The Digital Nonsense

I'm going to assume you all have a computer. And I'm going to assume you like to use it.
I'm also going to assume that you save things - printables, wallpapers, photos, etc.

And, if you're awesome, you may not need this post.
If you're like me, you will need it.

Because if you're like me, you'll be able to find files you need on your computer. But, you'll also have folders full of random files and a Downloads folder that is full of who-knows-what, even though you "know" what's there.

And that's not okay. 

Let me explain why.
You should love your computer. And, just as you would your paperwork, you should keep it organized. You should not have to sort through random files that you thought you wanted, in order to find the things you need. Hard disk space is limited - we all know this. I, at one point, thought an external drive would solve all my problems. Which, for a while, it did. But now, I have two drives to sort through if I need a file. I have two different SD cards that I use in my digital camera. Good luck trying to figure out which card has which photos on it! I have Dropbox (which I recommend, and would love if you singed up using this link if you don't already use it, as I get a space increase if you do!) to hold even more photos, and some files that I need to have access to on my phone and tablet as well. Oh, and yeah, I have files on my phone, on my tablet, as well!

Yeah. I'm a digital hoarder. 

I'm normally pretty good about going through things every few months, to clear out the junk, but more recently (read: after starting this blog) things have gotten a bit out of control. Let me show you.

That's just a few places that are on my PC. That's not including my phone or tablet, or what's on my Windows partition (that I'm pretty sure has nothing on it, but let's be honest - there are files there!). And my 1.5 GBs on Dropbox.
That's messy, right?

But it mimics my home organization style - piles. Organized piles. This goes here and that goes there and if I need x-item (or file!) it will be in that pile over there.
It only sort of works. Because it really is just a mess. I think its alright, and that I can manage, but I don't.

I filed my taxes Monday (yay, it's done!), but then I realized I should have all my return documents in one place. I knew I had a stash of them on my external drive, as I had downloaded them all a few years back, and had added to them as the years passed. So, I went searching. I found some in two different folders. And found I had four copies for 2011, two copies for 2012 and 2013, and they were all named "TaxReturn" with variations of "(10)" or "TurboTaxrReturn(4)". What a mess!
So, I put them all in my "important docs" folder and went through and found which was what year, and deleted all the extras. I ended up with having to delete 8 files that I thought I had needed - as nothing was organized well.

Now, this is just one example, and it may not seem like a few PDF files will make a difference on your computer, but it will.
Do you enjoy opening a file cabinet and finding that one bill you need? This is the same thing! Do you need that one photo right now? How long would it take you to find it? I've had to grab the same photo from my Dropbox enough times to know that it was the last one taken on the 15th of September of 2014, but is storing that information in my brain useful? Probably not!

Of course I don't have the answers to this, but I do know that my computer feels better when it's organized (yes, it told me) (actually, no it didn't, but we have a great relationship anyway). And I do have an idea of how to go about sorting this mess.

My plan is simple.

Folders. All of them. 
With real names. With dates if I need. And chuck everything I don't need or won't actually use.
I'm in the habit of saving a printable or image off Pinterest (and then Pin it), so that just in case it's removed or the site shuts down, I already have it - which is alright, but that's why my Downloads folder is so messed up! Instead, I need a "Pinterest" folder.
And I need my blog images in their own folders (which I've recently started, thank goodness).
I need regular photos grouped together, and renamed so they make sense, instead of dates or IMG_0683947857395758 which doesn't help me any!
I need my own printables saved with much better names, and to delete my 16 drafts of the same document.

Is this a big project? Probably not. Will it take time? Of course.
But will it be worth it?
Yes, yes, and tripe yes.
Wish me luck!

~Havok

P.S. My computer screenshots may look funny to you because I run Ubuntu. I love it so, and recommend it to everyone as often as I can. I love it so much that Tux's name comes from the Linux mascot, a penguin, named Tux.