My phone is cluttered. I’ll bet your phone is cluttered too. I know I am not the only one who struggles with this, because when I see people looking for information on their phone it seems like they are tapping all over the place. And your phone clutter is hurting your productivity.
What Is Phone Clutter?
Phone clutter is all that stuff on your phone that isn’t used.
It also extends into the things that are used but aren’t put away properly, making it difficult to find the information you are looking for.
Challenge: look at your phone’s home screen. How many things on there do you use every day?
Why Phone Clutter Is Hurting Your Productivity
If you have ever had to search for an app to get information you needed a the moment, that delay is hurting your productivity.
If you can’t remember what application you put the information in, that is hurting your productivity.
If you have ever had to click through multiple screens, then down into folders, to find the document or app that had your information, that is hurting your productivity.
Our phones are supposed to be a help to us, but when they are poorly organized and cluttered, they impede us from getting the information we need out of them quickly.
An Analog Metaphor
Let’s look at it this way…let’s say there is a filing cabinet where all of your information is stored. However, you can’t find the piece of paper you are looking for because it is in a folder that is jammed into the cabinet randomly with respect to its fellows; and within the folder, it is mixed with other information, possibly things that have nothing to do with the piece of paper.
Pretty grim.
What we have to do (and yes, I am first in line for this), is to a) reduce the clutter on the phone and b) organize it so I can find things quickly.
How To Get Rid Of Phone Clutter
Purge The Apps
I will be the first to admit that I am an app collector. If I am searching for something, I will try out a whole bunch of apps. Before I buy something, I will try the free version or use the trial before subscription. And I typically don’t keep 75% of the things I try.
The first step to get rid of the clutter is to go through all your apps, and figure out what you don’t use. Delete what you don’t use, or move it to a folder or screen for deletion at a later date.
Example: I had 9 weather apps in a folder on my home screen. I only use two of them regularly, and one of them is seasonal (hurricane). I moved the hurricane to a distant folder, and deleted the unused ones. I set up widgets to access the weather app I like better, so I don’t have to keep the weather on the screen.
I also deleted all of the apps from businesses that I don’t use – especially reward apps from restaurants.
The Hardcore Way
If you really want to purge, put all your apps into a single folder and as you use them, move them out. At the end of the month, delete what is left.
I don’t know many people who have the intestinal fortitude to do this, so if you don’t think you can do it, it’s OK. Go ahead and organize the rest of your apps.
Organize Thoughtfully
Now that you’ve purged, you are left with apps you use regularly. And let’s be honest here, there are probably apps that you don’t use regularly, but you don’t want to delete. That’s OK. (I couldn’t get rid of all mine, either).
The next step is to organize them so that you can find what you need quickly.
The main screen of your phone should be apps that you use daily. Things like your calendar, task list, and contacts are probably going to be on there. In my case I have additionally added the clock, the app for my home alarm system, the podcast app, my fitness tracker, and my RPN calculator.
Beyond that, organize as you see fit.
I love the suggestion I found from Lifehacker about organizing apps according to what you do with them. For instance, you could group all your social media in one folder and call it “update”.
Put a bunch of these folders on your second screen – things that you use fairly often. If you have things you really don’t mind scrolling and clicking for (like games?) put them on a further screen, or nested into folders. Because let’s face it, you are not going to be in a frantic rush to get in and play Words With Friends.
If you don’t think you are going to use an app, put it in a folder called “Delete” and if you use it in the next month, move it out of that folder.
What do you think? Is your phone cluttered? Do you have an awesome way to organize everything on your phone? Please share below!
