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10 Ways to Keep Your iPhone Organized and Decluttered | Digital Minimalism — Transcript

by Bea Minimalista · 2,589 words · 389 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:00Endless notifications, apps we don't
0:01use, phones crashing, infinite feeds
0:03that keeps us craving for more, and
0:05hundreds of duplicated photos that
0:07linger around with the promise that one
0:08day we will post the best one in our
0:10curated feed, even though that vacation
0:12was seven years ago.
0:15That used to be me as well before I
0:16discovered digital minimalism. While
0:19smartphones are an amazing tool to get
0:21work done, be more informed, and keep in
0:23touch with people all around the world,
0:25it comes with a cost. Million-dollar
0:28companies are constantly developing new
0:30methods to keep us glued to the screen
0:32that conveniently fits our pockets for
0:34as long as possible. If we don't do
0:36anything about it, it is estimated that
0:38we will spend 20 years of our lives
0:41staring at this little gadget. That's
0:43why today I'm sharing 10 simple ways to
0:45declutter and organize your phone in
0:47order to make it work for you, not
0:50against you. By the end of this video,
0:51you will have a decluttered photo
0:53gallery, inbox is free, and drastically
0:56reduce your screen time. So, let's go
0:58ahead and start. What is digital
1:00minimalism?
1:00>> [music]
1:01>> The idea behind digital minimalism is
1:03quite straightforward, but often
1:04misunderstood. Unlike common belief,
1:07digital minimalism is not about not
1:09having or not using technology. It
1:11doesn't say you need to switch to a flip
1:13phone, unless that's something you
1:15really want, of course. It means using
1:17only the digital tools that truly add
1:19value to your life and remove or limit
1:21the rest. So, how can we do this? By
1:24decluttering our phones. Let's start
1:26with something really easy that only
1:28takes a few seconds. I used to be guilty
1:30of having like 30 alarm clocks every two
1:33minutes for waking up. So, if you're
1:35also guilty of this, go ahead and pause
1:37the video and declutter all the [music]
1:38noise, literally, and keep only one
1:41alarm for the things you really need.
1:43Next thing you're going to do is
1:44uninstall apps. Open your apps folder
1:46and see which apps you don't need or
1:48haven't used in the past 90 days.
1:50Additionally, go to settings, App Store,
1:53and scroll down and select offload
1:55unused apps. This will automatically
1:58your apps if they haven't been used.
2:00Since you're added, go ahead and turn
2:01off all the badges, banners, and pop-up
2:04notifications. And I mean everything,
2:07except probably the calendar. This is
2:09scientifically proven to reduce your
2:11screen time by 10%. Next is a big one,
2:14social media. [music] I'm not going to
2:16tell you to do a digital detox because,
2:19first of all, it is very hard to do, and
2:21second, [music]
2:22I think it's just a temporary solution.
2:24People often come back to the previous
2:26behaviors [music]
2:27once a detox is over. Instead, here are
2:29a few changes that can actually reduce
2:31your usage long-term. Only keep apps
2:34that really bring you value. [music]
2:36First, consider if you really need to be
2:38on these apps. Like, for real. Ask
2:41yourself, what does this app bring me
2:43that I can't get anywhere else? Do I
2:45feel better or worse after being on this
2:48app? I installed TikTok once to see what
2:50it was all about, and to be honest, it
2:52didn't bring me anything different than
2:54Instagram, except maybe more noise and
2:57more people jumping.
2:59Be intentional. On my personal account,
3:01I probably reduced my posting by 95%.
3:04[music]
3:05And when I do post, it's something I
3:07generally care about, not something I
3:09will delete later because it didn't
3:11reach a certain number of likes.
3:13Conversations with friends are now more
3:15interesting because my life updates
3:16aren't online. And also, I hear my
3:18friends' news face-to-face, which is
3:21much more meaningful. Another thing you
3:22can do is to consider changing the
3:24platform where you're using the app. For
3:26example, I really enjoy using Pinterest
3:28for inspiration, but I enjoy it more on
3:30my computer because I'm much more less
3:33likely to doomscroll. [music] I also
3:35uninstall and only reinstall apps when I
3:37need to post something. [music]
3:39Otherwise, I check them on my computer.
3:41Pro tip for Instagram, mute everyone's
3:43stories. They're still there if you want
3:45to watch them, they're just not
3:47constantly shouting for your attention.
3:49When you do open one, it won't
3:51automatically jump to the next person's
3:52story. This is similar to the infinite
3:54scroll, which is the most twisted and
3:57genius design feature ever invented by
3:59mankind. [music] Also, unfollow people
4:01who make you buy things or make you feel
4:03bad about yourself. What really changed
4:05how I think about my phone is
4:07understanding why these apps are so
4:10addictive. The more we check our phones,
4:12the more our brain gets used to those
4:13dopamine hits. And just like building
4:16tolerance to a drug, it starts craving
4:18for more stimulation. [music]
4:19At the same time, the longer you stay on
4:22an app, the more data they collect about
4:24you, building a more accurate profile,
4:26so companies sell you targeted ads,
4:29which will make you buy things you don't
4:30need, making the companies richer while
4:33selling your personal information. I
4:35actually learned a lot about this while
4:37taking a class by Laura Lamb called
4:39social media and phone addiction on
4:41Skillshare, who is today's sponsor. One
4:43thing I really like about the class is
4:45that it doesn't just explain [music] the
4:47problem. It also gives practical ways to
4:49reclaim your attention. And something I
4:51thought was really cool is that the
4:53class [music] ends with an assignment,
4:54which is something Skillshare classes
4:56always do. Laura asks you to take notes
4:59and then turn that into something
5:00creative like a drawing, a stream of
5:02conscious, or even a poem.
5:04>> [music]
5:04>> So, here is my poem.
5:06I open Instagram for just peek. Next
5:09thing I know, it's been a week. I check
5:11my phone just one more time. 5 minutes
5:13passed, or maybe 9. A thousand reels, my
5:16focus gone. The algorithm clearly won.
5:19But if I'm going to scroll anyway, I
5:21might as well join Skillshare and learn
5:22something today.
5:25And you can actually see what other
5:26people created as well, which makes the
5:28whole experience feel more like a
5:30community and interactive. Skillshare
5:32has thousands of classes on topics like
5:34creativity, productivity, filmmaking,
5:36design, technology, and personal
5:38development. So, it's a really nice way
5:40to spend your time online learning
5:42something new instead of just doom
5:44scrolling. If you would like to explore
5:46it for yourself, the first 500 people to
5:48use the link in the description or scan
5:50this QR code will receive a 1-month free
5:53trial of Skillshare. Hope you like
5:55[music] it and learn as much as I do.
5:56Next, simplify your home screen. If our
5:58home screen is full of apps, widgets,
6:01folders, and notifications, our brain
6:03immediately goes into distraction mode.
6:05So, we need to turn our home screen into
6:07a tool, not a temptation. Start by
6:10clearing your entire home screen. Yes,
6:13delete every shortcut. [music]
6:14Enter the jiggle mode and just delete
6:16all the apps, shortcuts, widgets, and
6:18folders. [music]
6:19This gives you a clean slate. Studies
6:21show that just like our physical
6:22environment, our digital wallpaper also
6:25has an influence in our mood and focus.
6:27So, choosing calm images with simple
6:29backgrounds [music] can actually improve
6:31our focus and makes us not spend so much
6:33time in our phones. Some people like to
6:35keep the home screen completely empty
6:37because it is the minimalist aesthetic,
6:40but I personally don't advise this. Let
6:42me [music] explain. Our phones serve a
6:44purpose. That's why we have one. And by
6:46not having anything in the home screen,
6:49that means that when we actually need to
6:50open an app, we have to go to the apps
6:52page, and there we see all the apps
6:54installed, which defeats the initial
6:57purpose. So, what I recommend is to
6:59follow the one-page home screen rule,
7:02keeping only one page with shortcut
7:04apps, minimal widgets, [music] but no
7:06folders. Keep only the apps that are
7:08useful, that you use daily, but never
7:10put the addictive ones there. The iPhone
7:13has a really cool feature that allows
7:15you to have different setups by choosing
7:17different focus modes. [music] I have
7:18four. The personal, which is the one I
7:21have basically by default with only my
7:23essential tools. Then, the work mode. I
7:26have this simple orange background
7:28because I color code everything related
7:30to work in orange, and I keep only the
7:32apps I need while working. Then, [music]
7:34the sleep mode, which is set automatic
7:36at the end of the day, that also hints
7:38my brain that it's time to unwind. So,
7:40here I only have the apps I check before
7:42going to bed. I also have a Do Not
7:45Disturb mode, which I rarely use. Only
7:47if [music] I go see a show or go to the
7:49movies that is completely empty and
7:51black. And as you can see, I don't keep
7:53apps like Instagram on my home screen
7:55because, just like most people, I get
7:57caught up scrolling without realizing
7:59it. Even though I use it for work, I
8:01don't have it in my work setup because
8:03of how addictive it is. [music] In this
8:05day and age, when we see something
8:06remotely interesting or a little
8:08different, the first thing we do is take
8:10out the phone and take a picture. And
8:12even though it might sound pretentious,
8:14try living in a moment instead [music]
8:16of performing it for social media, which
8:18I'm not saying to not do, just don't
8:21prioritize it. With digital photos, you
8:23can take hundreds of pictures in just a
8:25few minutes, [music] but instead of
8:26constantly fixing the storage problem
8:28later, it's better to avoid creating the
8:30problem in the first place by taking
8:32fewer pictures. This is where the
8:34minimalist idea of less but better
8:36really applies. When you walk into a
8:38museum, you don't see thousands of
8:40random things thrown in one room. You
8:42see a few pieces with a purpose. Your
8:44photo gallery on your phone should do
8:46the same. Start by removing the obvious
8:48clutter. Delete duplicates, screenshots,
8:50and don't forget about random screen
8:52recordings. [music] Also, check apps
8:54like WhatsApp and turn off the
8:56auto-saving media from conversations. A
8:58good question to ask yourself while
9:00decluttering is, "Will I care enough
9:02about this in the future to actually
9:04look at it again?" If the answer is no,
9:07delete it. And if you're thinking,
9:09"Okay, but I already have thousands of
9:11photos on my phone." Then I have a
9:13little game for you. I call it the
9:14digital minimalism game. Start by
9:17deleting photos in batches on the first
9:19day of the month. 10 on the first day,
9:2120 on the second, 30 on the third, and
9:24so on until day 30. [music] By the end
9:26of the month, you will have decluttered
9:274,650
9:29pictures. There is no better feeling
9:31than this. And don't forget, [music] for
9:33all of this to work, you have have a
9:35backup of your files. And this is very
9:37personal. Some people do it weekly,
9:39monthly, or every two or three months,
9:42depending on your profession, usage, and
9:44type of phone you have. It doesn't
9:45matter which one you choose, as long as
9:47you do it. Otherwise, if you lose your
9:49phone, or if it stops working, you lose
9:51everything. [music] And the last
9:52pictures you take, the less frequently
9:54you have to do this. As a content
9:56creator, I don't take a lot of personal
9:57pictures, but I do record a lot for
10:00YouTube. So, I found that once a month,
10:02or every two months, is enough for me to
10:04have both personal and professional
10:06digital files in order. For these, I
10:08keep a monthly reminder on my calendar.
10:10Then I basically use the free Google
10:12Photos storage to transfer it to an SSD.
10:14The reason why I use Google Photos and
10:16not iCloud is that Google just offers
10:18more free storage. Even though I still
10:20use iCloud, but for other type of data.
10:23On my SSD, I also just don't throw
10:25everything in there. I have it
10:27organized. Because this is more computer
10:29related, I believe this would be a whole
10:31video itself. Would you like to know how
10:33I organize not only my photos and videos
10:35on my SSD, but also my computer in
10:37general to avoid chaotic information
10:39everywhere, slow apps, and computer
10:41crashing? Let me know in the comments if
10:43you want me to make a video about it. Go
10:45through your messages and delete the
10:46ones that you no longer need. As for
10:48WhatsApp, which is where I keep in touch
10:50with my friends, I use the archive
10:52method. First, like I covered before, I
10:54don't have notifications for anything,
10:57including WhatsApp. If it is urgent,
10:59people just call me anyway. Then, I'm
11:01only in friend groups that serve a
11:03purpose. Meaning, if someone makes a
11:05group for a get-together dinner, once
11:07that dinner is over, I leave the group.
11:09I also don't participate in groups where
11:11people send reels [music] and spam.
11:13Sorry, not sorry, I just don't. I also
11:15have all my conversations archived. So,
11:18once I reply to someone, I archive the
11:20conversation. And don't worry, if that
11:22person replies, it will show in the
11:24inbox [music] again. So, when I open
11:26WhatsApp, I just see the people I
11:28haven't replied yet, [music] which helps
11:29me not forget to answer anyone. That
11:32way, the app stays clean and nothing is
11:34permanently deleted [music] if I ever
11:35need to find it again. It's a simple way
11:38to reduce visual noise without losing
11:40information. Another place where clutter
11:42quietly builds up is in our notes app. A
11:45simple trick that helps a lot is
11:46creating folders for different areas of
11:48[music] our lives. Work ideas, personal
11:50thoughts, projects, travel, whatever
11:53makes sense for you. This gives your
11:54brain a bit more structure. You can also
11:57use hashtags inside your notes, which
11:59makes searching and filtering much
12:01easier later on. But, the best form of
12:03organization is still decluttering. If a
12:05note no longer serves a purpose, delete
12:07it. And don't forget to also empty the
12:09recently deleted folder, otherwise it
12:11will still be sitting there. The same
12:13goes for audio files or voice memos,
12:15which I'm very guilty of. If you already
12:18use them or if they are no longer
12:19relevant, delete them. The contacts list
12:22is another place where people rarely
12:24clean up. Over the years, we collect
12:26numbers from people we've met once,
12:28services that we used once, or
12:30conversations that never continued. Take
12:32a few minutes to delete contacts of
12:34people you no longer speak to or
12:36realistically won't need again. And
12:38lastly, [music] if you're really serious
12:40about reducing your screen usage by 20
12:43to 35%
12:45start using it in grayscale mode.
12:47[music]
12:47Simple and effective. I hope these help
12:50you heal your relationship with your
12:51phone. You don't need to do all of them
12:53at the same time, just write them down
12:55and start implementing them one by one
12:58and watch you regain your attention and
13:00life back. If you want to take control
13:02of your clutter, not just digital, I've
13:04created a full declutter playlist with
13:06everything you need to know to get
13:07started. So, make sure you click here.
13:09[music]
13:10Stay kind to yourself and to others and
13:12I will see you on this one next.

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