Tidy Up Your Contacts: Declutter your Digital Address Book
Decluttering our digital world is a task that tends to sneak up on us. Unlike stacks of mail on the kitchen counter or a mountain of laundry on the bed, extraneous digital information doesn’t catch our attention quite as readily. So it’s easy to ignore, to pretend it doesn’t exist, to assume it can just be handled tomorrow, or next year, or never. It’s not really bothering anyone, right? It’s not getting in the way of accomplishing daily routines or getting a good night’s sleep. So why bother taking time to deal with it?
Yes, it’s easy to ignore digital clutter, but as I’ve been slowly but surely working my way through different digital platforms, I’ve found the benefits far outweigh the small amounts of tedious work involved. While I’ve been fairly consistent with staying on top of email (it’s a constant battle—am I right?), I knew that information about my closest friends and family members was swimming in a veritable sea of old contacts that needed to be weeded out. It was time to take action.
A Word about Guilt
Call me either slightly neurotic or a classic overthinker, but deleting a contact isn’t easy for me. As I pause to consider whether or not I should hit “delete,” I might start dwelling on how important that person was in my life twenty years ago, or what a great friend that person was to one of my children (who are now adults). But at a certain point, we have to accept that people go in and out of our lives; it’s a natural part of life. If we no longer have a reason to be in touch with a person, it’s acceptable to delete them from your contact list. In the age of social media and instant connectivity, if we really need to find someone in the future, there are multiple ways to do it. Don’t let guilt keep you from moving on.
Why Declutter Your Contacts?
If you’re debating whether or not to go through your contacts, here are a few reasons why it’s a good idea to prioritize getting your digital address book up to date:
Save time. When your contacts are organized and updated, you can find the person you're looking for much faster. I certainly don’t want to take time to scroll through hundreds of contacts with outdated information, and I bet you don’t either.
Avoid embarrassment. Suppose you need to text or call someone, but you haven’t been in touch for a long time. If your information isn’t up to date, you could contact someone else with a similar name and have an embarrassing conversation. Awkward!
Narrow your focus. By deleting contacts you no longer need, you can put more focus and energy into the people and relationships that are most important.
Create space. Do you ever feel like your digital world is just one big chaotic mess? Cleaning out contacts will help you feel more in control of your digital life.
My Process
Although I could have accomplished this mission on my phone, I decided to use my laptop so that I could easily choose multiple contacts at a time. Since I use Gmail, I logged into my Google account to access my contacts (my contact list on my phone is already connected to my Google account).
I’m so glad my husband Eric was at home at the time. When I got to a name I didn’t recognize, I read it aloud to him. If he recognized the name (usually if I didn’t know the name, he didn’t either), he would tell me what he knew about that person. I worked my way from A to Z, deleting old contacts as I went.
While you’re working on your contacts, be sure to perfect the contacts that you’re keeping. Google makes it easy by flagging contacts that need to be merged and fixed under a “Fix and Manage” header.
My Numbers
When I began, I had 921 people in my contacts list. I’m not sure I’d ever paid attention to that number before. It seems a bit mind-boggling. I’m willing to bet a few of you are now checking their contact list to see how your numbers compare to mine. Feel free to share. Anyway, 921 is a lot of people!
I deleted 342 of them, giving me a new total of 579. It’s been a few months since I finished this purge. Looking at my contacts list now, I have 617. So obviously, I’ve added a few since then. This just goes to show that it’s an ever evolving list as we connect (and disconnect) with more and more people.
Reflections and Decisions
I couldn’t believe how many names I didn’t remember. As a former business owner and a person who’s been active in many different communities, I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. It makes me feel fortunate that I’ve been able to connect with so many people.
After finishing, I made a few decisions:
I need to repeat this process more frequently. I’m planning on revisiting it either every six months or once a year at the least.
When I meet someone and enter their contact information, I plan to make a note of how and when I met them, or at the very least include a business name or the name of the group through which we connected.
Even though this task wasn’t the most fun way to spend a couple of hours, I knew that I would reap some benefits from completing this procrastinated task. And honestly, as is usually the case, it didn’t take me nearly as long as I thought, and I can already tell the difference.
I’d love to know your experience with your own contact list. Do you have a regular habit of going through it? What has worked or not worked for you? If you’d like, share your thoughts.
Decluttering your contacts isn't just about deleting names; it's about reclaiming control, saving time, and focusing on the people who truly matter. So take a deep breath, open your contacts, and start tidying up. Your future self—and your sanity—will thank you. Here’s to an uncluttered and simplified digital life!