1: THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT TO KEEP
The first step towards decluttering is to think about what you want to keep. But not what you just feel like keeping – what you honestly, WANT to keep.
The key to decluttering is being truthful to yourself. How long has it been since I used that? Do I really need this? If the answer is not recently/no, then remove it.

2: BACK EVERYTHING UP
The good thing about digital – which can’t be done with physical things – is that you can back a lot of things up. All those photos you’ve deleted from your phone can be stored on a hard drive and kept out of sight. If you need them again, they’re there, but they’re not cluttering up your phone or laptop.

STEP 3: CULL YOUR DIGITAL FRIENDS LIST
The first step to decluttering your digital social life is to consider which groups you are in and how many meaningful relationships are in those.  Anthropologic research has proven that 150 friends is the maximum amount of people you can maintain stable relationships with. Simply prioritise the ones who bring meaning, joy and energy to your digital life. 

4: TURN OFF NOTIFICATIONS
This is one of the most common steps we use when introducing people to the concept of bringing more balance to their digital lives. Think about how many times your phone buzzes each day. How many of those are really, genuinely, 100% necessary? Each time a notification comes up, question whether you really needed to know. If it turns out that you didn’t, turn it off. Stop that notification from occurring – whether it’s from work emails, social media or a shopping app. You’ll be less distracted, more productive.

5: DELETE / REORGANISE YOUR APPS
As our phones have started to get larger and larger memories we have filled up the extra space with more and more apps. Every App however is fighting for your attention. Have a look at all your apps. Which ones have you used today? Which have you used this week? If you’re not using them, remove them. If you’re not sure which ones you use the most, you can find out your time on by heading to Settings and then Battery. Don’t worry too much about apps. You don’t get charged twice, and they’ll still be there if you want to download them again. Move the ones you find most useful and impactful to your wellbeing to the front. Once you’ve decided what ones you want to keep and which ones you’re getting rid of, it’s time to organise them into folders according to usefulness or type. Tidy screen, tidy mind.

6: UNSUBSCRIBE
Our inboxes can be one of the biggest areas of digital clutter that we face – as well as one of the areas of modern life that makes us the most anxious. But it can also be one of the biggest beasts to tame. The first step is to unsubscribe from unnecessary lists. Anything you don’t need or don’t read – unsubscribe.

7: TAME YOUR INBOX
The second is to set up a filing system. Try creating two separate folders; action and archive. Everything belongs in one of these two folders. Remember that your inbox is supposed to be a temporary home for your mail. You can also experiment with rules. If you regularly get emails from a certain person or brand that you want to keep, try creating a rule to auto-move emails from them into a separate folder or into the archive, so that you don’t have to read them. There are quite a few apps that do this, and Outlook and Gmail also allow you to create rules. However, the key is to stay on top of it. Keep that inbox clear and your mind stress-free. Also, If you can reply to an email in less than 5 minutes, do it and archive it. Keep your inbox clutter-free.

8: DISCONNECT
This is by far the easiest way to regain control of your digital life. Apps and their developers have created a sense of urgency around our engagement with their platforms. Be it fear of missing new information or missing a bargain, the need to engage is constantly there. But there’s nothing quite like time away from digital devices to make you realise how stressful it is when you return. After a period away from devices and digital stimulation, you may realise that certain things grate on you – in which case it’s time to declutter and remove them too.