Digital Clean Up Day: 10 Quick Tasks

Feeling bogged down, digitally?? You’re not alone. There’s even a Digital World Cleanup Day in March dedicated to decluttering our digital lives. Don’t worry, you can still take part in a digital clean up day whenever you want.

Are you feeling overwhelmed with digital clutter? You're not alone. Let's have a digital clean up day and simplify our tech! — This post may contain affiliate links. Read about them in my privacy policy.

Table Of Contents

10 Quick Tasks for a Digital Declutter
Keeping Up with Digital Clutter
Digital Clean Up Day

Each day, we are utterly bombarded with digital information, which quickly leads to digital clutter. Our little old human brains weren’t meant to handle all the information and decisions that are thrown at us online each day! Let’s give those brains a break by having a digital clean up day.

Whether it’s your inbox, social media, or files that are stressing you out, set aside some time to take care fo them!

Here are 10 quick tasks you can complete whenever you feel like your digital life is getting a little out of control.

10 Quick Tasks for a Digital Declutter

Here are some simple tasks you can do for your digital clean up day:

Unsubscribe from emails. Tell 10 to 20 solicitors no thanks and get some instant inbox relief. I’m a serial delete-r — I delete like crazy almost immediately. This may seem like a good way to get rid of inbox clutter, but it wastes time in the long run. I suggest leaving emails in your inbox for a few days and then going on an unsubscribing spree all at once.

Create email folders. Instead of keeping hundreds of emails in your inbox and then having to scroll like crazy to find what you’re looking for, consider creating folders for important emails you may need to refer to again. This helps keep your inbox more manageable and allows you to track tasks you actually have to handle.

Have a digital clean up day and say goodbye to cluttered devices.

Delete pictures. If you’re like me, you take 12 photos to make sure you’ve got ONE good one – then you leave them all in your camera roll just because. I also screenshot ideas I want to refer to later or send to a friend, but then let them hang around long after I don’t need them. Pare down!

Unsubscribe from texts. As with unwanted emails, unsubscribe from sales texts.They’re just trying to get you to spend money you don’t need to spend! Usually, responding to a solicitation text with the word STOP is enough to get you off the list.

Delete old texts. While this isn’t always necessary, hanging on to millions of old text messages can weigh on you mentally. Most phones let you archive or delete conversations with a quick swipe in your inbox. I especially do this with automated messages for appointment confirmations.

Delete unused apps. I’m betting you have a ton of apps on your phone you don’t need or use. Not only do they take up memory on your device, they may also be recording and tracking your data. Many websites (such as Facebook) can be accessed through your phone’s internet browser so you can avoid some apps altogether.

Clean up your desktop. I’m guilty of having a cluttered and chaotic desktop. I often save files directly to my desktop, especially if they’re temporary or if I want to keep them front and center in my mind. Unfortunately, I rarely go back and handle them once I’m finished. Check your desktop. Delete what you can. File what you can. Group everything else up in a way that makes sense.

Unfriend and Unfollow. You know those people who constantly make you mad with their political and hurtful posts on social media? You don’t HAVE to be friends with them. If you think unfriending them might cause drama, hide or block them instead. The same goes for the accounts on social media that make you feel less than or that encourage too much shopping. If you do ANYTHING on this list, do this one. I promise your mental state will improve.

Less Tech Time. If you feel you need to declutter tech from your life, there are certain strategies you can take to help you take control:
- Turn off unnecessary notifications (social media, shopping apps, etc.)
- Set a timer for using certain apps (I’m looking at you, social media).
- Putting your phone in airplane mode.
- Hide your phone (I stick mine in a kitchen or desk drawer)
- Change your color settings to grey-scale to make apps less appealing
- Don’t take your phone to bed
- Read and watch tv on other devices

Delete Downloads. Did you know there’s a folder on your phone and your computer for downloads? Well, there is and I’m betting it’s full of A LOT of random stuff you don’t want or need. Give it a quick look and then delete allllll the things.

Want a printable list? Click here for a Google Doc download. Print this off, laminate it, and then reuse it each month to help maintain your decluttering. And for goodness sakes, delete it when you’re done 😉

Keeping Up with Digital Clutter

To maintain your digital decluttering, it’s important to stay on top of digital clutter. Schedule a digital clean up day once a month.

Make Digital Clean Up Day Date

Now that you’ve battled your way through the clutter, go to your calendar app and schedule another digital clean up day for next month!

Maybe you want to do it on the same day, maybe you want to pick the last Sunday of the month, either way, forming good digital decluttering habits is important!