Hello Everyone, Angie from Architecturally Organized here.

Happy New Year!!!!  Hope it was a Healthy and Happy one!!

So here we are… a new Year.. a new Month… and a new Day!! What are you going to do to celebrate this fresh start? What will you organize? What resolutions have you made?

Organizing drawers…closets…rooms in my house… for me that is pretty simple… but for some reason – keeping my electronics organized is a WHOLE other ball game!! My phone.. My email… my computer… ipad… It always gets crammed full of things… So I thought what better way to start the year – than starting it with neat and tidy electronics!!!

That is what I will be focusing on this month!!

I was reading an article and it made me laugh… it gave a list of items… Your desktop has a million icons, your document folder is filled to the brim, you can’t find files…and a few more… These are signs that your computer is not organized efficiently

And unfortunately…I could relate to some of these items!! Which got me thinking… I really need to sit down and organize my computer! So here we are!!  (click on the underlined text above to read the Article).   Now it goes a little more in depth with file naming and organizing… but it is a good read!

Let’s do it… let’s organize our Computers!!

First things first… we will Purge!! 

As Elle Woods would say… the Rules of Haircare Organizing are Simple and Finite!!  I am sorry for that… but sometimes you can’t argue with Legally Blonde!!  We will Purge out anything we can!!  We will remove any and all duplicate files that we have.  We will empty out – and by this I mean – temporarily file away and/or throw out unneeded files in – our “download” file folder.  

Next is figuring out a proper way to organize your folders.

Everyone is different.  There is no right or wrong way… just a “right way” for you. You have to find and build a system that works best for you! 

Is this a personal computer or a work computer? Or is it combined? Will you have personal files… Will you separate your business files by project or by client?  Will you keep “like with like” – all digital files together, all family files together, all business files together….These are all things you have to ask yourself when trying to create a system that will work for you.

My computer is both personal and business.  So I have a plethora of folders!! But creating the right folders and keeping them organized is where it gets tricky for me!!

I have read that it is best to have a few large main folders and a ton of subfolders within them, I have also come across the notion of having one folder on your desktop and within that folder having everything else – that way your desktop remains free and clear.  And I won’t lie-there is a big part of me who likes this idea and thinks I will have to try it!!

Another thing to think about is your naming and filing system.  You don’t want to have super long file names, but you also want to make sure they are easy to find.  For my Business files – I name everything with a date first.  2022-01-03_File Name.  This works for me and is my preferred method of file names.  You need to find which way works best for you!

But…. You need to be consistent with the file naming!!  Don’t change up the way you enter it…don’t forget to put a 0 in front of your single digit month.  These are silly little things but can make a big difference when you are trying to search for something!

Something you may be forgetting about… that you really should take advantage of…. is your Taskbar! Make good use of it! Pin the items you use the most.  Keep your most used folders pinned there for easy access!

The MOST important thing to do… and the one thing that I am …. Horrible at remembering to do…. Backup your computer!!!  Seriously… I don’t know why I haven’t learned by now… There have been a few occasions when my hard drive crapped the bed and I lost everything… I had some things in the cloud and some things in other places so I was (thank god) able to scrounge around and find things… but it was a pain in the butt and no one wants to spend time doing that!! Backup your computer!!!!! Can’t say it too many times!

Lastly – after you have combed through your files and they are in a pristine and organized manner… empty out your trash – or if you are nervous about it, wait a week.  See if you find yourself looking for something that you accidentally tossed.  After a week or two – if you don’t find yourself digging through the trash – get rid of it!

You can use these steps for your phone, tablet/ipad, etc…. 

How do you keep your computer organized? Do you have any tips or tricks you would like to share?? Let us know!!

Well… that’s it for now!! Stay warm and I’ll talk to you later!!