We’ve previously discussed decluttering your living spaces, but
what we often forget to clean out is our phones and computers. You might be reminded to delete some photos when your phone runs out of space or you can’t install another app but just because it doesn’t weigh anything it is still healthy to get rid of the “virtual” dead weight. Not only is it better for your phone it is also good for your well being. This is going to be an involved process and a weekend is the perfect time to plan to sit down and do it slowly.
Cull your media
Go through your photo gallery and delete duplicate, blurry and unusable images. If you had set your WhatsApp to automatically download and save images you might have to delete thousands of memes too. Might be a good idea to turn off that feature now too. If you want to keep your photos but not necessarily on your phone you can set it to upload to iCloud or Google Photos. Repeat the process with voice notes or other types of media you might be holding on to (unless it is for blackmail purposes).
Delete the apps
Go through all of your apps and decide if you actually need it and if you don’t, delete it. The trick here is to make sure that you have the data from the app. Some apps save the data elsewhere or you can export it before you tap that delete button. Shopping apps can usually be replaced with the browser and will leave you with so much more space on your phone. If you are trying to beat a phone addiction, then deleting the apps will help eliminate the temptation too. And move apps that you can’t delete to a harder to access location so you have to work to get to it.
Unsubscribe from paid services
If you are the type of person who easily subscribes to different services and then forgets about them, visit your account and make sure that you are not paying for anything that you are not using any more. You might also have to go through your credit card statement to make sure you didn’t miss anything.
Leave the groups
We’ve all been added to annoying WhatsApp groups. If a group is draining your emotional wellbeing and battery life, just leave it. If it is awkward (because grandma will get really upset) then you can try muting it for a week.
Turn off notifications
This is something that will really help you become less distracted. Turn off ALL notifications on your phone, unless it is something that needs to be dealt with instantly. This gives you the power to decide when to look at your phone instead of constantly being pinged by the little evil device.
Free the feeds
If you’ve watched The Social Dilemma then you must be aware of the problem, if you haven’t, go do it now, we’ll wait for you. Unfollow anyone who makes you feel bad about yourself. Unsubscribe from mailing lists and block bullies. You do have control over what you consume, so exercise that power. Our greatest takeaway from this film was the importance of intent. Start your day with that mindset, know that social media may be polarizing, yes, but it can also enrich your life further.
Make sure you update and back up
Finally, make sure you are automatically updating your software and backing up. It is one of those things you will be glad you did when you lose your phone or it crashes, because you were prepared and there’s a backup somewhere you can restore from.
Do you have a tip we can use? DM us @ bazaargram on Instagram. Photo by Szabo Viktor on Unsplash.
