Marco Arment

My "organizational" system for my podcasts is to keep these folders on my Desktop, periodically archiving them — usually motivated by running out of desktop screen width.

It has gotten increasingly ridiculous as my monitors have gotten bigger over time…

Mar 16, 2023 at 11:50amIvory for Mac
Show threadMarco ArmentMar 16, 2023

The visibility and misalignments are the point!

If they look nicer or aren’t visible in my face all the time, I’ll NEVER remember to archive them.

How many of you have some version of a junk-drawer/"to go through” folder on your Desktop?

And how often do you go through it?

…

Yeah, that’s what I thought!

Hidden junk is just junk you'll never deal with.

Show threadMarco ArmentMar 16, 2023

I have so many “[x] to go through" folders in so many places. When have I gone through them? Never.

Eventually, one such folder (Stuff To Go Through) got big enough that I shifted it to my NAS, where of course I'll get to it really quickly, right?

Let's see what gems are in it:

- A 2011 invoice for Build & Analyze
- Instapaper 4.0 beta notes
- A photo from Tumblr's 2009 SXSW party
- An RSS icon that briefly looks like a guy sitting on a toilet
- My iPhone 4S receipt

…and so much more.

Show threadJari PennanenMar 16, 2023
@marcoarment One could make a podcast from Marco's "Stuff To Go Through" folder.
Show threadarshakMar 16, 2023
@marcoarment the RSS icon is cute, though!
Show threadJuan VillelaMar 16, 2023
@marcoarment Everyone has that one photo you saved for a very particular reason but cannot recall what that was.
Show threadMatt BonneyMar 16, 2023
@marcoarment Thank you for brining this up, because it led to me finding this absolute gem in my own "NEED TO SORT" folder
Show threadMike RastielloMar 16, 2023
@marcoarment wow, blast from the past with that Planet koozie!
Show threadMarco ArmentMar 16, 2023
@mikerastiello Nice catch! Were you there back then? They were our host for most of the time I was there, even as they became Softlayer.
Show threadMike RastielloMar 16, 2023
@marcoarment my wife was in marketing for The Planet back then, she worked on the SXSW stuff that year and we had a bunch of these laying around.
Show threadJeremy BurgeMar 16, 2023
@marcoarment bring back Marco Marco 🕶️
Show threadStuart BreckenridgeMar 16, 2023
@marcoarment Are you wearing your aviators indoors?
Show threadMarco ArmentMar 16, 2023
@stuart Those were someone else’s ridiculous sunglasses (I forget exactly who — I think maybe Meaghano), I tried them on as a joke and did my best cool-guy impression, and someone (probably Tiff) took a picture.
Show threadRyan OlsonMar 16, 2023
@marcoarment I'm currently about six months into another run at proper Getting Things Done and making sure my weekly review includes tasks to go through all those dumping grounds has helped me a ton. (I think the current list is starred email, insurance receipts in dropbox, projects in my todo app, and my Apple Notes.)
Show threadsamMar 16, 2023
@marcoarment first name tumblr club represent!
Show threadJorge RosasMar 16, 2023
@marcoarment that picture of you is fucking rad
Show threadSteveMar 16, 2023
@marcoarment It's just “To Sort”s all the way down.
Show threadCasey LissMar 16, 2023

@marcoarment > Hidden junk is just junk you'll never deal with

HEY MAN MY "INCOMING FOLDERS”

…prove this is 100% true. 😖

Show threadIain McLarenMar 16, 2023

@caseyliss @marcoarment this reminds me of how the 2 minute rule significantly improved my life.

The rule is this. If we have an incoming task (grinding through emails, filing a document, or whatever), if we can do the task in < 2 minutes, then always just do the task right now and get it out of your “in tray”. It’s freeing because if we know the task will take more than 2 minutes it’s usually easier to file, discard, or process accordingly: https://gettingthingsdone.com/what-is-gtd/

What is GTD

Getting Things Done (GTD) is a personal productivity methodology that redefines how you approach your life and work.

Getting Things Done®
Show threadTim Morris 🎆Mar 16, 2023
@marcoarment I have a “Desktop Files” box that I occasionally dump stuff into, with plans to review at some point, but essentially it’s now just full of a dozen “Dump <Date>” folders…
Show threadFreediverXMar 16, 2023
@TimMorris @marcoarment
I thought it was just me.
Show threadTim Morris 🎆Mar 16, 2023
@freediverx @marcoarment
Show threadJörg-Ch. KnochenMar 16, 2023
@TimMorris @marcoarment Amateur. Mine are simply called „Desk“ and are nested inside each other.
Show threadstyrofoamSkilletMar 16, 2023
@TimMorris man this is better than me. I have nested “to sort and file” folders with no dates, each accompanied by half a monitor of files.
Show threadbubbajetMar 16, 2023
@TimMorris I’m on “Desktop Files IV,” myself. No idea what’s in them. 🙄
Show threadTim Morris 🎆Mar 16, 2023
@bubbajet I tend to purge after 6-12 months.
Show threadDaniel BerlingerMar 16, 2023
@marcoarment I sadly report that I have multiple junk drawer folders on my Desktop. Sigh. I’ve learned to love myself anyway.
Show threadThom HolwerdaMar 16, 2023
@marcoarment If Jobs or Ive saw this they wouldn't be mad... Just very disappointed.
Show threadColin DevroeMar 16, 2023
@marcoarment I feel like @siracusa could go on about this screenshot for a good 90 minutes
Show threadJon SchwennMar 16, 2023
@cdevroe @marcoarment @siracusa Yes! I came here for this. It’s almost too on the nose tho, seems fishy.
Show threadOdd-Egil AuranMar 16, 2023
@marcoarment Is it possible to move the files to categorized sub-folders?
Show threadProxima CentauriMar 16, 2023
@marcoarment https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIGvcjOTiwo 🤨
MacBook How to Cleanly Align Folders and Icons on Desktop

YouTube
Show threadCarlos FonsecaMar 16, 2023
@marcoarment If you're gonna post that kind of stuff, at least enable “Snap to Grid” in the View Options 😅
Show threadCasey LissMar 16, 2023

@marcoarment oh god my eyes 😱

My Desktop has gotten completely out of control, and I'm embarrassed to share it:

Show threadThom HolwerdaMar 16, 2023

@caseyliss @marcoarment Is it really us Linux people who have to inject some desktop sanity into this thread?

...really? 😂

Show threadaceJacekMar 16, 2023
@thomholwerda popOS?
Show threadThom HolwerdaMar 17, 2023
@acejacek No, Linux Mint. I use Mint for gaming, Fedora for workstation and laptop.
Show threadConnor CrosbyMar 16, 2023
@caseyliss Disney reveal?? 👀👀👀
Show threadCasey LissMar 16, 2023
@connorcrosby Telling the kids we were going to Disney. Need to make a multicam clip out of it :)
Show threadSam GrossMar 16, 2023
@caseyliss @marcoarment Disney reveal‽
Show threadCasey LissMar 16, 2023
@SamTheGeek https://mastodon.social/@caseyliss/110033116141317363
Show threadSam GrossMar 16, 2023
@caseyliss Ah yes, and yet this is still sitting on the desktop how many months later?
Show threadCasey LissMar 16, 2023
@SamTheGeek a couple.
Show threadBrett ElliffMar 16, 2023

@caseyliss
What are you doing with those incoming folders?

@marcoarment

Show threadCasey LissMar 16, 2023
@gatewayy @marcoarment It's my fancy name for “Junk”
Show threadBrett ElliffMar 16, 2023
@caseyliss 👍🏻
Show threadMike PfeiferMar 16, 2023
@caseyliss @marcoarment how do you even see the wallpaper behind all that? 🤣
Show threadSzymon BęczkowskiMar 16, 2023
@marcoarment I think your monitor is tilted.
Show threadColin NapierMar 16, 2023
@marcoarment this is giving me a mild aneurysm. Having a messy desktop is one thing but them not being vertically or horizontally aligned using the grid is the final twist of blade! Each to their own but this makes my skin crawl!
Show threadAaronMar 16, 2023
@marcoarment The Folders of Siracusa County
Show threadArkadiusz MateckiMar 16, 2023
@marcoarment Buy this screen and you’ll be able to procrastinate for years https://www.samsung.com/pl/monitors/gaming/odyssey-g9-49-inch-240hz-1ms-curved-lc49g95tssrxen/
49" Odyssey G9 LC49G95TSSRXEN | Samsung Polska

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Samsung pl
Show threadSam GrossMar 16, 2023
@marcoarment it’s really the vertical alignment that does it for me. You’ve never tried stacks?
Show threadMark BramhillMar 17, 2023
@SamTheGeek @marcoarment my personal recommendation would be at least enabling snap-to-grid 😅 (plus some custom Hazel rules to archive old episodes for you)
Show threadKeith KastorffMar 16, 2023
@marcoarment Oh Marco… (sigh)
Show threadBrett ElliffMar 16, 2023
@marcoarment
I’m firmly in the Nothing Gang camp.
Show threadRadu C. MartinMar 16, 2023
@marcoarment get one of those 32:9 as a side monitor for keeping track of your folders 👌
Show threadScott.Mar 16, 2023
@marcoarment Nothing wrong with that until you see "New Folder (3)"
Show threadseedzero Mar 16, 2023
@marcoarment I use Hazel app to periodically sort both my downloads and desktop. You can set up a ton of rules, set labels etc
Show threadKevin PaulMar 16, 2023
@marcoarment how about a trigger warning!
Show threadFrançois de La BruèreMar 16, 2023
@kevinpaul Came here to say this.
Show threadFrançois de La BruèreMar 16, 2023
@kevinpaul