7 Simple Steps to Organize and Declutter your Notebook / Laptop

Laptops, notebooks, tablets and smartphones – technical devices we cannot do without anymore. Yet one has to agree that those metal boxes might have an important advantage when it comes to work and gaining knowledge. And today we’ll take a look at our digital hygiene. Let’s take a look at how to clean your PC and Declutter your Notebook and Laptops 🙂

I am not going to lie – I, myself, have a notebook too. It is much easier to write notes, to bring your work anywhere and to even reach your family per quick call. Here is the bad side. I’ll let you take a look at my download folder:

The longer I had the notebook the worse my organization got. Pictures were mindlessly copied from my phone and my desktop was full of screenshots and word documents.

I know you have been there. Actually I think everyone will reach that point of disorganization at least once.

But don’t worry! I have found the perfect 10 Steps to organize your Notebook / Laptop. By using them and cleaning up the mess I made – I boosted my productivity massively.

Now let’s get started!

How do you want to set up your folders? What are they called? Personally, I would recommend you make a quick mind map to start your digital declutter. Write down your current school or work projects, goals you want to catch up to, and activities you plan to do. Folders you need and how you want them to be set up to start organizing folders.

I keep pictures and videos in the already set folders and organize them by event and date, but I do have some I need quick access to, so I have some folders on my desktop.

The first thing you should do after setting up your folder structure is to organize them. You want to make sure they are organized in a way that makes sense to you. If you have a lot of folders, then you may need to create subfolders to keep things organized. There are many ways to organize your folders, but here are some examples:

Here are some Folder Ideas to Declutter your Laptop

Sort your Folder by Project:

Project A
Project B

Organize your Folder by Date:

2021
2022
etc.

Deleting Apps and Programs

The next point is to uninstall unnecessary software. This could take some time based on how much you have actually installed. Sometimes we do have to install programs for school or work that we don’t use after completing the task.

We install a lot of rubbish for our personal enjoyment. I can still remember the time I downloaded heaps of Sims 3 mods. I clogged up my notebook terribly and wasted loads of GB. Once I kicked out all the unnecessary software I’ve also found several games I didn’t play anymore, picture editing softwares, weird programs I have no idea what I installed them for. I even had a safety program for online banking installed – I’ve not once used any sort of online banking on that laptop once!

The deinstallation process in simple: Just type program into your search bar and click “Add or remove programs” . Now you only have to click on the program you want to remove and choose deinstall! I can only show you the German Screenshots, but the symbol should be the same.

Deleting and Sorting out Computer Files and Folders

Once all unnecessary software is deinstalled you can move on and sort your messy folders. Those folders include Videos, Pictures, Downloads, Music and Documents. I would recommend you to start with the least chaotic one. It will be less overwhelming, believe me.

Usually I start with the document folder. I have all my important documents on my desktop so this folder can be sorted out the quickest. Then I move on to music, pictures and videos.

Last but not least your disorganized download folder. I can feel the frustration!

When I organized my notebook for the first time, I almost screamed at the download folder. It was a chaotic mess with no end! And because I immediately copied the content from the download folder into the preset folders (Videos, Music etc), those were a mess too!

Best Tip: Don’t let your download folder get this messy in the first place. Sort everything right away. Or delete the files when you don’t need them anymore.

Now nothing can stand in your way and a clean computer. You can also use a program to clean up computer. Here are some free cleaners for your PC.

Give your Computer Files Easy & Searchable File Names

Decide on how you’ll name your files. Consistent file names help you find your documents faster. You can organize them easier and you’ll know at one glance what the document is about. E.g.:

Name-22-07-01.pdf

The file name should clearly describe the content of the file. A bad example would be:

12mgsf34-copy.pdf

What did I learn about decluttering notebooks ?

Instead of moving the computer files from one folder to another, make some temporary folders within the folder you want to empty, especially if you have to tackle a huge amount of files. Eg: create a picture, video, university, etc folder in your downloads and sorting them out within the folder.

Going back to my example. After I started to see what I could stack into another sub folder or what I could delete my preset, already organized folders were safe from the chaos (for now). Also, it saved a lot of time to not switch folders back and forth as you only had to move the file within the same folder.

Once I had everything cleared I moved those folders to their actual place (preset folders) and started the whole progress again.

Organizing is a very time consuming task. But once you have built the foundation and you keep your files organized it will be very rewarding for your time management

Cleaning and Setting up your Desktop To Declutter your Notebook

The next step is to organize your desktop. Usually I just follow the same steps as with the download folder. Sometimes, I also reorganize how folders and programs are aligned so I have the smoothest and fastest access I can get. I also prefer to give folders that are important a specific symbol so my eyes would spot them faster. Currently I only have 8 folders on my desktop, the bin and my marketing homework. (Update: homework was removed lol)

Tipp: less is more.

Having less on your desktop makes you less overwhelmed when it comes to finding documents.

Here is how you change your folder icon:

Right Click on the Folder. Chose Properties (Or in German Eigenschaften).

Go to Properties (Anpassen) and click Change Icon (Anderes Symbol) . Tadaa. Super simple.

Empty Bin and Caches When Decluttering your Notebook

Now it’s time to get all unnecessary files out of your notebook: Hit the “empty your bin button” and relax. The worst part is done.

I would also recommend you to install and run a cleaning software to get your caches cleaned too! Microsoft offers a free version for windows 10 which is called: Microsoft Total PC cleaner. (It can be found in the app store but is only for PC!)

Your notebook is running slower lately? Running cleaning software helps you to get your laptop or notebook back on speed level!

Move Files to External Hard-drive or Cloud

Now that you only have the files you keep, you can sort out on what is relevant for current projects and goals and what might have importance on a later point.

Long story short: Find a place where you store currently unneeded files.

Good examples would be application documents, school notes from previous semesters, pictures and videos you won’t look at, contracts. Not only are those more safe in case your notebook dies suddenly but they are also out of sight and out of mind. (And you can access them anytime if you need to)

A good place to store extra files are either the cloud or an external hard drive.

Set up your important folders

What are your important folders (based on your mind map) ? And where do you place them?

Like I mentioned earlier, all my relevant folders are on my desktop. Of course you are free to place them where you think they fit the most!

If not done yet I would definitely keep your important folders uptodate. For example, I have a college folder with all my materials inside (sorted by subject of course). During the semester I always download new material and immediately add them, so I wont forget them at a later point!

When you just begin to sort your files out – some files might be lost during the organizing progress (which i don’t hope!). Maybe some files aren’t just yet downloaded and added.

Create a goal folder during your digital declutter

I also took the time to create a goal folder. I’ve spent hours to find pictures that represent what I aim for in life. Pictures that give me a feeling of excitement when I look at them.

Tipp: Keep your folders updated to keep yourself updated.

Before I am leaving you to clean up your notebook I have a quick manifestation tip for you: Take the time to edit a picture with all your goals representatives. You can use any picture editing software for this and it will help you to always have your goals in mind.

Hope you have a wonderful rest week!

Summing it up

How to clean your computer?

Create a folder Structure and a subfolder structure.
Delete and Organize your computer files.

Topics that could also be relevant to you:

The Top 5 Productivity Apps for 2020

The law of attraction – from visualization to reality

How to become Proactive – Create your “Proactive Personality”

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Love from Germany,

Carina and Juli