Did you know January is Clean Your Computer Month? Sure is. Every time I see that, I experience two emotions.

• Yay! It’s about time
• Boo! It’s going to be so hard

If we could transfer the ‘junk’ in our computer to our homes I wonder how it would look like? Yikes! I don’t want to know. It is easy to let things build up because we don’t necessarily see the clutter like we see clutter in our homes. And it is oh so easy to click download. But we must occasionally empty things out, because:

You would be spending less time looking for files we need. I don’t care how organized or good a system you have. When something gets too large to manage, even a good system becomes clunky.

Your computer would run faster when you clean out the Recycle Bin and clear temporary files, uninstall programs you don’t use, disabling automatic checks and syncing some programs do and remove things like wallpapers.

You would spend less money on storage. External drive or DropBox is full already? How many of those files do you really use? I understand the need to archive and store information you purchased. That’s not what I’m talking about. What I’m talking about is stuff that you download free to read, listen or watch later.

You would be less distracted. Whether is it an audio you had wanted to listen to 2 years ago and never got around to it, an unfinished book that you lost interest in. If you clear them out, they won’t be there to nag you next time you look through your files.

You would feel better about yourself. Like clearing out your home or office, after you do this, you’ll feel relieved and ready to take on the bigger things.

Finally, while you are cleaning, think also about the actual computer itself. Turn your keyboard over in the trash can and give it a good shake. Clean your monitors and definitely clear the dust out of your computer’s fans and USB ports. They accumulate quickly.