Read on for Imagine Home Organization’s tips to digitally declutter your phone.

PURGE THE SUPERFLUOUS:

As with any organizing project, a good purge is an essential first step. The great thing about digital information is that you can “send it away” without losing it forever. Apps are stored in the cloud so you can remove them from your phone and easily download them again later.

Take 5 minutes to scan through all the apps on your phone. You may be surprised to find games your kids downloaded, outdated tools you never use, support apps for devices or services you no longer have etc. Delete everything you haven’t opened in the last 6 months. Your phone will sigh with relief at the space you just freed up!

Repeat this process in your contacts list. Who the heck is Amy and how did she get in my contacts? Why do I have three different numbers for Grandma? While working through your contacts you may also wish to create contact groups (work contacts, family, friends, businesses).

Finally, complete your digital purge by scanning your texts and deleting anything you don’t still need to reference. This will not delete the contact you were texting, just the “expired” conversations.

Sort your awesome apps:

ALL OUT OR HIDDEN AWAY IN FOLDERS

This is a personal preference. You can relate this choice to how you organize your physical possessions. Are you the type of person who likes clear counters and minimal visual distractions? Go for streamlined folders on your phone. If you prefer things laid out neatly where you can see them, or if you forget about things when they are placed behind closed doors, the all out approach may be better for you.

PRIORITY APPS

Whether you use folders or not, we recommend placing your priority apps front and center on your phone. Consider where your thumb falls naturally on your screen. Put your most used apps right there. You can keep several priority apps right on your tool bar and the rest on your home screen.

SORTING STYLES

Color: This trendy method requires no more than dragging apps into rainbow order. You can create a folder for each color and use a fun emoji of that color to title the folder. Or display all your pretty colorful apps without folders for an aesthetic effect.

Genre: Sort your apps by type using folders. Title your folders with broad terms such as: Work, Travel, Photography, Communication, Entertainment and Tools.

Frequency of use: Consider sorting apps by frequency of use. Priority apps go on the first screen, apps you use a lot but don’t want cluttering your home screen can go on screen number two, lesser-used apps can live on-screen three and beyond.

A Note on Digital Photos:

While undertaking a full sort of thousands of pictures is a HUGE project, it is possible but we will save that process for another blog. For now, get in the habit of purging digital photos as you go. You know those 27 photos you took of your cat this morning? They are adorable, but chances are there are 2 or 3 that stand out as keepers. If you delete photos once a week the stockpile won’t get so overwhelming. Also, be sure to back up your precious memories in the cloud!

Use albums to sort the photos you want to keep on your device. Create broad categories like work, reference and favorites. Pull photos you took from an event or trip into their own labeled album (Spain 2019). Sorting your photos this way will make it easier to find the ones you need.

Your phone was designed to make your life easier. With a little bit of purging, some intentional set-up and good digital habits, your phone can act as the organized, effective tool it is.

For more tips on creating order in all areas of your life, check out the blog at Imagine Home Organization. We love getting our client’s and ourselves organized. From the under stairs closet to the kid’s art collection to the master suite to the cell phone, we have tidied it all! Contact us for help with your next organizing project.