Pro Organizers Told Me to Digitally Declutter — And, I'm So Glad I Did
Most of us spend hours every day using technology, and you might be surprised to know that digital clutter can have similar negative impacts as physical clutter. A cluttered device can make us feel frustrated, overwhelmed and unproductive — which is why professional organizers urged me to start the new year with a digital declutter.
Below, organizing experts Beata Kozlowski of Tidy Step by Step and Tonia Tomlin of Sorted Out share their advice for decluttering digital devices — from sorting through photo albums, apps and emails to limiting phone notifications to avoid distraction.
Tips for decluttering your digital space
✔️ Start with one device. "Your phone is usually the best starting point, since we use it daily," says Kozlowski.
✔️ Don't try to get everything done at once. Don't spend the entire day decluttering your device — dedicate 15 minutes at a time and take small breaks in between.
✔️ Focus on one category. "Think of it like cleaning — start in one room, rather than trying to clean the whole house at once," Kozlowski says.
✔️ Prevent future clutter. "Take a few minutes every day to prevent clutter from accumulating again — clear your camera roll while waiting for your coffee to brew and delete screenshots right after using them," says Kozlowski.
✔️ Set calendar reminders for regular maintenance. Delete screenshots and downloads weekly, and clean up your photos, videos and apps every three months.
Photos
Kozlowski suggests starting with "obvious clutter," like screenshots, blurry images and unnecessary photo albums. Turns out, iPhone's photo app has built-in duplicate detection, where you quickly merge dupes.
I had nearly 20,000 photos and videos on my phone — many of which were accidental screenshots of my lock screen, duplicate images and videos I downloaded from TikTok. Within a half hour, I was able to delete 2,000 unimportant images.
Apps
"Uninstall apps you no longer use to free up space and reduce visual clutter," says Tomlin. It might be an airline you fly once every few years, a mobile game you haven't played in months or a brand you rarely shop. As for the apps you regularly use, organize them into folders — some categories I found useful: utilities, shopping, travel and games.
Notification controls
When your lock screen is overloaded with notifications, you may miss the ones that matter. "Customize your notification settings to minimize distractions," says Kozlowski. "Enable alerts only for essential apps and messages, helping you maintain focus and reduce digital noise."
Computer files
From a cluttered desktop and a disorganized download folder to a nearly full Google Drive, my computer needed a serious declutter. "Go through documents, images and videos," suggests Tomlin. "Delete duplicates, outdated files and anything you don't need. Set up basic folders like "Important Documents," "Photos" and "Work Files.'"
Emails
I get hundreds of emails per day, so it's impossible to completely clear my inbox — but creating a folder system has made it easier to find important emails when I need them. "Unsubscribe from unnecessary mailing lists and regularly sort through your inbox," says Tomlin, who suggests deleting unimportant messages and archiving important emails every week to stay organized.
Entertainment files
Sort through downloaded content on your phone, deleting playlists, podcasts and movies that aren't of interest anymore. These files take up a lot of space if you're not enjoying them on a regular basis.
Passwords and accounts
"Review your online accounts and delete or deactivate any you no longer use," says Tomlin. For me, this was old email accounts, social media profiles and memberships with retailers I never shop. "Consider using a password manager to keep track of important logins without cluttering your memory."
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