Monthly Digital Clean Up Checklist
If you just want the checklist, scroll to the bottom.
Keeping your computer organized (and healthy) is integral to it lasting longer than a few years. These days, we have more photos, more files, bigger applications, more nonsense. If you’re running a business (such as self-publishing) or even if you’re just using a computer for fun, it’s important to keep your data organized; merely so you can find what you’re looking for when you need it. Even if you’re not a writer, but just want to find that old photo of your grandma you love so much. There is also a great deal of FOMO when it comes to organization. We’re surrounded by perfect moms and perfect entrepreneurs - those magical beings who get it all done and make it look easy. Pro-Tip: It’s not easy, but it’s doable. Being organized takes time and effort. Don’t worry about the time. Making the effort it what it’s all about. Doing a little here and a little there is the key. It’s called The Kaizen Method - which is not the same as the Kondo Method of rolling up your underwear into tiny balls and dumping all your junk onto your bed. I mean, what if I can’t do the whole closet in one day? Where should I sleep?
Kaizen is an approach to creating continuous improvement based on the idea that small, ongoing positive changes can reap major improvements.
Kaizen was popular in the middle 2000s and you don’t hear about it much anymore, but it still works - especially for anyone who tends to be a procrastinator and wasn’t born with a Bullet Journal tucked under their arm. Kaizen is for people who need help - that is, the rest of us.
The world is cluttered. Our houses are cluttered. Even the poorest among us have too much crap. We’re surround by stuff and it’s reflected in the most unlikely place: Our computers. Digital clutter is just as inundating as physical clutter. And it’s not just local files, it extends into our internet worlds as well. Raise your hand if you have more than one social media account? How about hundreds of passwords to hundreds of sites? How about more than 1000 photos on your computer?
I have a saying: cluttered house, cluttered mind. There is real science to this. Princeton published a study that showed when your environment is cluttered, it restricts your ability to focus. No duh. Don’t you just love these obvious studies? On that note, most articles on this topic merely state “a study at Princeton” without providing the actual link to the study. I had to dig for it, if you’re interested: Interactions of top-down and bottom-up mechanisms in human visual cortex. It basically says what we all know: You can’t think straight in clutter. Of course, the study doesn’t mention digital clutter, but there’s an obvious correlation. It makes sense that when you can’t find what you’re looking for, it causes stress. At least, it does for me. Or when you have 50-thousand Twitter followers or your in-box has more than 20-thousand emails in it. It’s actually stressful.
Months ago, I started noticing my computer was slowing down. It was only four years old and hadn’t been used very much except for Photoshop and some gaming. I have all my important files on an external drive - so why was it pooping out? As a last ditch effort, I decided to really work on clearing the clutter. I purchased an app called “Clean My Mac” and let it run. I managed to delete over twenty gigs of junk I didn’t need, just with one app. When it ran it yesterday, it got rid of another twenty-seven. What was all that crap? Old files, cache data, language files, duplicate files, junk old your programs leave after you’ve deleted them. This post cleaning feeling of accomplishment began to extend into other parts of my digital life. Social media, email, voicemail, and more. It’s now a personal revolution.
As I started my routine, I started thinking, maybe other people would want this - so I’ve written it all out and it’s yours no charge. You won’t need a mop and bucket, but you will need a few apps to get the most of this list:
Apps You’ll Need:
Clean My Mac or Clean my PC (one time purchase)
Avast Clean Up Pro for Mac or Clean Up Premium for PC (yearly subscription)
Avast Security - both Mac and PC versions available (yearly subscription)
Followers Tracker Pro for Instagram (iPhone app)
Pro Followers for Twitter (iPhone app)
The above applications all cost money or have a yearly subscription option, but they’re worth it in the long run. I do not make any money on these links and I get nothing if you buy them except the satisfaction of helping my fellow humans. I just happen to like them and they’ve saved me tons of time. Do the trial versions first if you’re hesitant about the cost.
How to Approach this Checklist:
I try to do this every month around the 1st of the month and give myself a few days to really focus. You do it when it works for you.
Plot out some time for it, even if it’s just a few hours here and there.
Don’t stress. Go easy on yourself. Let yourself off the hook. Take it slow. Do as much as you can, when you can, and as time permits.
If you come across a task and feel yourself groaning or not wanting to do it, move on and don’t feel bad about it.
The idea here is that little changes make big impacts.
You are not obligated to get this all done in one day, but if you just get started and take small bites, in time you’ll see big improvements to your digital world.
The more you do this list, the better your digital world becomes. For example, I didn’t finish the list this month, but I got most of it done and my world is that much more clutter-free.
I’ve started getting excited to start this checklist every month. There is something so satisfying about having a clean environment, even if it’s made up of ones and zeros. You also may not realize that digital clutter is just as bad a physical clutter. We spend many hours per day in our little digital worlds, let’s keep them clean - for our mental health.
❣️I would love it if you used this checklist and found places where I can improve it. If you have any helpful tips, send me an email.
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