Five folders to clear a cluttered desktop

Chanpory on LifeClever has this great little GTD system for organizing a cluttered desktop (i.e. your files).  It’s essentially setting up five folders that you can stash things into for later.  Nice.  This isn’t a catch-all system, but it is one that can help with the little things we toss onto our desktops in hopes of keeping it top of mind.

Looks simple and easy to put in place … worth a try?

• “0. Inbox”
  Put unprocessed items that don’t have a place yet in here. This may be items like software installers you’ve downloaded, files sent to you from colleagues, and random text clippings. I numbered this “0” to reinforce the idea of it being a temporary folder. This folder must be emptied everyday, at the end of the day.

• “1. Actions”
  Put items requiring an action that takes more than 2 minutes in here. This may be items such as forms to fill out, large applications to install and setup, and files to upload.

• “2. Incubate”
  Put items you aren’t yet ready to do or complete in here. These may be articles you’re thinking of reading, sketches for potential projects, and information about classes you’re thinking about taking.

• “3. Current Projects”
  Put files related to active projects in here. This folder contains files you’re currently working on as well as reference files for a project. Each project gets it’s own unique folder. For client projects, I organized each project folder with subfolders that map to phases shown on the project schedule. Once the entire project is complete, move it into “4. Archive”

• “4. Archive”
  Put completed projects, general reference items, and anything else you might want to look at again in here. I have aliases of Mac OS X’s “Music”, “Pictures”, and “Movies” folders in here. I also have an “Archived Projects” folder in here to hold completed projects.

Tags: GTD