How to declutter your digital devices

By Avery Sharpe, September 28 2024—

The start of a new semester is a very exciting time—you get to explore new classes, meet new people and take cute photos with friends you haven’t seen all summer. However, a lot of these new experiences come with documents, emails, e-books and photos that clog up your computer and make your phone run slowly. Sound familiar? Well, then you’re in luck because today we are going to give you five tips on how to declutter your digital devices!

1. Manage your emails

The number of unread emails in your inbox can climb to exponentially high heights that no notifications should ever get to. However, there are ways to manage it! Start by deleting any emails in your junk folder and getting rid of the spam in your regular inbox. Next, create new folders to sort your emails based on your needs. You can even automate emails to sort themselves into folders based on the sender or subject line. Finally, do yourself a favour and unsubscribe from email lists you don’t want to receive. This will reduce the amount of emails you get and help you to stay on top of those notifications. 

2. Say goodbye to old photos

Having too many photos is one of the worst culprits for why your phone no longer has any storage left. Those random photos of your high school whiteboards are probably not needed in 2024, so you can get rid of them along with any duplicate photos, pictures of the floor or weird screenshots you accidentally took by pressing too many buttons at once. You might find that you enjoy walking through memory lane as you review your photos from past years.

3. Refresh your social media feed

Over time you will likely find that your values, hobbies and interests change, but your social media feed won’t unless you make a conscious effort to do so. Take some time to review who you are following on platforms like Instagram and X, and then unfollow any accounts that don’t resonate with you anymore. You might not even realize it, but some accounts could be making your mental health worse if you are constantly comparing yourself or feeling inadequate. 

4. Find a filing system that works for you

It’s a good idea to get on top of the mountain of documents you will inevitably accumulate throughout the semester as soon as possible. Everyone has their way of organizing documents, but there are some common themes you should typically follow. Make sure you label all your folders clearly and title all of your documents with keywords that are easily searchable. I recommend putting the class name and number in each title, such as “COMS 123 – Assignment 1”. It’s also a good idea to put any documents that you are actively working on in a separate folder. That way you don’t have to go searching for them every time!

5. Create good habits

Ultimately, doing a deep clean of your digital devices is a great first step, but it won’t last forever. Ideally, you can treat digital decluttering like any other chore and do it semi-weekly. However, digital decluttering doesn’t have to feel like a chore. You can make it fun! Turn on some music or play a podcast as you clear out old photos, organize your emails and close those tabs that have been open for far too long. I promise you won’t regret it, and your future self will thank you!