Organize your computer's desktop

Does your desktop need organizing? I'm talking about your computer's desktop, the screen that first comes up when you start up your computer, or log on. If your desktop looks like the one of the right, it needs to be organized. I think this one is much too cluttered. It would be hard to find anything on this desktop.

Think of your computer's desktop as a desk plus a filing cabinet. The items you want to get at very quickly, or that you use regularly, you will want to leave on your computer desktop. The other items you want to put in your computer's file cabinet. So before you begin to declutter your desktop, take a little time to make a quick list of what you want to get at quickly (shows on your desktop), and what you want to file away (won't show on your desktop).

Now armed with your list, you can create some folders. Right click on a blank space on your computer's desktop. From the context menu, create and name your new folders.

When creating and naming your desktop folders, keep these tips in mind:

1. Plan out your folders before you start. You don't want too many, or too few. Think about what general topics you have that you could put in a folder.
   
2. Give them specific names. Instead of just naming a folder "Documents", decide what kind of documents you are going to put in that folder. Then give it that name, like "Investments".
3. Create subfolders if you need to. In a folder called "Photos" you may have a folder called "Vacations" If you have a lot of vacation photos, you may want to create more subfolders and name them accordingly, like "Vacation 08," or "Florida Vacation."
4. Name your folders so they make sense for what you are putting in them so you can easily find what you are looking for when you need it. You don't want to waste valuable time searching for something that should be easy to find.

If you find you still have a lot of files or shortcuts that don't fit into a specific category, but you use them frequently, do what I do. Create a folder called "Frequently used" and place your shortcuts in that folder. That way they are very handy, but are not cluttering up your computer's desktop.

Now that you have your folders created, simply drag and drop items into them. If your desktop was really cluttered before, this step should clear it off quite a bit. It probably won't like quite like this one. It doesn't have any desktop folders yet. But you should at least be able to see the background when you are done, as compared to the first picture above where any background would be lost in the clutter.

Now that your desktop is organized, be sure to keep it that way. When you have new documents, shortcuts, or items that appear on your desktop, put them where they should be right away. If they don't need to be on your desktop, put them in the folders hidden from your desktop. Then you'll always be able to find what you need, and your desktop won't get cluttered up again.