Digital Declutter: How to Spring Clean Your Digital Space for Better Focus
Since the popularization of remote working, digital spaces have become the commonplace where business owners and workers meet to accomplish tasks individually or through cooperation.
While working in digital spaces offers more freedom and flexibility, it may also lead to accumulating clutter that eventually causes a highly distracting work environment. If you are facing this problem, then you need to heed these tips so you can make your digital space an environment conducive to high-performance work.
1. Tidy your desktop
Documents and office supplies on the table that are no longer needed or working? Trash them. Empty your drawers and vacuum the dust accumulated inside. Clean everything and leave only the things you use on a daily basis such as pens, staplers, stamps, and folders.
2. Clean your digital inbox
Delete all the unnecessary email and chat messages in your inbox. Leave only work-related stuff and other messages that you need to act on. Unsubscribe from mailing lists or newsletters to prevent future clutter. If you want to stay updated on the services and products of other companies, use a separate email and don’t mix your personal use with your business email.
3. Uninstall unnecessary apps and programs
Uninstall all the programs and apps you don’t need on a daily basis. Delete their installers as well from the downloads folder. They’ll take up a lot of storage space, make your device slow, and make it hard for you to navigate through your devices as you search for the apps intended for work. Don’t worry, you can still re-download them when you’ll need their functions in the future.
4. Archive the important files
If you still have a lot of documents or files that you’ll need in the far future, organize them in folders and boxes and store them somewhere safe, just not in your office. For digital copies, have them archived in an external hard drive.
5. Disable unnecessary startup programs
There are a lot of apps that mess with your computer’s default startup process. This could really slow down the device’s performance and distract you from working on your tasks. To disable these programs on your Windows computer, click here or here. If you use an Apple computer, use this link as your guide.
6. Reorganize your productivity software for current needs
You might end up deleting your productivity apps and programs because you think you no longer need them. Don’t do that just yet, for they are very useful. Identify your current productivity needs such as habit and routine building. Then configure the old agendas or create new ones in your app.
7. Run the antivirus
Like unnecessary startup programs, computer viruses can also slow down your device’s performance, steal your private information, or just interrupt your work by triggering alarms. Choose the best antivirus provider that doesn’t put a lot of burden on your computer’s processing power and keep it updated. Then, do a full scan and delete detected threats.
8. Limit social media
Unfollow people who you don’t know or those who bring negativity to your newsfeed. Delete contacts you no longer need. Do the same for pages. Your social media account should only be connected to your family, close friends, and business partners, especially if you use it mainly for your venture’s purposes. If you struggle with social media procrastination, set a timer for its use.
9. Empty the recycle bin
Now that you have deleted and trashed those useless files, time to say goodbye for good by deleting them permanently from your device. For the physical documents, you can burn them or choose to shred them for an environmentally friendly approach.
Despite putting limits on phone app usage, you can still access social media, streaming sites, and other distracting services through your computer’s browser. Use the Freedom app or this guide to block these sites so you’ll have no way to be distracted while at work.
Need more tips to boost your productivity at work? Read these!