3 Ways to Reduce Digital Clutter on your PC or Mac

business business tool digital clutter entrepreneur mac online business systems organization productivity time-management Mar 05, 2021

As business owners, there is one form of clutter that negatively affects us each and every day... It's Digital Clutter. Ready to simplify your life and streamline your business? Join The Digital Clutter Cure and learn how to utilize the tips below.

How many of these apply to you?

Your desktop is covered with screenshots and shortcuts.
Your toolbar is filled with applications you don't even use.
Your bookmark bar is so disorganized that you have to scroll and scroll to find what you need. (Or, you don't even use your Bookmarks Bar!)
It takes you a long time to find files because you have no idea where to save things, how to title them, or how to search for them.
You constantly reset passwords, because you have no idea what they are.
You are running out of storage space because you never clean out old files.
Your inbox has thousands of unread emails.
You have photos saved in ten different locations and devices.

These are just SOME examples of Digital Clutter and if you related to most of the things on this list, you aren't alone.

When my clients and students share their screen in a coaching session, I can instantly see why they are overwhelmed. Digital clutter affects our motivation, confidence, clarity, and results.

One way we can increase productivity (and our sanity) is to set up our environment (a.k.a. devices) to work for us. This means implementing the right systems and tools that help us be more organized and efficient. Ultimately, this increases your bottom line, because you are able to spend more time where it matters.

But, where do you start?

Here are 3 things you can do right now to reduce digital clutter...

#1 - Remove applications you never use from your taskbar (PC) or toolbar (Mac).

Your taskbar/toolbar is the shortcut bar typically at the bottom of your screen that has shortcuts to your applications. If you see something there that you never use, right-click and unpin from your taskbar (PC) or right-click, go to options and select Remove from Dock (Mac).

Removing apps you no longer use clears clutter.

Have an application you use often that is NOT showing? Open that application and then right-click on the shortcut (the icon that is in your toolbar). On a PC, select Pin to taskbar. On a Mac, select options, then Keep in Dock.

#2 - Set up FOLDERS in your Bookmark Bar.

The bar at the top of your browser is where you can bookmark links to frequently visited sites. A browser is what you use to get to what you want on the web...Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc. The browser you use is a personal preference.

Take bookmarks to the next level by creating folders. Here is what I have set up in my bookmarks bar in Chrome:

When I click on a folder, I see a vertical link of every link I've saved in that folder. For example, the links to all of my Facebook groups are saved in the FB Groups folder. I no longer have to open a new tab, go to Facebook, and search Facebook for a group. I click on the folder in my Bookmark Bar and click to go directly to the group I need.

Insert "mind blown" emoji. 🤯

In Chrome, you simply click on the 3 dots at the top right and go to your bookmarks manager. Then click on the 3 dots in the blue bar to add a folder.

Don't use Chrome? Do a google search for instructions on how to set up folders in your browser.

Ready to simplify your life and streamline your business? Join The Digital Clutter Cure.

#3 - Create a system for your Files and Folders.

If you use a PC, File Explorer is your best friend.

If you use a Mac, Finder is your best friend.

Understanding and creating a system for File Explorer/Finder can greatly reduce your digital clutter.

This is where you organize your information and this is where you search for information. And the more organized you are when you SAVE, the easier things are to FIND.

If you use a PC, I recommend creating folders in OneDrive. If you use a Mac, create folders in iCloud Drive. That way any content you save will be accessible from any device.

Then add these folders to your favorites so that you can easily drag things from other folders into the correct folder. (I can drag an image from downloads into my Images folder for example.)

Within that folder you can now sort by title, date modified, date created, file type, file size, etc. Or simply use the search bar.

If your system is set up to work for you, you will no longer have to stop and waste time looking for what you need.

Mac Users, I show you exactly how to set up Finder and so much more in my course, Maximize Your Mac.