How Do You De-Clutter Your Desktop?
I am a computer desktop pack-rat. No matter how often I make a concerted effort to de-clutter my desktop, it seems in just a short time I have stuff all over the screen again. I can’t tell you how many times this year I have swept the desktop clean, only to have it get cluttered again.
TheAppleBlog had a great post yesterday describing five things you can do to make a minimalist Mac desktop. There are some great tips in there that I must try, but I know in a short time I’ll have junk all over the desktop again. Sigh.
How about you? Is your desktop a nice, clean minimalist one? I use both Mac and Windows, so I’m open to any suggestions you can offer to help me de-clutter. Give me your best shot.
Current desktop after a LOT of cleaning up
Don’t be impressed with my (sort of) clean desktop above. You can’t see the second screen with all the stuff “swept” over there. :)
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My desktop is really clean, i dont know why but i seem to just be very OCD about having as little files and icons on there as possible. Currently i just have crome,skype and the recycle bin. Maybe we’ve invented a new condition, iconaphobia.
Windows XP & Vista. I love and always use Quicklaunch. I keep it locked and set it as view large with the Apps and Folders I use the most. (I even use view large on a Netbook). The Start Menu is for secondary Apps. I always switch off Programs Used Most often feature in the Start Menu (hate it, it’s largely unnecessary). The Desktop starts with Recycle bin only. I then add shortcuts to key folders and files in daily use and maybe use keyboard shortcuts with these items as well. I want to get up to speed in VBScript be able to speedily run some code versus the laborious changing settings when setting up new PCs.
I should also add I have to kill Windows Default of hiding unused icons in the notification area and the desktop clean up tool. I’ll control my desktop thank you very much! One good thing on Quick Launch View Large is the Notification icons go double and take less space. On XP I also favour the black Zune Desktop found on JK On the Run sometime back. It sure helps the Clean look on an ageing operating system.
YES!! That’s how I feel about my notification area too! LOL!
Anyway, take a look at the screenshot I posted (below) of my Win7 setup… sounds like the way you described is what I’m using in a slightly modified for Win7 manner.
i usually have no icons or files on my desktop. it’s not really hard to do, but you need to be a little strict with yourself and force yourself to organize and file your files away in folders in your personal directories.
even a “documents/unsorted” folder might be a good idea to place documents before you can move them to their appropriate folders. though i still try to keep my files organized, using search in vista and win7 makes it really easy to find and open files, and i usually just have to remember (or take a good guess at) a little bit of the file name to find it.
I am a windows user and also like to collect files on my desktop. Things I do to keep it clean:
- move “network places” and “my computer” on taskbar
- hide “my documents”
-> only recycle bin stays
- use Launchy to start applications
- have one generic txt file on it for temporary use(old stuff stays, new stuff goes on top)
- have one empty bitmap file for quick temporary photo editing
Helps but does not prevent it getting messed up with temporary downloads and work files.
Launchy sounds promising beyond the number of apps Quick Launch and the Start Menu allows you. I wanted to try Rocket Dock which has been mentioned earlier on JK. Great to get ideas from other users.
In linux I have 4 shortcuts on my desktop (excluding my 4 quicklaunch shortcuts on my bottom panel). One to my Videos, one to my Music, and one to my Games. The only other icons that are only there part of the time are my HDD icons when they are mounted. The only other things are a few screenlets. I keep my desktop pretty clean.
There is a great program for the desktop pack-rat called Fences by Stardock. Fences allows you to organize your icons with various option and hide unwanted icons by simply double clicking anywhere on the background.
Free to download
http://www.stardock.com/products/fences/
Here’s a screenshot of my desktop on Windows 7:
http://www.aaronhall.net/desktop.png
My rule is … if it’s on the desktop, it is something I am working on TODAY. At the end of the day, I either move it to a more permanent location, or to an Active Projects folder in my Documents folder. This includes tasks for work today, or things I’ve downloaded to test out. (Also, I actually take time to name EVERYTHING with a proper file name that is obvious too.)
Applications I use daily are pinned to the taskbar. Applications I use weekly or for projects/administrative tasks are pinned to the start menu. Things I rarely use stay buried in the All Programs folder so their out of sight, out of mind until I need them.
My backgrounds, btw, are all CG-based space-themed images and they rotate through a collection of 100 images every half hour.
I went back to basics on my new Acer laptop with Vista—just wallpaper.Hiding taskbar. Invoke desktop and icons with right context key+v+d.Un-invoke with same key combo.Windows key pulls up taskbar if I’m running full-size windows.
Can’t speak to what to do on an Apple. Man would I like the Ipod touchscreen,Coverflow and Safari’s Top Sites feature as a navigator on a desk or laptop though. Have an idea to pursue on that top sites idea…
PS— for the system tray, I HATE HATE HATE having it collapsed. I also hate having MOST icons there.
The system ones like action center, volume, power, wi-fi, and device stage, I keep available 24/7, because I use them frequently. I also like having Microsoft Security Essentials and Live Sync present. The green Sync Center is only visible when my phone is connected.
I dislike having the ones for email, however, they don’t currently give me an option to remove them (though I have asked for the Outlook and Live Mail icons to go away with the new versions when running on Windows 7, we’ll see if Microsoft listens).
PPS– The Windows 7 Libraries feature sounds like it might help you as well.
I have one called “Active Projects” and I add multiple folders from my Documents folder to it until I’m done with a project, then I just remove that one from the library.
Good ideas, keep them coming. Nice desktop, too.
A picture is worth a thousand words!
Pretty simple XP setup with standard Windows setup except for the downloaded Zune format Desktop seen earlier on JK On The Run.
Oops not used to posting pictures here
Rove-IT linked name in Post above is the link to picture.
I’m a minimalist. I sometimes use Rocketdock, which tucks away when I’m not using it, but for the most part I use keyboard shortcuts. Apps and folders I use a lot, just right-click, Properties, Shortcut key, so I hit CTRL-ALT-W for Word, CTRL-ALT-F for Firefox, etc. Folders work the same way: just create a shortcut. I also don’t display icons on the desktop. No toolbars, no quick launch, and almost nothing in the icon tray except volume.
On my stationary laptop it’s all a mess spread over two screens, but I try to keep my Acer Aspire One netbook as clean as possible.
Here’s a screenshot:
http://andreasodegard.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/netbookdesktop01.jpg
And no, it’s not running OS-X, it’s running XP :D
I use rocketdock to get that dock there which gives me access to programs and minimized windows, the start menu bar is set to auto-hide and every single desktop icon is deleted or set to hide. Love it.
I feel that my desktop is a utility and I used it accordingly. I store things on it(i feel)as it was meant to. When it gets half full i clean it up and start over. Why would I get a desktop if i wasn’t suppose to put something on it.
I sent my comment before reading everyone elese. I have to comment again after reading everyone elses. On my desktop I have two 17″ screens on each side of my 21″ main monitor. I also have several laptops that I use. On all of them no matter how many monitors or how much resolution I have, I use my desktop space as a place to leave things that I’m working on.
I never see my desktop unless I’m looking for something, so a minimalistic desktop doesn’t make sense to me. If I’m not working then I dont have my computer turned on (its sleeping). If i’m working then I have have several apps open and I cant really see my desktop anyways.
To me (IMHO) it sounds like someone that keeps their garage empty even though they have a few projects that they are working on.
If your working on something, then keep it out so you can finish it quickly.
KDE4 ;-)
in windows one will find a nice feature: ban the deskotp to the taskbar as dropdown/foldout menu and the screen is clean.
but as a base rule this: never start cluttering. it takes a lot more time to cleanup time and again than organizing and handling date structured from the beginning, avoiding the temptations of the desktop.
there is only one thing one really needs for this: a better filemanager (multi windowing) than the one ms is providing windows with.
I hide my desktop icons. It’s cheating, in a way.
My main monitor is a 24″ LCD, and maximizing windows isn’t necessary. But I don’t like seeing a lot of clutter behind my windows when I work. So, I hide my desktop icons and use the “desktop” as sort of a big “misc.” drawer where I can retrieve things if I need to by going to “My Computer.”
I didn’t think I’d like it at first, but now I do this with all my computers.
My desktop when it’s clean is just the backdrop (over 2 screens). Taskbar hidden on left.
Annoying when Adobe and others leave shortcuts on the desktop unasked. There should be some code of behavior, some standards of manners, to avoid this and other things; maybe Microsoft could lay one down?
De-cluttering you desktop is a breeze with my simple method. Once your desktop has become overwhelming create a folder named “desktop” on your desktop. Then move clutter on desktop into “desktop”. Done!
Don’t ask me how many nested folders named desktop I have – that’s what indexed search is for!
I do keep work in 1 of 2 folders. Video, music, & pics (mostly) have a home… oh and anything that needs to be on multiple computers is in dropbox.
Other than that it’s somewhere on my desktop! :D