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Declutter Your Digital Life

Happy new year! We're now more than halfway through the first month of 2024. Perhaps you've been wondering how to better manage your digital work life this year. Establishing some degree of organization when storing and utilizing your data will increase your productivity and decrease your stress. Here are a few simple tips on organizing and simplifying your digital life:

1. Set aside a regular, dedicated time on a weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis to organize email and desktop folders and files. Email and documents can quickly pile up and before you know it, you can't find anything you need. Pick a time and day that works best for you and block it off on your calendar; it's even better if you're able to make it a standing appointment for yourself on a regular basis. Don't stop with email and the files on your desktop; if you make liberal use of your bookmark manager, go through your browser bookmarks and delete anything you don't need. Maintaining a cleanup schedule is a small but powerful way to lessen your stress and workload.

2. Establish a naming convention and use it consistently. Harvard Medical School's Data Management guide defines a naming convention as a "framework for naming your files in a way that describes what they contain and how they relate to other files." A naming convention could include the name of the project along with the date of the document creation or document update. For example, "Smith_NamingConventionGuide_011824." This provides enough information to easily find the most current version of your document. You might consider working with your team to establish a naming convention that works best for your workflow. Getting everyone on board with a standard naming convention can save countless hours trying to find documents. This guide can walk you through how to create effective naming conventions.

3. Backup your data early and often, preferably in two places. Everyone's data needs will be different, but backing up your data on a regular basis is just a good idea for every user. Select at least two backup methods – backup to the cloud (OneDrive, DropBox, whatever you use) and backup to a USB stick or other external drive. This means you'll always have access to your files, even if one of your backups fails or is accidentally lost. It might be a good idea to include running a backup along with that standing appointment you've made to stay on top of file organization. And be sure to backup your data before you run any updates to your computer software.

Here are a couple of other helpful links if you're interested in more information about digital decluttering and organizing your professional and personal digital life:

How to Declutter Your Digital Life & Reclaim Your Attention

How to Declutter Your Digital World

14 Proven Strategies And Tools For Year-End Digital Decluttering