No AI-written fluff
Ok, ask yourself, are you really organised in this Digital world?
Whether you’re a student, working professional, or both, staying on top of your emails, files, and schedule can feel overwhelming. After plenty of trial and error, I’ve found a few simple actions that can make digital life far easier. This blog is my perspective, based on recent experiments and research. No AI-written fluff—just practical steps you can start using today.
Being organised is actually an easy one, but moving the existing unorganised data/knowledge to an organised way is a tedious task. But believe me, it is a one-time heavy effort, but once it is done, it will reduce the repetitive mental pressure, questions like where is that file? When is that event? I missed that email. At the end, you will be clearer on what, when, and how you will be doing something.
Tips:
Making unorganised things organised is time-consuming, so give time and effort to that and work on the phase-wise process; organise one thing at a time.
Keeping the organised as organised is a continuous process and a disciplined way. Once you grasp the routine, it is as much simple as.
Organised (In My Perspective):
The passive communication you receive, like emails, any notification, will be actioned within a very short time.
If you want something, you know where it is available (Without searching)
You know what you are going to do at the same time next week.
Yeah, if you can do this, you are already organised. If not, let’s discuss…
Declaration:
These things I learned in the past few weeks, to get organised myself. I am sharing here my learning and my perspective.
This blog will give some immediate actions, but not detailed steps. First thing in organising the thing is searching and doing it by yourself, so you will have a clear mental context when you learn.
I am using Google Products, but the same thing applies to other workspaces also (Zoho, Microsoft..)
Zero AI used for writing this, but used for researching.
I subscribed to this newsletter - https://academy.jeffsu.org/workspace-toolkit
While researching this, I found an important configuration to do in the Google Account. (What happens to your Google account when it is Inactive? You are not in this world!) Add your loved ones’ contact here, so they can get your browsing history😅.
- https://myaccount.google.com/inactive
1. Email:
⬇️
1.1 Problem:
Yeah, we receive emails daily, and unless some of the emails are important, we ignore all emails. When we are waiting for an email, we will open all emails.
Some people will open all emails, but they just open it, they won’t Archive it / Label it for future access..
Focus: The Issue is not receiving the emails, the issue is how we are opening the email, and after opening it, what we are doing.
1.2 Actions:
Thumb Rule → When you open an email, if you feel those emails/notifications/newsletters are not needed anymore, unsubscribe immediately. Also, use the filter message like this option to delete old ones.
Create Labels
Create a Filter for auto labelling
Create Multi-Inbox
Action Required
Waiting for
To Read
Read all emails every morning, move to the appropriate label / Inbox.
Optimise the email settings by exploring the best practices. Most of us didn’t use this settings page much(Maybe because of its old school UI, not sure ). Found this case study on this.
2. Drive:
⬇️
2.1 Problem:
Random file created at a random place.
Your friend/colleague shares the drive link. Just click the drive link shared with you, and copy the file to your home folder.
Focus: It is not about creating files; it is about where you are creating and how you name them.
2.2 Action:
Understand about organising frameworks (No frameworks can fit our use case, I explored all options, used PARA, Hierarchy mixed.)
PARA (Projects, Areas, Resources, Archives) – https://fortelabs.com/blog/para/
GTD (Getting Things Done) – https://gettingthingsdone.com/what-is-gtd/
Hierarchical Structure
Thumb Rule → Organise when you create it, when you are creating, you know its purpose, your brain has context where and how to store. If we don’t organise it when we create it, then we always move it to another, again and again Re rethinking where to store it.
3. Calendar:
3.1 Problems:
If you don’t know what you are doing in a day, then you won’t do anything.
Our brain can’t always remember everything.
You are invited by someone for lunch, but because you just forgot, you didn’t show up.. Everything is Ok, if they also forgot that they asked you, unless they made a biryani for you.
You invited someone, but you went to the movie, they are at the doorstep, and you are not in the home.
3.2 Actions:
Thumb Rule → Block future yourself to do something in the future that you can’t do in present. (It prevents future of you from doing random things at that time. Once the full cycle is set up you will be spending your valuable time on valuable things. (Simple terms: Plan Prior).
Create all possible events in the calendar, with a detailed description
Location
Things to be taken with you (docs, books, etc.)
Travel plan/timings
If it is a long travel, add a note also to do something during that time..(Thinking about new projects, reading the books). When we are on travel, you will see new people, new places.. See the real world… It will help us to see things from a different perspective… I do some writing when I travel on the train.
Events can be,
Wedding/ Birthday/ Lunch invitation
Your professional events
You want to visit/call friends, family
You want to plan the trip…
I explored these subreddits:
https://www.reddit.com/r/datacurator/comments/ev6lo4/dont_do_complex_folder_hierarchies_they_dont_work/
https://www.reddit.com/r/GMail/comments/1d4nfgc/why_has_gmail_been_so_stagnant_for_so_many_years/
https://www.reddit.com/r/productivity/comments/1dva86w/do_people_still_use_david_allens_getting_things/
https://www.reddit.com/r/productivity/comments/131v123/does_anyone_here_use_para_method/
