We put together a four-week digital declutter challenge composed of daily, bite-sized tasks to help you transform your digital life and bring organization to the chaos. If you’re overwhelmed by an overflowing inbox, stuffed picture folder, and disorganized desktop, then follow our challenge to organize your digital life once and for all. Don’t forget to share your progress with the tag #MyDigitalDeclutter so we can cheer you on!
Week 1: Take control of your inbox(es)
The first week of our challenge is all about organizing your email accounts and inboxes. Email is still an indispensable part of the workday and essential for our personal lives too. But how many of us actually achieve inbox zero every day? With seven daily challenges, it’s finally possible to master the art of maintaining an empty inbox—and achieve ultimate clarity. It starts with taking stock of the current state of your inbox. Then, make a list of the folders you need. Once you’ve created folders, unsubscribe from as many emails as possible to prevent more emails from piling up. Next, delete any emails you don’t need. Finally, organize what’s left into those shiny new folders. Keep that new system going to avoid becoming overwhelmed in the future. If your inbox still needs help, you can try using a few apps and tools to streamline your email accounts and stay organized.
Week 2: Deep clean
The next week is for thoroughly organizing all of your devices. Sometimes, the best thing to do is start with a clean slate, and that’s what week two of our challenge is designed to give you. And, we mean that literally—actually give all your devices a wipe! Start by taking note of the bookmarks in your browser that you actually use. Then, delete anything that isn’t essential. Organize the bookmarks that are left into folders. If you’re looking for a smarter way to organize your bookmarks, try using Workspaces in Shift to organize them by project or team. Next, delete any downloads and apps you don’t use anymore on your desktop and mobile device. Go one step further on your desktop and use your computer’s built-in storage optimization setting. Finally, wipe down any electronic surfaces you use. Your phone and laptop probably don’t get cleaned nearly as often as they should.
Week 3: Delete duplicates and fuzzies
We all take way too many photos of our pets, kids, or plants. But, how many of us take the time to organize all those pictures and ensure that the only ones we’ve kept are the best quality pictures? Not many of us. That’s why we dedicated an entire week to cleaning up your photo library. Go through all of your photo libraries and albums and delete any duplicate and fuzzy pictures. No one needs low-quality images clogging up your hard drive or cloud storage. Once you’ve pared things down to the images you want to keep, organize everything into clearly labeled albums and folders. Don’t forget to share any long lost gems with friends and family!
Week 4: Set yourself up for success
Last, but not least, the final week of our challenge is designed to set you up for the future so you won’t have to spend quite so long decluttering your digital life ever again. It’s time to tackle your desktop. It’s where work takes place every day, after all. Start by deleting any files and folders that you no longer use to streamline the look of your desktop and make information easy to find.
Next, freshen up your desktop’s appearance with a new background! Finally, empty your trash bin.
Download the PDF
To get started, download the #MyDigitalDeclutter PDF to get a four week program you can easily follow along with.
Stay Decluttered—Forever
We recommend setting a reminder every three months to check in on your digital clutter and tackle tasks as they start to pile up. Looking for even more guidance? Sign up to download our digital declutter guide to help take you through the challenge and get control of your digital life—once and for all! If you’re looking for another way to streamline your desktop, try downloading Shift to bring all of your apps, email accounts, and notifications together in one place.
