Tuesday Tip: Organize Your Personal Computer to Find What Is Needed in Seconds

By Yehudit Garmaise

Create a new, super-organized system that takes seconds to maintain, instead of continuing to waste time searching for documents stored in a never-ending, confusing list.

A new system can not only help to find documents in seconds, but a newly organized laptop can provide a sense of order and purpose during the workday.

Here’s how:

1. First, take a moment to jot down a neat list of each category which you create documents for daily.

Once you have this list, you will be ready to create and appropriately label a new folder for each category of documents you regularly create.

2. Create new folders: Make as many new folders as needed and save them in a location such as iCloud, Google Drive, or Dropbox.

3. Save each document in its most appropriate folder to make it easier to find when needed. 

4. Select the documents you want to move from your old documents and move them into the appropriate folders by dragging the documents to the correct folders.

5. When naming documents, a good trick is to start each document’s name with the date so your computer will sort and store it chronologically. 

Mac users can create “Smart Folders,” which will automatically file documents into their correct folders. By naming documents with keywords or tags, users get their documents automatically sorted into their correct folders. 

6. Back-up methods: to ensure you don’t lose years’ worth of work if your computer dies. Backing up your work is probably the most important feature of an organized computer and can be done automatically into the “cloud.” Without using an auto-backup system, computer users will have to manually back up each document one at a time, which is time-consuming and could be easily forgotten in the rush of the day.

7. Store your most crucial files in the cloud. Tax returns, important financial records, medical information, and records, and a selection of one’s most important work should be saved there to prevent their loss. 

Back-up copies of birth certificates, marriage certificates, passport information, and other crucial information can also be saved in the cloud so important things are kept in multiple places, just in case.

8. Try to store as little as possible: Every now and again, delete the documents, downloads, photos, videos, and emails you no longer need. Videos, in particular, occupy an inordinate amount of space on your computer. To free up considerable storage space on your computer, remember to click on “Empty Your Trash.”