Is it better to have a clean desktop?

Cleaning your virtual workspace is just as important as tidying up your house. Clutter can cause stress,can be distracting andcan maketheimportant itemsdifficult to find. It is essential for your productivity,and your mental health to keep areas like your computerorganized andclutter free. It may seem like a daunting task, but the incentive of having a clean desktop is far better thanworking with a slow computer or even worselosing data.Here are some tips to considergetting you started.

Identify theJunk

The first step inthedecluttering processisto identify what youneedandwhat youdontneedsavedto yourdesktop.Thiswill varyfrom person toperson,buta general guideline isto ask yourself,do I click and run this program often?. If the answer is no, consider removing it from your desktop.Once you identify the files you need to keep, they should be stored in a secure place that is easy to access.We suggest utilizing Microsoft OneDrivewhich is secure and ultimately has endless drive space to store files.Another great option is backingup locally stored data to a safe location on yourNetworkDrivewhichwillprotect your data and clean up your computer. Once it is backed up to the server, your files are safe from being lost in the occurrence of yourcomputershard drive failing.

Unsure if it is important or not?

Sometimesthere are icons onyourdesktop that youdontuse, but you dont know if they are important or not.Youcan move these icons into a folder and this way theyare still accessible,if needed. Start by right-clicking on your desktop and selectNew>Folder. Name this folder Unused Icons. Drag the icons you do not want to seeon your desktopinto this folder.Movethis folder to a spot on your desktop that is out of the way. If you want to put an icon back, double click on the folder and drag it back on to your desktop.

For theprogramsyou usedaily, consider pinning the program to your task bar so you can see them even when you haveotherprogramsopen. Pin apps to the taskbar byright-clickingthe icon you wish to pin, then selectingPin to taskbar. You can unpin any applications by repeating this process but selectingUnpin to taskbar.

Remove theJunk

Now that you haveidentified theprogramsand files you do notneed;it istime to remove them.You can removethese itemsthat are no longer needed by:

• Draggingthese items into theRecycle Binlocated on your desktop
• Open theDisk Cleanuptool by searching in theWindows Search Bar. This toolwill identify files that are no longer needed by the Windows OS and will also clear yourrecyclebin for you.

After removing this clutter, your computer should open programs faster, findfilesquicker,andallowyoutosearchfor applicationsmore swiftly. This in turn will turn up the dial on your productivity.

Sonow thatthings are clean,how do you monitor clutterand keep it to aminimum?

• When installing new apps or creating new folders on your computer,move those icons and documents into your desktop folder.
• You can consider scheduling aroutinecleaning to corral any stray items that have gathered on your desktop since the last cleanup.
• You may want to hideall of the icons on the desktop by right-clicking on thedesktop, going toViewand deselectingShow desktop iconsin the context menu. Repeat the process to show them again.
• We also suggest rebooting your computerat least once a week as this will automatically clean up anycached data.

If youre looking for some help to get started, give us a call at 780-701-1838 or send us an email through our contact form.