FIVE TIPS TO SPRING CLEAN YOUR COMPUTER AND BOOST PRODUCTIVITY

Spring is officially upon us and with it comes the one year anniversary of working from home for many people.

After so many months of living and working in your home it’s natural that a lot of things have been left to build up, especially on our laptops or desktops; meaning that it may be time to take part in the traditional spring clean and finally tackle all the clutter on your computer.

Taking the time to declutter your computer can not only speed up your device allowing you to be more productive during the day but can also help make your work setup more secure. Removing unused software or online applications or services, changing passwords and credentials, as well as old data you will never need again, helps you in preventing being hacked or your digital identity getting leaked.

So where do you begin?

Fortunately CRM system provider FLG has put together a handy guide on how to spring clean your computer as part of their campaign looking at how employees reclaim some of the hours from their day by being more productive.

Delete unneeded software

Removing unused software or applications can not only free up some much needed disk space but can also make your device run faster. For Mac uses this can be as simple as dragging any unused programs from the applications folder into trash, for Windows users head to Settings > Apps & Features, select a program and select uninstall.

This will also delete pretty much all the files associated with the app, such as data generated.

And if you’re not completely ready to cut the cord with some programs, you can still free up some space by removing any shortcuts to programs you don’t regularly use from your desktop or taskbar.

Delete unneeded system files

There are two kinds of files that you might have encountered while working from home, files you intended to download and files that you got on your system because you surfed the internet without proper protection.

Fortunately there is a very simple way to find any unwanted system files that is built into most computers; Disk Cleanup.

To find this nifty tool on Windows simply search for it in the start menu, for Mac open the System Information tool, then open the Window menu and select “storage management”. You’ll see options for saving space and clearing out clutter.

This tool will identify any downloaded program files, temporary internet files, setup log files and more. These can then be manually double checked by yourself to ensure you’re not deleting anything important.

Delete unneeded data

The easiest way to clear any unneeded data is to remove files you have created yourself: mp3 files, Word documents, Excel files, and much more. If your files are unorganized, use your Windows explorer or Mac OS Finder to search for each unique extension. This way all .mp3, .avi, .docx, and .doc files are listed and you can then easily review which files are destined for the trash bin.

Your desktop itself has also likely been a bit of a dumping ground for files over the last few months so is perfect for anyone looking for an easy place to start.

It may be worth blocking time out of your calendar to properly organise all your files, creating a system of folders and subfolders will not only make it easier to find files in the future but also know what needs keeping and what can go.

And don’t forget to clear your recycling bin! Especially after you’ve deleted all unnecessary program files and data, this can be a quick and easy way to free up space.

Clean up your mailbox

Listen, no one has the time for thousands of unread emails. Yes you tell yourself it could be important and you’ll get to it eventually but the truth is if it’s over two months old chances are it doesn’t matter any more. The deadline will have passed, the person will have moved on and if it was important they’d have sent a more recent follow up.

For the truly bold of you some systems like Gmail allow you to create filters that will auto delete any email older than a timeframe you set, saving you the need to manually review and delete.

Even if you’re not ready to set your main inbox to auto delete you can probably remove a lot of unneeded material by just clearing your junk mail.

Clean your device

Since we’re talking about spring cleaning your computer you should probably actually clean it. Over time, as dust accumulates in air vents and in fans, your computer’s performance can begin to degrade due to overheating.

As well as gently cleaning the dust from your computer fan, clean your screen and any devices such as keyboards and mouse.