Ditch the Desktop

Sadly, in the name of convenience I often toss a bunch of files on the desktop just so I don’t need to dig through folders to save something. Doing this lets you become quite unorganized.

When saving a file elsewhere, you choose what folder to put the file in, and what subfolder it would go in, and so on. The files are organized and easy to locate when you need to find it. If you save to the desktop, however, anything can go on the desktop. Not a big deal at first - you usually see the desktop enough that you’re reminded of the file’s existence there - but once there’s a ton of files there, you have to play memory games to find it.

This is why the hierarchical file structure exists: to keep files organized. The desktop flies in the face of it. So, remember not to put any files there. Better yet, on Windows Vista/7 you can simply turn icons off on the desktop - not only will it be nice and clean, you’ll never be able to drag another file there again. And when you go looking for that paper you’re writing, or that video you downloaded, you’ll know that you can go find them in the Documents & Downloads folders where they belong!