5 Ways to Get Rid of PC Clutter

It's difficult enough these days to get organized and then keep it that way for weeks or months. We're all very busy people, some of us with 9-5 jobs and one-hour commutes, and others trying to make our lives at home work for us, with children in tow and a variety of chores and errands to run.

However, no matter how different our lives are, we all face the same challenges when it comes to organization, and that is: KEEPING ORGANIZED. You'll need to create a system that keeps your PC clutter-free and organized. Granted, this task is difficult at first, but it only takes a few extra steps each day, done consistently, to maximize your results in the long run.

Assume you have disorganized files all over your hard drive that you can't find when you need them. Your computer continues to be infected with viruses out of nowhere. You're at a loss as to what to do with all of your spam mail. You have extra programs and freeware on your computer that you don't understand and wouldn't know what to do with even if you did. Here are some pointers to get you started in the right direction:

1.) Remove any unnecessary files or programs from your hard drive. This will necessitate some research on your part. You'll need to set aside some time to sit down and go through all of the files on your PC, deleting anything you don't need. Run a disk cleanup, use your system file checker, and defragment your hard drive on a regular basis for optimal performance.

2.) Sort through all of your files and folders. Take a look at what's left after you've deleted everything you don't need. Is there any way you could organize these into nice categorical folders so they're easier to find later? You could, for example, create a few folders beneath your My Documents folder and label them My Journal, My TV Shows, My Videos, My Business, My Songs, My JobFind, and so on. You could then organize all of your files beneath these neatly organized folders. You can also make use of many of the folders provided by Microsoft Windows, such as My Pictures and My Music.

3.) Install anti-adware and anti-spyware software. I don't think I need to emphasize how important it is to have antivirus and spyware software installed. Personally, I prefer McAffee because of its broad range of security services, but Norton AntiVirus also performs admirably.

4.) Remove any extraneous shareware and freeware files. It is critical to keep your hard drive as clean and well-organized as possible. Remember that shareware and freeware can both be harmful to your computer (viruses! ), depending on where you got your shareware.

5.) Eliminate unnecessary emails and gain control of spam. You are probably aware that you should have antivirus software installed on your computer. This is a must, and it will protect you if you open emails with viruses attached to them. Before you open any emails, make sure you recognize the sender and that there are no.zip or.exe attachments. Open files with attachments with extreme caution, especially if they come from unknown senders.

I hope that many of these suggestions will assist you in moving in the right direction when it comes to decluttering your computer, both now and in the future.

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