Delete unused apps, bookmarks, emails and photos as part of a digital purge. AFP
Delete unused apps, bookmarks, emails and photos as part of a digital purge. AFP
Delete unused apps, bookmarks, emails and photos as part of a digital purge. AFP
Delete unused apps, bookmarks, emails and photos as part of a digital purge. AFP

Virtual spring clean: 12 ways to declutter your digital sphere


Selina Denman
  • English
  • Arabic

You’ve reorganised your wardrobes, rearranged your home office, reordered the living room and cleaned out your bathroom cabinets. So what’s next?

It’s time to move your organising efforts to the digital sphere. The clutter on your devices may not take up physical space, but it is clutter all the same. If you’ve got too many things vying for your attention every time you turn on your computer, or are regularly frustrated because you can’t find what you need on your phone, it’s time for a purge. Here are 12 things to do to help you move towards digital minimalism.

Delete, delete, delete

Get rid of any apps that you don’t use on a regular basis. As a general rule, if you haven’t used an app in the last three months, it doesn’t deserve a place on your phone. If you miss it, you can always download it again at a later date.

Spend some time decluttering all your devices. AP
Spend some time decluttering all your devices. AP

Orderly apps

Organise your remaining apps in a way that makes sense. Perhaps you’ll want to divide things into work-based and social-based groupings. Or put them in order of use: if you routinely check the news and weather in the morning, keep those things up top, for example.

Purge those photos

How many blurry selfies do you have sitting on your phone or laptop, taking up space, never to be looked at again? It’s likely that with every photo you take, you try 20 different versions before getting the perfect shot. Go back and get rid of all but the best of them. Sort your favourite pictures into albums, so you know where to find them. And when you come across great photos with friends and loved ones from years ago, send them on to remind people that you are thinking of them, and looking forward to making new memories.

Be merciless with your inbox

If it’s as overcrowded as mine, your inbox is probably the source of considerable daily stress. Delete all those mails that you know you are never going to respond to and save all others in folders. Unsubscribe from any newsletters that you routinely delete anyway.

Email bankruptcy?

If you are feeling particularly brave – or overwhelmed – you could declare email bankruptcy, which involves deleting everything in your inbox, breathing a sigh of relief and then starting all over again. This is a method only to be used when you are truly desperate, though, as you’ll inevitably end up wishing you could remember what was said in that specific message, or frantically searching for someone’s contact details.

Say no to notifications

Your phone is probably pinging all through the day with notifications that you really could do without. Turn off all but the most essential.

Rethink your passwords

Many of us are guilty of reusing the same passwords for multiple things, which in this age of rampant cyber crime, is just asking for trouble. Go back and create new passwords. If you don’t already have one, consider signing up to a password manager, which will allow you to generate and store secure passwords and manage your login credentials across all your devices.

Protect your information online by rethinking your passwords. Photo: istock
Protect your information online by rethinking your passwords. Photo: istock

Clear out your downloads

Who knows what’s lurking in that downloads folder, taking up valuable space. Get rid of everything you don’t genuinely need.

Embrace the folder

Set up folders on your desktop and save all your documents and images in them. Your desktop should be an orderly space. Maybe even think about introducing a new, inspiring wallpaper, since you’re likely looking at that image throughout your day.

Cull your social media accounts

Think about what you use each platform for. Twitter for news, Facebook for friends, Instagram for inspiration, perhaps? Start unfollowing people that clutter up your feeds and don’t add any value to your life. While you’re at it, why not start muting alerts from all those groups that annoy you on WhatsApp?

Cleanse your social media feeds. AP
Cleanse your social media feeds. AP

Swipe your hard drive

Look for a programme that will clean your hard drive for you. Clean My Mac or Clean My PC are good options.

Trash talk

Finally, empty out all those trash folders. That satisfying whoosh as all that unnecessary stuff disappears will be immensely satisfying, we promise.

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Infiniti QX80 specs

Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6

Power: 450hp

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Expo details

Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia

The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.

It is expected to attract 25 million visits

Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.

More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020

The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area

It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South

Hotel Silence
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press

Racecard

6.30pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah Group Two (PA) US$55,000 (Dirt) 1,600m

7.05pm: Meydan Trophy (TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,900m

7.40pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (D) 1,200m

8.15pm: Balanchine Group Two (TB) $250,000 (T) 1,800m

8.50pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,000m

9.25pm: Firebreak Stakes Group Three (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,600m

10pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m

The National selections: 6.30pm: RM Lam Tara, 7.05pm: Al Mukhtar Star, 7.40pm: Bochart, 8.15pm: Magic Lily, 8.50pm: Roulston Scar, 9.25pm: Quip, 10pm: Jalmoud

FULL%20RESULTS
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Have you been targeted?

Tuan Phan of SimplyFI.org lists five signs you have been mis-sold to:

1. Your pension fund has been placed inside an offshore insurance wrapper with a hefty upfront commission.

2. The money has been transferred into a structured note. These products have high upfront, recurring commission and should never be in a pension account.

3. You have also been sold investment funds with an upfront initial charge of around 5 per cent. ETFs, for example, have no upfront charges.

4. The adviser charges a 1 per cent charge for managing your assets. They are being paid for doing nothing. They have already claimed massive amounts in hidden upfront commission.

5. Total annual management cost for your pension account is 2 per cent or more, including platform, underlying fund and advice charges.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE - India ties

The UAE is India’s third-largest trade partner after the US and China

Annual bilateral trade between India and the UAE has crossed US$ 60 billion

The UAE is the fourth-largest exporter of crude oil for India

Indians comprise the largest community with 3.3 million residents in the UAE

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi first visited the UAE in August 2015

His visit on August 23-24 will be the third in four years

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, visited India in February 2016

Sheikh Mohamed was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations in January 2017

Modi will visit Bahrain on August 24-25

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BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES

SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities

Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails

Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies

Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments

Checks continue

A High Court judge issued an interim order on Friday suspending a decision by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots to direct a stop to Brexit agri-food checks at Northern Ireland ports.

Mr Justice Colton said he was making the temporary direction until a judicial review of the minister's unilateral action this week to order a halt to port checks that are required under the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Civil servants have yet to implement the instruction, pending legal clarity on their obligations, and checks are continuing.

Details

Through Her Lens: The stories behind the photography of Eva Sereny

Forewords by Jacqueline Bisset and Charlotte Rampling, ACC Art Books

Global Fungi Facts

• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

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Graduated from the American University of Sharjah

She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters

Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks

Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding

 

While you're here
MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League final:

Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports

Ultra processed foods

- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns 

- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;

- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces

- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,

- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.