Almost every person, be it a schoolboy or an adult, uses an ordinary writing desk. It doesn't matter if it is in the office or in the house.
From time to time, everyone has to write something, draw something, fill out documents, etc. And if we are talking about, then the furniture product is used literally all the time.
That is why it is very important to know how to put things in order on your desktop so that you can always find this or that document or stationery, thereby saving time.
Clean workplace
It is always more comfortable to do business in a clean and tidy environment. Therefore, it is important from time to time (preferably as often as possible) to clean up the table.
First of all, absolutely all things need to be removed from it, from the computer to the little things: nothing should remain at all.
After all the things are removed, the table needs to be thoroughly wiped from dust. Moreover, with a damp cloth, you need not just "tinker" over the surface, but wipe all hard-to-reach areas of the table, all shelves and drawers, if any.
Items that have been removed from the table must also be dust-free. Containers for office supplies and other things must be wiped not only outside, but also inside, after removing all of them.
The computer / laptop usually found in the workplace should also not be left unattended. In addition to getting rid of dust from this unit, you should take care of the cleanliness of the screen. It can be cleaned like special means for the monitor, and with a regular damp cloth with a small amount of soapy water.
Important: under no circumstances should the computer monitor be cleaned with products containing alcohol and / or chlorine. they can easily damage the special coating of the screen. It is also not recommended to use various powders (including washing) to clean the monitors.
Garbage disposal
The next step in putting things in order is getting rid of the accumulated garbage. It should be remembered that not only sheets of paper or empty rods are considered rubbish, but much more.
First of all, of course, the most obvious rubbish goes to the trash can. These are just unnecessary pieces of paper, not writing rods from pens, scraps of scotch tape, etc.
Next, you need to look for smaller and more invisible garbage. So, it's worth cleaning all the pencil sharpeners. Also check pencil cases and writing racks for a variety of debris from pens, broken pencils, and other small debris.
Various documents / notebooks / files, etc. should also be checked for unnecessary junk. Very often, many leave unnecessary sheets and old documents, in the hope that they will come in handy someday. In principle, this is correct - sometimes important records may be needed in the most unexpected this moment... However, it is too long to store obsolete files also not worth it - they only borrow working space and collecting dust. 
Advice: In order not to run from room to room every time in order to throw out the trash, it is worth putting a special trash can under the work table: when a lot of "waste" accumulates in it, they can all be simply shaken out of this basket into an ordinary bucket.
Stationery
After getting rid of all that is superfluous, you should start sorting out the stationery, usually located on the table.
All pencils need to be sharpened, writing rods should be inserted into the pens.
It is advisable to sort the stationery. Pencils should be in the same place as pencils, pens with pens, etc. Find the necessary writing material it will be much easier if you know where each of them lies.
Stationery should be divided into the most necessary and those that are used infrequently. Put the first ones closer so that in the process of work it would be easy to find them, and put the rest in a separate pencil case and put away where they will not interfere.
Documents and personal belongings
In addition to stationery, everyone in the workplace has many more things, necessary and not so much. They also need to be disassembled periodically so that they do not accumulate, interfering with business.
The most important documents, files, etc. it is better to put it in a separate folder or several folders so that they do not lie on the table, taking up space and getting lost in the general pile of things and papers.
In addition to papers and stationery, almost everyone has personal, “dear to the heart” things on their work furniture, in addition to papers and stationery. Frames with photographs, souvenirs, just pretty knick-knacks - all this is pleasing to the eye and often brings back good thoughts and memories. However, being overloaded with such things is also useless: they distract from work and take up a lot of space.
The computer on the table also needs to be periodically "cleaned" - sort files, delete unnecessary items, etc. Then in the documents stored in digital format, it will be much easier to figure it out.
In order not to forget about any planned important matters and plans, you can stick reminder stickers on your computer. But to do it without fanaticism, because a lot of stickers only confuses and distracts from business.
In principle, the most necessary writing utensils and objects should be kept close to you so that you can always quickly get them.
If you know how to clean the desktop correctly, it will not be difficult to maintain order there in the future, and the necessary things will always be at hand.
Correct organization of storage of files and information, putting things in order on the computer, will make the use of the PC more productive, increase the efficiency of work on the computer. With the correct organization of work on the computer, the user will save significant amount of the time it spends searching for files, unnecessary data will be deleted from the computer.
Many users often face situations when it is impossible to find something on a computer. In folders, all files are piled up in a heap, complete chaos reigns. I think that many are familiar with this. Not only are the files scattered around in a mess, the computer is full of duplicate files that take up significant disk space.
I've been asked several times to write this article. Visitors watching videos on my YouTube channel, noticed that the desktop of my computer is practically free of extraneous elements, and in Explorer files and folders on disks are arranged in a certain order and have normal names. I keep my promise, however, with a delay of a couple of years.
I often had to deal with folders: "New folder1", "New folder2", with files like "111", "123", etc., some of the folders are empty. Such files and folders have copies, they are duplicated.
Search in the Windows operating system to access the necessary data with incomprehensible names, if their great amount, will not help much. It will take a very long time to deal with the mess.
In this article I will share my experience on organizing file storage on a computer. If you have your own best practices for organizing the storage and use of information on a PC, share about it in the comments to this article.
If you are having difficulty finding the files you need, and the free space on the disk decreases, which is gradually occupied by files and folders, you should start putting things in order on your computer.
You will have to spend a lot of time on the correct organization of file storage (in "difficult" cases, you can do it in several stages), but believe me, the time spent will be worth it.
In the future, when there is no more clutter on the computer, you only have to distribute new files to the appropriate places (disks, partitions, folders, etc.). You will quickly find the folder, file or document you are looking for because you know where to look for it.
Perform work on organizing storage and putting things in order home computer in approximately the following sequence:
- Choosing the right structure for storing information
- Removing duplicate files
- Distributing files and folders
- Renaming files and folders to give them normal names
- Backing up important data
Basic principles of information storage
Before you start putting things in order on your computer, you need to determine for yourself basic principles to organize data storage.
All objects must be categorized; in the future, all new objects must be distributed according to previously created categories. The data storage structure must meet the following requirements:
- the created structure should be convenient and as clear as possible
- changes don't have to be chaotic
- it is necessary to maintain order in the chosen data storage structure
As a result, unnecessary and unnecessary files will be deleted from the computer (since files are often duplicated), space on the PC will be freed up, and work productivity will increase.
Determining the order in which data is stored
The correct distribution of information on the hard disk increases the reliability of the computer. In most cases, the computer's disk space is distributed as follows: the Windows operating system, programs, and other important data necessary for the operation of the system are installed on the system local disk "C", and the second local disk is used to store user data.
What are two sections for? For more safety and reliability of work. System and data must be separated.
In the event of a system crash, you will not lose data that is located on another local disk (drive "D"). Because after reinstalling the system, only the data on the system drive "C" will be lost, everything else will remain intact and safe.
Therefore, it is desirable to have two or more local drives on the computer (for example, drives "C" and "D"). It makes sense to store your personal information on disk "D": music, films, photos, educational materials, software distributions, etc.
Before distributing data, pay attention to the following: there should always be enough space on the system disk to work operating system and programs installed on the computer. Do not forget about the future (suddenly you install applications that take up a lot of disk space), and that the system disk has free space (at least 15-20%) necessary for optimal operation of the operating system. Windows systems... Otherwise, after filling up the free space on the disk, the computer will seriously slow down.
On the system drive "C" there are folders "Documents" (My Documents), "Desktop", "Downloads", which sometimes store a large amount of information. These directories can be moved to another section hard disk... Personally, I do not do this, but only control the contents of these folders. I do not store files in the Downloads folder, but move the downloaded files to permanent storage locations.
After installing the cloud storage application on your computer, the storage folder is located on the C drive by default. If you use synchronization, all cloud data will be on the system drive.
If the amount of cloud storage is large, optimal solution: Move the cloud storage folder to another local drive on your computer. In this case, your data from the "cloud" will not take up space on the system disk.
On my computer, I move the cloud storage folders to other partitions. Read the article on how to transfer to another local drive.
On disk "D" of my computer there is a Yandex.Disk folder with a size of more than 200 GB, and on disk "E" there is a folder Cloud Mail.Ru with a volume of 1000 GB. These folders are synchronized with cloud storage, they contain important data for me. The folders are on the computer, so I have constant access to these files, and even in the event of a hard disk failure, I will not lose important information, because thanks to synchronization, it will be saved in the "cloud".
At the moment, my computer has two hard drives: the first hard drive has two Local drives "C" and "D", and the second hard drive has one Local drive "E".
Disks are used as follows:
- Local drive "C" (system drive).
- Local drive "D" (file storage).
- Local disk "E" (file storage).
After you decide on the computer disks, delete duplicate files.
Removing duplicate files
Removing duplicates will help filter out unnecessary copies of files, unnecessary data will be deleted from the computer. Many computer cleaning programs have modules for finding and removing duplicates. To remove duplicate files, you can use specialized programs, for example,.
Tidying up your desktop
Cleaning Desktop- the first step in the process of putting things in order on the PC. The abundance of unnecessary data on the desktop can slow down the computer.
Some time ago, they brought me a laptop with the operating system Windows 8. The laptop was terribly slow. The desktop contained a bunch of folders, shortcuts, and files. There were many photographs, some of the photographs were duplicated in different folders... I decided to see how much data is on the Desktop. It turned out to be about 250 GB, it even shocked me a little.
It is convenient for users to start everything from the Desktop, however, then they are surprised slow work your computer. My suggestions for moving files to another drive or uploading data to cloud storage are often misunderstood. Many people are too lazy to make an extra mouse click to access the files they need.
The desktop is the place of work (this is not an accidental name). Nothing should distract from work. Therefore, you should not place unnecessary elements on the Desktop, which may well be in other places, leave only a minimum of objects here that are really necessary. After that, you will notice that your work efficiency has improved.
During work, various temporary data can accumulate on the Desktop: folders, files, documents. Follow a simple rule: after completing the work, remove all objects, move them to the appropriate places, where they should be permanently stored.
Completed work on Word document(for example), move the document to storage locations for that type of document.
There are only three objects on the desktop of my computer in Windows 10: the This PC and Trash icons, and the Applications folder. Using the "This PC" icon, you can quickly get into computer management (read here, on the Desktop), and in the "Programs" folder there are shortcuts to the programs I use most often, most of which are portable. The portable programs themselves are located on drive "D".
You can do without such a folder for shortcuts. For portable programs, use a wrapper program. Portable programs can be located anywhere on the computer, and they will be launched from the shell. The folder with shortcuts for portable programs can be moved to the Start menu in order to launch portable programs from there, along with regular applications.
Distributing files and folders
After you have decided on the storage locations for files on your computer, you will need to distribute files and folders across disks. First, move and sort the data that is understandable for yourself, and leave that which is not yet clear to the final stage of distribution.
On the drive for storing files, create folders with meaningful names, such as Music, Videos, Photos, Documents, and so on. Other folders will be created in these folders to sort your files according to specific criteria.
Create a rigid hierarchy of folders in order to clearly understand where what you have.
Let's say you have a lot of photos, videos, music on your computer. Transfer all multimedia files to the disk that you will use as storage.
Individual photos and folders with photos will be placed in the "Photos" folder. Group the pictures according to certain criteria, for example, the time of shooting, place the photos in folders named according to certain parameters, for example, in the "Vacation at sea in such and such year" folder. I advise you to always add dates to folders with photos, so that you can easily find the photos you want.
In the "Music" folder, place all the music files that should be divided into categories (folders) by artist names, by album name, by musical genres etc., depending on your preference.
Do the same with movies, documents, and other files. In the course of the investigation, you will find many unnecessary files that should not be stored on your computer.
An example of distributing folders on my computer. Several self-named folders have been created on drive “E”. In the "Music" folder there are several folders with audio files, among them the folders "Disco 80s" and "Foreign Performers". The folder "Foreign performers" contains folders named by the names of the performers and the names of the groups.
The program files are divided into folders named according to specific categories.
Such a logical structure will help you find the desired file or folder quickly and easily.
Easy-to-understand folder and file names
It is very important to always adhere to the rule that folders and files should be given meaningful names. Names should be understandable to anyone.
Even if you don’t have time to give a friendly name at the moment, take the time to name a file or folder with a friendly name when you’re done. This will save a lot of time that will have to be spent on searching. desired file or folders.
If your PC has a lot of files with incomprehensible names, renaming will take a long time. Complete this job in several steps.
Tidying up programs
pay attention to software your computer, remove all unnecessary programs and games. Take a look mailboxes Email may need to be cleaned there.
Organize your browsers. Remove unnecessary extensions. Understand the bookmarks: check the bookmarks (it happens that sites cease to exist), group or conveniently distribute the bookmarks in the window visual bookmarks... If you have a lot of bookmarks in your browser, group your bookmarks into separate folders with short, self-explanatory names in the bookmarks bar.
Cleaning and defragmenting your computer
After completing the tidying process, clean up your computer from temporary and junk files. When moving large volumes files appear on the computer a lot of temporary files. Delete unnecessary files using, or using a specialized program, for example.
After that, defragment your computer in order to collect fragments of files in one place on the disk. With significant data movement, the degree of file fragmentation will dramatically increase. Defragmentation will streamline the distribution of files on your computer and increase the speed of the system.
Saving important data with backup
To securely store information, make a backup of your system or important data. By using Reserve copy system to another disk (preferably to an external HDD), you are the state of the system at the time of the backup.
In the event of an operating system crash, run Windows recovery from backup... In the event of a hard disk failure, the system or other data from the backup can be restored to a new disk.
For backup, you can use the Windows operating system, or specialized programs: Acronis True Image(there is free version- ), etc.
Constant maintenance of a certain order
After distributing the files, keep the computer in order, place new files in previously created categories, or create new ones. After completing the day to day work, it shouldn't take long to distribute files and folders to their permanent locations.
Conclusions of the article
Tidying up your computer for proper organization of data storage on your computer will greatly improve your work efficiency. Files and folders will be distributed across the computer disks in accordance with a specific structure, the user will quickly find the data he needs.
Not a ruble, not a euro or even a dollar. Time is the main currency that any project is always lacking. And the disorder in the storage of information is one of the main eaters of this currency.
Right now millions of wonderful specialists are wasting their time and nerves. One cannot find the document that the boss or the client is waiting for. Another is to collect files with facts scattered all over the computer to prepare an analytical report. The third is to come up with words of justification in front of the partner, to whom an outdated copy of the contract was sent by mistake, etc., etc.
Right now you can get acquainted with simple rules for establishing and maintaining order in files and folders, which will save many hours of your work and personal time.
Maintaining order in files and folders is a basic skill, without which working with information will never be truly effective. Unfortunately, this skill is not taught at school, university, or at work. Those who really need it - get it with their minds, come up with their own rules. But even if you are one of them - perhaps you will find something useful for yourself in my system?
Based on my experience as a PC user, information specialist and trainer, within the framework I wrote a mini-book "How to put things in order on a computer once and for all" (distributed free of charge). In this book, I explain how users turn information flow into information chaos with their own hands - and I propose three simple algorithms to turn chaos into order again. And thus - to regain full control over their projects, save time, reduce stress levels, free up resources of their own memory.
The mini-book will be included as an attachment in big book- on the management of personal information flows... But that’s later. Until then - right now I bring to your attention an excerpt about putting things in order at the most noticeable and busy "crossroads" of a computer - on its "Desktop".
Step one: we put things in order on the "Desktop"
Is this picture familiar to you?
This is a typical "Desktop" of a typical personal computer... Its owner had been gathering courage for three months - and had just deleted some of the files, the meaning of which had been forgotten in the last century. Now there will be where to drop new ones! 🙂
And by the end of the working day, my friend promises to line up the remaining files in neat rows so that it would not be a shame to demonstrate the computer prying eyes... And after the New Year, honestly, will get to the folder "My Documents". There are, however, a hundred times more files. Maybe there is a smart program that will do everything by itself?
Yes, I answer, there are programs that can delete all files of a certain size, "age", format, etc. by pressing one button. "Oh, no, you can lose a lot this way. important information! " - my friend is sad. And he shares the problems that many people have complained to me about many times.
Sergei Petrovich's problems
I will name my friend Sergei Petrovich Poltoranin ... An ambitious and promising manager, head of a growing company, an Executive MBA student.
There is no time, says Sergei Petrovich. There is always no time. Therefore, I want to save time on trifles. For example, when you need to come up with a name for a new file, Sergei Petrovich calls it the first word that comes to mind and puts it in the folder that lies closer. In a couple of weeks he will be puzzled over: why was this folder created? what is hidden in these files? why are there several folders on the same topic with similar names hosted in different places computer?
Sergei Petrovich once studied the book "Windows for" dummies "- and is well aware that this" operating system "is built search system... But it does little to help. Because on a query by a keyword, the system finds one and a half hundred files - and each of them has to be opened manually, just to remember its content (patience is only enough for a dozen or a half). Try, pick up keyword present in the desired document and absent from everyone else, if you have long forgotten the details of their content! And the names of the files do not contain any hints ...
For three years of work in the company, our hero has accumulated a lot of information on any issue that is within his competence. But in reality he uses only a small part of it for analysis: there is almost never time to “collect in a heap” at the right moment everything related to the topic. Each "search operation" takes away not only time, but also energy. It is even more annoying to have to keep in mind the strange names and illogical location of the files used in the current project. Poorly structured information is like a splinter in the brain that infects the body with fatigue and takes away memory resources.
Even more stress arises when a director or business partner calls, asks for urgent clarifications on one of the projects and says with ill-concealed impatience: “Let's not hang up, I'll wait.” And you feverishly begin to look for something that you cannot remember, where it does not exist.
And the real apotheosis of information chaos - when it turns out that out of several copies of the same file scattered around the computer, you managed to send your partner the oldest one, not even edited, with grammatical and statistical errors.
But you want not only to work, but also to develop! Become an expert, use the accumulated knowledge for career growth! But nine-tenths downloaded from the Internet e-books and the articles are unlikely to ever be read, because Sergei Petrovich has long been unable to remember either the authors, or the titles, or the topics touched upon - not even more so, the reasons that each time forced him to replenish his “piggy bank of knowledge”. However, he continues to react to book recommendations from friends and colleagues on social networks.
One thing comforts Sergei Petrovich. When he carefully asked the department employees how they work with information, it turned out that they had similar problems. Like the chief accountant Svetlana Nikolaevna. Like his wife - a candidate of sciences, an associate professor at a local university. Like his student son - despite the fact that he actively uses newfangled gadgets and Internet services, incl. to work with information.
A few more important touches to the portrait of Sergei Petrovich Poltoranin. Perhaps you pictured him as a disorganized, scattered oglam. And they were wrong. On his desktop and in his organizer notebook - always perfect order... Sergei Petrovich never breaks promises, delivers projects on time, is not late for meetings, does not deceive employees, does not lose car keys - and he really doesn’t like unnecessary, sloppy people. Parents, school, institute, books - all contributed to the teaching of Sergei Petrovich the rules of self-organization in real life.
But, alas: with the help of the book “Windows for“ dummies ”and other computer literature, Sergei Petrovich was able to master only basic operations with files:“ create ”,“ copy ”,“ paste ”,“ delete ”, etc. - but these commands by themselves do not create order (because chaos is also created with their help!). And no one offered Sergei Petrovich courses and trainings where they teach something more. Perhaps our hero could learn something useful in the field of data structuring at the library faculty or at seminars for competitive intelligence agents. But do not master the second profession in order to get a basic tool for the first ?!
Solving Sergei Petrovich's problems
So, let's begin to solve the problems of our hero step by step. You wonder how simple these decisions.
Clearing the Desktop is the first step, because it is the easiest. To solve the problem of chaos on a specific "Desktop" once and for all, you will need half an hour, at most - an hour. You may even end up spending more time reading this passage. 🙂 But, after reading it, you can use the proposed algorithm at any time with a full understanding of all its subtleties and applications.
Remember how our hero was going to arrange files in neat rows so that his "Desktop" looks decent in the eyes of office visitors? I barely dissuaded him from this venture, which was useless from the point of view of putting things in order in the workflow. Files are not a kitchen service: when working with files, it is not so much the absence of chaos that is important as the presence of a system. 🙂
I will cite as an example the pundits of the recent past, many of whom actively used their home library in their work. It is impossible to imagine that a real researcher and encyclopedist would arrange volumes on a book wall according to the color and size of the spines. From a philistine point of view, this would be an ideal order, a complete victory over chaos. But only the owner phenomenal memory will be able to compare the classification of books by spine color with their classification by content. And at an ordinary person every (!) search reference materials will take hours instead of minutes and seconds.
Of course, professionals arrange their books solely by content: topics, genres, authors, etc. - and do just fine without a book catalog. I myself can easily find any of the thousands of books in my library. It is enough to reach out to the right direction- and take it.
Find Forgotten Trick
Note: my memory is disgusting. In general, I think that the need to keep in memory more than seven objects of the same type should be equated with torture, prohibited by the UN Convention 30 years ago. However, I can easily navigate my library.
All I need to remember is principle, on which the books are laid out (four shelves are divided between reference, business and fiction; the middle shelves are devoted to the most popular topics, the lower ones - less, and the upper ones - the least popular; the authors within the topics are arranged alphabetically).
When there is a need to find a book, I, according to this principle, as if by a template, in a split second re-invent in my mind the structural diagram of my library. After that I have enough be aware of, in which "node" of this structure should be kept the right book.
Note, I did not say: "where is it stored" - I am not able to remember this. I said, "where should it be stored." According to structural logic libraries.
As a rule, I am fairly accurate in guessing the approximate direction of the search. When I come to a certain shelf, all I have to do is glance left-right-up-down to adjust the search. At this point, I really begin to recall the themes of books assigned to separate shelves and the approximate arrangement of author's collections. And now, in spite of the frail "memory muscle", I am holding the necessary book in my hands.
Time passes, I buy new book- and immediately find for her appropriate a place where she will never get lost. I immediately return the re-read book to its place. And from the rest - once a week I dust off. 🙂 In a word, I spend a minimum of time, memory resources and volitional efforts on finding and maintaining order in books.
We repeat the trick on the "Desktop" of the PC
Let's go back to the office of Sergei Petrovich Poltoranin. Remember what "Desktop" looked like on the monitor of his PC (see the picture at the beginning of the post)? We conjured with the owner of the computer for about half an hour - and this is the result (see the picture below).
Of course, the main point is not that Sergei Petrovich and I deleted three quarters of the files from the "Desktop" and freed nine-tenths of its surface. Although a clean table, you see, is inspiring. 🙂
But the main feature is that certain zones (a kind of “bookshelves”) appeared on the “Desktop”, tied to files of a specific purpose.
This is just one of the many possible options grouping files on the "Desktop" of various types and destination (more precisely, shortcuts to these files). V in this case, in the upper left corner were placed the shortcuts of the most requested by the user computer programs... In the upper right corner there are shortcuts to the most frequently used file folders. In the lower left corner are the shortcuts for the e-books you are currently reading. In the lower right corner are the shortcuts of the documents that you edit in current period time.
In the picture, four natural zones have been used - the four corners of the "Desktop". But the number of selected zones depends only on your tasks and work style. For example, two "bookshelves" are enough for me (in the upper left corner I keep current documents, in the upper right - regular "reminders" and "life rules" for myself). And you, if you want, can create up to nine work zones (mentally divide the "Desktop" into 9 parts, like the face of the "Rubik's cube"). Of course, if there is a real need for it. If it is not there, it is better to limit yourself to a minimum.
The purpose of the zones may be completely different from that in the picture. For example, you can completely refuse to place program shortcuts on the "Desktop" - and store them exclusively on the "Taskbar" (on the strip at the bottom of the screen) or in the "Start" button menu ( Windows users 8 can load the trays of the Metro interface).
You can give preference to completely different types of documents: for example, updates to your family photo album, to-do lists for the week, month, quarter, year, videos for viewing next weekend, etc.
In general, the purpose of zones depends solely on your needs: the designer will create one set of "bookshelves", the lawyer will create a completely different one, the head of the sales department - the third, the accountant - the fourth, etc. Naturally, each of them will also be with different speed update files on the "Desktop" (since each specialist has his own work rhythm, his own pace of information life).
The most important thing:
a) always use "bookshelves" strictly for their intended purpose(that is, never add shortcuts to files that do not have a work area on the Desktop):
b) add shortcuts only to the most important files, currently used (I advise you to introduce a limit - up to 7 files on one shelf, and place the rest in file directories).
By the way, did you notice that I talk about labels and not about the files themselves? Yes, yes, place shortcuts on the Desktop, not the files themselves.
At first, there is always a risk of accidentally swiping the contents of the "Desktop" into the "Trash". If these were shortcuts, the files themselves will not be harmed.
Secondly, if a visitor, who sat down for a minute near your computer in the absence of the owner, is tempted to steal several files from the "Desktop" - your habit of placing shortcuts will significantly slow down this sabotage (to find out the real location of the original files, the attacker will have to look into the "Properties" each shortcut, remember the path, follow it, find the file and copy it to the USB flash drive).
Thirdly, if you have files on your Desktop, the computer boots up slower. If the files are replaced with shortcuts, it is much faster.
Spring cleaning on the desktop (and the computer in general) provides three practical benefits and one motivational bonus. Benefits:
- You save your time, nerves, energy when searching for the documents you need.
- You save time, nerves, energy of business partners, clients, managers, who are waiting for your information.
- You spend less time, nerves, energy on complex projects- yes, now you can take on complex projects more boldly! - since it is not particularly difficult for you collect dozens of related documents from different folders.
Motivational bonus: the contemplation of order inspires for its further maintenance. 🙂
So, it's time to start practicing. I'm not suggesting that we start tidying up your Windows Desktop right now. Pour yourself your favorite tea or coffee first. Then print the next page and - follow the instructions!
Bookshelf Algorithm
1. Pick a time when no one will disturb you. Even with maximum debris "Desktop" you hardly need more than an hour.
2. In the middle "Desktop" create a folder "Cleaning"... Expand the folder (not full screen) and drag all files from "Desktop"(except icons "My computer" and "Basket").
3. Decide which programs, folders and files are essential for you. Assign specific zones to the object types of your choice "Desktop". For example:
- in the upper left corner, place shortcuts to the most important programs;
- in the upper right corner - shortcuts to the most actively used folders;
- in the lower left corner are the shortcuts of the books you are currently reading:
- in the lower right corner are shortcuts to the most important documents.
The number, location and purpose of zones may be different, depending on your tasks and style of work.
4. After completing the arrangement "Desktop", transfer from folder "Cleaning" minor but necessary files to a folder "My documents". Unnecessary files- delete along with the folder "Cleaning".
5. When you have completely read this mini-book and put things in order "My documents" and other folders - you will know exactly which files and folders are most important to you at the moment. Check it again "Desktop" and put on it shortcuts of really important and relevant files. From this moment on "Desktop" it is the shortcuts that should be included, not the files themselves.
Two more algorithms - for putting things in order in the folder structure and in file names - are described in detail in the mini-book "How to put things in order on your computer once and for all."
How to clean up your computer once and for all
In the West, there is a specialty "professional organizer". He helps clients clean up their rooms and offices, paper and electronic files, and develop a personalized scheduling system.
Lisa Zaslow is one such specialist.
Studies show that the average person loses an hour a day due to disorganization. At the same time, people are terribly annoyed when they cannot find something. But it takes much less time to put things in order.
Liza Zaslav
Rule 1. Arrange everything correctly
The monitor should be at eye level and 43–45 cm away from you.
Place frequently used items, such as a phone or office supplies, on the side of your dominant hand. It is convenient: no need to drag out, dumping everything around.
Rule 2. Use stationery rationally
Do you really need 10 pens, a paper knife and a stapler every day? Keep only stationery on your desk that you use on a daily basis. Put the rest in a pencil case and put it on the table, or better somewhere far away.
Getting up from the table for a pencil or paper clip, you temporarily turn off your brain from the project you are working on. This will allow you to look at it from a new angle when you return.
Amy Trager, professional organizer based in Chicago
Another expert, Andrew Mellen, emphasizes that it is better for employees to store office supplies in one place (shared dresser or shelving unit), rather than each in their own drawers.
Rule 3. Use sticky notes without fanaticism
It is not useful and not productive to cover the monitor with colored papers like a bulletin board.
When there are too many reminders, they are useless.
Emmy Trager
Be moderate - only make sticky notes with important short-term reminders.
Rule 4. Do not overdo it with personal belongings
It is important to maintain a balance between professional and personal life in the workplace. It's difficult.
Family photos, holiday souvenirs and others pleasant trifles warm the soul and cheer up during the working day. However, overly memorable things that evoke a storm of memories are too distracting.
The gaze slides over objects, and the brain processes information, even if we are not aware of it.
Liza Zaslav
Keep on your desktop not more than three personal belongings.
Rule 5. Regulate "communication" with e-mail
Email is still. But it can hit productivity if constantly distracted by letters.
Life hacker and professional organizers: check your mail twice a day in certain hours... The rest of the time should be busy with work.
Yes! And turn off notifications to avoid ruining the state of the thread.
Rule 6. Leave free space for paperwork
Sometimes the desktop is so busy that there is nowhere to sign or draw up a document by hand.
Have an unoccupied island on the right or left (depending on whether you are right-handed or left-handed). Not necessarily big - for paperwork a rectangle of 30 × 40 cm is quite enough.
Rule 7. Organize your workflows
Do not keep documents that are not related to current work... Chaos ensues when the table is littered with papers on projects before last, past, present and future. To avoid this, experts recommend grouping documents into folders:
- important and urgent;
- urgent and unimportant;
- important and non-urgent;
- not urgent and unimportant.
Keep these folders in a special organizer, rather than stacked on top of each other, to simplify your workflow.
Rule 8. Clean up as often as possible
The mess helped to create and. But such examples are rare.
For most people, reducing concentration and productivity. Regularly ask yourself if all the items are in place on your desk?
Even if a person does not notice the disorder, he still influences it.
Andrew Mellen
For clarity, we have expressed the described hacks in a graphic. Print and hang OVER your desktop.
In the West, there is a specialty "professional organizer". He helps clients clean up their rooms and offices, paper and electronic files, and develop a personalized scheduling system.
Lisa Zaslow is one such specialist.
Studies show that the average person loses an hour a day due to disorganization. At the same time, people are terribly annoyed when they cannot find something. But it takes much less time to put things in order.
Liza Zaslav
Rule 1. Arrange everything correctly
The monitor should be at eye level and 43–45 cm away from you.
Place frequently used items, such as a phone or office supplies, on the side of your dominant hand. It is convenient: no need to drag out, dumping everything around.
Rule 2. Use stationery rationally
Do you really need 10 pens, a paper knife and a stapler every day? Keep only stationery on your desk that you use on a daily basis. Put the rest in a pencil case and put it on the table, or better somewhere far away.
Getting up from the table for a pencil or paper clip, you temporarily turn off your brain from the project you are working on. This will allow you to look at it from a new angle when you return.
Amy Trager, professional organizer based in Chicago
Another expert, Andrew Mellen, emphasizes that it is better for employees to store office supplies in one place (shared dresser or shelving unit), rather than each in their own drawers.
Rule 3. Use sticky notes without fanaticism
It is not useful and not productive to cover the monitor with colored papers like a bulletin board.
When there are too many reminders, they are useless.
Emmy Trager
Be moderate - only make sticky notes with important short-term reminders.
Rule 4. Do not overdo it with personal belongings
It is important to maintain a balance between professional and personal life in the workplace. It's difficult.
Family photos, holiday souvenirs and other pleasant little things warm the soul and cheer up during the working day. However, overly memorable things that evoke a storm of memories are too distracting.
The gaze slides over objects, and the brain processes information, even if we are not aware of it.
Liza Zaslav
Keep no more than three personal items on your desktop.
Rule 5. Regulate "communication" with e-mail
Email is still. But it can hit productivity if constantly distracted by letters.
Life hacker and professional organizers: check your mail twice a day at certain times. The rest of the time should be busy with work.
Yes! And turn off notifications to avoid ruining the state of the thread.
Rule 6. Leave free space for paperwork
Sometimes the desktop is so busy that there is nowhere to sign or draw up a document by hand.
Have an unoccupied island on the right or left (depending on whether you are right-handed or left-handed). Not necessarily large - for paperwork, a 30 × 40 cm rectangle is enough.
Rule 7. Organize your workflows
Do not keep documents that are not relevant to your current job close at hand. Chaos ensues when the table is littered with papers on projects before last, past, present and future. To avoid this, experts recommend grouping documents into folders:
- important and urgent;
- urgent and unimportant;
- important and non-urgent;
- not urgent and unimportant.
Keep these folders in a special organizer, rather than stacked on top of each other, to simplify your workflow.
Rule 8. Clean up as often as possible
The mess helped to create and. But such examples are rare.
For most people, reducing concentration and productivity. Regularly ask yourself if all the items are in place on your desk?
Even if a person does not notice the disorder, he still influences it.
Andrew Mellen
For clarity, we have expressed the described hacks in a graphic. Print and hang OVER your desktop.
