How to Organize a Computer
Can you believe that most people waste 76 hours per year-nearly two weeks’ worth of work, looking for things on their computer or in their office?
Do you have a love hate relationship with your computer?
Do you wish your computer was more organized?
Check out this short video on How to Organize a Computer.
Read on for my simple top 5 tips on how to organize a computer so you do not toss it out the window.
Tip#1: Back up your computer. Can you believe that 30% of people do not back up their files and every 3 seconds someone’s hard drive fails. YIKES! You can get an external drive, or rely on the “cloud”. (It is a virtual backup on a website that uses multiple servers.) Even on a sunny day here in Vancouver would you feel comfortable relying on a cloud? What if the cloud crashes? I still feel that the most important papers in your life need to be backed-up on your computer and you also need a hard copy.
Tip#2: Empty your recycling bin or trash. Have you kept EVERY single solitary email, file, document, etc. that you have ever received on your computer? You could be headed for a crash and burn situation. Just like you take out your paper recycling each week, you need to do the same with your computer. Clean it up. Take 15 minutes each week and delete what you no longer need. Exit out of all programs you are using; don’t just minimize them, then empty the trash.
Tip#3: Organize your desktop. Don’t save unneeded files. It slows your computer down. I’ve seen desktops that have so many files on them you can hardly see the screen. This is clutter to the mind just looking at it. Take a second to put these files in a hard-drive folder like “My Documents” or “My Photos”. Before you move any files, ask yourself “do I need this information any longer or can I toss it?”
For example you might have thought it was cool to have “Google Earth” on your desktop. How often do you look at it? Is it necessary to keep it?
Tip#4: Re-boot. “Booting up” a computer was so termed because programs load in sequence, the first pulls the rest up by their bootstraps. It’s fine to let a computer “sleep” rather than shut it done, but reboot weekly to really refresh it. I recommend turning your computer off at the end of each day. This will save on electricity which saves on our environment. Reduce your webpage history. Your browser stores visited sites automatically. Set the history to clear every week.
Tip#5: Keep it clean. How often do you wipe down your keyboard, your mouse, your screen? I cannot even imagine the germs that are on and around our computers. We touch them with dirty fingers, we sneeze around them and not to mention crumbs from our morning toast. You can get all kinds of fancy computer cleaning kits. I personally use a Q-tip and microfiber cloth for keyboard and screen and an alcohol wipe for the mouse.
You know there is so much more we can talk about when it comes to our computers, organizing emails, etc. I’ll save those tips for another post. In the meantime please feel free to contact me for your FREE 30 minute reclaim session. We can discuss your burning computer questions, how to organize them, and how to move forward. Contact www.reclaimsession.com to book your time now.
If I cannot answer your questions you might have to join me for lunch with my really smart girlfriend! Lucky for me I can call on my girlfriend to help me out with most computer issues. She is not a computer person by trade, however she is really smart. She is actually a professional photographer. A world class one I might add.
Do you have the next up and coming Picasso?
By now you all know how much I love to travel. I love the different types of food, seeing the amazing countryside, architecture and meeting new people. Some trips are pure relaxation like going to Hawaii, golfing, some are more adventurous like skiing in the Alps, and some are road trips for a quick weekend getaway. I never find it challenging getting ready for a trip because of being organized and because of using these handy travel tips.
Are you one of these people who can hardly wait to retire?
Are you the adult child of an aging senior?
What can you tell about a person’s shape, size and condition of their wallet? There are wallets that look like filing cabinets, ones that look like there is nothing in them and then there are some wallets that are held together by an elastic band.
Want to be wallet-less? Put the contents of your wallet in my favorite purse organizer. The Pouchee purse organizer. There is a place for your credit cards, money, lipstick, eye glasses and receipts. It makes changing purses fast and easy. 
How much does your purse weigh?
Step #5 Organize the essential contents back in your purse. Some people like to use zip lock bags, some use little cosmetic bags to separate different items. I like the Pouchee Purse organizer (shown in the image on the left). This purse organizer allows you to put the entire contents of your purse in this one little pouch. You will be able to change your purse to match each outfit. (They are perfect in diaper bags, gym bags or brief cases.)
Two of our grand daughters have started selling magazines as a school fundraiser. They both want to be TOP sellers. At the beginning of the school year we get a phone call asking us to buy, buy, buy.
I just got off the phone with a client (let’s call her Mary) who has EVERY issue of Oprah magazine. I know other people who have the same collection. Are you one of them? This is what I suggested to her.
A recent UK study found that people on average check their phones 150 times a day. 150! On average, people are checking 23 times a day for messaging, 22 times for voice calls, and 18 times to get the time. Not to mention mindlessly scrolling through emails and social media. It’s almost mind-boggling to consider how much time that wastes, and how automatically we do these things without any real awareness.