Tuesday To-Do: Digital Spring Cleaning

For those of you new to the blog (hi, and thanks for reading!) Tuesday To-Do is a column I share each week with an actionable tip on how to make your week more productive, even when you got off to a rough start.

Just because Monday was a less than stellar work day doesn’t mean your entire week will be scrapped!Judging by the fact that I wake up completely unable to breathe these days, Spring has definitely arrived. Some of you may be planning a big Spring cleaning for your home or office space, but today I wanted to talk about a digital spring cleaning.

A cluttered inbox or desktop hinders your productive as much as a cluttered office or apartment does. Taking the time to tidy up your digital spaces will work wonders for how much you accomplish in a day.

Work your way through these simple tasks to help rid yourself of digital clutter:

Unsubscribe from sales emails and newsletters you don’t need

You aren’t buying that ecourse, following that blogger or even shopping from that store anymore –so why still get the emails? Use a tool like unroll.me to make unsubscribing easy and stop wasting time marking those emails as read every morning. You’ll be able to focus on the mail that matters.

Clean up your social profiles

When is the last time you cleaned up the profiles you’re following on Instagram or Twitter? Or logged into all of the platforms you use to make sure emails, bio and contact information is up to date. You should do this regularly, but now is a good time for a deep dive into your profiles.

Clear that cluttered desktop

I’m happiest when there is absolutely nothing saved to my desktop! It’s convenient to keep quick files and images there so that they are easy to find, but don’t let them live there. When you turn on your computer, a desktop covered in icons is unproductive and distracting.

Organize your cloud storage

Whether you use Dropbox, Google Drive or any other means of storing your files in the cloud, make sure your system is clear and organized. Don’t just drop everything in one folder. Create a streamlined system that’s easy to navigate and clearly identifies your projects.

Do a photo sweep

As a blogger, there’s a good chance you have 500 photos saved in any one device you own at a given time. Between our phones, computers, tablets and cameras there are photos saved everywhere. Free up some storage by doing a photo sweep and deleting what you don’t need. Don’t forget to check your blog for photos that were uploaded but never used –get rid of those, too.

 * Bonus tip: Creating a photo library is a great way to avoid having your photos scattered. On your computer or in Dropbox/Google Drive, create a folder called Photo Library. Then, create subfolders that fit subjects you commonly photograph. For example, I have folders for books, city shots, coffee, lifestyle and home. When you need a photo, you’ll know where to find it quickly and avoid saving images to your desktop.

How often do you digitally spring clean? Let me know what digital spaces you’ll be getting into shape this season!