ATTENTION: What you are about to read contains cluttered files. Visual discretion is advised.
The following are the symptoms of a digital file hoarder:
*You have stored emails that are older than 5 1/2 years old.
*You collect information without thought about what to do with it or what was the purpose of you saving it.
*You are clogging your computer with some inaccurate likes, articles and digital clutter.
*You have multiple copies of data and photos in many different locations and folders.
Guilty as charged. I was guilty of everything that is listed above as the symptoms of a digital file hoarder. But before I go into my past digital hoarding life, let me explain what is digital hoarding. Digital hoarding is similar to the traditional hoarding that most of us hear about. The difference--it does not involve the "typical" junk; it includes junk from the digital world.
Prior to entering "Digital File Rehab," I was a true "digital pack rat," meaning that I kept digital junk everywhere, computer and Internet-wise.
As far as storing emails, I was notorious for saving emails, even if it was read, it stayed in my inbox for months, sometimes for a couple of years. I never took the time to organize or archive the good emails from the junky ones. It all stayed in one location--in other words, was not separated into individualized folders and sub-folders.
On collecting information and not knowing what to do with it afterwards: I was an avid Internet researcher--and still is--and when I found something that was interesting to read, but I did not have a lot of time to read the webpage in its entirety, I would save it, or bookmark it. I saved it "for the moment." After saving it, I would never return to read none of them. A habit was born--saving information with no purpose.Total Internet links I have gained: 60 different bookmarks; not to mention that some of the linkes were broken and the error code 404 appeared on many of them.
Having multiple copies of data and photos in many different places and folders in the computer: As with the Internet bookmarking, I had this great habit of saving information out of desperation, thinking that I was never going to find it again. As a result, I kept saving it wherever (and whenever) I could, just to have the security that I had these items, whether they were photos, or "at the moment" data, or even downloads.
It just became an obsession and also it became very overwhelming. As a result of having digital junk overload, it became a very huge problem. I had a very hard time keeping up with everything despite the fact it was on a computer and sometimes the removable storage, such as the USB Flash Drive.
It was way over my head. I needed some help. The solution: to enter the "Digital File Rehab." So I entered. In this wonderful place, I was taught how to live a clutter-free life--digital style.
These were some of their suggestions:
*Go through a major purge: Spend at least 45 minutes purging everything that you know of. (Works for me!)
*Organize one folder at a time: Begin with the largest folders and work your way down.
*Choose only the essential stuff and toss the rest: Go through all the stuff in the folder that you are targeting and weed out the bare essentials (the uber important files). Put them in a separate folder.
*Simplify before organizing: It is a good idea to compress files that you want to keep; this will reduce space.
*Develop a purging regimen: List purging reminders in your calender, mobile device, etc. To make purging your regular regimen, set reminders in your calendar program or drive. Each week or two, or every month are good intervals, depending on your targeted needs. But make it a regular thing, and you will be living the simple digital life from this point on.
I am proud to say that I am free from all of that digital clutter. Every day is a challenge. With following these suggestions, I am now digital clutter-free and able to help others with their digital clutter problem.
Next post--Cleaning Up Your Disk on the Computer
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