Organizing Your Resources on Your Computer
Our computers hold all sorts of digital resources that we utilize both at work and in our personal lives. From family photos to financial records, the data we store on our hard drives can be very important. But, if your computer’s files are cluttered and disorganized, it can be difficult to find the file you need when you actually need it. Here are some hints for tidying up the resources you keep on your computer.
Invest in an External Hard Drive
It is highly recommended that you back up your important content in the event that your computer takes a turn for the worst. An external hard drive is an excellent way to store large amounts of content without bogging down your computer in the process. External hard drives are especially useful for storing collections of things like photos, music or even videos. This will free up a significant amount of room on your personal computer, as well as ensure your content will be safe no matter what.
I use two external drives, one for day to day use and the second is my back up. Both are 2TB and currently about 30% is used on each. I also have another 640GB drive that I use for my music, movies and photos as an additional back up. It may sound like I'm paranoid to some, but after suffering through a couple of drive failures over the years and losing a lot of data, I don't take any chances these days.
Trash Old, Unnecessary Files
After you’ve used your computer for some time, it’s almost impossible to avoid accumulating files that you don’t need any more or that never were useful in the first place. Not only can these files take up valuable space on your hard drive, they can also make it hard to find the file you’re looking for. If you haven’t accessed a file or program in a long time, consider whether or not it is still needed.
Organize Your Web Bookmarks
An overflowing bookmarks bar can cost quite a bit of time when you’re looking for content you need to view frequently. Remember that most web browsers allow you to sort your bookmarks just like you would other files on your computer, including allowing you to create folders. Use these to your advantage in order to create a bookmark system that is quick and easy to navigate.
Clean Up Your Filing System
Your computer uses a system of folders and subfolders in order to keep your files organized. Much like a filing cabinet, these folders need to be carefully organized and maintained in order to be used efficiently. Try to consolidate your resources into a few top-level folders with other similar sub-folders within. For example, you may have a folder called “work,” which contains other folders called “expenses” and “income,” and so on.
Helpful Tools
Some helpful tools you may want to consider utilizing to make organizing your resources on your computer an easy and stress-free task are Evernote.com, Zootool.com and Instapaper.com. These useful cloud-based applications allow you to create and store documents online and access them from any device. This way, there are fewer resources that are actually on your computer and in need of organization.
There is no perfect system or technique for organizing the many resources on your computer. What makes perfect sense to one user may seem taboo to another. The trick is to find the system that works best for you. And, once you’ve found something that works, it’s vital that you keep it up.