I must confess I am not very good at
cleaning up electronic clutter. We recently backed up our computer, and there
are quite a number of documents and images that are no longer necessary or
useful – the exact definition of clutter!
In my mission to clean up my electronic
clutter, and I intend to use the following strategies:
- Unsubscribe from e-mail lists. This is perhaps one of the most useful tips on avoiding electronic clutter in the first place. I used to just delete unwanted e-mail, but now I take the trouble to find the link at the bottom of the message and actually unsubscribe myself from mail I don’t have time to read or am no longer interested in receiving. It has made a massive difference to my inbox!
- Delete items that are no longer necessary. I tend to hoard up e-mails that have been read in case I want to read them again. However these must really go as well as blurry and duplicate photographs and documents that are outdated and no longer useful.
- File e-mails, documents and photographs efficiently. I am quite good at keeping documents and e-mails in labeled folders but somehow our photographs have got into a mess. I think it will be helpful to get all digital photos in one place and file them in folders that make sense (either in date order or by occasion).
- Keep back-ups. This needs to be a scheduled or regular routine, not a random and haphazard event. I am quite good about keeping electronic photos in more than one place, but it needs to be a more intentional process. If backing –up is routine then cleaning up before backing up might also become routine.
What
are your tips for keeping on top of electronic clutter? What are your thoughts
on how to keep effective back-ups of photos and documents?
