They say that the iPhone is the window to the soul.
...Okay, nobody says that. However, I believe that a smartphone is a great insight into one's mind.
That's why I try to keep my iPhone apps as organized as possible.
You may be an app minimalist, keeping the bare necessities for survival. You may be an app hoarder, and download every app without a second thought.
While (some) apps might be free to download, they are still taking up valuable space in terms of storage, as well as your mind. They're the clutter to have to sift through to get to the important stuff. We tend to worry about having an organized physical space, but then end up overlooking our digital space.
This is my iPhone home screen! Here I keep the apps that I use most often and that I need to be accessible at a second's notice.
I place the apps in a specific order based on how much they are used. For example, I don't check the weather very frequently, so it is in the upper left corner since that is a less accessible space.
The lower rows are where you should keep your most visited apps.
TIP : If you are trying to break the habit of scrolling through Facebook or other apps, you might not want to keep it on your main home screen.
Now I will show you how I sort the rest of my apps. These are all sorted into different folders depending on the nature of the app. This isn't anything revolutionary, as most iPhone users have folders. I find that keeping ALL my apps in folders makes it easier to find things.
If I have both folders and free apps on this page, the folders suddenly seem to vanish! The human mind is strange.
Similar to the first page, I put my most used folders / apps on the lower rows, while the less-visited folders hang out at the top. My thumb thanks me for this method.
Folder Organization
1. Phone
This folder contains things such as Contacts, Voice Memos, Files, Wallet, iTunes Store, and more. They are things that usually come pre-downloaded on the iPhone and are useful, but I almost never use them.
2. Security
This contains anything I use for digital security, such as authenticators and my password management app.
Side note : if you don't use a password manager, I strongly suggest it.
3. Games
Self-explanatory. I love mobile games! I keep this folder at the top so I'm not as tempted to play them as much.
4. Photos
I'm a sucker for those hipster "vintage" photography apps. This folder also contains any photo or video editing apps, and "FreePrints".
5. Fitness
Anything involved in your physical health, including diet, recipes, exercise, pulse tracker, etc.
6. Navigation
I always keep Google Maps or Waze in this folder. If I'm traveling, I'll download any apps I want to use during the trip to keep in this folder. For example, Yelp, Uber, or any other apps that will be helpful during travel.
7. Shopping
Any apps that your bank account will dislike.
8. Education
School, special calculator, audio book, language learning, and podcast apps.
This isn't limited to students, of course! Any apps that will help you grow intellectually can go in here.
9. Finance
The "adulting" apps : banking, savings, and credit card.
10. Social
Any social media or entertainment apps.
11. Business
Any apps related to my online business, or apps related to freelance / blogging.
12. Productivity
This contains my email, calendar, to-do list, Google documents, bookmarks, and otherwise anything that is meant to boost my productivity.
This is the folder system that works for me. Obviously people differ in their needs, and you will probably need different folders here and there. However, I hope that this gives you some inspiration for how to sort your apps!
Thank you so much for reading. If you have any ideas for other blog posts or topics, please leave me a comment or send me a message.
- xoxo, Panda
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