Your Desktop, Phone Screen and Inbox Are a Mess. 6 Tips for Digital Decluttering.

livemint.com:

EVERY DAY AROUND 3 p.m. when my attention wanes and deadlines loom large, I self-soothe by filtering my Gmail for messages larger than one megabyte and deleting them. Yet, my inbox still brims with unsolicited PDFs, unread newsletters and virtual webinar invites.

A more streamlined digital life is possible, say several professional organizers I consulted. Their main advice? Digital decluttering takes time. Stormy Perez, who specializes in creating organization systems for people that hire her on TaskRabbit in New York, recommends trying to do one digital cleanup chore each week (or even month).

Here, six strategies you can undertake to start your year off right. 1. Download a password manager.

Kate Hufnagel, a digital organizer based in Monument, Colo., has worked with clients who keep all their login credentials in a spreadsheet, Google Doc, even on random scraps of paper strewn throughout the house. Though storing passwords in your internet browser is more convenient, she says, it creates a security risk. Her suggestion: Instead, get a password manager, which helps generate more-secure passwords and stores all your login information in one safe place.

Amanda Jefferson, an organizer based in West Chester, Penn., specifically recommends 1Password, which costs $3 a month. 2. Delete extra apps.

Has your phone screen started to look as chaotic as a living room featured on “Hoarders"? Sweep away as many apps as you can. Lindsey Mahanna, a professional organizer in Morris County, N.J., suggests you start by uninstalling any apps that you haven’t used in the past month. Then, reposition the remaining app icons according to priority.