Declutter Your Digital Life in 15 Steps

My computer was full and I had to declutter my digital life but I had no idea how. I did the research and broke it down into 15 easy steps. If you’re in college and super busy with lots of files and photos then keep reading.

Declutter: edTPA files, youtube vids, & pictures

They all took over my computer and I had no clue what to do. I researched how to clean out a computer without deleting everything. I researched how to back up my pictures and documents. This blog post is a compilation of everything that I have done so far to get me 64 GB of free space on my Macbook Air. So, if you get the occasional “Your hard drive is almost full” message then this post is for you!

Step 1: Declutter and Clean Out

Although I break down the process in further detail on my calendar, my biggest tip is to delete unnecessary items. Duplicates of files from college classes easily pile up as well as the hundreds of pictures you took the weekend before. Delete the duplicate pictures that you took that look exactly the same as the one before. Open up your downloads folder and delete the syllabus that has sat in your computer from freshmen year. For me, these were the little things that were causing the most clutter on my MacBook. This step is key to declutter your digital life and making room for more files.

Step 2: Organize your Digital Life

After deleting unnecessary items, organizing is critical. Put items into folders by topic or class if you’re in college. When I organized by class and blog, I found so many duplicate items. This isn’t the case for everyone but by organizing you might still find files that you don’t need. When organizing pictures, I think the simplest way to file them in folders is by month & year.

Step 3: Keep up with Decluttering!

The most important part of decluttering your digital space is creating a plan to make sure that you continue. Use iCloud, Dropbox or Google Drive to back up files. If you use multiple backup spaces then make sure that they are organized by aspects of your life so a million different parts of life aren’t in different places. I use iCloud and pay 99 cents per month for the 50 GB. This helps me know where my pictures are and can easily access them from anywhere. Whichever one you pick, stay consistent!

If you’re like me and you like things broken down into easy to follow steps, I created a calendar of this process broken down into 15 Days. Use it as a guide of the steps to follow or do one task per day. Either way, you will be on your way to clearing up space in your digital life!

Thanks for reading!

XOXO

Elizabeth Irene