How to declutter your digital mess (VIDEO) -- Aleteia

Check out this simple, handy video made by professional organizer Peter Walsh.

Peter Walsh is a New York Times best-selling author, former TLC star, and professional organizer who has a unique take on organizing and decluttering. Years ago, as he began helping clients manage their stuff and their lives better, they began noticing an unintended — yet welcome — side effect for many of them. Many of his clients began losing extra pounds and getting healthier physically.

The realization that decluttering homes and lives could actually lead to better health led Peter to write five books about how connected clutter, organization and weight can be. Peter has a 31-day guide to getting your life in order, and each day he gives unique tips to focusing on smaller portions of your home so that by the end of the month you’re feeling spic and span!

Today we’re sharing one of Peter’s most useful videos within his 31-day decluttering routine (technically Day 9 in his program), on decluttering and organizing your digital life. You may not think you have a lot of digital clutter, but he’s willing to bet you do. A quick look at your smartphone may reveal a plethora of unused apps and old messages taking up precious digital real estate, as well as extra minutes of your time whenever you perform a digital task. Your online calendar and that unorganized camera roll count as clutter, too. So in addition to routinely clearing space and deleting unused things on your phone and computer, Walsh recommends using an organizing application tool such as Springpad.com, Evernote.com or Trello, where you can keep important notes and deadlines neatly filed.

Walsh’s guide is a simple way to start decluttering your life. In fact, some of his suggestions for each day are so easy, you may be able to swing more than one decluttering task on a single day — and once you get started organizing your life, perhaps you’ll even enjoy it!

Love how simple and easy that first decluttering step felt? Here are a few other steps from his guide that we recommend tackling next: “Choose one sink in your house and go for it,” “Choose just one junk drawer,” and “Get back in touch with someone.” We think you’ll be consistently surprised how manageable (and life-changing) each little task really is!