The standard approach to working at a computer often does not save time. And every person wants to get their business done faster. I describe several techniques that allow achieve efficiency at work.

Unload your desktop and put your folders and shortcuts in order

As you work at the computer, an increasing number of program shortcuts and folders appear on the desktop. To work with them, many people use desktop programs. But Windows has a good solution to this problem. If you take any folder, bring it to the edge of the monitor and throw it further, outward, then a folder strip (panel) will appear along this entire edge of the desktop. It will display all the contents with labels. You can do this on all sides and get convenient storage everywhere. On the right, say, store Internet shortcuts, on the left - shortcuts to the most frequently used programs, and on the top - everything related to protecting and scanning your computer. But this is at your discretion. If necessary, we place any folder, including the system folder, in such a panel. My folder "Program Files" is located in the panel called "Left". Your desktop will look like the one below. Everything you need is at your fingertips within one click. Convenient and fast!

However, there is one inconvenience that you have to put up with: duplicate strip folders are stored on the desktop (that is, also in their usual form - in the photo they are blue at the top left). Unfortunately, they cannot be removed. And the sizes of shortcuts in storage folders can be changed, as well as the width of the folders. In this way, you can increase work efficiency and convenience. In order to remove the side folder strip, right-click on it, then on “Panels” and uncheck the panel name (I call them by location). The panel will disappear IMMEDIATELY. If, after clicking on the selected panel, you select the “Remove toolbar” menu item (i.e., the selected panel), a dialog box will appear to confirm your intentions. In the second case, a little more time is lost. Start installing panels from the top if you want to get it to cover the entire width of the screen.

Unfortunately, in Windows 7 it is no longer possible to create such panels. You'll have to use third-party programs, which I wanted to avoid. But, alas...

Making folders on your desktop colorful

When we put off unfinished tasks on the computer, we sometimes don’t immediately remember them later. To remind them of them, a number of users use so-called sticky notes. But you can do without them. All you have to do is make a folder of urgent matters and highlight them in color. I have two red urgent folders - as you can see in the photo above on the right. I turn on the computer and immediately look at the red folders: is there anything urgent there? And I group other folders depending on the material by color, as well as by the pictures added to them.

To create a shortcut to a program or file, right-click on it and select the item in the context menu that appears: “Create shortcut”.

Use the free programs FolderFon and Folderico to change the color of folders. Both programs have Russian language. Sometimes on some computers, a restart of the operating system is required for the color of the folders to change.

Create a desktop menu button on the taskbar

It is often necessary to open or run something without closing the browser or program. To solve this, you don't need to add any new functions to the Start button. Just right-click on the taskbar, select "Panels" from the context menu and check the "Desktop" box. The following menu button will appear on the taskbar:

Clicking on the double arrow above the red pointer will open a menu that displays the entire contents of your desktop. Just click on the desired item and launch the required one. If the desired program or file is contained in a folder, then when you hover the mouse pointer over it, all objects for selection will become visible. We get a quick and convenient opportunity for effective activities without installing additional programs. You just need to know the functions of Wimdows.

Create desktop shortcuts to shut down and restart the computer

Shutting down and restarting your computer requires 3 steps, which is quite wasteful in all respects. Speak about efficiency in activities don't have to. To work more efficiently, you need to create shutdown and reboot shortcuts on your desktop. Right-click, select “Create”, and then “Shortcut”. The Create Shortcut menu appears. In the “Specify object location” text field, paste the following after copying: C:\Windows\System32\shutdown.exe -s -f -t 00 and click “Next”. In the new form we write “Shutdown”. Then we do the same for the “Reboot” shortcut, but for it in the first step we insert “Specify object location” into the form: C:\Windows\System32\shutdown.exe -r -f -t 00. No period at the end. Now just click on the created shortcuts, and we will get the desired result: shutting down or restarting the computer in 1 step. You can replace the shortcuts with ones more suitable for their functions. Right-click on the shortcut, then “Properties” and “Change Icon”. In the window that opens, make your choice of icon. On my desktop, the “Reboot” and “Shutdown” shortcuts look like this.

Hello dear readers and visitors of the blogSpectr-rv.ru. The topic of today's article will be cleaning the Windows 7 desktop. You will learn how to clean up the desktop, which is to some extent the “calling card” of the computer owner.

As far as I know, many users consider the desktop of their computer as a place for temporary storage of all kinds of files and folders. But, if you do not regularly clear the table of this garbage, then over time it will turn into a real landfill, where it is not so easy to find the necessary materials.

At the same time, numerous folders and files stored on the desktop take up significant space on the system disk, which in itself is not very good, and can also negatively affect the computer's performance and stability.

Look what my desktop looked like before I decided to clean it up.

You can free your desktop from everything unnecessary in a fairly simple way, which we will now consider.

HOW TO CLEAN YOUR DESKTOP

First of all, on any partition of your hard drive other than the system one, create a folder intended for storing desktop contents. You can name the folder whatever you like, for example “Desk”.

Inside the “Desk” folder, create several folders to place in them all the materials on your desktop according to their categories.

For greater clarity, you can change the folder icons. This is done like this: right-click on the selected folder and select “Properties” from the menu. In the window that opens, go to the “Settings” tab, click the “Change icon” button and select the appropriate icon for your folder.

Now move all files, folders, program shortcuts, etc. from the desktop to the folders created for them.

Right-click on an empty area of ​​the Taskbar and select " Panels" - "Create a toolbar...».

In the window that opens " New Toolbar - Folder Selector"Locate and select the folder you created "Desk". Click the "Select folder" button.

That's it, the job is finished.

A new “Desk” panel should appear on the right side of the Control Panel. By clicking on the quote located to the right of the panel, you will open the “Desk" folder and you can select the Desktop element you need.

Thus, by completing the specified settings, you will not only free up your desktop and space on the system disk, but also make it easier and faster to find the materials you need. After all, now all the folders, files and shortcuts that were previously on the desktop are sorted into their own folders.

To insert a new file from any folder, just open the “Desk” panel, right-click on the desired folder icon and, in the menu that opens, select “Insert”.

That's all I wanted to tell you about putting your desk in order. Now you know how to clean the Windows 7 desktop and, if desired, you can apply this method on your computer. Thank you for your attention. Good luck!

Most people work while sitting at a desk. But if your workplace is cluttered and full of distractions, it can be quite difficult to concentrate on your work. Once you have cleared your desk, try to keep it clean and tidy for as long as possible. So, first you need to sort out your workplace and find a way to organize everything in the right order.

Steps

Part 1

First, clear everything from the table. You need to remove absolutely all things and put them in a big pile. Now is the time to put everything in the correct order, so you have to pull things out of this pile one at a time. But don't try to tidy up in one minute! First you need to create free space.

• It is important to remove absolutely all things from the table, even if you are sure that this thing will still be on the table. The general pile should also include: photographs, plants, a computer.

1. Throw away the trash. As soon as we no longer need something, we immediately need to throw it away. You may want to keep some things, but you need to be sure that they will be useful to you. If you don't know whether you will need them, put these things in a special box.

   • Any confidential documents should be torn or shredded before discarding.
   • Throw away paper, plastic and anything else that can be recycled.
   • People who are used to keeping their workspaces clean have coined the saying: “When in doubt, throw it out.”

2. Wipe the entire surface of the table. Even if it seems to you that the things on the table are completely clean, cleaning again will not hurt. Wipe down your computer screen, dust your desk, unpack and wipe down your drawers.

   • You can use compressed air to clean your keyboard or any other items or hard-to-reach places.
   • To wet clean tables and surfaces, you can dilute a solution of water and white vinegar (or buy detergent).
   • The surfaces you need to wipe down include your desk, drawers, shelves, and any screens (computer, TV).

Part 3

1. Start sorting the things you have piled up. Now you have a clean table and a big pile of things that have been cleared away from the table. Start putting these things in their place. Don't miss a single thing. Gradually, putting everything in its place, throw away the trash. Separately place important items that you plan to put on shelves or in drawers.

   • Don’t put it off for later and try to deal with every thing right away. For example, if you need to rip or shred a document, do it right away. If you need to throw away some trinket, feel free to throw it in the trash. Don't put it off until later.
   • If it will take you more than two minutes to deal with a particular item (for example, if the paper shredder is in another building, or you need to buy a rag), you need to set it aside and write a reminder on your to-do list.
   • The items that you are going to put on the table should be in one pile. Items to be thrown in the trash must be in the trash can. Items that you haven't yet decided what to do with should go in the third pile.

2. Put together all the things you don't know what to do with yet. These items include items that won't sit on your desk but that you don't want to throw in the trash. Place these items in one box and place this box in a closet or closet.

   • In a month or six months you need to disassemble this box again. If you have not used the items in this box during this time, throw them in the trash. Because the likelihood that you will need them again is very small.

3. Now you need to arrange all these items on the desktop. You need to take one thing at a time from the first pile and put it on your desk, shelf or drawer. Use written notes or another organizational system to guide you. So, take one item at a time and place it in your workplace.

   Try to clean your desk regularly. The more often you clean, the easier it will be to keep things clean and organized. At the end of the day, be sure to pay attention to your workspace and put it in order. Throw out the trash and remove any unnecessary papers or documents from your desk.

   • If you tidy up your desk at the end of each day, you'll come back to a clean workspace the next day.
   • Give yourself one day a week or a month to declutter your desk (depending on how quickly it gets cluttered with unnecessary things and junk).

Part 4

1. Arrange your things the way that is most convenient for you. Each person has his own way of organizing his workplace and all the necessary items. It all depends on what kind of work you do at your desk. But no matter what you do, it's important to get rid of distractions.

Vladimir Pavlovich is the owner of a modest business producing earplugs, but looking at the desktop of his laptop, you could mistake him for some kind of secret agent. The entire screen is literally covered with a multitude of files and shortcuts - a real control center for undercover operatives. Behind the huge accumulation of icons, it’s not easy to guess the outlines of a blue BMW, but finding something you need among this pile of information is real torture. Just looking at a screen is enough to raise your blood pressure. But Vladimir Pavlovich is not an agent at all. It's just that his computer is a real funnel of entropy.

It is impossible to say for sure whether there is a connection between Vladimir Pavlovich’s professional activities and the disorder on his computer desktop, because from time to time each of us accumulates a lot of junk or simply materials that are not properly sorted on our screen. Meanwhile, such an environment does not bode well for you: you may not notice it, but according to research, a cluttered computer has a negative impact on your productivity, preventing the normal distribution of time for performing certain tasks and reducing your concentration.

One day, Vladimir Pavlovich decided that enough was enough, and if he wanted his business to prosper, he would have to clean up the mess in his computer and develop principles that would not allow this madness to happen again.

Read today's article about the dangers of desk clutter and how you can deal with it.

The price of disorder

Having a computer cluttered with information is an expensive pleasure. Of course, we are talking about mental costs. Researchers from Princeton University have experimentally proven that people whose desktops are in disarray perform much worse on cognitive tasks than those who have all the necessary files arranged systematically, in a certain order.

The finding that our brains take longer to find the files we need when they're scattered isn't really surprising at all.

Moreover, the additional distractions that probably abound on your desktop act as triggers that force us to solve unimportant tasks - which leads to poor concentration and unnecessary loss of time.

Every icon, browser tab left open, and program minimized to the toolbar is like an annoying reminder of unfinished business and unresolved tasks. As a result, this merciless onslaught of triggers easily leads to the fact that instead of solving the current problem, you are moving in a completely “different direction”.

This kind of jumping from problem area to another, according to Sophie Leroy, a researcher at the University of Minnesota, causes irreparable harm to our productivity, since any problem grabs a piece of our attention, making it difficult to return to the point where , in fact, a distraction occurred.

Removing unnecessary triggers frees up our minds and allows us to focus all of our power on the tasks at hand. Whereas loss of concentration and chaotic surroundings put heavy psychological pressure on us and prevent us from solving problems in the best possible way.

If you need additional arguments in favor of order, keep in mind that in addition to additional cognitive waste and unnecessary waste of time, you also lose in computer performance. Each open tab is an additional load on the processor and RAM. Of course, now there are technologies that allow you to automatically stop the consumption of resources to maintain unused programs and processes, but these are, metaphorically speaking, those drugs that eliminate the symptoms, but not the disease itself.

Removing triggers

So, the first thing you can do to somehow unload your workspace is to create a folder and move into it all the files that are currently on the desktop. Of course, this will not solve the whole problem, because you will simply move the mess from one place to another, but it will still stop being an eyesore.

“Search” (or Spotlight - the built-in search function in Mac OS) will help you quickly find this or that file, so it makes sense to use it, and files that you access every day (for example, a Word editor shortcut) can be easily found in "Recent Documents" tab (or place it on the taskbar).

You can listen to the advice of Vladimir Pavlovich and change the background image of your desktop to some plain wallpaper. If you own an Apple product, you can also use Bartender 2 to put all your running apps at the top of your screen. After all the procedures done, you will start every day with a “clean slate”.

To keep your attention on current tasks and not get distracted, you can turn off all notifications (alerts) from programs:

Caption: “Turn off notifications”

Use the Do Not Disturb feature. Set the time interval from 7.00 to 6.59 am (day):

Once you've turned off all those annoying notifications and tidied up your desktop, you'll need to deal with the biggest enemy of your productivity: your browser.

The first problem is what to do with all the open tabs? First, they need to be divided into several categories. For example, it might look like this:

• tabs related to what you are currently doing;
• articles you plan to read later;
• sites you may need in the future;
• communication tools (social networks, etc.).

Sorting tabs will help you quickly bring order to your browser. For example, the URLs of sites that you use daily can be entered into a special sheet, a kind of database. If necessary, you open this sheet (for example, a document on Google Drive) and select the resource you need.

Next, what to do with the articles? The truth is that articles you put aside for later are usually never read. But now we are not talking about this, but trying to figure out where to save all these materials. To protect yourself from clutter, you can use the services

Pocket was created in 2007 by Nate Weiner to help people save interesting articles, videos, and more from the web and enjoy them later. After registration, an active button will appear in your browser, when clicked, the current page will be saved in your account:

This is how this button will be displayed in the Yandex browser

Evernote's web clipper also offers more advanced functionality. By clicking on the icon in the top sidebar of your browser, you can choose in what format you will save the page: completely, as a snapshot, as an article, etc.:

If it seems to you that all these tools are nothing more than a way to transfer information noise from one place to another, but not solve the very cause of this noise, know that the abundance of information today is not a problem at all. The challenge is to organize the incoming material so that it does not affect your productivity and clarity of thought, and at the same time is easily accessible when needed.

Another source of chaos in your head and computer is email and social media. These guys are constantly trying to grab a piece of your time and attention, so the best way to deal with them is to turn off all notifications and not keep the pages with these services open while you are doing something that requires strong concentration. Social networks are like jelly - try it once and you will get stuck in it for a long time, reading an endless series of posts from the news feed. You will think that you are busy, although in reality it is just an illusion of activity.

You can also use tools like StayFocusd or Freedom to block yourself from visiting certain resources while you're busy.

Once you've put everything in order on all possible fronts, it's time to set aside time in your schedule to "take out the trash" from your computer and browser and not let the abundance of information overwhelm you. Just 15 minutes a week will be enough. If you do it right, you will experience an increase in efficiency and mental clarity.

Conclusion

You may not think much of it, but chaos in your environment means chaos in your head. Clean up your surroundings and you will feel energized and increase your productivity. The main conclusions of the article are below:

• clean your desktop by dumping all files into one folder (or better yet, sort the ones you need and delete unused shortcuts);
• turn off all notifications from applications installed on your computer and social networking services;
• Leaving too many tabs open in your web browser slows down the speed of your computer and creates a lot of additional incentives for you to get distracted;
• use useful utilities such as Evernote's web clipper, Pocket service, or similar applications;
• Every week, dedicate at least 15 minutes to clearing away all the garbage that has accumulated over the past 7 days.