It makes sense to tidy up physical clutter in your home or on your desk. Other people can see this clutter and it can have a negative impression on how people perceive you. But what about digital clutter? Nobody has to see how messy your inbox is or how many different files you have on your hard drive. So is there any benefit to organising these digital files?
In most cases, yes. Digital clutter may be something you can easily hide from others, but it can still negatively impact your life. Below are some of the reasons why digital clutter matters.
Digital clutter can take up valuable space
Digital clutter can take up a lot of disk space on your devices. This could leave you less room for downloading future software.
When new software gets stuck while trying to download it, this is typically a sign that you’ve run out of space. You’re also likely to get alerts telling you that you’re running low on memory. While you can buy extra memory in the form of cloud storage or an external hard-drive, your first solution should be to free up space taken up by files you don’t need. Video files and unused software are some of the biggest culprits to look out for.
Digital clutter can make your device run slowly
A lot of digital clutter could also cause your device to run slowly. Having too many files on a computer may eventually start to eat away at your computer’s RAM. Too many startup programs and background programs can also cause a device to run slowly, while too many tabs and browser extensions could cause a browser to load slowly.
If your computer is running slowly, consider taking the time to remove some of the clutter from your device. Disable programs that start automatically or run in the background that aren’t necessary, and get rid of tabs and browser extensions you don’t use. Meanwhile, make sure that your disk space isn’t full. This should help to speed your computer back up.
Digital clutter can make important files harder to find
Messy filing systems on your devices could make it harder to find information you need. When it comes to productivity at work, this can have a big impact.
Ideally, you shouldn’t have to be scrolling past masses of files or having to search through multiple folders to find what you need. By creating clear folders and subfolders you can keep everything organised. Getting rid of files you don’t need can also make sorting easier.
Digital clutter can stop us thinking clearly
Digital clutter can trigger our stress response and stop us from being able to concentrate as clearly. We perform better when we haven’t got hundreds of unread notifications or when we don’t have to scroll through hordes of messy files.
Taking the time to declutter your devices could help you to think more clearly and could reduce your overall daily stress levels. If you’ve noticed yourself getting frustrated or distracted while using your devices, consider whether decluttering could be the solution.
*This is a collaborative post