Tweet

4 Steps for Organizing Your Computer Desktop

Guest post by: Alex Revai

Article Overview: You have surely heard the "Clean desk is s sign of sick mind" quotation. You may have even read my article with that title. Perhaps you heeded my recommendations and you might be enjoying the newly discovered color of your desk. No clutter. No mess. Better focus on the task ahead. Now, you glance at your computer screen, your "other desktop" as it were. Start looking for the file, which you saved to your desktop last night. But, where is it? Your screen is cluttered with hundreds of colorful icons, resembling an abstract painting. Looking for the proverbial needle in the haystack?

4 Steps for Organizing Your Computer Desktop

For many, the location for most of their email is their email Inbox. Fortunately for them, Outlook offers a find function. For a lot of people, the location of many of their computer files is on their Computer Desktop. However picturesque those colorful little icons may be, their artistic disarray could be a source of wasted time, stress and frustration.

Some may defend the above scenario by saying, that they know exactly where everything is in the pile of icons. Science, however, tells us that our mind subconsciously processes everything in our field of vision. Our brains start worrying about all those files, the work they may entail, or a file, which we may be forgetting about. It translates into more stress.

The more pressed we are for time, the faster we need that file, which is there... somewhere... in that picturesque pile of icons, right in front of our eyes. If only, we could find it. So, we waste a little time (that we don't have) and further increase our stress level. It doesn't have to be this way.

Follow these steps to clean up your Computer Desktop:

1. Create meaningfully named folders for your desktop.
   
   Right click anywhere, in an icon-free area of your screen. In the pop-up window, click New and then in the next window Folder. This action creates a new, un-named folder on our desktop.
   
   
2. Name the new folder.
   
   Give the name a little thought. How best you will find it or remember it? Perhaps a category or group name, which can accommodate like files, or files belonging to a specific client or a project.
   
   
3. Start dragging and dropping the appropriate files from your desktop into the newly created folder.
   
   Enjoy the beautiful desktop image re-appearing from under the fast disappearing file icons. Just like, when you discovered the color of your desk after you filed away the accumulated paper documents. Just feel your blood pressure dropping a few notches.
   
   
4. Right click again on your desktop and select the "Arrange Icons by" command. Select the desired option(s), such as "Auto arrange" and/or "sort icons by Name".

The above steps will make it a snap to find files and keep them organized. Yet, I don't advocate that your desktop should be the "normal" location for your computer files. The proper place for your files is in your well structured folder hierarchy under system folders, such as My Documents, My Pictures, My Videos, etc. You should limit your Computer Desktop for your "currently worked on" files. Use the desktop as a temporary filing location. Once you are done with a document, move it to its permanent resting place.

One final bonus secret: Do you know how to get to your desktop view with a single click? Especially, when you have many application windows open? On your Quick Launch Bar (usually on the bottom of your screen) look for a little blue-white icon, which says "Show Desktop". Click it and your desktop is revealed, with all other application windows minimized.

Related Articles
  Best Practices for Organizing & Finding Computer Files
  Desktop or Laptop?
  Helping you to fix the Desktop Background problem in Windows 7
  Terms used in Computers
  From Staplers To Sticky Notes: Why Desktop Items Make Sense As Proomtional Products

Article Tags: computer filing, electronic clutter, messy desktop, needle in the haystack, Organize computer files, searching for computer files, show desktop icon, stress



Related Forum Posts
secure my connection - I agree with Link's second post. Security is a personal sticky issue and possibly not the first service you should introduce yourself at the door. I'd suggest also the Back to School "In-Home" Computer tuneup (it's such a pain to take your computer in for servicing) and promise that they would see a smoother and faster computer. You can hand them a 2 page report on the benefits of having a computer tuneup -> this is critical. After you are gone this is the only piece of information that they will have to begin trusting you and want to have you in their home. You can sneak at the bottom of the report the benefits of having a wireless connection and the importance of Securing it. finish off the report with two dotted rounded rectangle boxes beside each other. One has a free Computer tune up assessment and the other a free wireless network security test. If they take you up on either you can test for the other. You now have two sources of possible income.
Protect yourself from Hackers - I received this from a newsletter from FXpro that I subscribed to. Please read and apply In the 21st Century internet is widely used for everyday job. Despite the "ease" and free time offered from internet use, one should be aware of the dangers and be prepared to avoid and safeguard him/herself from any attacks his/her computer may accept or even from the "unwanted" e-mails received. Golden Rules of Protection When using the internet make sure you have an antivirus program installed in order to avoid intrusions in your Computer, If you are using wireless internet connection make sure you have your connection locked, Do not save any official documents on your Computer, such as Copy of Passport, ID, Bank account numbers, copy of cards in case your Computer is hacked or even stolen, Keep all access codes/passwords in a safe place, Do not share an e-mail address with any person, Do not reveal any access codes, passwords to any person, If you are using a public Computer, ie in an internet cafe, make sure you log out any internet sites you have visited before leaving and deleting the cookies in order to minimize the risk of someone following your tracks, Regularly change your passwords on your e-mail accounts, or any other account that requires passwords, Be careful of e-mails received. Always check the e-mail address and in case you believe that this does not come from a person, Company, Organization you might be dealing with always send an e-mail to an e-mail address stated on the person's business card, Company's, Organization website requesting them to confirm that the e-mail address on the e-mail received belongs to them, before you reveal any information, Always have in mind that an established Company/Organization never uses an e-mail address such as g-mail, yahoo, hotmail etc thus always be careful when you are receiving such e-mails, even if it appears to be from a Company/Organization you are dealing with, Always remember that a Company or Organization will never require you to send them your login/password/access codes, When using a website that requires an access code, do not allow the browser to remember your passwords
How long can you stay away from your Computer? - David had just returned from vacation and he stayed away from his computer for 10 days. How long can you stay away from your Computer? If I don't touch my laptop in a day I might be sick. It is like food to me, which I can't do without for too long
Re: Drop out Billionaire - I reveived Bill Bartmann's DVD "9 Steps To Achieve Any Goal" as part of my monthly pack from Success University a few months back. It is a great presentation. I've watched it several times but not for a while so I'll view it again in the coming week. He is one of the greats. Like the best success mentors, he speaks with authority because he has come through much tribulation. His program sounds like a great bargain at $100 a year.
Home-based Business - signed my first 200 customers while I worked from home. You can make it work. Many small businesses do, i.e. interior designers, AC/Heating Companies, moving companies, Plumbing companies, painters, landscapers, web designers, Mobile car mechanics, Computer Techs, online retail businesses, Pool cleaners, Home Repair, Telemarketers, electricians, Artists, etc


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Ten Reasons to take Notes during Sales Meetings

The OLD Way of Advertising, May Not be so OLD

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.