We spend so much time online, let’s design digital space to boost creativity. Ideas blossom where there is space to grow!
Why Does Cleaning Out Your Computer Boost Creativity
As someone who does a lot of writing, my computer is a creative space. When thinking through where I spend most of my time, my computer was the first thing that came to mind. While it does not take up a lot of space physically, it definitely accumulates clutter. Your mind does not know how to tell the difference between reality and imagination, between digital and physical. Every time you open a cluttered computer, your mind will feel like you are walking into a messy room. This is so important, especially in a time when many people work from home. I want every space in my home, including the digital ones, to boost my creativity. If you are spending time on your computer daily, it’s worth making it functional and beautiful so your ideas can blossom.
As I open up my computer, my mind is immediately overwhelmed. Looking at the collage of family and friends warms my heart, but it hurts my eyes. The files are hard to see against the background, and the labels hard to read. There is more that can be done behind the scenes to help boost my creativity. This will make room for ideas and accomplishing tasks.
Clear Out Storage Space To Boost Creativity
If storage is running low, or you can’t find what you’re looking for, it’s time to clean out your computer.
How Do I Clear Out Storage Space
- Purchase a hard drive to move files and photos onto. If you simply cannot part with your precious photos and videos, make some space by moving them. On a hard drive you can access them whenever you want to. How to do this depends on your computer, but a quick google will have simple steps that anyone can follow.
- Use an online drive. Google and Apple both have online drives where you can offload files and photos to free up storage space. These vary in cost, but the minimum storage space on Google Drive is free.
- Delete files and photos that are no longer needed. If you have 50 photos of a giraffe you saw at the zoo, delete them! If you have files that you don’t need anymore (I’m looking at you 8th grade biology paper), delete them! Make sure to clear out the deleted file or trash bin once you are done. On most computers, you can delete a file by right clicking on what you want to delete, and selecting “delete”. There is nothing like the delete button to make me want to create new!
I am moving my photos and videos to a hard drive, and deleting everything else from before 2021. I have so much room I don’t have to pay for added storage! Boosting creativity and saving money in one fell swoop.
Now that you have cleared out the weeds, making your computer work for you by organizing it should be much simpler. Let’s keep that creativity flowing!
Organize Your Files To Improve Inspiration
- Access your files and look through them- what do you have like items of? Create folders that group like items together.
How Do I Make and Organize Folders
Making folders on mac is as simple as closing out of all tabs, clicking “File” in the top left corner, and “New Folder”. Find more detailed instructions for Mac here, and for Windows here.
Here are some examples of the categories I put my files into- blogging, certifications, scholarships- things that I access frequently. You can follow the same process in your photos and documents through grouping by time, activity, or location.
2. Sleek look- if you feel more creative with less clutter, you can hide all of the desktop files in a single file labeled “Files” or “Classified” or whatever you like. This will also make the end product prettier. There is nothing like a beautifully designed space to help boost my creativity.
Beautify Your Desktop To Promote Originality
Finally, it’s time to address the eyesore that is the desktop.
Pick a beautiful background photo:
Choose a photo that fits your style. This is a great opportunity to create something yourself if you are into digital art! Leave your mark on your creative space.
I searched for “cute simple wallpapers laptop” and then went to images to find one that I liked. There are lots of wallpapers available for free online, and on Pinterest. How to apply the wallpaper will vary based on Mac or Windows.
Change your icons:
The only things that now remain on my desktop are Google Chrome, and my “Files” file that has all of my other folders hidden inside of it.
- Search for images. Use your preferred search engine (mine is Google) to find images that you would like to replace the icons that you have.
In Google, you can select tools, and choose a transparent background color. This prevents your icon from having harsh edges, and allows your screensaver to show through the icon.
2. Save the images you would like to use for your icon to your computer. I prefer to save mine to downloads, but you could also create a folder with possible icon options so that you can try out a few different ones.
3. Apply the images. For mac you can follow these steps, and for windows you can check out the instructions here.
4. Arrange the icons. Now that you have beautiful and artistic icons, drag the icons wherever you feel they fit best on your screen. I am putting the sun and cloud above the plants to give them some water and light.
Tips and Tricks To Clearing the Clutter
- Do you have a notes app, or resources like the Microsoft Bundle (Word, Excel, Powerpoint) downloaded? If so, it can be helpful to go through and organize or delete those files as well.
- You can select multiple files on mac by pressing and holding the command key, or the control key in windows.
Results
Now, when I open my computer, I feel inspired to create! I can easily find what I am looking for, and the boost in my creativity encourages me. I have started to think about how else I can make my technology beautiful and functional!
What creativity boosting tech projects should I try next?
If you would like to see more posts about boosting creativity in your digital spaces, let me know in the comments below!
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