Spring Cleaning (Digital Edition)

'Tidying Up' My Devices + Drives

With Spring flowers in full bloom—and my sensitive sinuses in full protest—it’s that time of the year when I roll up my sleeves and tackle the digital clutter that’s taken over my devices. You know, all the miscellaneous files, folders, and downloads that pile up over time like old clothes you promise to sort through someday.

Well, that "someday" is today—and maybe tomorrow—here in my world.

As I dust off all my tech devices and drives, it’s clear my digital hoarding tendencies are alive and well. Do I really need 50 screenshots of recipes I’ll never try? Or a folder full of outdated documents from projects that were long finished? Probably not.

Marie Kondo’s "does it spark joy?" philosophy can work wonders for tidying up your physical space, and now it’s time to apply it to my digital life.

Since I can’t afford more cloud storage or new hard drives, I’m going to spend a day (or two) deleting duplicates, organizing chaotic downloads, and finally letting go of many of those “just in case” files.

Here’s how I’m planning to tidy up my devices:

1. Sort by Categories: Break everything into folders: work, personal, photos, etc. Seeing it organized helps me stay focused.

2. Purge Unnecessary Files: If I haven’t used it in months or I don’t remember downloading it, it’s gone.

3. Embrace Cloud Storage: Some things are better stored in the cloud where they won’t take up space on my devices (and my mind).

4. Backup Like a Pro: A backup strategy isn’t just nice to have, it’s a must. I’m making sure my important documents are safe, secure, and easily accessible.

5. Set Reminders for Regular Maintenance: Just like dusting, digital tidying is an ongoing job. Setting up monthly or quarterly reminders to clean up my devices will (hopefully) keep things under control.

So, while my sinuses might still be protesting the pollen, at least my devices will be a whole lot cleaner—with less digital clutter taking up space in my life.

I hope to make Marie Kondo proud…at least digitally and virtually. If she knocks at my door, I’m gonna run and hide. No one needs to know what a mess my closet or sock drawer is.

Keep calm and keep organized!
Clint 🌈✌️

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FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

• ‘The Wizard Of Oz At Sphere’ Will Use AI And Advanced Computing To ‘Reimagine’ 1939 Classic (Variety)

• Here’s To Us: Old Friends, A Familiar Trip Through The Sondheim Canon (Vulture)

• The Drama’s Offstage At Opera Carolina, With Leadership Shakeups and A Contentious Lawsuit (The Charlotte Observer)

ON THIS DAY = APRIL 9

BIRTHDAYS

• 1830 = Eadweard Muybridge = English photographer and cinematographer

• 1883 = Frank King = American cartoonist

• 1898 = Paul Robeson = American singer, actor, and activist

• 1901 = Paul Willis = American actor and director

• 1903 = Ward Bond = American actor

• 1925 = Art Kane = American photographer

• 1926 = Harris Wofford = American attorney and politician 🌈

• 1926 = Hugh Hefner = American publisher and Playboy founder

• 1930 = Jim Fowler = American zoologist and tv host

• 1932 = Carl Perkins = American singer-songwriter

• 1933 = Jean-Paul Belmondo = French actor and producer

• 1936 = Drew Shafer = American activist 🌈

• 1937 = Marty Krofft = Canadian screenwriter and producer

• 1939 = Michael Learned = American actor

• 1963 = Marc Jacobs = American-French fashion designer 🌈

• 1965 = Mark Pellegrino = American actor

• 1965 = Paulina Porizkova = Czech-born Swedish-American model and actor

• 1966 = Cynthia Nixon = American actor 🌈

• 1967 = Sam Harris = American author, philosopher, and neuroscientist

• 1974 = Jenna Jameson = American actor and adult performer

• 1979 = Keshia Knight Pulliam = American actor

• 1980 = Albert Hammond Jr. = American singer-songwriter

• 1987 = Jazmine Sullivan = American singer-songwriter

• 1987 = Jesse McCartney = American singer-songwriter and actor

• 1990 = Kristen Stewart = American actor 🌈

• 1999 = Lil Nas X = American singer-songwriter 🌈

EVENTS

• 1860 = On his phonautograph machine, Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville makes the first known recording of an audible human voice.

• 1967 = The first Boeing 737 makes its maiden flight.

• 1969 = The first Concorde 002 makes its maiden flight.

• 1976 = All the President's Men is released in theaters.

• 1999 = Go is released in theaters.

• 2012 = The Lion King becomes highest highest-grossing Broadway show, overtaking The Phantom of the Opera.

HOLIDAYS + OBSERVANCES

• National Cherish An Antique Day

• National Chinese Almond Cookie Day

• National Library Outreach Day

• National Unicorn Day

• National Winston Churchill Day

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PORTRAIT + QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I always find beauty in things that are odd and imperfect
— they are much more interesting.”
Marc Jacobs

“Awkwardness gives me great comfort. I've never been cool, but I've felt cool. I've been in the cool place, but I wasn't really cool - I was trying to pass for hip or cool. It's the awkwardness that's nice.”
Marc Jacobs