I have many documents, apps, music, movies, and images on my computer. Every so often, especially when I upgrade software or hardware, I like to go over the files and see if there are files that can be deleted. Below is an example of how I am clearing the digital clutter on my computer. Hopefully, this will give you a direction on how to reduce your digital clutter.
Easy Steps to Clear the Digital Clutter
I started out with my desktop files and deleted any file I wasn't using or didn't want. I then moved the files I wanted to keep into a folder that would describe the data.
I then went to my documents folders. Folder by folder and file by file, I went through all the files to see what to keep and what to get rid of. If there were files I wanted to keep but didn't need on the computer, I would put them on a thumb drive and store somewhere else.
I moved on to the image files that took up the most space on my computer. I went through and deleted any duplicate photo files, blurry photos, and any photos I didn't want to keep.
Then, I went to my control panel, software installed, and looked for applications that I didn't use and deleted them as well.
I moved on to My iTunes and deleted apps (lots of them), podcasts, and music (from when my kids were little) and old movies and TV shows I didn't watch. Though, sometimes iTunes would download them again since they are available to download from the cloud.
I cleared out my browser's cookies as well. Though, by doing this, I needed to go through the security procedures when logging into some of the already verified security sites. Annoying but worth doing to clear the browser.
Microsoft Outlook emails were next. I restructured my email folders and deleted any emails that were irrelevant anymore and cleared my deleted emails about a day later.
Below is a checklist you can use to help with clearing Digital Clutter. Please share.
Wow, that took some time. It took me about one month. Though I am glad, I cleared my digital clutter.
About a month or so later, I went back to my computer and emptied my trash can. I allowed a month, just in case I mistakenly deleted something I didn't want to remove. I then started a Disk Cleanup, and Disk Defragment tasks on my computer and restarted my computer.
By clearing my digital clutter, it helped me free up storage space on my computer. And it also allowed me to clear out items that were from tasks I no longer do, which resulted in me examining more closely the things I still do and determining what can stay for the future. As a result, it was freeing to let go of digital stuff, just like it would be if I got rid of physical clutter in my home.
Will you be taking on this task? What have you determined is the most important to clear? Please leave a comment and share it with your friends.
If you want more tips on clearing digital clutter, check out these articles I found online.
How to Spring Clean Your Digital Clutter to Protect Yourself
25 Areas of Digital Clutter to Minimize
