As we’re thawing out here in Westchester County, spring is just around the corner! Time to roll up your sleeves and start your spring clean-up! Don’t forget to clean up your digital life, too! In fact, it’s a lot easier than you think. Here are five tips to get you started.
1. Declutter Your Inbox
Clean up your Inbox and Spam folder! Most email services have automatic spam filters, but we often forget that spam emails also take up your email storage space. If you use a Gmail account, you share that 15GB of space across Google Drive and Google Photos.
Clean up that space by unsubscribing to newsletters you don’t read, social media notifications you receive, store promotions you never go to, or services you never use. If you want that extra coupon at your favorite store, open a new email account just for store promotions.
2. Clear Out Apps on Your Phone
There are many apps on your phone that you’re not using. Delete them! Uninstall it! Apps like Dropbox take up room, battery life, and possible data usage by constantly syncing with other devices or cloud storage. You really don’t need to access all your files ALL the time. Clean up your phone to allow more space for the apps that really matter.
3. Syncing Photos to the Cloud
Don’t be afraid of the Cloud; you can do it! Sync those photos and clear out room on all your devices. You’ll feel so much better that all your beautiful memories are securely stored. This will allow you to take hundreds more of your beautiful babies. Read my article for a step-by-step guide.
4. Get Organized for Tax Season
Don’t let the nicer weather pull you into vacation mode; we’ve got some adulting to do! Tax season is just around the corner, and it’s time to organize all your receipts. Most banks, credit cards, investments, and mortgage institutions have gone digital. Download those items and place them into a shared folder (like Google Drive). This will allow your spouse to add his or her information in one place. Password lock that folder and send it to your accountant!
5. Streamlining Calendars
It’s challenging to coordinate the household and everyone’s schedules, let alone work calendars. Even with our almost three-nager and nine-month-old, it seems like everyone is running in opposite directions most days. It’s easy to get frazzled between doctor appointments, play dates, activities, and school holidays.
Our household uses one family calendar tied to a family email account. My husband and I have it as our primary calendar on our phones; we enter events and appointments as needed. It allows us to coordinate daycare coverage and switch off school events. Once the girls get older, they will also have access to it. It’s a great way to get the family all on the same page digitally so we can spend more quality time face-to-face instead of discussing scheduling conflicts.
