BLUF

One way to improve health and wellbeing is to reduce digital stress, which can be done by ensuring your digital life is decluttered and safe—but don’t forget to backup.

Summary

This article only applies to your private digital life. Please do not apply these steps to your work computer, tablet or phone. Further before tidying-up your digital devices remember the three golden rules of computing: BACKUP, BACKUP and-of-course BACKUP. Try to avoid deleting anything until you are sure you have a backup—just in case you make a mistake and permanently delete treasured family memories. This article recommends you take the following seven steps in tidying up your private digital life:

  1. Step one: Delete the accounts you don’t use
  2. Step two: Delete apps you don’t use from your phone
  3. Step three: Audit third-party app access
  4. Step four: Delete software you don’t use on your computer
  5. Step five: Remove browser extensions you don’t use
  6. Step six: Remove yourself from public records sites
  7. Step seven: Reset and recycle (or donate) devices you don’t use

Can you think of any other steps you need to take to make your digital life less stressful?

References