Welcome to Week 9 of The Deep Clean Challenge!
This week, we’re diving into an often-overlooked area of our lives: our digital world. It’s time to clean up and organize not just our physical spaces, but also our online presence. If you’re just tuning in, here’s a quick recap of what we’ve accomplished so far:
- Cleared clutter from our living spaces
- Deep cleaned the kitchen
- Revamped the bedroom
- Scrubbed down the bathroom
- Spruced up the dining area
- Organized the entryway
- Cleared out the refrigerator
Why Clean Up Our Digital Lives?
How overwhelming can it be to face a barrage of notifications or to scroll through hundreds—if not thousands—of unread emails? The answer is: not fun at all. And let’s not forget those subscriptions that mysteriously vanish from your bank account without your consent. So, let’s grab our timers and tackle this challenge with purpose and focus. This week is one of my favorites in The Deep Clean Challenge because I’ve found that bringing order to my digital life significantly enhances my overall peace of mind. I genuinely believe this will make a difference for you as well.
As a personal example, I’m currently in the midst of a major email purge. After years of accumulating over 10,000 emails—yes, you read that right—I realized it was time for a change. While I’ve managed to keep important emails regarding my kids and bills organized, the emails related to Home-Ec101 were a different story. I could choose to simply delete everything, but that risks losing valuable reader questions that matter to me. Instead, I’m steadily chipping away at the mountain of emails. This isn’t just a one-time clean-up; it’s a complete overhaul of my email management system.
Essential Tools for Cleaning Up Your Digital Life
The primary tools we rely on to navigate our digital world include our laptops, phones, and computers. However, I recommend enhancing your toolkit with a few helpful resources. These include:
- A reliable timer to manage your cleaning sessions
- A to-do list app; I personally enjoy using Todoist, but feel free to choose your favorite!
- A password management tool. Trust me, investing in a password manager like Dashlane or LastPass can save you a lot of future headaches.
How to Get Started with This Week’s Digital Clean-Up Challenge
First things first: let’s take a look at your home workstation. Does it need a quick tidy-up? Take a moment to clear away any empty coffee mugs and soda cans, toss out outdated notes, and file away those “I’ll get to it later” papers. Feeling better? I bet you do!
Now, let’s apply the following tips to both your phone and computer/tablet:
- Start with a backup. If you don’t already own an external solid-state drive, it’s time to get one. I recommend the one I use, which I conveniently picked up from Office Depot curbside. If unsure how to back up your computer, simply search for your operating system (Windows or macOS) along with “how to back up with an external hard drive.” There are plenty of tutorials available to guide you.
- For your phone, ensure it automatically backs up to the cloud. This step is crucial in case you accidentally delete something important during your clean-up.
- Next, focus on security. This is where a password manager becomes invaluable. Make sure none of your passwords are identical across multiple services, and avoid using easily guessed passwords like “password.”
- Be cautious about those fun little quizzes circulating among friends. They often contain answers to security questions! Pro Tip: When answering security questions, create responses that are memorable but not necessarily truthful.
We’re on a mission to improve your quality of life by establishing clearer boundaries. Grab your phone, as we’re about to turn off some notifications.
Start by creating a list of your VIPs—those individuals who are allowed to interrupt you via text. This list typically includes close friends, family, and essential contacts like your kids’ doctors. Once you’ve identified your VIPs, add them to your close contact list, allowing their messages to break through your Do Not Disturb settings. All other texts can go silent, leaving you free to check them at your convenience—voicemail exists for a reason!
Apps and Programs
Evaluate the apps on your devices:
- If you don’t use them, uninstall them.
- If you do use them, ensure they are up to date.
- Check their permissions. If an app doesn’t need access to your camera, microphone, or location, revoke that access.
Photos, Screenshots, and Old Memes
This is a task many of us dread, but it’s time for a deep purge. Keep only the best photos. If you want physical prints, remember that Amazon Prime members enjoy free shipping and can easily order prints directly from their phones.
Subscription Services
Now is the time to review all your subscriptions. Identify which ones you actively use and which ones you no longer need. For those you wish to cancel, figure out the cancellation process—some may require a phone call. Take note of the companies that make cancellation difficult, and avoid them in the future. Also, sift through your email for receipts from annual plans to prevent surprise renewals.
Clean Up Your Inbox
If you find yourself inundated with emails from companies you never read, hit that unsubscribe button! Please do so instead of marking them as spam unless they truly are spam. If your inbox has spiraled out of control, consider searching to delete multiple emails at once. For instance, in Gmail, searching “in:all from: old navy” will help you quickly unsubscribe and delete irrelevant emails.
Your Friends List and Who You Follow
This step is crucial for both your social media and your mental well-being. When managing your relationships online, you have two choices:
- If it’s someone you must remain connected with—like a family member—consider hiding them from your timeline or quietly unfollowing them.
- If it’s an acquaintance whose posts are negative or offensive, don’t hesitate to block them. You’re no longer in the high school popularity contest; let them go.
Remember, the people you surround yourself with, both online and offline, shape your experiences. Maintain high standards, and you’ll elevate your life alongside them.
Once you’ve completed your clean-up, double-check to ensure you didn’t accidentally delete anything important. Feeling good? Now go ahead and redo your backup; you don’t want to bring any of that old clutter back into your life.
Wishing you a productive and liberating week ahead!
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