Decluttering Your Digital Life: 7 Tips for Executive Assistants

Today's digital landscape has provided many advantages for communication, connection, and engagement across numerous online platforms using phones, tablets, and computers. While these advantages are not to be overlooked, they can become a distraction when we allow our digital life to become too cluttered.

With some simple steps, you can declutter your digital life. Prioritizing mindfulness over your digital fingerprint will allow you to stay focused, engaged, and grounded.

The amount of content we engage with on a daily basis, both professionally and personally, can be a bit daunting if we don't keep it in check. These 7 tips will help you regain control of your digital life and avoid unnecessary distractions throughout the day.

Prioritize Your Inbox and Remove Unnecessary and Distracting Emails

Instead of allowing your inbox to fill with unread spam, advertisements, and other unimportant emails, think of it as a space to keep refined and free from useless information. 

We've all subscribed to auto-emails at some point that we no longer actively engage with but still send us notifications. By unsubscribing from any auto-emails you don't actively engage with, you can begin reducing inbox clutter and staying focused on relevant information and communication.

Remove Apps from Your Homescreen

Your smartphone's home screen is one of the first places to become cluttered. Apps, notifications, folders, and more are designed to attract us to swipe open our phones and are one of the main distractions for most users.

Executive assistants receive numerous pieces of important communication throughout the day. By only keeping your essential apps readily available, you can stay focused and avoid distraction.

Utilize Your Browser and Get Rid of Apps Completely

You can take this one step further and only keep the apps you use for your executive assistant duties, which reduces the inclination to jump platforms after you look at your phone for relevant reasons. When you remove apps from your device, it means you have to use a browser to get to your desired content, which will prioritize your engagement and improve productivity.

Notifications Are the Killer of Focus

An executive assistant job often requires workers to receive professional notifications from calendar reminders to emails, texts, or calls for meaningful communication. Identify the necessary notifications for your role and remove any that are extraneous so that you can stay focused on the priorities of your daily activities.

Choose One or Two Social Networks and Ditch the Rest

Identify the social networks that are most beneficial for your personal and professional life and get off the ones that cause distraction. Social platforms are designed to drive engagement and bring users back frequently.

Many executive assistants will find that between LinkedIn and Twitter or Instagram, they can find a perfect balance of personal engagement and professional growth.

Don't Keep Your Phone Around All the Time

While this may be difficult for executive assistants who are often juggling multiple duties throughout the courts of the day, it is one of the best ways to reset mental focus and allow your mind to stay sharp.

Identify moments throughout your daily routine when you can spend a dedicated amount of time without your phone. This will not only increase mindfulness, but it will also allow you to prioritize your projects and communicate more effectively.

Stop Using your Phone, Tablet, or Laptop to Relax

Many executive assistants are glued to their phones even after the workday ends. When you stop using your phone as a way to unwind, it becomes less attractive to keep checking social platforms or becoming distracted with other content.  Find other ways to relax, and you will notice an increase in your focus and mindful thinking.

The Executive Assistant landscape is constantly evolving, and ASAP is here to help you reach your maximum potential. Reach out today to see how we can help you gain valuable skills, insights, and networking opportunities to take your career to the next level.