Blog by @tjhucka

I quickly learned that in order to be productive on my Mac, I was going to need to stay organized. Here are some simple tips that I’ve found helpful for keeping my Mac data clean and organized.

1. Organize your files and folders.

I like to organize my computer’s files and folders like I would organize my desk. I am meticulous about putting things in easy to find folders.

Avoid putting any files and folders on your desktop. Not only is it visual clutter, but it results in a disorganized mess. The more files you have on your desktop, the slower your computer is going to run. Similarly, don’t put files directly in your Home folder. Instead, create subfolders in your Documents folder (or wherever is convenient) and put files in there. Your Mac already has a folder for any type of file you could have. If it’s a document, put it in the documents folder. Photo or movie? Put it in the corresponding folder. Where you can really get organized is by creating sub folders within these folders. What type of documents do you have? Work, personal, financial – create a sub folder for those and put your documents in those folders so you can easily find them. Don’t be afraid to go as many layers deep as you need to.

Use Spotlight Search to find anything on your computer. Ever wonder what that magnifying glass is in the top right of your menu bar? That little magnifying glass will help you find anything on your computer. With one click you can search for documents, applications, contacts and even search for emails. Whatever you type in the search box, your computer will search everything on the computer to find matching results. I like to use the keyboard shortcut Command+Space Bar to access Spotlight Search.

2. De-clutter your dock.

Remove apps you don’t use every day from the Dock. To do this, just drag the app icon away from the Dock and the icon will disappear. This reduces visual clutter and quickly allows you to find the apps you use most often. Like we talked about above, Spotlight search can also be used to find Applications. Simply hit Command+Spacebar and search for the app you want to use.

3. Spring clean your hard drive.

There’s nothing like reducing clutter to help you get more organized. Clear out unwanted files and folders from your hard drive regularly.

One tool that I like to use to keep my computer running efficiently is Clean My Mac. It will scan your computer, find duplicate files, and then recommended files to remove from your computer which will help increase your computer’s performance.

Those are just some of my tips and tricks for staying organized on your Mac. Be sure to check http://digitalroyaltyuniversity.com for our list of upcoming classes and our Royal Shorts page for more Tech Tips.