Hi amigos!
Let’s get Digital! You heard me right! It’s time to clear out those dreaded folders from your computer and get rid of that cute cat video you’ve kept for two years. Who knew such tiny folders could carry so much crap?! Don’t worry, I’m here to cheer you on and give you some tips to help you along the way. Tip #1 is to set out a window of time to do this. Start with 15min. See what you can do with that. Then if you feel energized and determined, go for another 15min. Let’s start with the list of 5 things you need to unclutter right now.
1. Your Computer
Be it a laptop or desktop you probably keep a gazillion files in there. Open the first folder of contents. Start moving files to the Trash/Recycle bin of those things that you are sure you can get rid of by only reading the file name. Try this without opening the files. If you do, it will take you twice as long. Go through the list once again and do the same thing. After reviewing the list of file names twice, only then start opening the files of the things that you are unsure of. Keep those things that are vital and then put the others that you are unsure of in a separate folder. You can name it ‘Maybe’. Do this same process on all of your folders in your computer. Go through the ‘Maybe’ folder 24 hours after you’ve filled it up. Allowing some time in between purges gives you perspective and clears doubt. You’ll then know what should be kept and what can be thrown away. Be sure to back up those items that you want to keep. Back up options below.
2. Your Devices (tablets, smart phones, iPods)
Deleting stuff from your devices helps to make the device quicker. You can do this while you’re in line waiting for the lady who is paying with a check at the super market. Yes, this still happens… First, go through all your Apps and start deleting those that you rarely use. Once you get rid of the apps, go into the apps that hold files like Zinio, iBooks, iPhoto, Video, Kindle Reader, Newsstand, Pages etc… and start deleting documents that are of no use to you. Videos and pictures take up a lot of space. Back them up on your computer or cloud service and then delete them from your device. If you are unsure of your usage of certain apps, put all of them in a folder within your smart phone and remind yourself to check back in 2 weeks to see if you’ve opened that folder. If not, you can say bye bye to those apps.
3. Your cloud service (Dropbox/iCloud/Google Docs)
I love the cloud. After living in one for practically my entire life, it’s nice to have company that’s not made up of my own imagination. I use Dropbox for most of my files and iCloud for my backups. You should try these since they don’t take up any of your computer space and they offer the ideal option of accessing any file from any device and any time. Gotta love it. Anyhow, these folders need some TLC too. Tackle them as you would in item #1.
4. Your External Thumb Drives/ Hard Drives
These puppies need some love too. They work hard to store your stuff! Hence the name Hard drive… (oohhh, bad joke)… Do the same as #1 since the filing system is usually the same. Really do try to purge these since they will probably not exist for much longer. This is my opinion given the advances in technology such as the previous point (#3).
5. Your DVR
How many of those 15 episodes of The Suze Orman Show are you really going to watch? Select those that interest you the most and ditch the rest. (Uhmm, I’m talking to myself here). It’s not the end of the world if you miss an episode… Unless it’s Scandal, The Blacklist or Veep. Then I’d say, “Let there be clutter!”
Thanks for reading these tips peeps! Remember, it’s always a good idea to back everything up. You never know when your computer or device might call it quits and then leave you hanging. They rarely give you a two-weeks notice. How rude!
Have a fantastic day!
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