A few days back I received an email from a colleague, containing a single file: ‘Word Document 148’, for me to edit. No name or title for the file! And it’s not an individual aberration. I see so many of them working on Word docs, Excel sheets without a file name. Check a drive and there will be umpteen files with numbers and no titles. People conveniently open a new blank document/book do some work and close it as if they will never need it. Next time the reaction is, “Oh yes! I had done it and it’s somewhere here but I can’t locate it… Leave it, let me start with a new doc.”

Now i, who has grown up in a household where a place for everything and everything in its place was the norm, find it very annoying that people don’t use their drives sensibly. The 1tb of space on the drive is as cluttered as the cupboards, which are not cleaned for lack of time. The drives are cluttered because there’s no lack of space. There is a general apathy because it’s free. Honestly some of my colleagues’ drives appear like women’s handbags to me, disorganized and stuffed. There will be everything that a woman needs in her handbag but most of the times it is not found when needed.😃

The middle aged users of technology are not very clear about the files and folders on their drive and it all is more like a cornucopia of apps and things for them to be used when required. Most have learnt its usage as internet became accessible and working online became a necessity. The youngest, smartphone generation kids are no better either— they have trouble managing their files as well, because of increasing obscurity about how technology functions compared to their previous generation, the millennials. Part of it is by design— common functions are deliberately made obnoxious to use specifically so that users end up organizing their files inefficiently, taking up more space, in an attempt to turn them into paying users of online drives. Add to it the desire to work on the go and hence every app on the smartphone.

Take a look at any shared computer and you will find dozens of files on the desktop and in downloads. To download is everyone’s right but to clean up after use is no one’s duty. And the 1tb space one has is all theirs to do whatever they want! And when the poor device slows down it is the fault of the computer! This is no exaggeration, check for yourself and you will agree with me. Some of you might be even smiling to yourselves while reading this.

The same goes for smartphones, the latest brand to show off and only to use, the camera, WhatsApp, Insta, Facebook, YouTube and a bit of searching on Google. Click and send the images, docs, screenshots. Forward messages after messages, with pics, without images, to 5 other or 50 other. God! The clutter created by multiple copies of the same thing. When the memory is full, delete some or get a memory expansion, or even better, a new device! Do we even realize the amount of e-waste that we are generating?

I am not saying that everyone is so apathetic towards their drives and device memories but most of the population is. So, take a pause before you reach out for a new doc/sheet. Scroll down your files and see what all is cluttering your drive. Delete what you think you don’t need but are not sure with, shift + delete what you need to delete permanently, change the usage rights if needed and don’t give the editing rights to everyone you share your files with. Make folders, move files in the designated folders, give them names, Google allows colour coding of folders too. Do it! Spring might be far behind us but any time is a good time for cleaning.