As each year draws to a close, I find myself making a mental list of everything that I want to change for the new year. I’m going to work out more often, I’m going to eat less starch (goodbye, my dear French bread), I am going to declutter my closets…the list goes on and on.  Unfortunately, my list looks very similar year over year, so I think I’m going to make one, true resolution and stick with it this year. I am going to do a big, fat, clean sweep of my computer. It doesn’t sound like a big task, but I have a veritable electronic war zone in front of me and I am feeling the need to purge.  Having this amount of eClutter is just as disruptive to my productivity as is having a messy house.

I was completely embarrassed a few days ago when I was having some computer issues at work.  The wonderful staff at the help desk logged into my computer remotely and saw the roughly 90 bajillion icons and shortcuts on my desktop. This was, electronically speaking, akin to having your in-laws over for dinner and having them see a pile of laundry laying in the middle of the livingroom floor. There is nothing suspect or devious about the material on there, but the sheer mess of it was embarrassing. My personal email accounts are also a terrifying disaster. I have, over the the years, subscribed to way to many newsletters and newsfeeds. It’s to the point that I have roughly 3000 unread personal email messages that are all old newsletters, promotions, and offers that have long-since expired. I am electronically suffocating under all the mess.

So here’s my plan for 2013:

1. I am going to clean up my shortcuts and delete all the stuff that I don’t need.
2. I am going to clean my gmail inbox, and
3. I am going on a unsubscribe extravaganza.

If I can manage to get all of that cleaned, I just may have time to hit the gym!