Spring Reset: 5 Ways to Organize Your Computer

Spring cleaning isn’t just for the home. As college students, we spend hours on our computers every day, and opening a laptop to clutter can leave us feeling stressed and distracted. Take time to organize your desktop, files, and bookmarks so you can feel fresh and prepared for the semester ahead.

Keep or Toss

The first step in any kind of organization is to start throwing stuff away. There is no denying that some programs, files, and downloads take up more space than you need on a computer. Keep and toss items by utilizing an external hard drive to backup and transfer data from your computer. Depending on how long it has been, this might be a timely process, so don’t be afraid to break it up, incrementally tackling your desktop, files, and bookmarks.

Creating Meaningful Folders

Have you ever struggled finding a document through all your unorganized files? Well, once you’ve cleared your computer of unnecessary items, it’s a good idea to sort what’s left in clear meaningful folders. This could mean placing ‘floating’ files into new folders or reorganizing existing ones. You can color code your folders or play around with the look of the icon. If you’re a Google user, you could also complete this process for your Drive.

Organize Your Desktop

Your desktop is the first thing you see when you turn on your computer. Keep it clear and utilize the space with folders and organize frequently used applications in the task bar. Mac users can use desktop stacks to quickly organize files into groups. You might also consider adding a To-Do list to your desktop or digital sticky notes for reminders.

Wallpaper Organization

Using a neutral background like the image above for your desktop may feel clearer. If you’re looking for further organization, Canva is a popular tool you can use to create or download a desktop organization wallpaper. The templates include aesthetic designs for calendars, To-Do lists, and spaces to keep your folders and applications.

Keep it Clean

Now that you’ve dedicated time and energy to tidying up your digital space, keep it organized by ensuring that you purposefully save your files or downloads to appropriate locations as you go. One suggestion is to possibly clean up your computer every few weeks.

By Katie Brintle