few ways such as:
- Limiting internet time and entertainment apps
- Following content and creators that add value to your work
- Separate devices based on work and leisure
Centralize & Sync Backups
Digital clutter could also come in the form of disorganized backups, which can cause work confusion for creators.
With many creators and digital workers choosing to store files in a distributed way, from USBs and drives to cloud storage, it could pose challenges such as file losses, drive failures, and redundancy, which could reduce work efficiency.
The better way to manage backups would then be to centralize and sync backups in a single structure of both local and remote storage.
Creators are encouraged to employ the 3-2-1 backup rule which encourages backing up 3 copies of data in 2 different formats and one off-site copy.
Review and Maintain Digital Space
Digital decluttering shouldn’t just be a set and forget activity. You must periodically review and maintain a clean digital space if you want to achieve a decluttered digital life and work smarter.
The more you maintain a decluttered digital space, the more you can achieve a more efficient workflow which could positively affect your creativity and productivity.
FAQs on Reducing Digital Clutter
How often should I declutter my digital workspace?
It depends on your work schedules, but a weekly or monthly declutter could help to maintain a clean work space.
What’s the most effective first step for digital decluttering?
It is recommended to start with decluttering your file system, as this usually forms the basis for most of your work life.
Are digital decluttering apps worth it?
Of course. Digital decluttering apps could provide latest ideas and tools recommendation to help you declutter faster and more effectively. However, there’s a need to always manually review the process.
How do I manage digital clutter across multiple devices?
The first step to decluttering across multiple devices is to centralize your storage and sync tools in one structure. You could use syncing tools like Google Workspace or Apple iCloud to achieve this.
