I won’t be breaking news by saying we live in an era where, by design, notifications and information hit us like a tsunami. If you shop online, you’ll inevitably start receiving emails. It all begins with an innocent checkbox on a website, and suddenly, you receive five emails daily from the same sender. Really? (Hypocrisy Check-up: I also do this for my courses (not four emails a day, though). This is how marketing works today.) That’s why having a digital declutter checklist isn’t just helpful, it’s essential.
Why Digital Decluttering Is a Must
Decision-Making Fatigue
Decision fatigue occurs when your brain has made too many decisions without adequate rest, leading to mental exhaustion. When your brain is tired, you may become moody, sad, or even depressed.
Decision-making fatigue is impacting you. Even if what you read or watch is minutes or seconds, your brain is constantly making microdecisions:
Should I buy this deal?
Oh, this is a cool life hack; I have to try it.
This is a cool meme. Should I send it to my buddies?
Your Wallet Will Thank You
Gone are the days when the internet was a melting pot of cultures, where people chatted on MSN Messenger, Wikipedia was created, and YouTube was a place to discover the truth.
The internet today is a copycat designed to sell you more. The issue is not that we buy more, but that we purchase too often and too much useless stuff (Hi TEMU).
Time is the only Thing you have
It’s important to remember that there is one thing that money cannot buy.
«The key is in not spending time, but in investing it.»
Stephen R. Covey
I’m not suggesting you stop using digital platforms, but it’s worth noting that screen time has increased dramatically in recent years. Additionally, much of the content available is often repetitive and of questionable quality.
Digital Declutter Checklist
Depending on your lifestyle or habits, your digital consumption might differ. However, most people spend most of their time in three categories: social media, work, and digital communications like emails. So here is a digital declutter checklist with tricks to recover quality time.
Digital Declutter Checklist: Emails
Roll up your non-priorities
If you can afford a monthly subscription of $7 to $15, I recommend using Leave me Alone. I’ve been using it for years, and the features help declutter your digital life. I went from spending hours on emails daily to barely a few minutes.
If you want to avoid spending money on subscriptions, which can add up for many of us, you can easily manage your emails in Gmail. By creating filters and rules, you can automatically sort your emails into categories such as shopping, entertainment, learning, and work. This way, you can ensure they skip your inbox and go directly to their respective folders, which you can visit once a day or week.
Ruthlessly unsubscribe
Many people allow their email subscriptions to accumulate without opening them, and that’s okay for a while. Your goal may not be to achieve inbox zero, and if these emails don’t bother you, that’s fine.
However, email providers often push users to upgrade to paid plans, so it’s a good idea to delete emails you won’t use and unsubscribe from newsletters. Gmail’s unsubscribe feature has improved significantly. You can now unsubscribe directly from the bottom of the emails or newsletters you receive or from Gmail. Don’t worry about missing out on promotions; there will always be more offers in the future. Just click the unsubscribe button.
Unsubscribing can help you avoid impulsive purchases, allowing you to visit only the brands and websites you genuinely care about when you need something.
Unsubscribing also benefits the companies sending these emails, as they spend a lot of money on email marketing. You’re essentially costing them money if you don’t open their emails.
Inbox Zero or not?
It doesn’t matter unless:
- Seeing “4,765 unread emails” stresses you out.
- Essential messages get buried, and you miss deadlines or appointments because of inbox overload.
Digital Declutter Checklist: Meetings
You’ll likely have plenty of meetings if you work in a corporate environment or have an office job. Meetings are often regarded as the most draining aspect of the workday for knowledge workers, and they can significantly affect your productivity and overall work experience. So, manage them wisely before they take over your life.
Time blockers
Time blockers are increasingly being viewed negatively by some people because they can create scheduling challenges. I understand that if you work in a corporate environment, making time for meetings with others is essential. However, leaving your entire calendar open is not advisable, as this can disrupt your productivity. In a large company, it’s possible to have meetings around the clock, but protecting your quality time and peak energy levels is crucial. Allocating time for what truly matters will ultimately enhance your performance.
Periodical clean-ups
Recurrent meetings often begin with the best intentions, but after the first one or two sessions, they start with the question, «Do you have something to discuss?»
Cleaning up meetings starts with. carefully deciding what? which ones you attended, not beware of this. meeting’s that doesn’t have any purpose. even more if they are recurrent Be very skeptical while accepting recurrent meetings. Unless it’s a 1 to 1 with your manager or your dialog reports I’ll put a question mark on most of them.
Digital Declutter Checklist: Social Media & Video
This topic can be pretty challenging for many people. The reason it’s so difficult to navigate social networks because they are very trendy, and it’s human nature to imitate others. When you see everyone around you on their phones, it can be hard not to join in, even if you don’t want to. Only a few people possess the willpower and mental strength to resist the urge to check their phones, while others use them. However, there are some simple ways to declutter your social media life and reclaim time for other activities.
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Unfollow Profiles
If you find yourself repeatedly swiping down or scrolling through a channel’s posts, it’s a sign you might not be enjoying the content. The next time you notice this, consider unsubscribing from that account. One of the most significant issues in social media consumption today is that we tend to watch everything, regardless of whether it’s entertaining, silly, or engaging. It’s important to curate your feed with content that you genuinely enjoy. Shift your mindset to recognize what you don’t like. If you find videos that aren’t appealing to you, click the three dots and select “I don’t want to see more videos like this.”
Limit your time
I recently started limiting my screen time on Instagram and LinkedIn. I began with just 10 minutes on Instagram daily, but then increased it to 15 minutes because I felt that 10 minutes wasn’t enough. Since then, I haven’t gone over 15 minutes. This time is sufficient for me to check out the profiles and information I want to see, keep up with my close network and their updates, and send a few messages for birthdays and other friends. It was a bit challenging initially, but it has paid off.
Digital Declutter Checklist: Reclaiming Time with Purpose
People often don’t know what to do with the free time they gain from stepping away from digital channels, and that’s understandable. A key part of overcoming any addiction is finding other activities that bring you joy. This should be an essential part of the digital decluttering process. It’s wise to explore hobbies, even those that may not initially seem evident.
I always recommend starting digital decluttering with a clear idea of how to spend that newfound time. For instance, if I save an hour by not checking emails today, I might spend that time working in the garden. If I reduce my social media use by two hours, I could go to the gym, cook a meal, play chess, or engage in any activity I enjoy. Finding out what you value and want to pursue is vital when decluttering your digital life. This goes beyond achieving mental clarity and can greatly enhance your overall well-being.
