I’ve done a post on cleaning out your pantry. And another on cleaning out your closet. Now it’s time to take care of your digital clutter. Yes, I’m talking about your phone and all your other devices. First things first, when’s the last time you cleaned out the digital clutter on your phone? I bet in a for a very, very long time. I figured out a way to simplify the process, reduce the number of apps on your phone, and give you more time back in your life. Here’s what you need to:

Start by looking at all the apps on your phone. Then, ask yourself these three questions:
1. What apps do I use every day?
2. Are there any apps I use just. afew times a week?
3. How many apps do I have that I have not used in months?

This might take you some time, and an internal deep dive, to figure out. I learned by doing a study. For one week, I paid attention to what apps I used and how I used my phone. I noticed I used a handful of apps regularly and the others just sat there taking up space. Every day, I used my apps for email, podcasting social media, the weather, and maybe a game or two. Each week, I used the GPS app and a few of my shopping apps. Monthly used apps were tougher to determine. But during the week, I noted all the apps I used and how often. At the end of the week, I made some changes.

I basically had to decide what apps to keep and which to delete. And the answer was fairly simple-if I haven’t used the app in more than a few months, I deleted them. Even if it was just temporary. The apps I kept on my phone then needed to be sorted. Some sort by color or function, but I used the ability to have a multi-screen home page. On screen 1, I put the apps I used every single day. Screen 2 had the apps I used just a few times a week. And screen 3 were the apps I had to keep, but rarely used. Overall, this process can take a few hours to a few weeks but I promise you, it is worth it.

Listen to Episode 27 of the Happy, Healthy, Mindful Podcast to learn more about how to clear out the digital clutter.