Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away."

All Systems Consulting

Computer Journal -  July, 2010

 

Learn something new about computing, your computer, biofeedback and the software you might use or need.

Next I want to discuss organizing the information you will gather and want to keep in your My Documents file folder.

You will use the same process that you would use to set up a filing system in your office. If you don’t have a filing system and don’t set one up on your computer then every file you create or save will show up in one huge group when you open you’re my documents file.

If you have varied interests and do research or write about things or take pictures and want them on the computer you will need to think about making folders with unique names and possibly even folders within folders.

In my home office file cabinet I have hanging folders with titles like Finances, Wills, Owner Manuals, Insurance, Medical, Writing, Publishing, etc.

Within Finances, I have twelve pendaflex folders named by month. I put my receipts and monthly finance information into these folders and at the end of the year I go through them for tax information. I have a thirteenth folder at the back of the Finances folder called Taxes which is where I keep my income tax information for a few years.

The same thing exists on my computer. I am a published author. I’m currently writing two new books. I use a word processing program on my computer and I’ve set up a folder called Writing and Research. Within that file folder in My Documents I have several other files; one each by book title, one for Research and so on. Like this:

To create File Folders within My Documents:

1. Click on My Documents to open the folder.

2. Click on the FILE drop down tab and see the NEW clickable

3. Click NEW and you can choose FOLDER

4. When the NEW FOLDER is displayed you can name it. Like WRITING and RESEARCH

5. Press ENTER to effect the name change.

Inside Writing and Research you can create sub files exactly as you did above. Just follow the 5 step process above:

Within each of my file folders are individual files, emails and some pictures and audio pieces to support the writing that I do.

I love Railroads, I worked for one for many years and one of my new books is set in a railroading community. So within My Documents is Writing and Research an within that is Railroads and inside that is the word processing file I created last month for this website. Like this:

 

When I open the writing program I use as a word processor, I Click FILE and choose SAVE AS which brings up MY DOCUMENTS and displays any subfiles I’ve created. Since you saw how to create file folders above, you just:

1. CLICK or DOUBLE CLICK depending on your computer’s set up to open the WRITING and RESEARCH file for example, then in your writing program type a name for the file you want to save in your file folder.

2. Type the name you want for your file. (Railroad Info) for example.

3. CLICK  SAVE and you will now see your document file with the name you chose living happily in the file folder you created for it within My Documents.

 

This is just one way in which you can set up organizational file folders and files on your hard drive.

I have many interests and am active in many things. To keep my life somewhat orderly, I have a Calendar, and File folders set up for various kinds of information like my writing.

 

I find if I am thoughtful when I create a file folder within My Documents and then even more thoughtful about the sub folders and their contents my information is compact and organized just like in a folder in my file cabinet. I can grab a folder by copying it onto a portable device such as a USB drive (finger drive) and take it with me to another computer for instance if I want to use the information somewhere else.

 

It just takes a bit of mindfulness to make your computing life as harmonious as the rest of your life.

 

 

 

 

Look here again next month for another entry in the Journal or call me with any questions you have. 

© 2010

 

 

 

Need the newest  2010 CLASP32 download? 

 

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Are you ready for it?

 

Call me: 509-948-1750

 

 Contact: 

All Systems Consulting

J. A. Summers

Lakewood, WA

509-948-1750 PST

Email:

jspirit@look-inside-a-healing-way.com