How To Spring Clean Your Digital Devices

This blog post on How To Spring Clean Your Digital Devices is a guest post from Claire Mac. You can also find her on Instagram and Twitter.

With Spring fast approaching, now is the perfect time for us to do a digital declutter. A spring clean of your digital devices, if you like. We all know how easy it is to accumulate excessive digital clutter, from old emails to unnecessary apps. But just how spring cleaning your home can make you feel organised and in control, decluttering your digital life can have the same effect.

In this blog post we’ll be looking at how to spring clean your digital devices in simple ways. So grab your phone, laptop, tablet and let’s get feeling refreshed, organised and in control of our digital lives.

How To Spring Clean Your Digital Devices

Delete any unused apps

An easy way to start decluttering and spring cleaning your digital devices is by deleting unused apps. I’m sure we’re all guilty of downloading an app, using it once and then forgetting about it.

But these apps take up valuable storage and can slow down our devices. It’s worthwhile spending a bit of time going through the apps on your phone and deleting those you’ve not used in a while. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be surprised at how much storage you’ll be able to free up.

Additionally with the remaining apps you have, it’s useful to create folders and group similar apps together. Not only does this make thighs easier to find, but it actually looks better and makes the process more user friendly. I have sections for socials, for work and for my daughters’ school.

Dispose of any unused or broken tech

Another important, yet usually forgotten about step in digitally decluttering is disposing of any old, unused or broken tech. It’s easy to hold onto things, I know this as well as anybody (currently harbouring an unused for 5 years and probably unsalvageable laptop in the loft) but keeping a hold of them is pointless, and potentially dangerous.

If you have unused tech which is salvageable it might be worth looking into selling them on or donating them to someone in need. This can be a great way to give them a new lease of life and help others whilst doing so.

It obviously goes without saying, but before giving away or disposing it’s important to erase any personal information which may be held on your devices.

Review your social media accounts

Spring cleaning your digital devices is also about decluttering your online presence. Reviewing your social media accounts is not only a great way to spring clean, but I think it can be so beneficial for our mental health too. Start by unfollowing any inactive or unnecessary accounts. I think it’s important to be a fussy follower on Instagram and only follow those that make you feel good.

Take a moment to review any privacy settings too. As a mum to two small children I’m super careful with the images I share of my children online and the amount of information I give away. I’d recommend setting up two step verification codes on your accounts to try and maximise security.

Additionally it might also be a good time to review the social media platforms you’re actually using. Are they still serving and inspiring you? If not, I’d declutter and get rid. You can always reinstall them at a later date if necessary.

Related read: 8 Reasons To De-Clutter Your Facebook Friends

Unsubscribe from unwanted emails

Emails can pile up so quickly. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by newsletters, promotions and general junk that arrives in your inbox. Unsubscribing from unwanted emails may feel like a daunting task to begin with, but I can assure you that in the long run it’s so beneficial.

Unsubscribing from any unwanted emails will not only spring clean your inbox, but it reduces distraction too, allowing you to concentrate on those important emails.

Stop paying for unused subscription services

Many of us have subscriptions to streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime & Disney+ etc. But how many of us are actually using them? Or enough to warrant paying for them anyway.

During your digital spring clean it’s worth going through these subscriptions and cancelling any you no longer use. It might also be handy if you have multiple streaming services to look into overlapping content. Can you declutter and cut multiple services down to just one?

Organise and back up photos

If you’re anything like me you’ll have a backlog of photos that all look exactly the same. Maybe it’s because I’m a mum? Maybe it’s because I’m a blogger?

But I know for sure, I’m not the only one. Have a look through your photos, delete any that no longer serve a purpose – Screenshots, I’m looking at you! And whittle down those photos that all look the same only from slightly different angles.

Backing up photos is really important too. Google photos is a wonderful thing, but having that extra bit of security is crucial when it comes to preserving precious memories.

It’s worthwhile popping photos onto discs, but I think having a physical copy printed is an amazing thing too. It’s only since having my children that I’ve gotten into printing photos and keeping family albums, but the albums feel so much more sentimental.

With all that in mind I hope you’re feeling motivated for your digital declutter. Like a spring clean in the home, your digital declutter requires maintenance. It’s worthwhile doing these types of things seasonally to ensure a stress free digital life. These tasks all sound pretty simple but I can assure you they’ll make a massive difference to your digital lives. I bet you’ll be surprised at how free you feel!

When was the last time you did a digital declutter?

Want some more exclusive content? Sign up to my mailing list for access to my freebie library, where you can download your Goal Setting and Action Plan Workbook plus 10+ other freebies!