Your Digital Files, How To Organize ?

Utilize the general organizing procedure of purge, sort and store, and apply it when organizing computer files.

Purge :

• Start by going through your computer files one at a time and delete all duplicates, unwanted and/or unnecessary documents.
• In order to complete this step, ask yourself appropriate questions. For example: Is this a duplicate? Can I get this elsewhere if I need it? Is it outdated and/or expired?
• Remember, this can take some time, especially if you have a lot of electronic documents. If that is the case, go through your files for a set amount of time (say half an hour) and then stop. Do this every day until the job is done. Small achievable tasks are more likely to get done rather than a large daunting pile of digital clutter!
• When you are done purging, don't forget to empty the recycle bin. This completes the first step in organizing computer files and saves disk space on your hard drive.

Sort and Store :

• Now that all unnecessary files are gone, you can see what you have. Start by creating general folders on your desktop (i.e. Photos, Music, Writing, Financial, Travel, Fido, House, Wedding, Medical).
• Remember, you want to find these files in the future with ease. Ask yourself how you would look for something and label the folder accordingly. For example, would you look for airline tickets under "Travel" or "American Airlines"?
• Once you have some general folders created, start dragging your documents to their appropriate locations.
• If necessary, sort the documents in the general folders into further categories by creating subfolders. For example, you may need to break down the general "Travel" folder by vacation locations, airlines, and so on.

Maintain :

• Now that you have organized your computer files, get in the habit of putting documents in their appropriate folders as soon as you create or download them. This ten second task will save you so much time and stress.

Remember To Empty Your Trash

When the garbage cans in your home or office are full you empty them, right?

Don't forget to do this for your computer.

When you send files to the trash, they still take up memory because they are still on your computer and haven't been permanently deleted. Empty your computer's trash can every once in a while. It will free up hard drive space and feel good getting rid of the unnecessary.