Declutter your inbox and phone in 4 easy, peaceful steps

It starts with a buzz — an alert here, a notification there. Soon, your smartphone is overflowing with screenshots you forgot to delete, tabs open from articles you never read, and an inbox that feels more like a to-do list than a means of communication. Our digital lives, meant to make things easier, often become an invisible weight. But what if clearing that clutter could help you recover something deeper: peace, presence, and maybe even prayer?

You don’t need to be religious to feel the fatigue of too much digital noise. But the Catholic tradition, with its love for simplicity and intentional living, offers a helpful lens for understanding why this clutter affects us so deeply — and how we can move toward a more meaningful relationship with our tech.

In Laudato Si’, Pope Francis writes about “the need to live wisely, to think deeply and to love generously.” These aren’t just lofty ideals. They’re practical invitations. And none of them flourish when we're distracted by dozens of push notifications or scrolling past midnight.

Before diving into deleting apps or clearing caches, take five quiet minutes without screens. Ask yourself: What do I actually use this device for? What’s stealing my time? Where do I feel most drained?

Silence helps us tell the difference between what serves us and what distracts us. In Catholic spirituality, silence is often the doorway to clarity.

Just as monks live with only what they need, you can take a cue from their discipline. If an app causes more stress than joy, consider removing it — even if everyone else swears by it. Do you really need five weather apps or 10 years of digital receipts?

Decluttering doesn’t mean erasing memories. It means making room to actually see them.

What stays on your phone or laptop should serve your life, not run it. Create folders. Archive what’s essential. Give your home screen a Sabbath feel — a space that encourages calm, not chaos.

The Catechism reminds us that “the human person ... is ordered to the good,” (CCC 1704). That includes digital order, too.

Once the noise quiets, there’s space to add intention. Maybe it’s a prayer app, a playlist that brings you peace, or a notes folder where you jot down graces throughout the week.

The goal isn’t to make your phone “religious.” It’s to make it more you — aligned with what you value most.

Whether you believe in God or not, the practice of digital decluttering invites everyone to consider what it means to live more deliberately. In a culture that prizes instant access and constant contact, slowing down and choosing less becomes a radical act.

You don’t need to join a monastery to live simply. But if we treat our digital spaces the way monks treat their cells — spaces for focus, prayer, and purposeful work — we might find that our devices become less of a burden and more of a blessing.

After all, peace isn’t found in the absence of screens. It’s found in the freedom to choose how we use them.