Why job seekers should clear their digital clutter

Digital storage capabilities have become highly advanced over the years, allowing users to keep massive amounts of data on their devices. However, just because you can keep a lot of virtual content on your devices doesn’t mean you should. Digital clutter stacks up really quickly and can pose distractions that get in the way of important tasks, tasks like job hunting and even following up on those job applications. 

If you’re on the hunt for a new job, it’s important to keep your digital life as organized and simplified as possible. Let’s dig into what digital clutter is and how removing it can be beneficial to your professional pursuits.

What is digital clutter?

As opposed to physical clutter—boxes of unused chords, outdated CDs, and old magazines—digital clutter doesn’t take up space in our physical surroundings. Rather, it lives in our devices in the form of emails, documents (think of all those renditions of your resumes and cover letters!), and even bookmarked jobs on your browser.

Digital clutter doesn’t just have to be something taking up hard drive space on your computer—it’s also apparent in the dozens of open tabs on your browser and even the hundreds of connections flooding your LinkedIn newsfeed. 

Everyone with a smartphone, tablet, or computer deals with digital clutter. But for job seekers especially it stacks up over time and, in turn, hurts our attention and organization. All this to say, it’s important to regularly review and delete what you don’t need during your job-hunting process. 

3 reasons job seekers should purge digital clutter

Nowadays, job seekers almost exclusively use the digital world to search for and apply for jobs. Choosing to clear up your digital space today may help you put your best foot forward tomorrow. Here are some reasons purging your digital clutter can help.

1. Ramp up your productivity and organization

Job hunting requires a lot of organization—following up with companies, communicating clearly and accurately, and being sure not to mix up your interview dates. Digital clutter can be highly distracting and disorienting during this process, damaging your productivity.

When your attention gets caught on extra open tabs or the plethora of unused documents filling your computer or cloud memory, your attention has to shift to those things. Studies show that multitasking can reduce productivity by up to 40 percent and reduce IQ by 10 points.

2. Speed up your devices

According to Consumer Reports, the fewer programs and applications we have on our devices, the better the response time will be on our devices. Translation: The less work your computer has to do, the easier it will be for you to find work.

To keep your computer from lagging during your next virtual interview or important meeting, take some time to comb through your device’s contents and remove what you no longer need.

3. Protect your personal information

One pro tip to defend devices against cyber attacks is to continually update your programs. Outdated programs are highly vulnerable to attacks from criminals who want to steal your data.

That said, many of our devices are filled with applications that don’t get much use. Rather than update each of these regularly, it’s a good idea to delete the ones that you don’t use often to save time and keep your data safe — data like your personally identifiable information on job applications and offer letters. 

Overall, digital clutter can be really distracting and harmful. It occupies digital memory, poses distractions, and results in chronic disorganization. By ridding yourself of this clutter, you can give your professional pursuits the attention and quality they deserve.

— Article courtesy of Norton where you can learn more about what digital hoarding is, plus data hoarding habits to consider and tips to clean up our digital clutter.