Steps to Take to Avoid Digital Clutter Overwhelm

Small things you can do quickly

At the time of writing this post, I’ve passed 26,000 unread emails on my phone. I have 32 Chrome tabs open, 49 of my iPhone apps are waiting to update, and there are 8 people awaiting a reply back from me across my social apps.

I also have 6,936 pictures on my phone and 11 ebooks checked out from the library. I could go on.

I am, in short, an organizational disaster when it comes to my digital life. All this stuff overwhelms me and slows down my devices and my mind alike.

There are, however, some measures I’ve found to be helpful to manage some of the deluge. If you have others, please, feel free to pass them along. I’m sure I and others could benefit!

The first is I think overlooked advice because it seems so obvious. Use folders/hierarchies wherever possible.

Just yesterday I finally went through my completely clogged-up desktop with stacked icons and figured out how to distribute all my files in appropriate folders. I feel so much better, let me tell you. Being able to see and access all my shortcuts from the desktop, as nature intended? Amazing.

For my writing life, I use the (free) app called Notion on my iPhone. It allows me to drag and drop (or simply label and allow the software to move) every individual piece I’m working on so I can see whether I’m drafting, revising, etc. I also label them with publications and genres.

I know there are many, many other examples of organizational systems like this, but the point is — don’t underestimate the power of arranging your stuff into helpful clumps.

Next on my list is specific advice for fellow Chrome users who find themselves with far too many tabs open at once. I’ve recently discovered The Great Suspender extension, which suspends my open but unused tabs to keep my computer running smoothly.

I had been skeptical at first, because I worried about the lag when I wanted to reopen a suspended tab, but it refreshes like a charm. It also has options of settings for pretty much every aspect of the process you can think of, such as how long to wait before suspending a tab, choosing whether or not to suspend pinned…

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