Le neat, c’est chic.

By popular demand – ok, more by one nice request – here is how my computer is organized.

Before I start, a disclaimer: if you’re a PC user, I’ve got nothing for you. I am mac only. Other than one PC I tried back in the dark days of the mid-90s, I’ve had nothing but macs in my life from my Apple IIGS in the 80s to my iMac today. Unapologetic fangirl, here. Deal with it.

OK, that being said, I am about as annoyingly neat-freaky about my computer as I am about everything else. In fact, my approach to files is identical to my approach to emails: inbox zero is mirrored by desktop zero. Whenever files come in or are created, they are immediately moved to their home. This is what my desktop looks like:

Things to note:
1- No files on desktop. If it’s on the desktop, it’s on its way to someplace else within the hour if not less.
2- Lots of shortcuts in the menubar. How obsessive am I? They are all in BW only. Some of them flash in colors if something comes up.
3- I like twitter and refer to my to-do list throughout the day, so they are both on the left side of my screen. I can easily minimize them if I want more screen space or a more immersive work environment.
4- The dock only has apps I use daily and don’t have a shortcut for on the menubar. I also keep major files on the bottom half, including two iPhoto libraries (each with their own unique camera icon), the download folder (again, I don’t keep anything there for more than a few days at a time) and my major work folders arranged by color (don’t know how to change icons? Here you go). Weirdly, I don’t like hiding my dock. It just adds time to dock-use, so it’s there on the side full time.

Once inside the documents folder, I maintain the same rigid organization. Within UMW, I have five folders organized by color (notice how they are the same as those on my dock, and in the same order, of course!) In teaching, I keep each year separately so that I can easily toggle between different iterations. Any folder I use a great deal is on the sidebar. Whenever a semester or project is done, I remove the folder from the sidebar.

That’s it. Basically, it’s like weeding. If you do it regularly, it’s easy. If you don’t, hello back pain (or in this case wrist pain? You get the idea.) Not to mention unsightly dandelions or jumbled files.

I know what you’re thinking: I’ve got a problem with organization. Judge me all you want. For me, this works. It has significantly reduced my time looking for documents. It has all but guaranteed I’m not mistakenly using an old version of something, or miss a supporting doc.

I am also a zealot when it comes to shortcuts. Anything that can be done faster should be done faster. This means I use lots of little apps like CloudClip Manager, Mail Unread Menu, and Skip Tunes. I also use HyperDock, though with the apps listed above, that may be overkill for some. BTW: keyboard shortcuts are your friends. Use them. Love them. It baffles me that people still don’t know how to take screenshots, for example (it’s command+shift+3 for full screen and command+shift+4 to pull up the crosshairs.)

A couple apps you should really consider, whether you will go to extremes like me or not:

Alfred. If you don’t use it already, I only have one question for you: why not?!? Alfred is free and makes finding stuff on your computer lightning-fast. Launching any app for me starts with option-space, followed by two to three letters and enter. That’s it. It can search through folders and contacts, too. If you’re willing to pay (I’m too cheap) it can apparently do a lot more.

Unclutter. This is a $5 app from the app store. It does three things: 1- keeps notes. 2- keep recent cut/copied items. 3- serve as a temporary home for files. To activate it, mouse over the menubar and scroll down. That’s it. It’s not revolutionary, but it helps keeps things, well, uncluttered.

Path Finder. I got this as part of a bundle, so it wasn’t too expensive. On its own, it’s pricey. It’s not always super user-friendly, either. BUT! It allows you to fine-tune the way you interact with the finder. For instance, it allows for double finder windows, can give you lots of additional info about folders, can keep a terminal window open, etc. I’ll be honest: for me, it’s definitely more than what I need. But I still like it, for the double-finder option if nothing else.

Organization can be beautiful. One day, if I’m very lucky, I can behold a masterpiece of organization like the Studley Tool Chest. In the meantime, organizing all my files does give me some satisfaction. Maybe I should tackle my closet next…