Newswise: One in four internet users are overwhelmed by the clutter in their browser

Newswise: One in four internet users are overwhelmed by the clutter in their browser. “Five billion people spend almost half of their waking hours online. According to a new study from Aalto University, browser clutter is a serious problem for one in four of them. The results will be presented on April 27 at CHI 2023, the leading conference for human-computer interaction research.”

Engadget: How to declutter your iOS devices

Engadget: How to declutter your iOS devices. “If you’ve owned your iPhone or iPad for a while, there’s a good chance there are apps, contacts and settings that you either don’t use anymore or aren’t serving you as well as they could. This guide will take you through how to reclaim your notifications and your device’s storage.”

WIRED: How to Declutter Your Home Screen

WIRED: How to Declutter Your Home Screen. “The home screen of your Android phone or iPhone probably shows evidence of this growing clutter: apps you forgot about, widgets you barely use, and shortcuts you’re not 100 percent sure about the origin of. Mobile home screens aren’t unlike the desktop screens of Windows and macOS computers, with a tendency to attract all kinds of digital detritus that builds up over time. With that in mind, it’s worth committing yourself to some regular home screen decluttering.”

ReviewGeek: 8 Easy Ways to Keep Your Google Drive Clutter-Free

ReviewGeek: 8 Easy Ways to Keep Your Google Drive Clutter-Free. “Whether you use Google Drive for work, school, or anything in between, it can be a real challenge to keep it organized and clutter-free. However, if you’re up for some occasional preventative maintenance, we think these tips can help you stay on top of things.”

Polygon: I Marie Kondo’d my entire internet presence, one account at a time

Polygon: I Marie Kondo’d my entire internet presence, one account at a time. “At first, each deletion was its own satisfaction, representative of taking back some parcel of attention I had thoughtlessly handed out. But the effort to extricate myself wasn’t always easy or satisfying. So many companies make it enormously difficult to delete your account. At its easiest, it meant navigating through obfuscating design to finally locate a ‘delete’ form. At its most frustrating, it meant numerous help desk tickets and phone calls, countless versions of ‘we’d hate to see you go,’ and disputes with my bank. Over time, the process morphed into more of a meditative ritual.” This was a great read. Nicole Clark was honest about the human foibles of her past self, which is not unusual, but she was also kind to her past self (instead of snarky or impatient or disbelieving), which is unusual. and I think it was that attitude that allowed her to reconnect with some things she’d left behind.

New York Times: How to Declutter Your Digital World

New York Times: How to Declutter Your Digital World. “Working remotely may have eliminated your commute and allowed you to spend the day in your pajamas, but it also means you’re most likely bombarded with digital communication every second of the day — from personal and professional emails crowding your inboxes to push notifications reminding you of every news development to the nonstop viral allure of Twitter and Instagram. If you are suffering from tech fatigue, or simply trying to become more productive online, here are steps you can take to organize your digital landscape.”

Gizmodo: How to Clean Up Your Social Media Accounts Without Deleting Them

Gizmodo: How to Clean Up Your Social Media Accounts Without Deleting Them. “There are many reasons to avoid wanting a social media digital paper trail of your entire life. Maybe there are posts there you think your new employer won’t like, or that your new partner’s parents won’t like, or even ones that you don’t believe in anymore. But wiping the slate clean and starting again is only one of your options—you can still tidy up your existing accounts without deleting them.”

MakeUseOf: 8 Practical Ways to Clean Up Your Instagram

MakeUseOf: 8 Practical Ways to Clean Up Your Instagram. “When you joined Instagram, it probably felt new and exciting. Now, years later, you may be finding it more annoying than anything. You could abandon Instagram altogether, but there is an alternative. In this article, we offer some practical ways to clean up your Instagram. This includes unfollowing people who no longer interest you, and deleting old photos that longer represent you or your life.”

Book Riot: The Art And Therapeutic Act Of Weeding Your Digital Shelves

Book Riot: The Art And Therapeutic Act Of Weeding Your Digital Shelves . “A few years ago, the urge to weed out my books hit me hard. I had a fierce desire to cleanse my two bedroom apartment of all unnecessary stuff. This was before Marie Kondo and was utterly a ‘We have too much crap’ type of thing. After going through my physical bookshelves and weeding out a good chunk of those to turn in at my favorite local bookstore, I realized, as my eyes fell on my Kindle, that there were other books that could be weeded out.”

Lifehacker: How To Outsmart Algorithms And Take Control Of Your Information Diet

Lifehacker: How To Outsmart Algorithms And Take Control Of Your Information Diet. This is like a roundup of other useful Lifehacker articles, but it’s still good. “‘Certain algorithms,’ says Tim Cook, ‘pull you toward the things you already know, believe or like, and they push away everything else. Push back.’ In a commencement speech to Tulane University, the Apple CEO tells graduates to take charge of their information diet. And much as we want to sneer at the irony of a phone maker telling us to beware of algorithms, we have to admit that Apple’s Screen Time app is one good tool for improving your tech habits. Here are the best posts we’ve already written on pushing back against the algorithms.”

Mashable: Clean up your Twitter timeline with this Marie Kondo-inspired web app

Mashable: Clean up your Twitter timeline with this Marie Kondo-inspired web app. “You’re not alone in thinking your Twitter timeline is a joyless, cluttered place. While you might not be in the position to dump Twitter, the next best thing is to tidy up your timeline, which you can do so with a web app inspired by Marie Kondo’s KonMari method.”

Lifehacker: How to Clean Up Your Overwhelmed Gmail Inbox (by Hand)

Lifehacker: How to Clean Up Your Overwhelmed Gmail Inbox (by Hand). “There comes a time when enough is, quite simply, enough. I had been putting off the task of organizing my sprawling Gmail inbox for months, if not years. But when Lifehacker told me that we were going to have a Spring Cleaning week, I knew it was time. And I wasn’t going to waste precious hours trying to find apps or tools to do the task for me. I needed to Ron Swanson my inbox—roll up my sleeves, jump in, and manage the mess manually.” Wow.

MakeUseOf: How to Declutter Your Data With No Regrets (But Keep What You Need)

MakeUseOf: How to Declutter Your Data With No Regrets (But Keep What You Need). “One effective way to worry less about your data is to have less of it to worry about. To get there, you’ll need to redefine the word ‘important’ to mean ‘impossible to get your hands on in future for free’. With that definition as our guide, let’s explore the kind of data you can consider reducing from your digital life. Also, let’s see how you can access the relevant information once again if you need it in future.” Gotta admit, the one about deleting digital photos made me twitchy.