The first stair in reducing clutter is to devise a system for managing the Indian file you make and download . How broad this system needs to be will look on your organizational scheme . Some multitude prefer to dress aside specific places for everything in an elaborate organization of nested leaflet , while others create broader filing systems and bank instead on search tools to locate what they want . Whichever approach you take , think the following summit .
The organizer’s strategy
Go late , Use ShortcutsIf you ’re the character of someone who like to have an assign situation for everything , you ’ve credibly already developed a system for file your documents and media files . ( If you ’re in search of an establishment organization , see “ The Secret to Getting Things Done ” for an choice to traditional filing system . ) With a well - conceived filing system in piazza , you wo n’t have to drop time research for the files you need ; you ’ll be capable to bound right to the correct booklet .
No matter how you set up up your system , do n’t let any brochure get too crowded . Just as with physical Indian file pamphlet , the more items one contain , the harder it is to bump something inside . Instead , create a system of subfolders to keep things manageable . If you find that you ’re spending too much time clicking through multiple level to get to the folders you work with on a regular basis , there are a few ways to bring your folders within easier grasp .
Take a ShortcutDrag brochure for active labor to the left sidebar of any Finder window ( if you do n’t see the sidebar , drag the left edge of the Finder windowpane to the rightfulness ) . This add up folder aliases to the sidebar . You ’ll then be able-bodied to get at these folders not only from any Finder window , but also from Open and Save duologue boxes . When you twine up a projection , just take away the folder ’s alias by dragging it out of the sidebar .
If you ask speedy admission to more items than well fit in the sidebar ( or if you prefer to keep the sidebar hide ) , you’re able to place assumed name of dynamic folder on your background instead . Of of course , for this organisation to work , you ’ll ask to keep your desktop relatively tidy ( for help clearing away desktop muddle , see “ Rediscover Your background ” ) .
Use ColorIn OS X 10.4 , another easy fashion to keep track of current project without having to constantly drill through your folder organization is to use colouring label in conjunction with smart folders . As documents come in , you could categorize them with appropriate recording label color ( for instance , filing cabinet that postulate your revisions could get one color while Indian file that just require your approval get another ) . Just select an item and choose File : Color Label . ( To give each label color a descrip - tive name , choose Finder : Preferences and then get across on the Labels tab . )
Now you’re able to make a smart folder that dynamically gather up any files scar with a sure people of color , regardless of where they live on in your brochure hierarchy . To place up the smart folder , go to the Finder and opt File : New Smart Folder . ready the first clout - down menu to Color Label and select the label colour . tap the Save button and give your smart folder a name . Be sure the Add To Sidebar option is selected so you could easily get at your smart folder from any Finder window , and then select Save . When a file cabinet is complete or when its status changes , change the data file ’s recording label color ( or remove it completely ) , and the data file will disappear from that impudent folder . ( get through here for more advice on creating fresh booklet . )
Keep It CurrentOnce a year — or more often if you work with a lot of files — move older Indian file from each of your top - level folder into an archive brochure , so you could more easily see recent document .
To quickly locate older files , switch the Finder windowpane to List view ( Command-2 ) , come home on the Date Modified tower to sort by date , and then move all the files from the past month or year into a new folder .
The searcher’s strategy
Use Fewer Folders , Smarter SearchesIf you prefer a less - structured approach to managing your Indian file , or if you find that you ’re feature problem locating the files you need within your current file structure , you may get better results by channeling your energy into developing smart search strategies than by setting up an elaborated pamphlet social organization .
When Apple acquaint Spotlight , OS X 10.4 ’s built - in search lineament , it seemed that filing might become a affair of the past . But the program still has some kinks — most notably , slow performance and a lack of advanced features , such as convenient Boolean searches . Until these shortcomings are fixed ( OS X 10.5 should be released this springiness , and Apple has promise several Spotlight improvement ) , you ’ll need to either take some additional whole tone to improve your search outcome or rely on a third - company hunt program .
apply Keywords in File NamesWhen you keep a file , take a moment to opine about what password you might employ to search for that file later , and then be sure to use those keywords in the file ’s name . For example , a file named Steve Jobs Interview will be easier to track down than a file refer Interview2 . This prescript also practice to creating folder names ; utilise a different bent of keywords that add context to the files within . This will help you distinguish between similarly named file cabinet on your Mac when you explore .
Add Metadata to Your FilesAnother way to help spot track down a file is to add together keywords directly to the Indian file ’s metadata , using the Spotlight Comments pane . To access this Elvis , get through on the file cabinet in the Finder and wardrobe Command - I to convey up its Info window . select the small Triangulum next to the Spotlight Comments heading to enter the pane ( if it is n’t already seeable ) , and then figure keywords related to the single file . For lesson , if you have a mickle of formula , you might supply keywords such asspicy , appetizer , andfavorite . Later , you may use these term in a Spotlight search to find spicy appetizers that you like . ( For instructions on how to use Automator to contribute the same gossip to a large phone number of filing cabinet at once , see the March variant of Mac OS X Hints . )
Likewise , if most of your documents originate in Microsoft Word , you may set the program to prompt you for keywords every time you save a new file . These keywords wo n’t appear in the Spotlight Comments pane ; however , Spotlight will feel them when performing a hunt .
To prepare up this feature , choose Word : taste and prime Save from the left pillar . take the Prompt For Document Properties option , and press OK . Now when you save a written document for the first metre or pick out the Save As command , the Properties dialog box will appear and give you the option of entering keywords . To retool these keywords by and by , or to contribute new keywords , launch the Word document and pick out File : Properties .
Improve SpotlightWhen seek , Spotlight tends to be a small overeager ; it starts hunt before you ’ve even finished typing . If this annoys you , you may prefer Houdah Software’sHoudahSpot($15 ) , which offers an substitute interface for Spotlight queries ( see “ HMarks the Spot ” ) . HoudahSpot also offers quick access to brawny hunting features , such as complex , nested Boolean searches , and it has a convenient interface for preview found filing cabinet and examining additional file details . And unlike the systemwide Spotlight menu , it does n’t start searching until you tell it to .
Replace SpotlightIf you ’d care to avoid using Spotlight wholly — or if you ’re using an earlier version of OS X that does not include Spotlight — try CTM Development’sFoxtrot Personal Search($35 ) . Like Spotlight , Foxtrot index filing cabinet ’ mental object and metadata ; however , it does so with capital upper and flexibility than Spotlight can provide . Foxtrot produces not only a leaning of files that contain your search term , but also live trailer showing the locations of your lookup term within the files . you’re able to also narrow searches by date , file eccentric , localization , and relevancy at the same time . For example , if a search for files containingMacworldproduces a leaning of 1,000 match , I can peg down that search to just PDF data file modified within the last month — in exactly two clicks of the mouse .
If you usually know the name ( or even just a part of the name ) of the file you want , you do n’t really need a powerful search tool — just a speedy one . For tasks such as this , you ’ll get better results from a launcher utility . These program permit you pass over right to the file or covering you desire with just a few keystrokes . With a launcher , such as Blacktree ’s free Quicksilver ( ) , Peter Maurer ’s free Butler ( ) , or Objective Development ’s $ 20 LaunchBar ( ) , you’re able to lay away random filing cabinet — PDF receipts of online purchase , text files , and so on — wherever you like . When you need to find one of those files , just press a keyboard shortcut to bring up the catapult , and typewrite in the first few letters of the single file ’s name . good of all , a good catapult will do more than just give a data file . It will also let you copy it , move it , put it in the Trash , or reveal it in the Finder ( click here for more on how a rocket launcher can make you much more productive ) .
Rediscover your desktop
Far too often , the OS X desktop becomes an all - purpose dumping ground for random downloads , files , and anything else we do n’t have intercourse what to do with . But when you have dozens or even 100 of icons there , place just what you ’re looking for becomes a challenge . To make matters worse , OS X allocate memory for each desktop icon as though it were a windowpane , so hold a lot of stuff on your desktop increases your Mac ’s RAM usance .
If you keep your desktop comparatively free of clutter , you could use it to keep track of files that need to be trade with or to retain shortcuts to important file or folders . ( If you seldom in reality see your background behind all your undefended document and other windows , take reward of Exposé : weigh the F11 key moves all unfastened windows out of the way and let on the desktop . )
utilize these strategy to combat the unwashed causes of desktop clutter :
Create a folder for downloads
If your Web web web browser downloads files directly to your desktop , change your default download address to a brochure . First create a Modern folder named Downloads on your desktop . If you use Safari , choose Safari : Preferences , select General , and choose Other from the Save Downloaded Files To protrude - up card ; then select your new Downloads folder and select Select . If you use Firefox 2 , choose Firefox : Preferences and tap Main ; then tap the Choose button next to the Save Files To manoeuver , and select your Downloads brochure .
Designate a place for junk
The desktop can also terminate up as the storage lieu for files we do n’t know what to do with . Instead of storing these miscellaneous files on the background itself , create a special folder for these items and put that folder ( or an alias to the brochure ) on the desktop . Once a workweek , move unclassifiable stuff off the desktop and into this folder . Your files will still be ready to hand , but you ’ll have less visual clutter .
To keep caterpillar track of files that have been hanging around for a while , consider keeping file on your desktop arranged by date . tap the background , and then choose View : Show View Options . choose the Keep arrange By option , and choose Date Modified from the bulge out - up menu .
Wipe it clean
you could also deform off the video display of image for your severe disks , iDisk , and electronic internet volumes by opening your Finder ’s General preference loony toons and deselecting the first three items . Do n’t worry — you may still get at these items from the sidebar of any Finder windowpane or through the Finder ’s Go fare .
Tip: Tame your Trash
Tame Your TrashOne of the best ways to reduce clutter is to drag unnecessary files to the Trash . However , once you empty the Trash , you wo n’t be able-bodied to convalesce those files if you later expose that you need them ( at least not without considerable try ) . For this reason , some Mac expert urge emptying your Trash only when you ’re running low on disk blank . But if the sight of an overflowing Trash makes you cringe , try this compromise : create a Pre - Trash folder in which you could stash away files that youthink(but are not completely sure ) you no longer need . This help protect you from imprudent expunging , so you’re able to tangle files off your desktop more freely . Every so often , sort the file by date and dump older detail into the Trash .
Secret to getting things done
For a dissimilar elbow room of thinking about constitution , sample the develop Things Done ( GTD ) approach path , produce by David Allen . GTD advocates collecting all thestuffthat ’s take your time , energy , and attending — tocopherol - ring armor messages , requests from bosses and coworkers , random things that pop into your head , and so on — and rigorously organizing them into freestanding categories : things that you could act on right away and things that you could make do with later .
For things that you ca n’t attain in just a twain of minutes , GTD recommends create different to - do list . But while many of us sort our to - do lists by priority or undertaking , GTD enjoin you should organize them bycontext : maintain one list for things that you need to do when you ’re online , another for phone call option , another for detail that involve driving somewhere , and so on . The idea is that if you feel convinced that your tasks will add up to your tending when and where you’re able to take care of them , you ’ll spend less mental energy keeping track of everything and more on capture it done .
you’re able to learn more about GTD at theGTD WWW site . To interact with other GTD fan or to find out how others are trying to put the GTD school of thought to bring , check out theLifehack blog , or43 Folders , a blog and biotic community meeting place devoted to GTD steer .
[ Joe Kissell is the fourth-year editor in chief of TidBits and the author ofReal World Mac Maintenance and Backups(Peachpit Press , 2006 ) . ]
