This Brilliant 90/90 Hack Will Fix Your Crowded Phone

A woman immersed in the 90/90 method sits indoors, her hands skillfully navigating through various app icons on her smartphone in a focused close-up.

The 90/90 method is usually used for decluttering homes, but it’s a great method to apply to the digital clutter on your phone! Much like a cluttered house, a cluttered phone can be overwhelming to navigate and make simple tasks harder than they need to be.

What Is The 90/90 Method?

The 90/90 method can help you determine what’s useful and worth keeping, and what’s just taking up space. It’s easy to use — just ask yourself these questions:

  • Have I used this in the last 90 days?
  • Will I use this in the next 90 days?

Whenever you answer “no” to both questions, it suggests the item isn’t all that useful, and you can probably live without it. Applying this method to the contents of your phone can help you free up valuable storage space, boost performance, and even save money!

How To Declutter Your Phone With The 90/90 Method

A person is engrossed in their smartphone, effortlessly scrolling through a grid of photos. They're employing the 90/90 method, which helps balance screen time with mindful breaks, ensuring they appreciate each cherished memory without digital fatigue.

1. Clean Up Your Photo Library

Our photo libraries are packed with pictures we could never bear to part with, but that doesn’t necessarily mean every photo is worth keeping. Apps like Slidebox can make it easy to review your photos and delete duplicates and other shots you don’t want to keep.

iPhone users with a lot of photos can save storage space with iCloud Photos. Go to Settings > Your name > iCloud, then tap Photos under Saved to iCloud and make sure the Optimize iPhone Storage option is enabled. Learn more at Apple Support.

Android users who utilize Google Photos can learn more about managing their storage at Google Account Help.

Jillee’s Take:

If you’re like me, cleaning up your photo library will be the hardest part of decluttering your phone. But you probably have plenty of blurry shots and duplicates, and taking the time to delete them will make the good ones easier to find and enjoy!

2. Get Rid Of Unused Apps

Some apps take up a lot of storage space, so it doesn’t make sense to keep them on your phone if you don’t use them.

On your iPhone, open Settings > iPhone Storage to see a list of downloaded apps ordered by file size. If you see any large apps you don’t use, delete them! On Android, open the Google Play Store, tap the profile icon at the top right, then tap Manage apps and devices > Manage.

3. Delete Downloaded Media

Who hasn’t downloaded a movie or episodes of a favorite show to watch while traveling and never bothered to delete them after? Downloaded media files can take up a lot of storage space too, so it’s a good idea to periodically review what’s on your phone so you can stay on top of it.

iPhone users, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage and look for Review Downloaded Media under Recommendations. Android users, open Google Play Movies & TV or the Google TV app, then tap the checkmark next to downloaded videos to remove them from your phone storage.

iPhone hacks

4. Thin Out Old Texts

Keep your favorite group chats and text conversations, but there’s no reason to keep old text exchanges that have no emotional value to you. Just scroll to the bottom of your text messages and start deleting some of those old conversations.

5. Review Your Subscriptions

While you’re working on your digital decluttering project, take the opportunity to review your ongoing subscriptions for various apps and services. If you’re not sure what you’re subscribed to, you could be paying for things you haven’t used in ages!

On iPhone, go to Settings > Your name > Subscriptions to see your active and inactive subscriptions. (Note that this will only show you subscriptions you’ve used your Apple account to sign up for.) Android users, go to Settings > Google > Your name > Manage your Google Account, then tap Payments & subscriptions.

6. Audit Your Contacts List

Is your contacts list riddled with school teachers, doctors, coworkers, and acquaintances you haven’t spoken to in ages? There’s no need to keep those numbers — on the off-chance you do need to reach out to one of them in the future, you can likely find them on social media.

Conclusion

It will likely take a bit of time and dedication to declutter your phone, but you’ll be so glad you did. And after cleaning up what’s inside your phone, don’t forget to clean the outside too!

How do you stay on top of digital clutter?

Read This Next


Jill Nystul Photo

Jill Nystul (aka Jillee)

Jill Nystul is an accomplished writer and author who founded the blog One Good Thing by Jillee in 2011. With over 30 years of experience in homemaking, she has become a trusted resource for contemporary homemakers by offering practical solutions to everyday household challenges.I share creative homemaking and lifestyle solutions that make your life easier and more enjoyable!

About Jillee

Jill Nystul

Jill’s 30 years of homemaking experience, make her the trusted source for practical household solutions.

About Jillee

MORE IDEAS FROM

Bright Ideas

Leave a Comment

Leave a Comment