Laptops need to be able to know where their data is stored on them so that they can easily get what they need when they need it in order to be able to work fast and effectively.
Think about it, if you want to find something important fast, odds are you will have much more success if your room was clean compared to if your room was a mess.
15 Things You Could Do Right Now
All laptops should be well organized in order for you to be diligent in your work. Here are some tips on how to clean up and organize your laptop just how you like it.
1. Know your Laptop’s Storage
Knowing the storage on your laptop is crucial when you are deciding how to organize your laptop. This is due to the fact that everything that you do on your laptop requires storage.
Different applications use different amounts of storage
That said, different applications that are currently available require different amounts of storage in order to work. For example, the Photos app, which is currently the default photography saving app on most, if not all, Apple devices, has a limited amount of storage whereas Google Photos which is a photography filing app available through the Google applications, has a set storage amount which allows users to store an unlimited amount of pictures without reduction in free storage on their device.
Different plans have different storage amounts
In addition to apps, different service plans give varying amounts of free storage to their customers as well. It’s recommended that you check out your plan with your local provider as well as compare it with other plans offered by different companies that serve in your area.
2. Clean out your Downloads Folder
During your long relationship with your laptop, odds are you will download many different items. From work, documents, photos, upgrades and even a game or two, your download folder will grow sooner or later.
Empty out your download folder
Fact is, after some time has gone by, it’s likely that you will no longer need everything that is in your downloads’ folder because there’s a good chance that you either moved what you downloaded into a correct file on your laptop, or you printed what you had to have.
If this is the case with you, then you should regularly go through your downloads folder and delete anything that no longer needs to be there.
3. Delete Recurring Pictures
Don’t you hate it when you take a bunch of photos really quickly, and then you end up realizing that they happen to be copies of the same image? There’s no need to keep 5 copies of one camera shot, so you should regularly go through your pictures and delete any unwanted copies.
4. Don’t Leave Open Tabs
We have all been in this situation before. It’s where we had so many projects that had to be done that we open multiple tabs on our device and jump between them like frogs jumping between lily pads on a pond.
The upside and downside to multitasking
Soon enough, you’re bound to have so many open tabs on your computer that you don’t know which one is playing music and which one is speaking the dialogue of the latest episode of your favorite show.
What you can do about this
Therefore, you should always make sure that you close the tabs that you don’t need. Also, you can minimize the number of tabs that you have opened in the first place by dedicating your attention to finishing one task at a time.
5. Bookmark What You Need
This tip plays well with the previously mentioned tip about shrinking the number of open tabs that you have on your laptop, as you can easily bookmark an open tab and then close that window.
By having a list of important sites on your bookmark page you have an easy access route to whatever site you need at that time which improves your working efficiency process.
6. Know What Apps You Are Using
Sometimes you download an app that does a particular project just so you can learn that a different app does the same project but better. Don’t get lost in a sea of unnecessary apps!
If you have 2 apps that do the same job or if you have an app that you find yourself barely opening because it’s useless, there’s no sense in keeping both. Delete the apps that you don’t need in order to free up storage space and clean up your laptop
7. Group Like Items
Aren’t folders an amazing invention? Simply place items that you have on your laptop into folders in order to access your data without much need to look around.
8. Delete Recurring Folders
On the downside of folders, if you create them too constantly, you will ultimately end up with too many folders that hold items that could actually be grouped under one folder.
Don’t let the ease of creating folders get you carried away! Use folders to group items under a broad range of topics to minimize the number of overall folders on your laptop.
9. Use Useful And Easy To Understand Titles
There’s no use in labelling anything if you won’t be able to understand why it’s called what it is in the first place. This is due to the easy fact that you won’t know what to put there or what you already put there in the first place.
Keep it classy and don’t get too fancy
There’s no need to make a certain file on your computer sound like an overly dramatic romance song title. Use titles that are basic and blunt, which allow anyone who speaks the same language to understand what is in the file.
10. Or… Just Purchase A New Laptop
Maybe you’ve given up all hope on your laptop and just want a clean slate for a fresh start with more storage space for all of your needs. Luckily enough, The fantastic minds at Portable monkey have created a list of the best laptops.
11. Constantly Review Your Anti Virus
Although it’s easy to become sidetracked by the aesthetic appeal of cleaning up how your laptop looks, you must remember that there’s more to any laptop than meets the eye.
Constantly check and upgrade your antivirus software to make sure your computer is safe from bugs, glitches and hackers.
Protect your laptop.
Your laptop is a valuable resource and if anything bad happened to it, you would be devastated. It’s easy to pick out and purchase an affordable antivirus software that you can easily upload to your computer.
12. Choose Your Screensaver Wisely
Your desktop is an amazing page for you to express yourself as an individual. Feel free to choose your all-time favorite picture as your backdrop on your laptop.
What not to choose
On the downside of this personalization is that people often choose a bad photo as their backdrop on their screen saver. Make sure that your photo is bright, clear and uncomplicated so you can easily navigate your home screen.
13. Only Use Visible Files on your Desktop if you Need them
Your desktop is the first thing that people see when they log onto your laptop. So don’t let them get the first impression that you’re a slob!
Keep your desktop free of clutter.
Most of the time, the pages that you have saved individually on your home screen does not need to be there. Instead of on your desktop, you can save your individual files in apps such as documents or photos, or in a designated folder.
14. Constantly Back up your Laptop
If you ask any skilled technician for one piece of technological advice, it will almost always be to back up your files. Whether they’re memorable photos, documents that took forever to write or even important files, always back up your laptop as often as you can in order to save your precious files.
How to Backup your Computer
Luckily enough, in today’s world where technology is constantly being used more and more as well as potential crashes and hackers are becoming more and more common, many different methods of backing up your laptop are available on the market.
It’s highly recommended that you use a physical backup, such as a CD or a USB stick.
15. Beware of Pop-Ups
It’s almost a universal fact that everyone hates pop-ups that occur on their laptop during times of usage. This isn’t just because they are annoying, but also because they can disrupt work efficiency, infect your laptop with harmful bugs and even lead you down a dark and unwanted road.
Make sure to close unwanted pop-up windows as soon as they occur in order to protect your device.
Author Bio |
| Tania D’Amico, although she commonly goes under the pen name of Tricksy, is an experienced novel writer and a 4 time published author in an anthology series. She is a technology writer, lives in Toronto, Canada. |
