4 Technology Resolutions for Staying Organized in 2020

This year I decided to make some new resolutions that will save me a lot of time by streamlining my workflow and keeping me organized.

Here are my 2020 resolutions for doing so using technology!

1) Ride the Wakelet Wave

I’m sure I’m not alone when I say that I come across dozens of resources each week that I’d like to save for future reference. But where do you save them? Do you add them to your Favorites? Do you bookmark them? Where do they go? And, how do you remember where you saved them?

Wakelet makes it super easy to save your favorite resources into categories. If you are unfamiliar with Wakelet, it works along the lines of Pinterest. You simply come across a Tweet, website, or resource you’d like to curate, and then you “pin it” to a board using the app or a Chrome extension. You add collaborators, share your collection, embed your collection, and also print the collection out as a PDF. And, it’s FREE!

I can’t even tell you how many amazing Tweets I have lost before utilizing the power of Wakelet. Now, using the Wakelet app on my phone and the extension in my Chrome Browser, I can add the Tweets to a collection that I may review frequently.

You can also create fun cover images for each collection like I did below. Click the image to check out an example of a curated list of my favorite Google Slides tips and tricks. (Here’s a Google Slides template for making a cover image.)

2)Google Drive: Delete unwanted files

I’m not proud to admit it, but sometimes my Google Drive can be a complete mess. This year, I really want to do a better job by staying organized within my Drive from the get-go. Here are the steps I’m going to take.

• Step 1: Delete and Narrow Down

The first step I’ll need to take is to search for all my Untitled files and delete them. I’ll do that by just typing “Untitled” into the search bar. Now, I’ll narrow down the Folder names that I will specifically need to stay organized. If you don’t know how to make a Folder it’s simple. Just go to Drive.Google.com, click on New, and select Folder. Pro-Tip: Hold down Shift to select numerous files for deletion. I’ll move all my previously created files into one of these Folders.

• Step 2: Use Shift Z to Add Documents to numerous Folders

Do you have a Doc that really should be in numerous Folders? DO NOT make copies! Instead, move the one Doc into numerous Folders using SHIFT+ Z! This way, whenever you update the Doc, it will be updated into all the Folders!

3) Strawberry Shortcuts

I’ll be the first to admit I need to improve on all my Macbook trackpad shortcuts and keyboard shortcuts. Shortcuts not only save you time, but they are less interruptive to your workflow. Do you know about the hundreds of other shortcuts that are designed to save you time? My favorite shortcut is SHIFT-Z to move a file into multiple folders. It is such a time-saver!

I decided to save time in this blog, by using the Wakelet Chrome Extension to quickly curate a list of Shortcuts resources for you. I just clicked on the extension while viewing a post in Twitter, and Wakelet asked me to name my new collection which I titled “Shortcuts”. Click here to view my Wakelet Shortcut Folder.

4) Create Filters and Labels in Gmail

Use the filters and labels to keep your Gmail messages organized!

Here’s how!

• Step 1: When you open an email, create a Label by clicking on the TAG above. Then, either select the appropriate label by checking the box, or click “Create New” at the bottom to make a new label on the fly. I’ll make one named “Favorite Podcaster Newsletter”.

• Now create the Filter by going into your Settings (the cogwheel in the right corner) and choosing Filters.

• Now create a Filter by adding the email or subject you’d like to filter. (I added a fake email for this demonstration).

• Now select the Label you just created.

All emails from that address will now go into this labeled folder. You can find this labeled folder on the left side of your screen. Just click on it and your future emails from that address will now be found here for your viewing pleasure!

Do you have any tech resolutions to stay organized? I’d love to hear about them!