Are You A Digital Hoarder? Liberate your mind & your hard drive

So how do you know if you're a Digital Hoarder? I'll get to that in just a minute.

Last week I talked about Shiny Object Syndrome & how to cure it. Today's post goes hand-in-hand with the last one, as digital hoarding is one of those glaring symptoms of S.O.S.

Especially for folks like us who sell online and are sold to online. So hard to resist compelling copywriting...

You may not realize it, but all those emails, products, training, tools, and random content stashed on your hard drive are also way deep in the back of your mind circling in a holding pattern taking up bandwidth...

Memories are sparked by something seen randomly on line. "Oh yeah, I've got a program, tool, app for that - I should use it soon". Hardly ever happens.

And the S.O.S. cycle perpetuated... How much stuff do you have on your computer that will never see daylight?

Ditch the useless stuff, and not only will you gain room on your hard drive, you will personally feel more energized!

A Digital Hoarder No More!

How I rid myself of all kinds of stuff accumulated for later (later never comes) is by following a short checklist. The basic rule of thumb for digital decluttering is pretty much the same as for physical clutter.

1. Can I use this? No, then let it go. Yeah, I paid good money for the product, but what has it done for me lately? You have to master this first step, otherwise you won't be able to move on.
2. Is it obsolete? Things change so fast online that they become obsolete quickly. So that JVZoo Social Robot Pro product from 2015? Delete!
3. When is the last time I used it? If it has dust on it from more than a year ago - delete!
4. Free stuff: Have I EVER used it? No - turf it...
5. Emails: Deleted daily, I'm rarely overwhelmed by my inbox. Review emails kept for later and cull those as well.
6. Being ruthless: If I start to hem & haw - delete. When done for the day I empty the Recycle Bin. There's no going back...

This process is easy to follow and it really feels good when I'm done. I just put a recurring reminder in my Google Calendar for every 6 months to take a peek and see if I've been keeping useless stuff.

Recently I trimmed almost 100 GB of fat from my hard drive. It makes the things I really need, so much easier to find.

It also motivates me to go around the house and do the same with stuff that's just taking up space!