6 Easy Ways To Spring Clean Your Digital Space
Naturally, when we think of spring cleaning, thoughts of decluttering forgotten cabinet spaces, organizing storage, and letting go of things that we’ve outgrown immediately come to mind. Releasing things that no longer serve a purpose or take up space can help us cleanse our corners of stale energy when we’re looking to let in what’s new. But when it comes to taking part in the seasonal routine of spring cleaning, it’s not just our living quarters that could use the extra attention.
Much like our places of dwelling, we can’t forget our digital spaces as we refresh, reorganize, and declutter for the season ahead.
For many of us, our phones, laptops, and social media apps are an extension of our daily lives and habits. We use them to connect, unplug, store memories, and document the most important moment of our lives as they unfold. The average person spends up to 147 minutes per day on social media worldwide, which means that there’s a high chance that what we store in the digital world can outweigh that of our material and personal spaces. In other words, it might be time to do a sweep of your digital spaces and tidy some things up.
From emails and unread group chat texts, to forgotten subscriptions and unfollowing social media accounts that no longer serve you, spring is the perfect time to take your deep cleaning digital. By taking the time to spring to clean your digital space, you can create a more organized and efficient home for yourself online; to get you started, we’ve put together some tips to get your cleaning spree off on the right foot.
1.Get Your Inbox Down to Zero
Depending on the day, our inbox can go from zero to 100+ real quick. And while it may be the goal for some to keep our inboxes down to the single digits, random promotions, newsletter updates, and accidental reply-all messages may keep us from maintaining that goal. Catch up on all those missed emails, delete your spam folder, and if you're receiving newsletters or emails that you no longer want, take the time to unsubscribe from them.
2.Subscriptions and Streaming Services, Canceled.
Speaking of canceling, have you checked on those free trials you signed up for lately? If you haven’t already, there’s no better time than now to avoid unwanted charges to your account by canceling your trial periods and letting go of streaming services you’re not utilizing. We’re saving our coins this year, so no need to have them take your money if you’re not even using their services.
3.It’s Okay To Hit the ‘Unfollow’ Button
In recent times, social media has evolved beyond being a mere platform for sharing aesthetically pleasing images. With apps like TikTok and Instagram, we now have access to a constant stream of content that can impact our mental well-being and shape our self-perception. While certain accounts may have been enjoyable in the past, it is perfectly acceptable to move on from topics and conversations that no longer align with our personal growth. Deciding to unfollow accounts does not always indicate a personal grudge, but rather a positive decision to maintain a social circle that is free from negativity.
4.Update Your Link in Bio
If you have a business, portfolio, or creative platform that’s worth sharing, it’s important to have the link in your bio on lock. In most cases, this is the first touch point that potential clients or brands have to find you and connect for future opportunities, so make it easy for them to find everything they need to reach out. Sites like Norby and Squarespace make it super easy (and free) to set up a landing page that’s engaging and has all your important details in one, easy-to-locate spot.
5.Free Up Some Space on Your Phone
There’s always an app or two that we downloaded with the best of intentions to use but just never got around to — and it’s okay to let those go. Dedicate an hour to deleting old apps, storage-eating videos, and screenshots that you can let go of. While you’re at it, take a moment to give your computer that update you’ve been putting off. Go ahead, we’re not judging.
6.Give Your Desktop a Scrub
We spend a lot of time on our laptops, so much so that we might not even recognize just how much we’ve let pile up on our desktops and let loose downloads go untamed. If our digital space is any reflection of our mental space, then our home screens should be well-maintained with important documents in their proper home. Consider creating folders for different types of files, such as documents, photos, and music, and move all relevant files into their appropriate folders. Clear out your old bookmark tabs. Delete old downloads that are taking up valuable space, and for a little extra razzle-dazzle, choose a new wallpaper that fits your spring vibe.
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Featured image by Westend61/Getty Images
Aley Arion is a writer and digital storyteller from the South, currently living in sunny Los Angeles. Her site, yagirlaley.com, serves as a digital diary to document personal essays, cultural commentary, and her insights into the Black Millennial experience. Follow her at @yagirlaley on all platforms!
Smile, Sis! These Five Improvements Can Upgrade Your Oral Hygiene Instantly
This article is in partnership with Sensodyne.
Our teeth are connected to so many things - our nutrition, our confidence, and our overall mood. We often take for granted how important healthy teeth are, until issues like tooth sensitivity or gum recession come to remind us. Like most things related to our bodies, prevention is the best medicine. Here are five things you can do immediately to improve your oral hygiene, prevent tooth sensitivity, and avoid dental issues down the road.
1) Go Easy On the Rough Brushing: Brushing your teeth is and always will be priority number one in the oral hygiene department. No surprises there! However, there is such a thing as applying too much pressure when brushing…and that can lead to problems over time. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles and brush in smooth, circular motions. It may seem counterintuitive, but a gentle approach to brushing is the most effective way to clean those pearly whites without wearing away enamel and exposing sensitive areas of the teeth.
2) Use A Desensitizing Toothpaste: As everyone knows, mouth pain can be highly uncomfortable; but tooth sensitivity is a whole different beast. Hot weather favorites like ice cream and popsicles have the ability to trigger tooth sensitivity, which might make you want to stay away from icy foods altogether. But as always, prevention is the best medicine here. Switching to a toothpaste like Sensodyne’s Sensitivity & Gum toothpaste specifically designed for sensitive teeth will help build a protective layer over sensitive areas of the tooth. Over time, those sharp sensations that occur with extremely cold foods will subside, and you’ll be back to treating yourself to your icy faves like this one!
3) Floss, Rinse, Brush. (And In That Order!): Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s not what you do, but how you do it”? Well, the same thing applies to taking care of your teeth. Even if you are flossing and brushing religiously, you could be missing out on some of the benefits simply because you aren’t doing so in the right order. Flossing is best to do before brushing because it removes food particles and plaque from places your toothbrush can’t reach. After a proper flossing sesh, it is important to rinse out your mouth with water after. Finally, you can whip out your toothbrush and get to brushing. Though many of us commonly rinse with water after brushing to remove excess toothpaste, it may not be the best thing for our teeth. That’s because fluoride, the active ingredient in toothpaste that protects your enamel, works best when it gets to sit on the teeth and continue working its magic. Rinsing with water after brushing doesn’t let the toothpaste go to work like it really can. Changing up your order may take some getting used to, but over time, you’ll see the difference.
4) Stay Hydrated: Upping your water supply is a no-fail way to level up your health overall, and your teeth are no exception to this rule. Drinking water not only helps maintain a healthy pH balance in your mouth, but it also washes away residue and acids that can cause enamel erosion. It also helps you steer clear of dry mouth, which is a gateway to bad breath. And who needs that?
5) Show Your Gums Some Love: When it comes to improving your smile, you may be laser-focused on getting your teeth whiter, straighter, and overall healthier. Rightfully so, as these are all attributes of a megawatt smile; but you certainly don’t want to leave gum health out of the equation. If you neglect your gums, you’ll start to notice the effects of plaque buildup, which can irritate the gums and cause gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease. Seeing blood while brushing and flossing is a tell-tale sign that your gums are suffering. You may also experience gum recession — a condition where the gum tissue surrounding your teeth pulls back, exposing more of your tooth. Brushing at least twice a day with a gum-protecting toothpaste like Sensodyne Sensitivity and Gum, coupled with regular dentist visits, will keep your gums shining as bright as those pearly whites.
Russell and Nina Westbrook Dish On The Key Ways To Avoid Resentment In Relationships
Russell and Nina Westbrook are one of those low-key, unproblematic couples we don’t talk about enough. They met in college and got married in 2015. They also have a beautiful family with three kids. While Russell is an NBA star, Nina is a licensed family and marriage therapist and a mental health advocate.
She recently launched the podcast The Relationship Chronicles with Nina Westbrook, and in the latest episode, she had none other than her husband on as a guest. The college sweethearts dived into important topics from marriage to children and how they navigate it all.
One of the topics they touched on was dealing with resentment in your relationship. The former MVP highlighted the sacrifices his wife has had to make in order for him to pursue a career in the NBA, and that’s why it’s also important for him to support his wife whenever he can.
“For me is respecting and understanding what your partner do and the time it takes,” Russell said. “Not kind of downplaying what they do, understanding the time and energy and effort they're doing to make sure whether it’s their job or making sure home is taken care of, and understanding that, I think that is the challenge of not being resentful.”
Nina agreed and also shared her thoughts on resentment. According to her, one of the best things couples should do is have their own identity and passions outside of the relationship in an effort to be fulfilled.
“I also think that when you’re in a relationship, that’s why it’s so important that each individual kinda pursue their own passions and follow their own dreams as I feel like it only becomes or leads to resentment when one person is not feeling fulfilled in what they're doing in their lives,” she explained.
“And so, they will start to look at the other partner who’s happy or excelling or promoting or moving along in their journey, then they’re left feeling stuck like they sacrificed themselves, their happiness, their career, their future and have not pursued it in the name of the relationship or their partner. So, it’s so much easier to avoid those feelings of resentment when you’re each equally pursuing your passions.”
The couple has many passions that they work on together and separately. Outside of basketball and his family, Russell has become known for his eclectic style and started the fashion brand Honor The Gift. Nina has her podcast, and she also started the mental health website Bene. Together, they run the Why Not? Foundation, which works with kids in underserved communities.
“I’m a firm believer that one person can’t be everything to you, so you have to sort of seek out those different friendships or groups or hobbies or activities that help to fulfill you,” Nina concluded.
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Feature image by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Religion of Sports
