In a world where digital orderliness often gives way to chaos, it’s time to take the first step towards a tidy digital life!
Discover how you can not only save time but also keep track of newsletters and contacts by tidying up your files and creating a well-thought-out folder structure. Get inspired and start your digital spring clean!
Table of contents
Simple tips to structure your folders better and deal with emails, documents and photos more efficiently.
“Digital order doesn't last anyway ...”
A prejudice about digital orderliness could look something like this. But it’s not that simple.
Of course, you first have to tidy up in order to build a sustainable structure. However, this does not have to be as laborious as it seems at first glance.
How to tidy up your digital world
This 5-step guide will put an end to chaos on your smartphone, tablet and co:
1. Sort out photos AND VIDEOS
2. Clean up Files
New folders are created quickly and for every little thing. The result: The same chaos with more folders! When sorting and re-sorting, make sure you concentrate on just a few folders.
It also makes sense to name folders and files uniquely according to a uniform scheme. For example, “2025_Urlaub_Sommer_Kreta_001.jpg” simply makes more sense than “IMG_157785.jpg”.
3. Breakdown your e-mail inbox
Have you lost track of your e-mail inbox? You’re not alone. Unsubscribe from newsletters that you don’t read and create different categories so that you can differentiate between emails at first glance.
In a professional context, these could be the following categories:
- Customer inquiries
- Projects
- Internal
- Invoices and finances
- Contracts and documents
In a private context, these could be the following categories:
- Friends and families
- Travel and bookings
- Online orders and
invoices - Subscriptions and newsletters
You can also sort out emails particularly quickly by searching for the sender. This way you can dispose of hundreds of newsletters at once.
Declutter Cloud Disk Space
Additional cloud space is usually not for free. To avoid frequent upgrades, it is worth regularly clearing out existing files.
Everything up to date?
Regular updates not only ensure that your devices are up to date. They also ensure security.
Backup
Fortunately, there are numerous apps to help you create convenient backups.
Increased Productivity
A well-organized digital environment can significantly increase your productivity. Do you think that’s a cliché?
- If you work with a well thought-out folder structure, you can find files, documents and photos more quickly.
- Emails that are sorted into categories prevent important information from getting lost.
How to maintain Digital Orderliness
Have you already cleaned up? That’s not all.
To maintain your digital orderliness in the long term, it is helpful to regularly carry out small tidying activities. For example, take time once a month to go through your emails and delete unnecessary messages or newsletters. And if we’re honest: it doesn’t take as long as you think.
Make sure you establish a clear folder structure for your files and documents. Create themed folders in which you can sort photos, contacts or important documents. This will help you keep an overview and always know where to store new files.
Also use automation tools to help you complete recurring tasks quickly. Another tip is to create regular backups of your most important files to prevent data loss.
Avoid these Mistakes
During digital spring cleaning, it’s easy to make mistakes that can compromise your efforts to keep things tidy and organized.
- create too many/few folders: about 5-7 main folders provide organization and overview
- do not unsubscribe from newsletters even though you never read them
- delete old files without having viewed them first
- do everything manually: there are many apps and programs that can help you
- putting off tidying up forever, but still this task always remains in the back of your mind
Conclusion
Spring is the ideal time to improve your digital orderliness and reclaim control
Creating digital orderliness is a task that people tend to put off for months. However, it’s worth the effort, because a well-maintained digital environment significantly increases your productivity. Things like “tidying up your desktop” are something you like to keep in the back of your mind, but it doesn’t have to take so long. So get started today and take steps towards a tidier online world.
If you are particularly interested in this topic, you are welcome to watch the YouTube video by EINFACH LEICHTER:
You might also be interested in the following article:
Inbox Zero: Put an end to email chaos0 (0)
Emails have shaped our correspondence forever. However, the initial euphoria has long since faded. Time to put a stop to the flood of emails.
