Clearing digital clutter can be like pulling teeth, no one really is interested in doing it. And because digital clutter often lies out of sight out of mind it can create big problems. But there is strong evidence that taking steps to organize your digital life can have positive ripple effects on our mental health. I can admit that when I was able to organize and create a photo album from piles of inherited photos I felt overwhelming relief. Now my photo clutter has turned into a slim photo book that I can share with family.

Is clearing digital clutter even necessary?

Emilio and I noticed several years ago that our Google Drive storage capacity kept expanding year after year which started to set off alarm bells in our minds. It’s true that each year our business and our personal lives grow in new areas and with new content, but we were in denial about what files were actually necessary.

If you were to stop right now and think to yourself – is everything in your digital life necessary? Are you paying for storage space that may not needed just to avoid clearing digital clutter? If the answer is yes, we have some simple strategies for you below. If the answer is no, you can still benefit from reading the strategies to help prevent digital clutter from piling up in the future.

Clearing digital clutter to clear your head

We have worked with many clients who contacted us because their digital clutter. Their clutter was negatively impacting the way they worked, their sleep, and their inability to find things when they needed them. First I just want to share that there is no shame in having a lot of digital clutter.

Think about it, there isn’t a lot of education coming out about how to manage the files we create and use everyday. Smartphone companies more than happy to show you all the ways in which you can take photos, share documents, download apps. However, they don’t share in the fine print you could end up buried in digital clutter. That’s why we’ve created a list of strategies to help you mitigate those pitfalls.

6 Simple strategies for clearing digital clutter

1. Unsubscribe – this is directly talking about email clutter and not only to do you want to address what’s already in your inbox, but you want to prevent more from coming in. We have helped clients who have had over 10 000+ unread emails in their inbox – this isn’t uncommon. We recommend always finding a solution that works for you, but there are free services to help you unsubscribe and paid versions like Unroll.me and Mailstrom.

2. Inventory your devices – as the years go by you may notice that you have more places where digital clutter could be living. Take a moment with a piece of paper and a pen to make an inventory list of where things exist. For example, external hard drives, cloud services like Dropbox or Google Drive, desktops, smartphones, cameras, laptops, tablets, etc. Once you have this list compiled it will be a lot easier to consolidate digital clutter and also to decide if all devices are still relevant.

3. Recycle old electronics – many times we come across clients who have closets and boxes full of old computers, devices, and phones. Often the hesitation with old electronics are fears of people hacking data or files off of the old electronics. If this is the case make steps to clear those devices and get those devices to a drop off location where they can be properly disposed of. Our electronics are filled with resources – everything from glass and plastic to gold, silver, copper and palladium – that need to be recovered and recycled and it’s never been easier to do so. Just type your postal code and find a spot near you.

4. Make a photo plan – they’re so easy to take, yet can be so difficult to decide what to do with! What do you really want from your photos? There are many ways that you can preserve those photo memories and not too long ago. It’s a great idea to clear your phone and start fresh. Set an intention for why and how you take your photos and they less likely to create frustrations in the future.

5. Book a yearly digital purge – this is Emilio and I’s favourite solution for keeping digital clutter to a minimum. Yes, it’s true, even professional organizers accumulate digital clutter! Every year between Christmas and the New Year we schedule 6 hours to go through our Google Drive and declutter. It’s a tedious task, but the relief we feel after completion is priceless. We know where our files are, we let go of what’s no longer relevant, and we often finish feeling inspired for the year ahead. The blocking off in our calendars keeps us accountable to getting it done and we protect that appointment as if it was booked with our doctors.

6. Try a digital detox – we have personally experienced taking an extended break from using digital devices and witnessed dramatic changes in how we use the devices upon returning. It’s a great idea to take a break, if even for half a day, from your devices to see how it feels to not have that distraction.

You have the power to turn it off

To conclude I can honestly say that when the overwhelm starts to bare down on me it’s a relief to know that there is a power switch on every device. Don’t hesitate to do a factory reset if that’s what you think could help. Humans have survived centuries without a digital life and my grandma would say that she didn’t miss out on any joy in life because she didn’t have a smartphone or computer, ever. All you need is love.

Photo Downsizing & Organizing Video Series

A 3 Step Recipe to Downsize Your Photos

Let’s face it, what are we going to do with all those photographs? 

There is a lot of time, energy, and resources that go into taking a photo, printing a photo, sharing a photo, etcetera. And over the years you may be collected a lot of photos and now are uncertain of what to do with them all. I found myself in a similar position and below I share my solution to the challenge of making that decision. 

Remember, this solution won’t work for everyone, but it worked for me and my family. Have a peek and enjoy the videos.

Step ONE: Deciding to Go Digital

The Challenge I was facing:

My grandmother died and I inherited a very heavy photo album that she organized before her death. It was a lovely dedication to her family, but it was difficult to transport, share, and store.

The Solution:

• spend time making photos digital
• create a condensed version with the digital photos in a photo book online and print it
• let go of original photos and photo album

Step TWO: Scan the Photos

The Kitchener Public Library saved me hours of time and provided me with access to the tools I needed to downsize and declutter my photo collection.  In the video below, you can see a brief overview of the Epson FastFoto FF-640 and Cannon 9000f Mark II Scanner. I used both of these devices, for free with my library card, to digitalize over 550 photos in less than 2 hours.

You don’t have to be a tech expert to use these tools. The staff demonstrated all of the equipment for me and also were there for any questions I had. An absolute pleasure that I recommend you take advantage of.

Information about the devices I used:

Epson FastFoto FF-640

• Digitize your photo collection with the world’s fastest photo scanner
• Scan as fast as 1 photo per second
• Restore, edit, crop, and batch name photos
• Accommodates fragile and panoramic photos

Canon 9000f Mark II Scanner

• Scan documents, photos, slides, or film strips
• Convert to JPG/Exif, PNG, TIFF, or PDF
• Save to USB or email digital file
• Maximum optical resolution: 4800dpi
• Maximum document size: 8.5″ x 11.7″

Step THREE: Ordering Photo Album Hardcopy & Share

It was important to me to still have a hard copy of the photos that my Grandma had worked so hard to organize before she died. I wanted to gift this photo album to my parents and knew it will be something that I will be able to see whenever I visit. I ended up using Photo Book Canada, but there are so many options to get your album printed (if you even choose to print a hard copy). Below is a summary of how I felt about this project.

Positive results are:

• I have more space on my shelf
• photos are now digitally archived
• photos are easily shareable with relatives and friends
• backed up in case of damage to the physical book
• the weight of my storage has decreased significantly (making it easier and cheaper to move if that need arises)
• a lasting physical album that can be passed around or handed down

Negative results:

• time invested was 4.5 hours
• difficulty letting go of original copies of photographs
• $50 spent on printing final photo album

Final thoughts?

The positive results far outnumbered the negative results of this project (for me). Not everyone will find it easy to let go of physical copies of photographs. However, you have to decide what is important for you “to keep” and “to let go of,” everyone will be different.

I’m really proud that my community has such an amazing resource like The Kitchener Public Library. I would not have been able to complete this project for free without the access to technology that they provided to me as a library user. Thanks for being awesome and continuing to allow our community to learn and grow together.

Six Tips to Make Your Digital Detox Easy To Do

Practical strategies to make the choice of distraction less favourable.

Do you find yourself picking up your phone, seeing a notification, and then forgetting why you picked it up in the first place? Maybe you’re picking it up just out of habit or boredom.

Is Youtube or Netflix the easiest choice when you get home after work? You originally thought you’d get a few things done, but one episode turned into three and now it’s time for bed.

My suggestions are just a few things we changed around our home and tested with our own devices. Yes, I too recognized my default choice of social media and movies were the reason I wasn’t doing other activities and hobbies that I used to love.

Ask yourself this:

• Are there small projects around the home that seem to never get done?
• Do you watch more than 5 hours of tv, movies, Youtube, social media a week?
• Do you find it challenging to get to sleep without checking your phone before bed?
• Is your phone the first thing you look at in the morning?
• Do wish you had more time to pursue hobbies?

If you answered “Yes” to one or more of the above questions you might enjoy trying some of my suggestions.  If you are uncertain that your screen time is too high, I also recommend trying to audit how much you spend on your devices and watching a screen. You can audit your time with a simple paper and pen. Or you can try an application that will log how much time you’re using your screen.

1. Hide the Television

We downgraded our 60″ flatscreen television to a 20″ screen and it now sits behind a picture of art. We found that the television was always the centre of attention in a room and we wanted to set up our space without it being a focal point.

Now when we want to watch something we just move the painting and put it back when we’re finished. We watch less and play more. If you’re not willing to compromise on the size of the tv that’s Okay. We still recommend have something to hide it when not in use or playing something on the screen like a fish tank or fireplace 🙂

2. Create a Hidden Charging Station

My phone gets put away in a cupboard around 7:00 – 8:00 pm every night and it doesn’t come out until after my morning routine is finished. Putting the charging station behind cupboard doors made it easier for me to distance myself from mindless scrolling in the evenings.

Yes, some of you may gasp when thinking about whether or not someone could get a hold of me by phone when it’s on silent. The truth is, I feel the risk is worth the peace and quiet I get from not having it close at hand. Everyone is different and will have different levels of comfort, so choose something that feels right for you. You can still keep your ringer on, but have your phone put away.

3. Go Back to the Alarm Clock

Yep. The phone had become our everything, including the morning wake up call to get out of bed on time. However, both Emilio and I noticed after a while that our phones weren’t just being used as alarm clocks in the bedroom. We were both developing habits of checking emails, reacting to notifications, and basically not sharing with each other before bed anymore. 

We recognized our habit was interfering with our love life and ability to fall asleep easily, so we went to a second-hand store and bought two old alarm clocks. It’s been two years now with the no phone in the bedroom rule and it made a big difference for our health and the health of our relationship.

And for those of you who are wondering, no, we have not missed out on any news or emergencies that we would have needed our phones right by our beds for. Simply by going back to “old technology” we were giving ourselves a huge digital detox.

4. Use a Timer

A really effective exercise in limiting your email and social media time is to batch the time together. Meaning, instead of checking emails or updates as they happen, you block off a specific amount of time at intervals during your day and use a timer.

Both Emilio and I started using this practice because we found that we were working longer than we needed too, essentially because we were being ineffective. And let’s face it unless that email is labeled “ASAP” or “Emergency” (ps. why aren’t they calling you?) then it can wait the 1-2 hours before your next time slot of emails.

So for example, I check my emails three times a day. Once in the morning, once after lunch, and then lastly before the end of the work day. I allow 20 minutes for social media once or twice a day — this has been the most challenging hurdle to get over. Remember you set the time limits and the frequency. Everyone has to start somewhere. 

5. Plan Your Ideal Week

There is no sense in freeing up your time if you aren’t sure about what you’ll do with it. And maybe that newly discovered free time is spent with a little more idleness or meditation, not every minute needs to be filled with activities.

I draw out a basic weekly template in my bullet journal (you can use a printout or piece of paper) to visualize where my time goes and map out how I’d like to spend my time. Emilio and I created a video tutorial to create your own bullet journal template and explain the exercises. You can also find more information about this exercise in our book A Recipe For An Extraordinary Life. Organization | Minimalism | Self Care. 

When you can visually see your week it bring an awareness about the time you have and where you spend it. This exercise is not supposed to make you feel like a slave to a schedule, but more of an inspiring exercise to make your daily life reflect your goals and aspirations. Because if you don’t decide how to spend your time, someone else will.

6. Plan a Potluck

It’s amazing how a little company of friends or family can give you more endorphins than that “like” button on Facebook. I think it’s important that every now and again you get social, but allow it to be a burden. Let everyone participate in sharing the preparation of food and even the cleanup.

Most people don’t allow their guests to help with clearing dishes or putting the furniture back, but you should accept the help. It allows your friends and family to feel involved and allows them to return the gratitude of being invited to your home.

Of course, we always love having potlucks because of the variety, the conversation, and the effort of hosting is far less draining. Because getting social is supposed to be about sharing time, catching up, and enjoying good food; not about feeling stressed or anxious about all the clean up that will be left behind.

Digital Organizing Tips with CTV Quick Fix at Five

This happens to me very often! I get my phone to check my calendar and there they are, new emails, a missed call, messages…  I do have most of my notifications turned off, but it’s still not enough…

That’s why in a world with 24/7 access to information and entertainment, it’s becoming more and more difficult to focus and get stuff done. 

Setting up the intention before using your electronics could save you a LOT of time. Distractions are a part of our day and they can really slow our productivity, and affect your mental health!

Using a timer can help you control how much time you spend on a specific task.

Watch our latest segment with CTV Quick Fix at Five where we share some Digital Organizing Tips.

What is your biggest challenge when it comes to digital organizing?