There really is no better time to get your phone shipshape and ready for a new year than just after the December break. Your photo gallery is probably filled with an innumerable amount of photos featuring sunsets and your feet in the sand, but you definitely don’t need all of that, nor do you need the three different dating apps or four weather apps.
Here are 5 quick tips to get your phone spick and span and ready for the new year and all that it brings.
1. Chuck unused apps in the bin
We all have apps on our phones that we rarely use and probably won’t use at all, ever. That fitness app that you downloaded last January, only to use it twice? Get rid of it. Meticulously go through your apps and decide if they are adding real value to your life, or if they’re just taking up space. If you have similar types of apps that do the same thing, it’s time to make a choice and get rid of the one you aren’t using as much.
Once you’ve gone through all your apps, it’s time to sort them so things make sense on the screen. The apps you use most frequently should be on the main screen, while smartphones give you the option to categorise and organise similar apps into folders on additional screens. Having everything grouped in a way that makes sense will also make it easier to quickly find an app when you need it.
2. Put your playlists in order
Music takes up a lot of space on your phone. Delete any tunes that you haven’t listened to in ages. Yes, having music on your phone means you can be a DJ any time of day, but so does YouTube. There are countless of fantastic playlists of all genres available on YouTube for that next event of yours.
3. Clean up your contact list
If you’ve had a few phones in your life, your contact list is probably in a state. Scrolling through your contact list will reveal duplicates, numbers that don’t exist, and the numbers of people you don’t ever talk to anymore. For help with duplicate contacts, iPhone users can use the Cleanup Duplicate Contacts app, while drupe can assist Android users in easily locating numbers that may have been saved more than once.
4. Dispose of old photos
This is probably the most difficult task of all, considering the emotional attachment that we have to our pics. Start by deleting old screenshots, duplicates and blurry pictures from your phone. The hard bit is parting with what’s left. Make use of a cloud storage service to save all your photos, back them up to your computer and then bring in the shears. Remember, you already have the pictures backed up and what you delete now will make space for new memories in a new year.
5. Clear out your inboxes
Those little red numbers that notify us of messages cause a lot more anxiety than we might think, especially when that number start growing. Set aside some time to go through your email and messaging inboxes. If they’re filled to the brim with spam, click on the unsubscribe button to make it easier on yourself next year. Yes, it’s tedious and not the most fun thing to do, but the sense of accomplishment that comes from an organised inbox isn’t easily matched.
Once you’ve tidied up, your phone should actually perform better than it has in at least a year, and you’ll feel ready for anything that 2019 throws your way.