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Just like a home needs regular clean-up, your digital footprint deserves some consideration, too. Welcome to the world of digital housekeeping—where decluttering your devices isn’t just satisfying; it’s critical for productivity, peace of mind and cybersecurity. Today’s ever-changing landscape of new mediums and technology have made digital housekeeping even more important. Whether it’s to protect you against bad actors, help keep you organized and engaged, or for future planning, these tips will help you determine what to keep, what to toss, and how to file it.

What Is Digital Housekeeping?

Digital housekeeping refers to the tasks and practices involved in setting up, maintaining, and organizing digital devices, accounts, and data within a home or organization. It encompasses activities like managing software, optimizing online profiles, securing devices, and ensuring efficient data storage. Essentially, it’s the digital equivalent of traditional household chores, but focused on the digital realm. It can be hard to tell when it’s time to tidy up your digital footprint. Some common signs that you need cleaning up are slow devices, full storage, disorganized files, and digital overwhelm.  

Ensure your digital valuables are secure and accessible to trusted contacts & professionals 

We believe that when it comes to digital housekeeping, one of the most important areas to keep “tidy” is your vital files/essential records.  This includes, but is not limited to, documents such as tax returns, business contracts, and estate planning (trust, will, POAs, etc.).  It is crucial for family and trusted professionals to have access to these in case of an emergency.   To accomplish this, it is best to implement a multi-faceted approach involving secure storage, organized access points, and open communication. 

Secure storage for digital documents 

• Scan and upload digital copies of important documents to a secure cloud storage service. 

• Protect these files with passwords and encryption for maximum security. 

• Keep an inventory of these documents.  It is important to have the most recent version readily available. 

Organized access points 

• Create a system where folders and files are named descriptively and consistently. 

• Consider keeping a digital asset inventory that includes login information and passwords for online accounts. 

• Many modern estate plans (state dependent), fall under RUFADAA -Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act. Trust & Will states that “RUFDAA extends the power traditionally given to the Executor of an Estate or Trustee when managing someone’s tangible assets to include their digital assets as well.” 

Sharing Information with trusted individuals 

• Have a conversation with your estate planning attorney/team to see if access for trusted individuals is included in your current plan. 

• Inform a trusted family member, attorney, or executor about the location of your important documents as well as instructions of how to access them (if necessary) 

• Provide copies of relevant documents to those who may need them. 

• Regularly review and update your documents and inform your representatives of any relevant changes.

The Core Areas of Digital Housekeeping

With your important documents at top of mind, here are some things you can do to use digital housekeeping to your advantage: 

Decision making—what to keep, what to toss, what to decide later 

• Certain documents should be saved for at least a few years, like tax returns. IRS guidelines recommend at least 3 years. 

• Others should be saved in perpetuity, like up-to-date estate and trust documents. 

File and folder organization 

• Set up your “closet” or “library” folder structure with sustainability/scalability in mind 

• Staying consistent with a naming scheme can help you locate documents more easily as well as file based on the type of document you’re working with.  For example: YYYYMMDD_TAX_RETURN_SMITH_J 

• If you are very comfortable with technology, consider utilizing metadata tags on your files.  This use of descriptive labels can further help categorize your files for easy searching and retrieval. 

Email Cleanup 

• Monitoring and cleaning up your email accounts can also aid in the digital housekeeping process. Using folders for common emails you receive, unsubscribing from newsletters you don’t read, and archiving or deleting old emails can keep your accounts clean and consistent. 

Device Performance 

• To help your devices perform at optimal levels, you can leverage the following steps: 

• Clearing out cache and any temporary files 

• Deleting unused apps or software 

• Regularly update your software and run security checks 

• Consider a secure external storage system i.e. encrypted hard drive or cloud storage 

Preserving your memories 

• Family and personal mementos deserve space to live on, too! Consider storing personal nostalgia in its own folder, where you and your family can tap into memories fondly and efficiently 

 Tips for Building Digital Housekeeping Habits

For many of us it has been a long time (if ever) since we have spent quality time on digital de-cluttering.  Like many tasks, it can feel daunting and overwhelming at first, so it’s best to start small!  To begin, consider implementing one of the following into your routine. 

Schedule a monthly or quarterly “digital declutter” session. 

• This can be as simple as deleting unneeded items from your desktop or downloads folder! 

Adopt a “one in, one out” policy for apps and subscriptions. 

• So many times we have old apps and subscriptions that we aren’t even aware of.  Take the time to delete an old one prior to enrolling in something new. 

Automate wherever possible (backups, updates). 

• Turn on automated updates and backups.  This will help keep your data up to date and secure. 

 Benefits of Digital Housekeeping

Just like tidying up your home, engaging in digital clean up can bring numerous and surprising benefits. 

Improved efficiency and productivity 

• Digital housekeeping makes it easier and quicker to locate emails, files, photos, and other digital assets. 

• A clean and tidy digital space allows for workflows to run smoother, whether it’s for work related tasks or personal projects. 

Faster device performance 

• Deleting unnecessary files and apps frees up valuable storage space which can extend the battery life and overall performance of your devices. 

• Reduced stress and digital overwhelm 

• A cluttered digital environment can contribute to mental fatigue and stress. Digital housekeeping helps increase focus by eliminating distractions. 

• A clean and manageable digital space can lead to a greater sense of control and calm that can be carried through other areas of life as well! 

Better digital security 

• Although it’s easy to put our digital “messes” on the back burner, all it takes is one small breach to uncover all the clutter we’ve procrastinated cleaning up.  By keeping your digital assets tidy, secure, and up to date you are protecting yourself and your privacy online.  

• Reference our Cyber Security Checklist for more information on digital security best practices. 

 How Weatherly Can Help 

We welcome clients the opportunity to upload to our secure portal: 

• Recent tax returns 

• Updated estate planning documents, including wills, trusts and POAs – this also allows our team to review documents for language dedicated to digital assets 

• Weatherly’s CIRAL (Client Information Release Authorization Letter) which details your trusted 3rd parties to which we can share information in case of an emergency 

Additionally, our 7 Steps to Better Cyber Security is a wonderful resource to review through the digital housekeeping process to keep your digital security at top of mind.  So, no matter where you choose to start, be it decluttering your inbox, or organizing file folders, a digital clean up streamlines your digital space, enabling you to work more efficiently and focus on what truly matters. 

Further Resources:

Lassen, Kjersti. “The Rise of Digital Housekeeping: The Hidden Work of Smart Technology.” OsloMet, 20 Dec. 2024, www.oslomet.no/en/research/featured-research/the-rise-of-digital-housekeeping. 

Horst, Heather, and Jolynna Sinanan. “Digital Housekeeping: Living with Data.” Sage Journals: Discover World-Class Research, 12 Apr. 2021, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1461444820953535#:~:text=The%20first%2C%20what%20we%20will,everyday%20data%20in%20our%20lives. 

Luftman, D. “What is RUFADAA-Everything You Need to Know” Trust & Will. https://trustandwill.com/learn/what-is-rufadaa#managing-digital-assets-under-rufadaa

“File an Amended Return.” Internal Revenue Service, 8 May 2025, www.irs.gov/filing/file-an-amended-return.)

*Disclosures:* The information provided should not be interpreted as a recommendation, no aspects of your individual financial situation were considered. Always consult a financial professional before implementing any strategies derived from the information above.

Blog content is human-generated by the Weatherly team members.  AI was used to assist with generating titles and subtitles.