How many of you have a friend or a colleague whose desktop looks like a literal trash can? If your hand doesn’t go up in the air, that friend or colleague is probably you. Disorganization on one’s desktop screen equals disorganization in their lives.
The anxiety that one goes through when they look for a work file between their personal folders is unmatchable. The stress that one goes through when they realize their important work presentation has been corrupted due to some pirated mp3 file affecting their hard disk is just plain depressing.
Just like cleaning out and organizing your wardrobe, side-table and a work desk are a priority, doing the same for your desktop PC or laptop is equally essential.
Listed below is the Marie Kondo inspired guide to clean out and managing your PC like a pro:
1. Back to Basics
The first most important step you need to take for your personal or work PC is setting up a strong password for your account. This is practically a no-brainer, but a password such as 12345 would not suffice. To protect yourself from privacy invasion, setting up a strong password is of utmost importance.
2. Anti-everything
Software such as anti-virus programs, ad-blockers, and anti-spyware are must haves for your PC. Not only are they of utmost importance to protect your PC from all sorts of malware, but are also essential to the health of your hard drives. Regularly update the said programs, and only download software from trusted sources.
3. Precaution is Better than Cure
Always back up your work and personal files into a trusted cloud or email account that only you have access to. As an added measure, install two-factor verification onto it. In case of an unfortunate event such as corruption of your hard disk, your important files remain safe and within your reach.
4. File, Group, Repeat
To organize like a professional, you need to understand the importance of filing and grouping similar documents for ease and convenience. All your work files need to be grouped, and your personal ones need to be kept separate.
5. Name It Appropriately
You need to develop a naming convention for your work and personal files. The system that you base your naming style on should be both concise and understandable. For instance, work files could all begin with a W and personal files with a P, both followed by a hyphen. They could each also be classified according to month or date and importance.
6. Get Rid of Unnecessities
Do away with constantly creating copies of important files and create shortcuts instead. Not only are copies impractical, but they also take up a ton of space are not integrated to save any changes made in another copy.
7. Taking Notes Is A Priority
If you often find yourself looking for a pen and paper during a Zoom meeting, note-taking apps could be your savior. Not only are they more convenient to place side-by-side during an online meeting on your screen, but you also don’t run the risk of losing them.