A graphic of an overflowing box filled with a mass of wires and in front various lap tops, mobile phones and tablets ready for decluttering

Episode 128 – Declutter and Organise Your Technology

In this episode, we are speaking about decluttering technology. Everybody seems to have drawers full of wires, laptops, mobile phones, USB sticks and even cases.

Episode 315 – 10 ways to declutter spontaneously

Episode 314 – How to declutter a storage unit with Margie

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Transcript of this podcast episode

Intro  0:07  
Welcome to today's episode of The declutter hope podcast, your channel for super easy, no nonsense advice on how to declutter and organise your home. Please welcome your hosts professional organisers, Ingrid Johnson and Lesley Spellman.

Ingrid  0:34  
Hello, and welcome listeners to Episode 128 of the declutter hub Podcast. I'm Ingrid. And I'm Lesley. If you have clutter and want to short it out, this is the show for you. Now, in today's episode, Lesley and I are talking about decluttering technology, who Lesley the dreaded wires and everything just like techy. Oh, I really wanted to talk about this, because we see spaghetti, spaghetti.

Lesley  1:04  
Yeah, everyone will be quaking in their boots, well, near the moment about the tech because it's a necessary part of our lives at the moment, isn't it and it moves so fast. And we want to keep up with technology. And we want the latest thing quite often. And so what happens then is that we have tonnes and tonnes of stuff that we're not quite sure what to do with, or that still need something due into it before we can get rid of it. And so as English says, what that means is mobile phones languishing in drawers, wires all tangled together. And if we haven't kept control of that it's completely unmanageable, isn't it?

Ingrid  1:47  
Yes, we know we've imagined now people listening to us going rolling their eyes going, have you been in my house listening grid, I have drawers full of black wires. And I've got absolutely no idea in the mix are some other like plugs and headphones that have died and then additional random tablet and there's a computer than from the stone age's. There's, there's a laptop, or whatever it is all these things. And the lady think, oh, yeah, I used to know which pluck would win, which which item, but now, because I've just bung it into this drawer or in this cupboard, and now it's like all just black.

Lesley  2:32  
And of course, one of the other thing is that quite often we pass off the responsibility of that stuff to our partner, don't wait. And so that's nothing to do with me that technology, my husband deals with that. That's me. So I don't know anything about that. And so I don't want to do that, or my wife deals with that, whatever that might be. So we pass off responsibility, I'm gonna get my son to look at that. If we don't quite understand it. We don't want to tackle it. And so we leave it for someone else. And so we have this kind of delegation of responsibility for tech. We're responsible for the clutter. Well, no, quite often, we're the ones who get bothered by the drawers and things. But they're full of stuff that actually we think is someone else's domain. So it's an interest in psychology. We love talking about psychology, don't we, Ingrid? Well, I do anyway.

Ingrid  3:20  
Well, I tell you, technology in this house, I am responsible for sure. I'm like nodding my head going. That's me. You're describing me. I'm like, hello, husbands. Can you just deal with this? I've got absolutely no clue. What am I supposed to be doing? I'm very good at labelling wires. Not to actually deal with the hmm, I don't know what this stuff is. That's not me. That's your responsibility. That's not me. So this sounds very familiar. This. This one hits close to home, Lesley.

Lesley  3:50  
It doesn't. It's so useful. Soon as we're running a technology based business Ingrid. Technology all day every day. We're like, Oh, do we like that? So yeah, I'm the one that's on the other side of zoom while she's yelling for young her husband to fix this. And that is like the technology master that comes to get her out of a hole all the time. I on the other hand, I'm very autonomous and manage my own tech. Thank you very much Ingrid Johnson. I know.

Ingrid  4:19  
I'm always very impressed with you. I'm not gonna lie.

Lesley  4:24  
But she's writing things down this she took all the skills, I'll give you that you've got all the skills, no, just got your bag, but you've got other skills that make up for that in abundance, Ingrid. But anyway, let's go back to talking about wires, cords, tablets, phones, laptops, et cetera. And we feel like a lot of them are just sort of languish into these drawers and left to die. One's really like dramatic, doesn't it? But that's what we see. We see mobile phones that you didn't use since 2005. Or whatever still in a drawer waiting for you to take off the photos that happened to be on it or making sure you don't pass it Until somebody when it's got sensitive material on there. And so we procrastinate hugely over dealing with technology and doing the things that need to be done with it when we should do it immediately when we swap it over to a new version.

Ingrid  5:14  
Yeah, yeah. And you know, unless you were talking about this, and I know we're gonna focus on laptops, and phones and wires, but I'm now in my head is like, yes, it's the USB sticks as well write it in a drawer somewhere, or the CDs, which focus on which I've found a couple recently that I am not actually putting on my computer because I thought, they've been in this cupboard for a very long time. And I just want to have them on my computer. So I know what they are, I can then file them away, or delete them or whatever. But you need to take action, because otherwise the tech is going to become completely obsolete, and then it's completely wasted. While the thing is, when you replace something for something new, you need to immediately decide what's going to happen with this old piece of tech, isn't it?

Lesley  6:05  
Yes. So the thing is about technology is it's really interesting, because we make a very intentional decision. Don't we talk great technology. So quite often in this country might have a mobile phone contract, for example, two year contract, and then we, we try and upgrade because financially, it makes sense to upgrade it after two years. And we want the latest things and they're very good people like Apple, all the Android phones, Samsung, etc. Very good, aren't they convincing us that we need the next best thing. And so many of us then follow suit and bow the next best thing? And that's the same with TVs. We've still got people, you know, we said we were talking about we talked about phones and laptops and stuff like that today. But how many people do you know who gets a new TV, keep the old one have got a DVD player have still kept the VHS player. That's because there's a project with the VHS player still waiting to happen. And it's exactly the same whatever kind of tech it is, tablets, mobile phones, there's information on that computer that we feel that we need. And so the message for today is take action quickly. But it's a big job. And that's why we procrastinate on it. We think it's a big job. So that's where the problem lies, isn't it? Ingrid?

Ingrid  7:19  
Yeah, that's a point really well made. Lesley I think a lot of times, we also think it's a big job. Now, if for example, if you still have a VHS player, and you have VHS videos that you need to watch, because you need to see if there's anything like a wedding or a christening or anything like that on it, that's a big job. But actually, maybe pulling a plug in a laptop and factory reset it. So you can then responsibly give it to somebody else is not a big job. But because we kind of see it as all like all we need to power it up and the wires and it immediately feels like a big job and not necessarily it always is.

Lesley  7:58  
Yeah, I think technology these days is not a big job because somebody some clever people who are techie has thought about migrating information very quickly, I can walk to the end of my road, there's a computer shop at the end of my road. And if I wanted to, I could go in there probably pay 20 or 30 pounds, and that guy would have it done in a heartbeat. So even if I can't do it myself, we can find people very easily very readily who will do that. Whereas jumping back to the kind of VHS scenario that we mentioned, that is more complicated, because that involves kind of complicated technology, quite a lot of money to get that transferred over if we outsource it. But so really, let's focus back on the more modern equipment that we got on what are we going to do with them, we've made an intentional purchase, we've decided that we want to upgrade. And so we have got a new phone, got a new tablet got a new laptop, for whatever reason. The ideal scenario is that we take action there and then as part of our purchase, and transfer that information, any information that we need over onto the new device and make a decision there. And then what we're going to do with that old piece of tech, because as you rightly say, we've talked about them, you know, old phones being left in drawers today and grid is it could be really useful to someone, anyone, it could be really useful to a family member who's not got a great phone that you can pass your not you know better phone on to, it could be great. If it goes to charity, we could send it to a mobile phone recycling place that will give you money for it. We could pass it on to charity if we wanted to do that while somebody can really get good use out of something that's much more modern and it's technology. But what we do is we don't do it. we procrastinate. We leave it in a drawer and then by the next time we look it's 10 years old. How many times do we find eight 910 mobile phones in drawers. We don't know where the wires are for that thing because the wires are separate from the phones. It's complicated so it's something that you really need to keep a handle on now. So if there's one thing we want to talk about today is try and take control of your tech so you know what's what you know what you've got. Yes, there's a decluttering projects but all Also look at the stuff that you've got at the moment. And do you know is everything levelled up? Do you know? What, why it goes with what? And what little accessories that come with that phone or that laptop? Do and things like that? Because we can very quickly lose a handle on it, can't we?

Ingrid  10:14  
Yeah, and I think so what what I do find out this was is laptops, especially laptops with old laptops with photos on them? And then of course, you have to look into, okay, can I migrate them to the cloud that I have, but some people don't then realise they don't have a cloud yet, or they're not sorting it properly. So there's a lot of times a snowball effect of things that needs to happen. And almost it starts with, let's find the wire to this thing. So I can actually turn it on. You know, how, oh, yeah, it was completely broken, or I need to do something with this information. So it involves investigating, it involves watching a YouTube video, how do I empty the information from a laptop, it involves finding, or maybe even ordering the right wire, so you can actually power up your piece of equipment again, especially that's first short is intense, it will get easier, the more you get on top of it. And maybe you just instead of starting with the oldest piece, you just need to work your way back because you still recognise which stuff goes together.

Lesley  11:21  
I'm not gonna lie, Ingrid, this is a big job. And it's not for the faint hearted. But it's a job that we don't really relish is it. So let's think about other jobs that we put off, I really want to do my sentimental stuff, I really want to do my photographs, I really want to go through my letters or cards or something like that. Because ultimately, we know and we think that those things are going to bring us joy. So we put them off. But we still know that when we do do it, it's going to be quite nice. Whereas we don't think that going through mobile phones and pulling information off there is going to be nice, because for the most part, it's kind of not, but there are photographs on there, for the most part out there that we can see, that can be a nice project. And let me tell you, when you get control of your tech, it feels very, very satisfying, doesn't it?

Ingrid  12:09  
Yeah, for sure. Absolutely. And it's it's just peace of mind. Because I think then because you know that that laptop has now no longer got folders, no longer emails, it no longer has contacts on there, you factory set, its, its empty. And then you can also then start to think about, okay, where's this piece of equipment going next, because there's different options isn't there, it's not all just throw it in the bin. There's lots of places old tech can go of course, you know, if it is donkey's years old, and no longer used to anybody, it needs to go to the recycling centre, they've got special containers where you can put stuff like that in. So that's the first place where it can go. But there are lots of people, especially if the equipment like a laptop or computer is is not as old. And it's quite recent, but it's just no longer needed in your house. Especially now with so many kids, homeschooling people working from home. You know, any school probably would love a computer that's, you know, still relatively new so they can get kids to work.

Lesley  13:19  
Yeah, and that's the point is that a lot of these things are very new, and still very serviceable. We've chosen that they're not good enough for us. For us right now, you know, my computer that I got rid of, yes, I need a better computer, because we've got to do a lot of technology. But it's perfectly serviceable to someone who's never had a computer before, it might be a little bit slower. But if you've never had one, you don't realise how slow it is, we realise how slow it is. Because we've got a lot of technological stuff that we need to deal with. And we need that bigger capacity. But once you wipe all the information off and restore it back to factory settings, then it can be a perfectly serviceable computer cancer. And there are lots of very clever people out there who can fix things and make it that even if it's not today,

Ingrid  14:01  
yeah. So what would you suggest everybody does with boxes of old technology? Because we see those a lot as well, though we, Lesley?

Lesley  14:09  
Yeah, I mean, that takes us into a whole new realm of chat, doesn't it, which is appliance boxes. And so quite often when we talk about appliance boxes, we talk about making space and lofts and spare bedrooms with TV boxes and printer boxes and things like that. But also there's boxes that come with you know, iPhones and tablets and we feel that we should keep the box don't we? Why are we keeping the box? Why are we keeping the box to a laptop? Question? Why are we keeping the box for laptop and the ideas? Do you keep the box to your laptop?

Ingrid  14:40  
No, not not to my laptop? No. If it's a brand new phone, I would keep it for a little while because you know you don't want to throw it away when it's just arrived in the post but I'm not keeping it forever and ever. And the small boxes for phones are actually really nice containers to use when you're organising your drawers If you find like a whole stash of old boxes, if they're very, very big, I would say just recycle them, let them go, you're never going to think I might move house in the future. And I might need to pack up my computer, I'm going to use the original box to package this up. Unless you're like moving next month. That makes sense. But if you don't even have a day to move house in the first place, if you're not even thinking about selling your house, put those boxes into recycling. But the small ones that are for like tablets, and phones, they are perfectly the containers to put in your drawers.

Lesley  15:34  
They're perfect little containers to containerize, the thing that was supposed to be decluttering, and perfect for containerizing. Things like pen drives and USB drives and little tiny things that you open your iPhone with, I can't remember those little kind of things that you put in to open things up. And, you know, if you've got all of those little things, stationery, paper clips, all of those things are fantastic and iPhone boxes. So I've done for stationery boxes, where I've found enough iPhone boxes to containerize, a whole station withdraw, and then nice and sturdy and white, and not too branded. And so they look grey, and they are perfect. So but we're not advocating keeping loads and loads of boxes. For this purpose. Yeah, let's see, I think we've said I needed to keep all my boxes in case I want to containerize. But they are quite useful. But a laptop box is not and a laptop box is not going to make your product be any more no one expects a box with a laptop, if they buy a laptop from you. Or if you repurpose or recycle a laptop, you don't need it. If you return a laptop nine times out of 10, you're just going to carry a laptop back into the store if it needs fixing. So but we have this obsession with keeping boxes, don't we, because we feel that the value of our things that are going to be higher, if there's a box with it. And that may well be the case, but you need to balance out what's more important for me, the space, or the fact that I might get an extra 10 pounds, if it's boxed. That's where you've got to be realistic. And you've got to balance that up and compromise. Okay, so Ingrid, we know that there's lots of people out there, I've got this jumbled up drawer with old phones and chat and baby monitors and all kinds of random things, headphones and blah, blah. Yeah, yeah, headphones from aeroplanes anymore. And when someone's got a pair of Apple iPods and things like that, you know, there's just things that are, we don't really need these anymore. But the problem is we don't know how expensive these things are. We're kind of a little bit lost with that. How are we going to do it? So what's the plan here, when we're tackling a tech draw? Not going to say exactly how to do that? Yes, we need to declutter it. Yes, we need to see if we can get any money for recycling some of this tech potentially. So recycle it to a good home, or there are recycling places that will pay good money for reasonably up to date models of phones. And so you know, use that because that might be 100 pounds or more, you know, I mean, so we're not big advocates of selling things. But if you've got a phone that's only two years old, and you can get 150 pounds for it, of course, you're going to try and sell it on, or you're going to try and give it to somebody, you know. So what are we going to do? What's the plan? What's the end goal? Ingrid?

Ingrid  18:14  
I think for me, it's it's a bit like being a detective, isn't it? When you start a project like this, I think you need to make sure that you've got some room to work, where you can kind of gather everything together. And then you kind of start to play detective, what wire goes with which appliance and it starts to come back? What as soon as you start to rummage you're like oh, yeah, that's the wire for social Oh, those these are my headphones or oh, this was from a baby monitor that I had 10 years ago or that's the plug, let me invest it in you're really playing detective to find out what goes with what, and then you can kind of start to make a bit easy categorise it. And then I think you need to first do a bit of like, okay, what's like falling out? How many times do we see headphones where you can actually see the inner wires. And it's like, okay, they need to go and be brought to a recycling centre, because you can't sell them on. You can't and that's dangerous. And when you see the little red wires, the red and blue wires from the inside or the outside piece of the air thing is like falling off. He's like, okay, right, this is broken. Let It Go bring it to a recycling centre, don't even worry about it. And it's all about categorising, and then taking it step by step to figure out what needs to happen with each of these things. And you probably want to work from the easiest things to the hardest thing. So if you know that there is a laptop with photographs, you're certain it's just been, you need to leave that to the side and first move on to let's first remove the bulk and then later I'm going to do a deep dive on okay, how am I going to get the stuff on this laptop? And if you've got a lot of this stuff, it's not going to be done in an afternoon you know, you probably need to Do it in phases and over time to figure out what's going to happen with this equipment.

Lesley  20:06  
Yeah, definitely, this is quite a big project to do. If you're if you're in a little bit of a pickle with your wires and your technology, I think this is going to spend several weeks because you're going to do your decluttering. And you're going to want to work out what your wires are, you're going to want to label your wires, you're going to want to transfer information that might involve outsourcing that job to somebody else, or doing it yourself, which may take several hours to do depending on what you're working with. So don't think that this is going to be done in a day. Now make that your monthly goal for April, right by the end of April, my technology is only going to contain things that I'm currently using at the moment, and maybe one spare if necessary for the whole house, I would say, you know, I don't think we need a spare per person unless you got kids that throw their phones smash their phone cases every single week, or drop them in the bath or the toilet, different matter entirely. But you know, really think that through and think how many spares? Do I actually need? Do I need a firm from six years ago? What's the purpose of that? And so you've really got to be strong, because the difference between technology and other things that we store in our house is that it's one is definitely better than the other, isn't it? That's different. So if you were talking about two bottles of perfume, you might have one that you prefer, and one that you prefer less, you might wear both. The bottom line is with technology, you're definitely going to use the more up to date one, that's a given, isn't it? So it's a very different and in some ways, an easier process. But it's this fear that we have of losing information of information getting into the wrong hands of not quite knowing what's what and what to do with it that makes us then procrastinate. And that's the real challenge with technology, isn't it?

Ingrid  21:42  
Yeah. And while you're at it, don't forget all the accessories as well, the phone cases, and the laptop cases or the Kindle that's no longer with you. But you still have the case to put the Kindle in all of those things. That needs to be tackled as well while you're doing this projects. And then you can feel Ah, it feels so nice, doesn't it Lesley to actually do this. And my husband recently did a massive declutter project. Because we had coverage builder, we move some items around, and we kind of put one cupboard where we kind of put all the stuff and I went, right, okay, we need to pull this out and just have a real look at all of this. We've done it before. But let's just do another one. Because my children are getting older. So they're getting, of course, you know, when they're young, they get an old mobile phone. And then when they younger, it doesn't matter. But now when they're teenagers, they need a better phone as well. So we upgraded so they got our old phones, but the old one was still there. So we went okay, we need to kind of really dive deep into this now and get it sorted. And he was quite ruthless. I'm very, very happy to say so we had a nice big bag of lots of random stuff that's now ready to be brought to the recycling centre at some point. Yep, when they reopened, so all good to go when the weather gets better. That's my next trip, Lesley, to an exciting I know a lot

Lesley  23:03  
a day I was at the recycling centre, I'll go anywhere you want to go to a nice restaurant or a bar, but actually, it's going to the recycling centre. I think, you know, it's interesting, really, because it is it takes a lot of work, it takes a lot of knowledge if you've not got that knowledge. And to be fair, most people have not got that knowledge. Unless you're some kind of computer geeky kind of person. You don't know what plug or what and wire is for which thing unless you investigate. I did a big investigation project, a research project in our for our membership, because we have wires and cords as a sort of separate thing in our membership. And I went through it and I know exactly what USB C is and a USB. And it's really quite satisfying to know what all those things are, and what era they belong to, and things like that and what things are for so you can work out, am I likely to need that in the future? Or can I let that go? You know, because we just keep computer wires from computers that have been obsolete for 1015 years. And the bottom line is, if you need to buy that way ever again, if you make a mistake, which is what all of us fear, you can get hold of them again, for pennies, probably. And so don't need to worry too much about it. I think that's what stops us in our tracks a little bit, isn't it? Ingrid?

Ingrid  24:15  
Yeah, for sure. Sure, for sure. And that's why I think it's important when you get new stuff in, labelled that plunk label that blanc immediately when it comes in. Make that part of the unboxing and the unwrapping and the setting up and Okay, where am I going to put the manual and the little key that needs to open this stuff and all of those things? One part is I need to label this plunk. So I know later where it goes and belongs to because if you would for people like we in this house for people for mobile phones, we got a tablet, you know there's an iPad somewhere, lots of computers because we're all so much more in technology because of the homeschooling everything that's going on today. wires everywhere are already in use. So if everything that you have in use is working at the moment, start maybe with labelling those so at least moving forward, you know where they were and then go okay, I've now labelled I know what's going on currently. Now I'm going to move on to my random drawer with lots of wires that I don't know what spaghetti this is. So I think that's a nice look back to the beginning that is needlessly, is

Lesley  25:25  
spaghetti. Very nice. Ingrid, talking about spaghetti. So yeah, everyone's fearful. This is a big project, isn't it? This isn't this is a biggie, not spoken about it before, not for the faint hearted, but what was what we're saying to you is think about that goal for a whole month. And work through it on your own with people who understand things in your house as well. You know, people who you've perceived to have responsibility for this is where decluttering gets hard, because you're gonna have to ask for help potentially as well with this, because even if you've completely got a handle on it, those wires are going to belong to other people. And so you really got to it's a kind of, it's a whole household project, isn't it that needs to be tackled, and it needs to be done in a very specific methodical way.

Ingrid  26:09  
Yeah. So good luck with that. We know well,

Lesley  26:16  
I yeah, we're just gonna tell you what to do and run because we are and it takes like days and days today. Good luck with that. Good luck with that. Good luck. Let us know how you

Ingrid  26:26  
get on in the Facebook group. Now before we go listeners, can I just talk to you Lesley, about our managing mementos? masterclass on Tuesday?

Lesley  26:39  
I know you've you've finally got it nailed the mmm Haven't you after it's all over? It was a lot of fun, wasn't it? We loved we just love going live. Don't wait. Bottom line. You can't stop us from talking about decluttering we just love it so much. And the mementos masterclass was particularly fab, because it got right to the heart of what people get really worried. You know, when you get down to the nitty gritty of decluttering we're all quite sentimental, aren't we? So what a fab masterclass, that was on Tuesday, and it was our first master class. And so I know you in particular, Ingrid, were a little bit on the nervous side, weren't you? I

Ingrid  27:13  
was I was ever know why? Because I love talking about decluttering. So it's like, I shouldn't be nervous about this. But I was but I just I loved it. I enjoyed it. It was so great to see so many people there. And before we forget to tell you if you have signed up, but you have not watched it yet. The time to watch the replay is ending tonight at 12. So you've got today left to watch it on replay.

Lesley  27:41  
And that is only if you are listening to our podcasts on the day that it comes out. Yeah. So if you're not listening to this on Friday, the 12th of March, sadly, you've missed out on the opportunity to watch it.

Ingrid  27:51  
Yes, yes, the replays available until midnight tonight. And also it shows our special offer. So we have a sentimental cores that you can buy for $69 instead of $99. So if you're listening to this on the 12th of March, you've got until midnight tonight to use our special offer.

Lesley  28:11  
Yeah, and of course we have a special offer and then on the membership as well. As part of the masterclass though we we also have a special membership price also go in till midnight on Friday, the 12th of March, which is today or it might not be today, if you're not listening just depends when you're listening. So if you want to buy our full membership, if you've got more than just sentimental items in your home that needs sorting out, then you can buy our full membership and get access to absolutely everything including the sentimental course, for $219. But that runs out tonight at midnight.

Ingrid  28:44  
Well, that's it for this episode, listeners. So like I said, again, good luck with sorting out all your wires. We hope we haven't frightened you too much and you're rolling your eyes now at your podcast player gone. Yeah, I need to do this and I need to start thinking about it. So we hope you are inspired to take action because that's what we're all about. If you want more handy tips and advice from listening night, you can find this in lots of places. We have a fab supportive Facebook group called to declutter our community, which is a great starting point. And we have an Instagram and Facebook page too. And you can find us at declutter hub, we'd love to see you there. Take a look at members of declutter Apple comm to find out more about our membership. If you don't want to make sure next podcast, subscribe to declutter hub podcast and we'll pop in your notifications each Friday. We've been asking for some reviews, which make a huge difference to us. So if you've enjoyed today or any of our other podcasts, we would love you to take a couple of minutes out of your day to leave us a review. We absolutely adore reading them and it's just so wonderful to see your wonderful feedback. So thanks so much for listening, and we'll see you next time.

Outro  30:01  
Thanks for listening to this week's episode of the Declutter Hub Podcast. Check out declutterhub.com for more inspiration, and don't forget to tune in next week.

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Want to delve deeper? Read our blog

Technology is an integral part of our lives. From smartphones and laptops to gaming consoles and smart home devices, we are surrounded by a plethora of gadgets. However, as new models and versions are released, we often find ourselves with a growing pile of outdated or unused technology and electronics. We are here to guide you on how to declutter old technology effectively and responsibly.

Understanding the Need to Declutter Old Technology

Before we delve into the how-to's, it's essential to understand why decluttering old technology is necessary. Firstly, it helps in creating a more organised and productive environment. Having too many gadgets can lead to clutter which can be distracting and stressful. Secondly, old technology often becomes obsolete over time. They may no longer receive software updates or support from manufacturers which can pose security risks. Lastly, decluttering old tech is an environmentally responsible act as e-waste is one of the fastest-growing waste streams globally.

Steps on How to Declutter Old Tech and Electronics

1. Inventory Your Tech Gadgets

The first step in decluttering your tech is taking inventory of all your gadgets. This includes everything from your primary devices like laptops and smartphones to smaller items like chargers and cables. Make a list of all these items and note down their condition and when you last used them.

2. Decide What To Keep And What To Discard

Once you have a complete inventory, it’s time to decide what stays and what goes. A good rule of thumb is if you haven’t used a device in over a year, it’s probably safe to say that you don’t need it anymore.

3. Securely Erase Data From Devices

Before disposing of any device, ensure that all personal data has been securely erased to prevent any potential data breaches or identity thefts. For computers and smartphones, this means performing a factory reset. For devices like printers and scanners, you might need to consult the user manual or manufacturer's website for instructions on how to securely erase data.

4. Dispose of Your Devices Responsibly

Once your devices are clear of personal data, it’s time to dispose of them. However, it’s important to do this responsibly as electronic waste can be harmful to the environment if not disposed of properly. Many electronics retailers and manufacturers offer take-back programs where they will recycle your old devices for free. Alternatively, you can donate your old tech to charities or schools that can refurbish and reuse them.

Tips for Maintaining a Clutter-Free Tech Environment

After decluttering, it's essential to maintain a clutter-free environment. Here are some tips on how you can achieve this:

1. Regularly Review Your Tech Inventory

Make it a habit to regularly review your tech inventory and declutter items that are no longer needed or used.

2. Adopt a One In, One Out Policy

To prevent accumulation of gadgets, adopt a one in, one out policy where for every new device you purchase, an old one must be discarded or recycled.

3. Go Digital Where Possible

Consider going digital wherever possible to reduce the need for physical tech items. For example, instead of buying DVDs or CDs, consider streaming music and movies online.

Learning how to declutter old technology and electronics is not just about creating a more organised space, but by disposing our old tech responsibly, we can help reduce e-waste and contribute towards a more sustainable planet while also protecting our personal data from potential breaches. So take the time today to sort through your tech gadgets and start decluttering.

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Episode 128 – Declutter and Organise Your Technology

Episode 315 – 10 ways to declutter spontaneously

Episode 314 – How to declutter a storage unit with Margie

Understanding the Need to Declutter Old Technology

Steps on How to Declutter Old Tech and Electronics

Tips for Maintaining a Clutter-Free Tech Environment

Episode 315 – 10 ways to declutter spontaneously

Episode 314 – How to declutter a storage unit with Margie

Episode 312 – 10 clutter hotspots and how to fix them

Episode 311 – How to declutter when everything in your home feels sentimental

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