How to Digitally Declutter Your Family’s Life

For most of us family life and chaos go hand-in-hand, the mental load of juggling work, school, extracurriculars, and household tasks can sometimes feel like too much. David Allen’s Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology offers a powerful framework for managing that mental clutter, and when paired with a tool like Family Folder, it can take your family from overwhelmed to organised.

Here’s how to combine GTD principles with Family Folder to digitally declutter and create a smoother, stress-free system for your family.

Why Decluttering Matters

“Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.” David Allen

If your family’s information is scattered—documents in drawers, events spread across apps, and tasks only half-remembered—it’s time to free your brain from the chaos. Decluttering helps reduce stress, eliminate surprises, and create space for what matters most: quality time together.

GTD + Family Folder: 5 Steps to Get Organised

1. Capture Everything in One Place

The first step in GTD is to capture everything competing for your attention. For families, this means gathering:

• Important documents (birth certificates, insurance policies, school forms).
• Upcoming events (birthdays, sports schedules, vacations).
• Tasks and projects (like planning a holiday or building a shed 👀).

Use Family Folder as your digital “inbox” to store everything in one place. Start by uploading essential documents, jotting down tasks, and syncing your family’s calendar.

2. Clarify What Needs to Be Done

Once everything is captured, GTD recommends clarifying the next action for each item:

• For documents: Do you need to sign, scan, or submit them?
• For events: Who needs to RSVP? What supplies do you need?
• For tasks: What’s the very next step to move it forward?

In Family Folder, break tasks into actionable steps. For example:

• Instead of "Plan birthday party" add specific tasks like "Book venue", "Send invites", or "Order cake".
• For documents, create a "To Review" folder for items requiring attention, like medical forms or insurance renewals.

3. Organise by Context and Priority

GTD encourages sorting items into categories or “contexts” to simplify decision-making. With Family Folder, you can create lists or folders to group similar items:

• Documents: Create folders like “Medical,” “Education,” and “Home.”
• Tasks: Divide tasks into lists such as “Errands,” “Chores,” or “Planning.”
• Events: Use labels to distinguish between family-only events and community commitments.

4. Weekly Review

GTD’s Weekly Review is a game-changer for staying on top of your system. Once a week, set aside 30 minutes to:

• Check your family’s schedule for upcoming events.
• Review tasks to ensure that nothing has fallen through the cracks.
• Declutter your system by deleting old files or archiving completed tasks.

Family Folder makes this easy by centralising everything. Use the review to upload new documents, reorganise lists, and ensure everyone’s on the same page.

5. Engage with Confidence

The final GTD step is engaging—doing the work with clarity and focus. With your family’s information organised in Family Folder, you’ll no longer waste time searching for a missing document or forgetting a deadline. Instead, you’ll have everything you need at your fingertips, ready to act when the time comes.

Start Small: Upload One Essential Document

Feeling overwhelmed? Start with a quick win. Pick one area to focus on—like uploading an essential document into Family Folder. Gather your family’s birth certificates, medical records, or insurance policies and store them securely.

By taking this small step, you’ll experience the relief of knowing that critical information is accessible whenever you need it.

The Family Folder Advantage

Family Folder brings GTD principles to life by creating a centralised hub for your family’s organisation. It helps you:

• Capture: Store everything in one place.
• Clarify: Turn overwhelmingly tasks into actionable steps.
• Organise: Use lists and folders to keep things tidy.
• Review: Stay on top of your system with regular check-ins.
• Engage: Focus on what matters most, stress-free.

Take the First Step Today

Digital decluttering doesn’t have to be daunting. By applying GTD principles and using Family Folder, you’ll reduce your family’s mental load and create a system that works for everyone.

Ready yo get started? Upload one essential document to Family Folder today and begin the journey toward a calmer, more organised family life.