Proface

Chances are, many of us have ‘get organized’ on our New Year’s resolution lists. It makes sense. A clean, uncluttered household can do wonders for your mindset. But what about digital clutter? Does that deserve a spot on our list of resolutions? Absolutely.

Don’t underestimate the value of eliminating digital clutter, and keeping it secure. It gives you the confidence and peace of mind that when you need information you’ve stored digitally, you’ll easily be able to access it.

Here are four essential tips to get your digital house in order.

    Secure your essential documents – Digitizing and storing your important documents online, such as wills and passports, is a great way to keep them organized and provides convenient back-up in case they’re lost or misplaced. However, it’s important that you store them securely, protecting you and your family from identity theft. There are services that offer online storage for you to store digital copies of your important documents.
    
    Structure your folders – Create a folder system so you can easily access documents, photos, and other items when you need them. Maintain your system by deleting items you no longer need on a monthly basis. Use a naming system that makes sense for you, whether by date (daily, weekly or monthly, depending on the quantity of documents you need to file) or subject.
    
    Strengthen your passwords and log-ins – Avoid using easy passwords. Though easy passwords may seem like a simple solution to organizing your digital life, they’re simply unsafe, making you vulnerable to identity theft. Passwords that contain part of your name, your family members’ names, birthdays or other easy-to-crack numbers should be avoided. Instead make sure to use a mix of letters, numbers and at least one special character. If you’re unsure, use an online password checker to evaluate the strength of the password you’ve chosen—many sites now have their own. Taking these extra steps will help ensure a safe online environment for your personal identity, which is a major component of an organized digital life.
    
    Back up your digital life – As we store more and more of our pictures, family videos, music and important documents online, we need to make sure we have it properly backed up. Losing all of our sentimental treasures and essential information would be nothing short of traumatic. Backing up your computer and devices isn’t difficult, so there’s no excuse not to do it. There are two main options: External hard drives are easy to use and easily accessed. They’re portable and accessible even if you can’t connect to the Internet. Second, the cloud allows you to store your information in a virtual environment, so it’s accessible from anywhere and protected from damage such as fires or natural disasters. Both are good options so choose what works best for your lifestyle and comfort zone—or be extra safe, and use them both.

Following this list will help you organize your digital life. Time invested in de-cluttering your digital space is worth it. You’ll thank yourself every time you log on.