5 Things to Declutter in the Digital Age

Just when you think you've cleared all your clutter, think again! Now that we live in a digital world with clouds, data, and dropboxes, there is a new layer of clutter that's easy to forget about.

While being more paperless certainly helps keep your visual environment less cluttered, we still have the same amount of information, arguably much more than ever before floating around us, instead of stacked in file folders, cabinets, closets, desks, and so on.

Information – which is really just energy – has essentially become less dense, but nevertheless it’s still energy. Instead of manila file folders in a filing cabinet, we can store the same information in a digital file folder on a computer and perhaps even on our smart phone. And so is the case with photos, addresses, phone numbers, tax returns, money, and virtually any piece of information you can think of.

In fact, the Digital Age is even turning physical objects into etherical energy. After all, my iPhone can morph into an alarm clock, a zen garden, a newspaper, a camera, a voice recorder, a board game, a flashlight and much more. Amazing! Before long, it might just become my nightstand.

As we have become less dense with this digital revolution, we still have to be mindful of the energy that floats around us. While we may have less physical objects around us, we are still overwhelmed with information. And so we must be conscious of what ‘information energy’ we have hanging around us that might in fact be clutter.

Space in the digital world seems limitless, but what we humans are able to process is limited. Don’t clog up your valuable space. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, stagnated, or lack clarity, try unloading some of the information piling up around you.

Here are five places where digital clutter may be lurking in the ethers near you:

Phone Contacts

When was the last time you updated your phone contacts? Chances are, there are people in your contacts that you no longer socialize with, do business with, or, well, want to talk to. Clear them out. Although your phone may be able to hold many more contacts, you still need to make space for new people to come into your life. This is a great way to bring new people buy ambien prescription online into your life – business, friends, or romance.

Computer File Folders

If your computer file folders were in a filing cabinet, would it be bulging over by now? Probably so. Clean them out. Better yet, organize them while you’re cleaning them out. I find a good time to do this is on a plane where internet connection isn't necessary.

Also take the time to back up your important documents. Store any documents that you would be lost without if your computer crashed on a zip drive, or email them to yourself, or upload to Google docs so that they are stored somewhere else besides your hard drive.

Photos

Staying on top of photos seems just as difficult digitally as it was back when we had negatives. They at least don’t take up as much space, but that’s because we never get them printed! Are your digital photos strewn all around your computer, along with various online companies? If so, take the time to store them all in one place on your computer in labeled folders. Upload important photos to online photo companies for backup.

Desktop files/Phone apps

Your computer desktop is basically the same as your desk. Is it cluttered with files? The same with your phone or ipad. These can cause some serious visual clutter that can lead to a cluttered mind. Sift through your icons to see if there are some you can remove. Periodically, go through your phone apps and delete the ones that didn’t live up to their hype or that you’ve lost interest in. It will just highlight the ones that you do use and love.

Bookmarks

Has your list of bookmarks become so lengthy that you feel like you are surfing the entire web trying to find something. Go through your bookmarks and delete the ones that are no longer of interest to you. For bookmarks you want to keep but don’t use that often, categorize them into folders, such as Recipes, Travel, and Good Ideas. In doing so, you may come across some great bookmark sites you’ve forgotten about. This is what clutter does – it hides the good stuff.

Where else do you have information stored?