5 Achievable Resolutions to Help Organize Your Digital Life in 2016

We’re all guilty of making New Year’s resolutions that we can’t keep, right? Well, not this year. We’ve examined some of the most commonly broken resolutions and infused some tech-inspired tips to help you achieve your goals. Here is to making 2016 the year that you get your digital life together.

Resolution 1: Take more vacation/make more “me” time: We all make promises to ourselves to escape “the grind” and unplug. That said, we rarely do it and with good reason: booking a lengthy vacation can be daunting and expensive. Instead, make this goal a little more manageable and promise yourself that you will take time every day to put the tech devices away.

Disconnecting doesn’t have to mean a week of solitude on the beach, but it should empower you to replace your vigilant monitoring of work email, Instagram or other online habit with something peaceful. This year, ditch the screen and seek out solace, whether it be thirty minutes of quiet time while cooking dinner, or ten minutes of meditation each morning before you get ready for work.

Resolution 2: De-clutter your closet and your digital life: It’s time to practice some purging in both your physical and digital reality. Holding on to a raggedy sweater or an old pair of jeans for no good reason? Say goodbye and take one step closer to a clutter-free closet.

The same applies to your online presence. Is the habitual over-sharer clogging your Facebook newsfeed? Time to de-friend. Are you overwhelmed by Twitter updates that you fail to follow the most important topics of the day? Time to streamline your news sources. The same goes for your personal social media profiles – make 2016 the year you review your walls, feeds and photo streams and vow to shape them up or ship them out.

Resolution 3: Protect your belongings, both physical and digital: As a new year begins, it’s important to reevaluate the types of insurance policies you have in place – everything from your car, to your apartment/home to a precious holiday gift that requires insurance. If you made considerable upgrades or investments in the past year, for instance, then you may need to update your policies.

Equally as important to insure are your digital belongings, including all the files, photos, documents saved on your laptop. Despite its importance, it’s a practice that’s often overlooked. In a recent consumer survey that gauged Americans’ sentiments toward protecting their data, findings made it clear that users value their digital lives more than many other personal items. When asked what they’d rather lose over their data, 30% of respondents would rather lose all the saved content on their DVR, 20% would rather lose access to social media, followed by almost 10% of Americans who would rather lose their wedding ring than their personal data.

This year, protect your digital life with a cloud backup solution. Install software that will continuously and automatically back up all files and scan for changes along the way – no manual dragging and dropping is necessary. This investment will create peace of mind that none of your digital belongings will disappear forever, no matter what happens!

Resolution 4: Reign in your spending: Set a realistic budget. This year, think about downloading an app on your phone to help with your budgeting – there are plenty of options available, such as Mint.com, which can become part of your daily routine. Instead of thinking in terms of scary spreadsheets and impossible goals, start small by tracking and reflecting on your spending this coming year. Another thought – talk to your bank. See if you can get a breakdown of your spending from the past year – where did most the money go? Did that make sense? Should you cut back this year? Make goals that can be achieved by keeping in mind the year ahead – factor in travel, life events, work raises, etc.

Resolution 5: Cook at home: It’s easy to sit at your desk and pin delicious and healthy dishes at the office. However, once you’re done for the day and have likely battled a lengthy commute or grocery store lines, delivery becomes increasingly more appetizing. This year, think about investing in an online subscription service that delivers ingredients to your door a few times a week, such as Blue Apron or Hello Fresh. Once you start building your confidence in the kitchen, what was once your cooking challenge may become your reward, helping you come full circle with your goals (see resolution #1).

What other tech tips would you add for 2016?