My Digital Declutter: Lessons Learned

Inbox Zero: It really happened! Alas, it didn’t last long.

The Struggle is Real

Email is relentless. It’s a beast that resists all attempts to be tamed. Every once in a while, you might get a brief glimmer of hope. On one glorious day, you might spend some time decluttering your inbox, and after a long struggle, you break out in a happy dance as you joyfully announce that you’ve arrived at the coveted status of Inbox Zero for the first time in who knows how long. You feel an enormous lifting of your spirits, and you breathe a sigh of relief. You might even snap a quick screenshot of your achievement and share it on a social media post. An empty inbox sits in front of you. Yes—you finally did it! 

Alas, the celebration doesn’t usually last long. Five minutes later, that beautifully empty inbox gets flooded by a slew of emails, spoiling your joy and reminding you that the beast is back on the prowl. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted. At least you had five minutes to celebrate. 

Sound familiar? Most of us can relate to this continual battle. We may be so discouraged that we just throw up our hands and accept it as a necessary evil. The good news is that there are measures we can take to slow down the influx of emails and to bring order to our email folders, as well as to other parts of our digital world.

My Digital Decluttering Experiment

At the end of 2024, I started doing some digital decluttering, a task I usually complete once or twice a year. I decided that this time, I wanted to be more thorough with the task and more intentional about recording beginning and ending numbers as well as insights I gained during the process. With a nod back to my nerdy science days, I considered it an experiment of sorts. 

To put things into perspective, this isn't a story of rescuing a digital disaster. As a professional organizer, my email was manageable, my contacts were mostly up-to-date, and my files had a semblance of order. But I decided to do a 'light' declutter anyway, and I found a surprising amount of digital dust bunnies. My digital life was definitely in need of improvement, and I’m so glad I took the time to work on this often-neglected area. The work has definitely been worth it. 

Simple Steps Coming Soon

In my upcoming blog series, I'll be sharing the real, unfiltered truth about how even a 'tidy' digital life can benefit from a good decluttering. I’ll share practical tips that can make a real difference. I want to give you hope, no matter your starting point and even if you feel completely out of control. And I want to inspire you to take a closer look at your own digital habits, even if you think you’ve already got it under control. 

So be on the lookout soon for the first blog in this new series. If you’ve got a specific question or area you’d like to make sure I address, either comment here or email me and I’ll be sure to include it in the blog, or to send you the answer. 

Here’s to an uncluttered digital future for all of us!