Does searching for your computer files take forever? Is your e-mail inbox cluttered with endless messages? Read on for tips to deal with your electronic clutter.

• E-mail - An e-mail inbox is just that…a place for new messages coming in. Set aside time daily to process through your new e-mail. Create folders for the information that you want to keep. This will save you time and eliminate the need to search through all of your messages to find the one your need. Having a "to do" folder, then subfolders labeled by tasks, (bills, school, shopping, volunteering, etc.) will assist in this process. Many e-mail software programs have the capability of searching and sorting which is helpful in categorizing all of your messages. I also have created folders for each family member. Make it a goal to once a week go through the old e-mails and delete what is no longer relevant.


• Spreadsheets and Word Processing Documents - Start by going through what you have saved. As you do this, ask yourself two questions. First, "Do I still need this?", and if your answer is yes, "What category does this fall under?" Create folders for the categories that you have identified and file away.


• Photos - I love digital cameras and being able to store all of my pictures on my computer! Prior to organizing your pictures, sort through them, keep the best ones, and get rid of the rest (i.e. pictures of your thumb, or the third attempt at a family photo when no one was looking). At the highest level, create folders for each year. Then within each year, create a folder for each group of pictures. Label that folder with a 2-digit month followed by a description. For example, the pictures that I took for a trip to Disney in February 2009 would be in a folder called '02 Disney'. This folder would be in the '2009' folder. To the right is an example of folders that I could have in my 2009 folder. This is extremely helpful when you need to find a picture quickly for a project or scrapbooking.


• Desktop - Decide what icons on your desktop are being used and delete the shortcuts to the ones that are not.


• File Back-up - One option for backing up your files is to purchase a portable external hard drive. If you choose this option, make sure it has enough room for all of your files. Another option is to subscribe to an online backup service such as CrashPlan or Carbonite. According to Carbonite, "Every year, 43% of computer users lose their music, photos, documents, and more." Whichever option you choose, make sure you are regularly backing up all of your files.

By following these tips, you will save time and stress as you easily find the files you need when you need them.