In today's digital age, our lives are increasingly intertwined with the online world. We use the internet for work, entertainment, and socializing, but with all this connectivity comes the need for good digital hygiene. In this episode, our guest Kate Hufnagel discusses what digital hygiene is and why it's important, as well as practical tips for decluttering your digital spaces and maintaining good digital habits.Â
In this episode we talk about:
- What is digital decluttering and hygiene
- Digital spaces such as phones, computers, smart speakers, softwares, etc
- Common bad digital space habits
- How does someone know if they are not practicing good digital hygiene
- How to protect and secure your personal data
- What are the potential dangers of poor digital hygiene, and how can people protect themselves
Kate Hufnagel is a Professional Digital Organizer and is the Founder/Owner of The Digital Wrangler. Where to find Kate Hufnagel online:
Web: www.thedigitalwrangler.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/thedigitalwrangler/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-hufnagel/
The Organized & Productive podcast is brought to you by The Organized Flamingo and hosted by Stephanie Y. Deininger! For those of you who love the thought of organizing & being more productive, but don’t know where to start or constantly up against hurdles that don’t let you advance the way you want to, this podcast is for you!
Review full show notes and resources at https://theorganizedflamingo.com/podcast
Connect with Stephanie
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Review the Transcript:
Stephanie
Let me ask you a question is out of sight truly out of mind. Sometimes in our world, we tend to hide things under the rug, or we put them in a closet or we put them away, we shut the door, and then we just pretend like it's not there. And then we address it when we need to when we have to, or when we re open that door. Well, in the digital space and world, it is 10 times worse, how we hide things, or we create things, and then we log out and never come back to it again, that is happening a lot more. So. For today's episode, I thought I would invite a very special guest, Kate Hufnagel, who is aka, the digital Wrangler, to talk about practicing good digital hygiene. As a professional organizer and productivity expert, I focus on both digital organizing and in person organizing. And I think for a long time, we have focused so much on the in person organizing, or the tangible things organizing, so things closet spaces, hoarding, all of those that are more tangible items. But we forget that the digital world can be just as overwhelming. And because the digital world and like the files and the photos and all that, that is almost out of sight, because we don't see it in our space. It's hidden in our computers, and our phones. And so we don't tend to think about it as much until we do until we have to go look for something or we get hacked, or something happens, where we need something immediately, and then we can't find it. So I thought it was perfect for Kate to come in and talk about this about what is decluttering. And having good hygiene in the digital space. And how can people, you the listener, ensure that your personal data is secure and protected. So I am really excited about this conversation. I know that it sounds like we're focusing a lot more on the digital side. But I promise you we are going back and forth right now. Because I do think that with so much of our time and energy being spent in the digital world, we do need to make that a priority as well as our in person, our items that we hold in our space. So both our in person space and our digital space are equally important. So right now we are placing a little bit of the focus on the digital space. But we will continue to go back and forth with these conversations. So I hope you enjoy this conversation with our friend Kate Hufnagel. Welcome to the organized and productive Podcast with your organized Flamingo. I am your host, Stephanie, a professional organizer and productivity expert, ready to explore the right organizing and productivity solutions for you. Yeah, well then let's go. Hello, Kate, it's so good to have you on. I'm so so excited for a conversation for everybody on the podcast. So I know Kate and we've met, we've known each other now for a little while, and through the digital world of social media, but primarily through naipo, which is the National Association of productivity and organizing professionals. And we just clicked like, I just feel like we just totally clicked. And it says she's also based in Colorado the way that I am. But we really clicked because for so many reasons. But this, which is what we're about to talk about the digital organizing pieces, is how I like he really fell in love with you. Because you you you simplify very complex systems that people don't realize are very important. They're part of our everyday life. And we should be aware about how that's part of our organizing ecosystem, if you will, like you should pay attention to them and stuff like that. So, so I'm excited for this conversation. Let's go ahead and start talking about this. Okay, so first, we're just gonna start with what is digital decluttering? And what is digital hygiene? Oh, wonderful. Stephanie,
Kate
thank you so much for having me. I'm really excited for our conversation today. So in my world, you know, I essentially define digital clutter as the disorganization of data files and your devices. And in today's world, right? We have so much data, so many files, we have multiple devices, right? That can look like so many different things. It could be you're running out of storage on your phone, or you can't find an app on your phone. You've got an overflowing email system, and you can't find like that one email, whether it's from the school or a client, or you can't figure out what is the correct password for an account. And maybe it looks like you're paying money month after month for something that's digital that maybe you're not even using. So digital clutter can manifest and look like so many different things depending on the individual.
Stephanie
So then the hygiene of those sad things is what?
Kate
Okay, so just like, I don't know, we brush our teeth, we take out the trash, right? We have to, or at least I encourage people to come up with a digital hygiene practices that makes sense for them. So for instance, maybe it is deleting photos or videos from your camera roll, right? Because you have six of those same or same ones or similar ones, right? Maybe you're unsubscribing, from emails, and even preventing that clutter from even showing up in your inbox. Maybe when it comes to electronic files, it's taking just a little time to come up with that consistent naming convention, convention, and folder structures to in essence, make your life easier moving forward. So depending on like your challenge that you're having with your digital space, or your digital devices, digital hygiene can look like many different things.
Stephanie
So somebody is listening. They're like, okay, I get it. All right, I understand how this is in this in the sight of someone that's listening, how asking you this question, how do I know if I'm not practicing good digital hygiene? Because let me just tell you, as you named all these things, I'm thinking, Oh, that's not me. Oh, wait, that is me? Or is it me? Oh, wait. So how does somebody know if they're not practicing good hygiene?
Kate
Well, some of the common indicators, and again, I really want to emphasize that like the digital world for everyone is so unique if we just take a sidestep, right? There's over 2 million apps in Apple's App Store and Google's App Store. And so if you think about that, right, every one of our devices, especially our phones, are going to be different, right? Stephanie, my phone is going to have different apps, then then your phone, the way that you organize your phone is different than my phone. So the indicators of how you might need to do some digital hygiene could potentially be well, I can't find that app. I know, I downloaded it last month, where where is it on my screen? Right? It could be that you're missing important appointments, whether they're a personal appointment, or a work meeting, or a school related event. It could be if you are a business owner, and you want to send a personalized email to your distribution list. It could be that it shows up in your clients email as Hello, Colorado instead of Hello, Stephanie. Right. So there's so many different indicators. And some of them are more obvious than others.
Stephanie
Yeah, I can, I can already see the wheels turning because sometimes you think you don't even think that that's, you know, that thing is a place where you put your name into it, or that you connected it. And now you're in the ecosystem of that digital platform. And you don't even know it. So yeah. So then how can people ensure that they're, that they're practicing good hygiene? Like what are some things like quick things that they can do like a quick check in with themselves? Like, okay, you just mentioned, okay, these are some of the indicators. Okay, I am following some of those things. I am that person. So what, what's next, like, Okay, you're doing some of these things. Now, what
Kate
I would say that I would encourage the person individual, to really kind of take a look in the mirror and have some self awareness or some self reflection, because it does come down to the individual, right? We all use our devices differently. We have different personalities, and the way that my brain works, Stephanie is going to be different than your brain. So I would ask an individual, okay, what's most important to you? Right? Do you want to be able to find appointments with ease? Do you want to be able to save photos or videos of your kids or grandkids without running out of storage? Do you want to be able to find that past the correct password without having to look at multiple places are having to reset passwords? So I really encourage people to think about what is kind of like driving them bonkers the most. And then starting there.
Stephanie
Oh, that Yeah. Yeah. Like the aha moment. Like where? What's your trigger? What's annoying you? What's the pebble in your shoe? Yeah, exactly. So you mentioned you mentioned password. So let's talk about that for a second. And protecting yourself like what are you The potential dangers of, of poor hygiene, and also how can they ensure that they're protected like their data's protected, and that, you know, their ecosystem of their digital spaces are protected. So let's talk about that the protection the security of the digital world and ensuring that those are, you know, cleaned up, and hopefully not a danger to you in your in your
Kate
systems? Oh, excellent question. And we could like have an episode just dedicated to this topic. So first and foremost, you want to keep your devices updated. Right? I know, sometimes it's annoying. As you know, when you get that notification from your phone, it's like, oh, you need to have an update. Because sometimes that means, like, oh, my gosh, I have to go like 1015 minutes without my phone while it's updating. So number one, you want to make sure that you are using utilizing the latest technology and the latest like operating system for your device. The second thing that I'm going to recommend is and I know we're getting close to Earth Day. But when it comes to passwords, this is not the time or place to recycle or reuse your passwords. It is absolutely vital to use unique passwords. Now, I realize that comes with a complexity and an inconvenience. And I'm more than happy to touch on that in a moment. But let's talk about what happens if you actually reuse and recycle your passwords. So the bad guys out there know that is our human nature to reuse passwords. So if they are successful in hacking into one of your accounts, they're going to use that password and try it on like other popular accounts. Right. So I don't want people to say lose access to their social media accounts. I don't want someone say tapping into their Amazon or their Walmart account and ordering things because your credit card is saved with your profile. Or worse, you could be a victim of identity theft. So using unique passwords is just as important as keeping your devices updated. Another great thing to do to protect yourself is actually reviewing the storage on your devices frequently. Because if you are keeping some free space available, that just helps your device run faster, smoother and safer. So those are my three tips on how you can protect yourself. Those are
Stephanie
great, actionable and easy to follow, at least for to get you started. I know that there's way more to this topic. But it can because because the internet and the interwebs into the you know, the digital spaces can don't feel like they're there. They're there. But they're not there, you don't see them. They're in such a small device, such a small operating system, but you don't see all the stuff that's going on behind the scenes. So you forget how many, how many things are happening and how many people and intruders and how much you can be at risk if you don't do those things that to start off to do the things that you just mentioned, since we're talking about poor digital hygiene and the things you don't want to do. What are other bad habits or, you know, common bad digital habits that people may not be aware of that they're doing? Or creating? Oh, that you said passwords. You mentioned that one like doing a repetitive, very common password. What are some others.
Kate
So some of the other ones, I've got a lot of clients who like to hold on to their digital photos, and they then push all of those photos to their cloud account. Now, in my opinion, a lot of photos that are then being pushed to the cloud, kind of have a definite lifespan, right? If I'm sending a meme to my bestie. Or if I'm taking a photo of a shopping list, or my or, you know, my husband's at Home Depot, and I'm going down to the basement, I'm taking a picture of the filter size for the furnace so he can get the right size. I don't need to be holding on to things like that. So I try to encourage people to develop a practice where they're reviewing their photos on a pretty frequent basis, and deleting the ones that no longer have meaning to them any more. Right? They're important in that moment. But that doesn't mean they're going to be important next week, next month or even next year. Another bad habit is you know, paying for for apps or digital subscriptions that you're not even really using. Right that's, I mean, that's really unfortunate. That's like throwing away food right? I mean, that's called To you financially, and then it's also taking up space on your device. So if you're not using it, free up the storage space and save yourself a couple of bucks. So those are some other bad habits. Stephanie and I
Stephanie
are good. I'm sure you have a whole list of them that we could go on forever. But yeah, and those are so such, I think that they're so such easy things to remember. If so, when somebody reminds you, or somebody tells you, you know, okay, so speaking of apps, or other tools to help you with digital hygiene, or is there anything out there that you would want people to know about? What is coming up like some some of those tips that people may not be aware of, for instance, like, you can select multiple pictures at once and delete them all. So things that are like quick tips that you think could help people declutter faster, because I do think that that's part of the stumbling block for some people, that it just takes too much time to figure out. So what's something that they could do quickly to just kind of start to start the process of letting go and decluttering? And protecting themselves?
Kate
Did your question is so timely, because I just finished recording this morning, a video for my YouTube channel on how to review the storage utilization on your phone, there is so much information in that one feature. And so I really encourage people to take a look at their storage utilization. My preference, or my recommendation is to do is to do that say like, once a season, right, so the first day of spring, the first day of fall, just take a minute or two and look at how look at the storage you're utilizing on your phone, you might be surprised to see that those gifts and memes and stickers that you're sending your bestie are taking up as much storage space as they are. Additionally, it is possible. Like I know my family, we've got actually we have multiple group texts between my my family, my blood family and my in laws. But we're constantly sending photos and videos, especially of the younger generation. And oftentimes, I will save those videos to my camera roll. But they're still in my text message. So that means I've actually have saved those videos, which are very large files into locations. So there's really no need, at least in my opinion, to be storing those large files into different locations. Another great tip is to consider using a password manager. password managers are really cool, because since I suggested using a unique password, I mean, how do we keep track of all of these unique passwords, I myself have over 400. Now I realize I'm a little unusual, right, because I'm also a business owner. So I have all of those passwords that an everyday individual won't have. But still a password manager can help ensure you're using not only unique passwords, but strong passwords. And they're in the business of protecting your data. And they're using the latest encryption technology. So it's rest assured that you have that that information is securely stored.
Stephanie
Yeah, and just like this, probably our disclaimer, because we both can't see us right now on podcast, but we're both on video as well. And we're both like looking at each other, like just use caution as well with the apps that you are storing it in of course, just because this this episode will long, you know be hopefully long lasting, but you don't because there's been some companies that have been compromised, just go ahead and do your research before you buy the subscription to said protection, password protection manager, Storage Manager and just make sure that they have a good reputation ask around because you know, they're they're also susceptible to to these breaches. So just disclaimer there. Yeah.
Kate
Thank you for that reminder. Stephanie, yes, please be a well informed consumer and do your research.
Stephanie
Yeah. Okay. So, because we these episodes are, you know, short, quick, actionable. We're trying to keep this short for all of you, listeners. But let me tell you, Kate, we'll be back because we have I mean, the text message decluttering your text messages is a conversation on its own. But she has amazing videos, tutorials, quick tips that you can go follow on all of our social media platforms. Kate, can you tell us a little bit about where people can find you? And then I still have a couple more questions for you. But since we're in the subject of all of these other questions that may come up for our listeners, where can people find you so that they can get some of these tips from you that they may need?
Kate
Well, thank you, Stephanie, that I would say that The best place to find me is my website, the digital wrangler.com. Okay, from there, you can link to all of my social channels. But on my website, I do have a free ebook that you can download. That includes tips on how basically how to wrangle your phone. So I would encourage you to go there. Also on my website, I've got a section on resources and include some books and apps all related to the digital world.
Stephanie
Love it, love it. Okay, super smart. Okay, so let's talk about what is something that you want listeners to know about digital organizing, and avoiding those bad digital hygiene? Like how can people be smart about their digital spaces protect themselves and not get overwhelmed with all these things that they're accumulating?
Kate
Oh, that's just a good question. Because like, there's a million different answers. I think it's important that we're having this conversation, right, because digital clutter, digital hygiene, digital organizing is not something that is really talked about, yet it is very much a real thing. And people struggle with this every day. So if there's one tip that I could provide, that is to figure out and identify one digital hygiene practice that you may want to incorporate in your life, whether that is setting a timer for 60 seconds, and seeing how many photos you can delete off of your phone. Or whether that is putting a reminder in your calendar, every quarter to look at your storage utilization. Just start small and build from there.
Stephanie
Start building those habits because this is here to stay like it is part of our our world. I mean, our phone or computer everything. Yeah. Okay. The last one. This is a question we like to ask all our guests. And I'm always curious, what is our guests, your favorite magazine that you you like to read that you enjoy for pleasure or for business?
Kate
Well, I like to thumb through magazines during like downtime. So for me, it's definitely a pleasure kind of item. And one of my favorite magazines is food and wine. In my household. We love our food. I love my wine. But I've got a lot of dietary restrictions. So I use that magazine to kind of inspire me and then I'll adapt some recipes there to accommodate the needs in my household.
Stephanie
Oh, I love that. Okay, part B of this question. Are you do you read them digitally? Or do you have a physical magazine?
Kate
Oh, I'm old school.
Stephanie
Yeah, there's for sure some things that you just need to flip the page and hold it feel it? Absolutely. Agreed. Awesome. Well, thank you so much, Kate, for your time for your tips. Everybody. You know where to follow her. We will also have our information on the show notes. And until next time, happy organizing. Thank you for listening to the organized and productive podcast with the organized Flamingo. If you enjoyed today's episode, I would love it if you'd leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast player. It helps with letting people know that we're here. For full show notes and resources head on over to the organized flamingo.com/podcast Happy organizing
