I didn’t realise how noisy my phone had become until one morning when I tried to find my calendar app – and couldn’t.
My screen was a blur of icons, notifications, and folders I hadn’t opened in months. Some apps I didn’t even remember downloading. It wasn’t just digital clutter, it was mental clutter.
So I decided to do a small weekend experiment: declutter my phone. Not just deleting random apps, but rebuilding my screen with calm and intention.
Step 1: Checking What I Actually Use
I started by scrolling through every single app – slowly.
For each one, I asked:
- Have I used this in the past month?
- Does it add value or joy?
- Would I notice if it disappeared?
It was shocking how many answers were “no.” Social apps I only opened out of habit. Productivity tools that made me feel busy, not better. I deleted around 20 apps that day, and felt lighter immediately.
Step 2: Creating Calm on My Home Screen
After deleting came the reorganisation.
I used to have three pages of apps, now I have one. But instead of naming folders by function, I renamed them based on how I wanted to feel.
Each folder follows a small version of the law of attraction – a quiet daily reminder of intention.
- I Am Healthy → all fitness-related apps: Oura Ring, Fitness, 75 Hard.
A quiet reminder that wellness is already part of who I already am, not something I’m chasing. - I Am Happy → things that lift my mood: music, netflix and simple games I open just for joy.
- I Am Calm → meditation and breathing tools, the quiet side of my phone.
- I Am Productive → planning and focus apps, because being productive is a state of clarity, not pressure.
- I Am Blessed → photo andfamily-related apps, where I keep pictures of people I love. Reminders of gratitude, always within reach.
Every time I unlock my phone, these small affirmations are the first thing I see. It sounds simple, but it changes the energy of using my phone. It no longer feels like a portal of distractions, it feels like a space built with intention.
Step 3: Turning Off Notifications
The biggest change came from silence.
I turned off all notifications except for calls and messages.
No red dots, no vibrations, no constant pings.
At first, it felt weird, like I was missing something. But after a few days, the quiet became addictive. I realised how often I’d been reacting to my phone instead of choosing when to engage with it.
Step 4: Rebuilding with Intention
Every app now has a purpose: to help me live slower, focus deeper, or feel lighter.
After deleting and reorganising, I asked myself: what deserves space on this device?
I reinstalled a few meaningful apps – for meditation, habit tracking, and reading, but nothing that added mental clutter. Every app now has a purpose: to help me live slower, focus deeper, or feel lighter.
What I Learned from Decluttering My Phone
- Digital clutter is emotional clutter. Every unused app is a tiny decision you’ve postponed.
- Your phone should serve you and not the other way around.
- Deleting isn’t loss. It’s space.
Since decluttering, I pick up my phone less. When I do, I know exactly what I’m there for. It’s not perfect, but it’s quieter, calmer, and enough.
Maybe that’s the real point of decluttering: not to have less, but to finally see what matters.
With clarity,
— Elian Sage 🌿
theslowedit.org