What Does A Digital Organizer Do? And How To Develop Your Digital Organizing Strategy
If you’re dealing with a full inbox that never seems to empty or constantly have to wade through a ridiculous amount of files every day, you’ve probably considered hiring somebody to tidy up your digital spaces. Working with a digital organizer is a great way to get rid of digital clutter and implement a new system to keep it at bay.
According to the National Association of Productivity and Organizing (NAPO), professional organizers “support evaluation, decision-making, and action around objects, spaces, and data, helping clients achieve desired outcomes regarding function, order, and clarity.” In short, organizers help remove the clutter from your life and teach you how to maintain an orderly existence.
Digital organizers are a new category arising from need. As much as physical clutter affects our anxiety levels and ability to stay focused, digital clutter can also affect our mental health and impact our productivity levels. If you’ve ever spent long minutes hunting down a file you swear you put in that one folder, and you can’t remember what you named it, you understand. It’s frustrating. And unfortunately, most people are too busy to do a mass organization of their emails and files.
That’s where digital organizers come in. They provide a complete refresh of your digital spaces and implement systems to prevent clutter from accumulating in the future. A common question I receive is: can’t people do it themselves? Well, can’t people cook for themselves? Yet, they still go out to restaurants. That’s because chefs devote their professional lives to learning how to maximize dishes using ingredients according to their taste profiles. Could an amateur home chef cook up amazing dishes? Of course. But, most people don’t have time to watch YouTube videos on cooking Beef Wellington. Digital organizers devote significant time and energy into learning about organizational systems so they can help clients reduce clutter and inefficiencies.
What skills do digital organizers need?
To be truly effective, digital organizers must have a wide range of organizing skills. They should have the ability to assess situations, understand how their client thinks and what systems work best for them, and what tools best apply to specific situations. Because digital organizers face the unique challenge of sometimes having to sort large quantities of data (Imagine tackling 20,000+ emails!), they should know how to work efficiently and accurately.
Digital organizers also need to research new tech to find tools that help their clients. One app or program can’t fit every situation, and sometimes clients aren’t willing to pay for new tools. It’s up to the organizer to develop the perfect system, whether it means working with what they’ve got or hunting down the latest tech.
Beyond technology, digital organizers need excellent interpersonal skills. Dealing with a person’s digital workspaces can be just as invasive as entering their home. Digital organizers should know how to put their clients at ease and provide a peaceful learning environment. They also need to understand what is within their client’s scope of skill. Integrating fancy new applications into a client’s workspace isn’t helpful if they’re technologically challenged.
How can I organize my digital life?
There are many tools available to help organize your digital life. Whether it’s files, data, photos, or emails, there’s an app or program out there to help you get them in order. Before looking for new tools, you should assess the situation first. Once you understand your goals and what you need to accomplish them, you can find the perfect tools. Once you’ve found the tools you need to carry out your organization, you should develop an organizing strategy.
How do I come up with a digital organizing strategy?
To develop an effective digital organizing strategy, you must first evaluate the situation. What categories of objects are you tidying? Take an informal inventory of what needs organizing to come up with a plan of attack. As an example, files. First, think of what you want your files to look like. Do you want work and personal files separated? Do you want files clumped together by year, by client, by importance? What should you do with old files you don’t need anymore?
Before you begin the tidying process, go through and discard any files you don’t need. This will help you work more effectively as you move through the tidying process.
Then, think of how to accomplish this new system. Create folders for each category and think of a naming system that resonates with you. You can then begin moving files into the appropriate folders. Store files you might need later in a particular folder in the cloud or on a drive. It also helps to learn shortcuts to streamline the organizing process. Even the simplest shortcuts can be a game-changer and save loads of time and energy.
Need help getting your digital assets organized? I work with clients to organize their emails, files, project management, and implement collaboration tools. Contact me today for a free 30-minute consultation to discuss your digital organizing needs.