Organize IT

I spend a lot of time at the computer, both at work and at home, so I’ve had to develop several ways to turn the rather clunky Windows operating system into something much more streamlined. However, I’m not keen on tweaking and experimenting with different programs for hours on end so the following five techniques on how I keep files, folders and programs organized had to be simple and quick to implement. I hope you find them useful. Let me know if these would work on Macs and Linux too.

• The desktop
  The desktop should be kept clear at all times. A lot of people and programs dump files on it (for instance, Firefox defaults to putting downloads on the desktop) because it’s the easy option. However, they should not be left there for any reasonable length of time. In theory with a small number of files you can group them around the desktop (documents in the top left, game saves in the bottom right) but this is difficult to maintain over any reasonable amount of time. Plus the more clutter you have on the desktop the slower your PC runs. The only thing you should have on the desktop is a single dumping folder (or at least a shortcut to one). I personally call it “@trunk”. You can call it whatever you like though the name is apt because it’s a storage space for any items, temp files and general clutter that shows up on my desktop.
• Personal files and documents
  As for your personal files, forget about “My Documents” because too many programs stick their own files in there (games in particular like to stick their save games in it nowadays) and it just clutters everything up. Create a separate folder called “@files”. Where you create this folder is again entirely up to you, though for privacy reasons it’s suggested you keep it somewhere in your account name folder (under “Documents and Settings”). From there you want to have the traditional subfolders for your files, such as “Pictures”, “Documents”, “Websites”, etc.
• Installed programs
  Programs also get installed in a special folder where possible (some apps don’t give you a choice, unfortunately). I personally have a folder called “@installed” under “Program Files” (if you’re wondering, the @ makes it stand out more means, plus the folder will always appear at the top of any list assuming everything is ordered alphabetically). It’s useful to keep programs you install separate from everything else for several reasons, including having a central, easily accessible repository. It also helps to keep track of what you actually have installed for reference.
• Start menu
  The default options for the start menu make it very messy. Right click on it and select properties. You should then be on the start menu tab. Click on the customize button and set the “number of programs on start menu” to zero. I personally find that half the time this most used programs feature is inaccurate anyway. Now, make your own more accurate list by dragging your favorite programs onto the start menu to create shortcuts to them. With all your main programs and folders on the start menu you will probably find the “All Programs” section is redundant, so apart from “Accessories” and “Startup” clear the excess out of there too.
• Quick launch
  While we have the start menu properties open, click the taskbar tab and select “Show Quick Launch” as this is the only section that is quicker to access than the start menu. While it’s not practical to have all your favorite programs on it like with the start menu, put the most used ones there (I personally have Firefox and Media Player there) plus any key folders such as my personal files folder (“@files”), my installed programs folder (“@installed”) and the desktop “@trunk” folder so that I have the most efficient access to all my files. Be selective with how much you have here, I personally have no more than five items on it.

Related reading

• Best Of Organize IT: Year In Review 2007
• GTD Dictionary: Efficiency
• What Productivity Means To Me
• Best Of Organize IT: November 2008
• The Art Of Time Management: How To Be Efficient