Last week we talked about some of the electronic items that take up space & what to do with them. But what about the items that take up space that aren’t tangible?

Clutter is now virtual, too-because of this digital footprint we leave & the extensive life we have that gos beyond the boundaries of person to person contact, virtual clutter can be as much of a problem as those obsolete items that take up space in your drawers & closets.

If unaddressed, the impact of virtual clutter can be huge. Think of the continual flow of emails that hit your mail box daily, some important & timely, but much of it spam, solicitations for events, products & other businesses.

If you have both a personal AND business email address, your email accounts can very rapidly get out of control. The net effect is that you’re going to be less likely to even check your email, which makes it hard to stay in touch with the important people in your life. Or worse, you may miss those important emails altogether.

So how do you stay on top of the ever increasing issue of managing your virtual clutter & data? Here are some great tips on ho to best manage the many facets of your virtual life:

Email

Tackle a messy inbox by unsubscribing to unnecessary alerts, daily tips, mass emails and newsletters. Choose one account for personal emails, and another account for work and business purposes. Delete or file anything that has been in the inbox for more than a month, and save any important messages in a separate folder.

Computer files and programs

Over time, your computer’s hard drive and desktop can become a digital junk drawer. Schedule time once a month to uninstall unused programs, delete unnecessary files, and empty the recycle bin. Adopt a simple and consistent file folder and naming system to better manage ongoing, completed, and archived materials.

Social media

It’s ok to defriend and unfollow on a regular basis, enforce strict privacy settings, and ask family and friends to stop sending spam. Instead of sorting through unimportant status updates, tweets, posts, pins and shares, you’ll have more direct access to meaningful information, people and interaction.

Media

Don’t forget about music, games, TV shows, and movies! Delete previously viewed recordings, streamline playlists, and consolidate files using organizational apps for faster and easier access to what you actually want to play, watch, and listen to. Move storage to the cloud to free up space on your devices.

Ultimately, eClutter is still clutter, and it can have the same psychological effects that piles of paper or clutter have if left unmanaged.

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