Keeping Your PC In Order

Just like our homes, our garages and our garden sheds, our computers can easily become bogged down with clutter and junk that we simply don’t need anymore.

Aside from making it difficult to find anything, an excess of unused and unnecessary data is going to slow things down dramatically, so it’s really in your best interests to keeps things in order. That said, organizing your desktop can be a daunting task if you’re unfamiliar with the procedure.

That’s why we’ve created this simple guide to keeping your PC in order, clutter free and working at its’ best.

First of all, you’ll need to remove all of that useless data that’s taking up valuable space on your hard drive and slowing things down. If you want to do this properly, give yourself a good few hours to sort through everything. If you rush the process you could end up deleting files you actually need or the clean-up will only be partial.

Decide what to keep and what you can live without. If you can’t remember the last time you used something, then it probably belongs in the recycling bin. This is the lengthiest process, but if you stay on top of your PC clutter, you shouldn’t have to tackle this very often.

[Suggested reading: Are You Keeping Your Computer in Optimal Operating Condition?]

Once you’ve decided what’s staying, it’s time to make a logical and helpful filing system. Depending on what you use your PC for the most, whether it’s studying, business or just day-to-day browsing, this will vary. Try to organize your documents in the simplest way possible giving files names that tell you exactly what’s in them at a glance.

Your desktop should be reserved for the things that you use on a daily basis. After all, why waste this space on things that you rarely use, such as you have a shortcut to Google Chrome – which is already on your task bar. Things that you need quick access to belong on the desktop, where you can get in fast – and nothing else!

While you’re decluttering the hard drive of your PC, why not pay attention to the physical elements of your computer. Really basic things like cleaning the keyboard with a can of compressed air and some alcohol gel, may be one the least technical things you can do to your computer – but it’s also a very effective way of keeping it in working order. Dust and general debris can become trapped underneath keys, so it’s important to clean your keyboard every once in a while. The same goes for cleaning the rest of your computer, although of course, you shouldn’t pour any cleaning liquids directly onto the parts.

Computers have many types of cables and these cables can easily damaged if not managed properly. It may also be worth investing in some cable clips; as well as keeping cables tidy, they will left them off the floor and untangled is also going to stop them from getting damaged in the future.

Once you’ve completed this process, sit back and enjoy your clutter-free computer. Set aside some time each week to keep on top of your new filing system and hopefully, you won’t have to do this again anytime soon.

[Recommended reading: Tips to Help Your Laptop Perform Its’ Best]

[Image credit: Tim Franklin Photography, Flickr]