Today I am privileged to welcome a guest blogger. I don't often discuss digital clutter because I am not known to be too tech savy, but I do feel that it is an important aspect to decluttering your life and this was written in a way we can all understand.
Let's face it, our digital world has grown by leaps and bounds in the past decade and we all struggle to keep on top of our incoming mail, photos, important documents, etc.
This post is the first of two I am publishing. Please welcome Abby Quillen of ereplacementparts.com and I hope you find her information on this topic insightful and helpful.
DOWNSIZE AND ORGANIZE YOUR DIGITAL CLUTTER
by Abby Quillen (guest blogger)
Physical clutter can damage your health. In a study done by the University of California, Los Angeles, women who described their houses as cluttered, disorganized, disordered, or haphazard had daily patterns of the stress hormone cortisol that are normally associated with post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic fatigue, and early mortality. These women were also more likely to feel depressed.
If you’ve ever spent a morning trying to track down a lost file on your hard drive or searching through a decade of email, you know that digital disorder can also take a toll on your well-being. Most people handle a constant flow of text messages, emails, photos , videos, and other digital information. When all that digital data piles up, it can slow you and your devices down. Keep reading for a step-by-step guide to downsizing and organizing your digital clutter.
Get Organized
Does your documents folder or email inbox resemble a junk drawer with everything tossed in together? Do you usually rely on your search box to help you find files? An organization structure can help you declutter, share, synchronize, move, and easily track down files. Follow these simple steps to get your digital life organized:
Designate Categories
Browse through your files and emails and determine the major and minor categories they fall into. For instance, you may be able to divide photos into “work photos,” “family photos, “head shots,” etc. Within those categories, you may have subcategories.?
Make Folders
Once you’ve determined what categories and subcategories you want to use for each type of file, make folders or subfolders for them.
Develop Naming Guidelines
Librarians who manage large digital collections use consistent, meaningful, and descriptive names to identify what’s inside each file. Follow suit, and you’ll be amazed at how much easier it is to track down specific files and photos when you need them. For documents, designate a naming structure such as “descriptive keywords-type of document.” For example, this article might be named “digital-decluttering-article.” For images, create a structure such as “descriptive keywords-month-year.” For example, vacation photos might be named “Hawaii-vacation-March-2017. For emails, use descriptive subject headings.
Automate Email Organization
Email in-boxes can become unmanageable quickly. Depending on your email provider, you can automatically filter incoming emails into certain folders. For instance, all newsletters can be sent to a “newsletters” folder, and emails from colleagues can automatically be sent to a “work” folder.
Make a Plan
Digital clutter builds up quickly. Get out your calendar, and schedule regular recurring dates with yourself to keep your data in order.
(Original Source: eReplacementParts blog)
Let me know how you make out with this plan. As always, if you are in need of assistance when it comes to your clutter, don't hesitate to contact me. I am always here to help.
