{"id":49149,"date":"2020-12-11T11:54:26","date_gmt":"2020-12-11T16:54:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/?p=49149"},"modified":"2024-06-11T10:44:06","modified_gmt":"2024-06-11T14:44:06","slug":"year-end-clear-up-desktop-and-downloads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/year-end-clear-up-desktop-and-downloads\/","title":{"rendered":"The Clear-Up: Desktop and Downloads"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Like much of the population, I spend hours every day staring at my computer screen &#8212; eight hours for work and then a few more streaming shows, online shopping, or playing video games. Unsurprisingly, there\u2019s a lot going on each of my desktops and tons of random downloads clogging up my storage space and memory.<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<p>I want to start my new year with an organized, simple to use, and aesthetically pleasing digital work space. That\u2019s why before winter break, I took some time to clean up and clear out my downloads and desktop. Here\u2019s the process I used.<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-spacer\"><\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-49150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Download1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Download1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Download1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Download1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Download1-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Download1-50x33.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"div-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h2>Download clean-up<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Sort and Delete the Obvious<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Start with a quick review of your downloads folder. Delete the files that you know you won\u2019t need again. For me this was hundreds of royalty free images. Thankfully, the name of the website is in the name of each photo so I could filter and delete them in large batches.<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<p>Next, go through the rest of your downloads on by one. Decide to delete them or move them to a different folder like Documents or something more specific.<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<p>Can\u2019t decide to delete or save? Move them to the side or to a TBD folder for the time being. We\u2019ll come back to them later.<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>Evaluate Those in Limbo<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Once you comb through your downloads, evaluate the items left in the TBD folder. For each file ask yourself:<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>In what case would I use this?<\/li>\n<li>Would this be more useful in the hands of someone else?<\/li>\n<li>Should I be storing this file elsewhere (in a shared drive, in a CRM or other tool, etc.)?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Keep those that are useful to you, relocate files that belong elsewhere, and delete those that are irrelevant.<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>Create an Organization System<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve done a rough sort and evaluation of your downloads, organize them. There\u2019s no use in saving files if you can\u2019t find them when you actually need them. Create folders, and folders within those folders, in whichever structure makes most sense to you. Additionally, rename files, especially if they\u2019re a bunch of random letters and numbers that hold no meaning. You should be able to tell what a file is about without having to open the file.<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<p>Repeat the process in your OneDrive, Google Drive, and any other place that you store files.<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h2>Desktop clear-out<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Evaluate and Delete<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The process to organize my desktop was similar to that of my downloads but simpler. For each app or file on your desktop, ask yourself:<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>Do I use this shortcut?<\/li>\n<li>How frequently am I using this app or file?<\/li>\n<li>How easily can I access this app or file if it\u2019s not right on my desktop?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The icons left on your desktop should be ones that you use frequently and need quick access to. Delete the others and, when you need them, access them another way (search bar, file explorer, website, etc.).<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>Organize the Remainders<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Maybe this is by topic. Maybe it\u2019s alphabetical. Maybe it makes most sense to order them by the time of the day that the app or file is used. Maybe it\u2019s by a color gradient. Place them in an order that makes sense to you and allows you to easily find what you\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-spacer\"><\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-49151\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Download2-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Download2.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Download2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Download2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Download2-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Download2-50x33.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"div-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h2>What\u2019s the point?<\/h2>\n<p>Why bother with deleting and organizing if I&#8217;m just going to keep downloading and saving things to my desktop? Three reasons: memory, efficiency, aesthetics.<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<p>Deleting unnecessary files and apps <a href=\"https:\/\/macpaw.com\/how-to\/increase-available-disk-space-on-mac\">frees up space<\/a> and memory on your computer, making room for future projects.<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<p>Having a system in which you organize your files and desktop means that you can easily and quickly find what you&#8217;re looking for, saving you time and from frustration. Additionally, apps can sometimes run in the background which slows down your computer. Deleting some of those apps can help your computer run more efficiently.<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<p>Lastly, an organized work space is just more pleasing to look at than a jumbled mix of files. When everything else in life is chaotic, you can find solace in this carefully catalogued area of your computer.<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<p>Taking the time to organize now means you can organize as you go. Save files to the folders you created and periodically go back and delete superfluous downloads. That way, next year&#8217;s year-end clear-up won&#8217;t be nearly as tedious.<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"div-spacer\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>Looking for ways to help boost your team&#8217;s productivity?<\/strong> Start a conversation to find out what&#8217;s holding them back from getting things done! An <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/employee-experience-platform\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">employee survey<\/a> can be a perfect place to kick things off &#8212; and get things moving!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Like much of the population, I spend hours every day staring at my computer screen &#8212; eight hours for work and then a few more streaming shows, online shopping, or playing video games. Unsurprisingly, there\u2019s a lot going on each of my desktops and tons of random downloads clogging up my storage space and memory. I want to start my new year with an organized, simple to use, and aesthetically pleasing digital work space. That\u2019s why before winter break, I took some time to clean up and clear out my downloads and desktop. Here\u2019s the process I used. Download clean-up Sort and Delete the Obvious Start with a quick review of your downloads folder. Delete the files that you know you won\u2019t need again. For me this was hundreds of royalty free images. Thankfully, the name of the website is in the name of each photo so I could filter and delete them in large batches. Next, go through the rest of your downloads on by one. Decide to delete them or move them to a different folder like Documents or something more specific. Can\u2019t decide to delete or save? Move them to the side or to a TBD folder for the time being. We\u2019ll come back to them later. Evaluate Those in Limbo Once you comb through your downloads, evaluate the items left in the TBD folder. For each file ask yourself: In what case would I use this? Would this be more useful in the hands of someone [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":5070,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[75],"tags":[198,574,577],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.7.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Clear-Up: Desktop and Downloads - Sogolytics Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The next edition to our Year-End Clear-Up series is here! 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