(If you don't to read the article, just watch this video.👆)

Introduction:

Is it just me, or can organizing be kind of a b*tch?

If you're a beginner at organizing, and you resonate with the question above, you've come to the right place.👋

In this article we'll go over 5 strategies for organizing your bookmarks. We'll cover the benefits of each strategy and the type of person the strategy might work best for.

Keep In Mind- Each strategy is simply an example of how you can organize things in your life, it's up to you to find what works best with trial and error. Remember to give yourself the freedom to adjust as often as you need to find the best strategy for you. With that said, you should give yourself at least 2 weeks before trying a new strategy, each strategy will take time to get used to.

But First, A Story

For years I never prioritized organizing my phone or computer files, I only used them for texting, social media, music, reading, playing games, and searching Google for an answer Siri couldn't give me.

Then I became an insurance agent...

I had so many saved bookmarks it looked like an explosion of folders on my computer!

You might've experienced this in high school or university, and if you did, i'm sorry! Finding the right bookmark amidst the inconsistent terrain of unorganized bookmarks can be frustrating and sometimes overwhelming.

But you can rest easy now, we'll help you get your tabs organized. 👍 If your tabs have been bothering you because of how unruly they've got, just know it's something that can easily be reigned in! It just takes some time.

Now, lets get into it.

Strategy # 1 - Purpose Or Function

When organizing by function or purpose, your folders are categorized by an objective, or role you play in life. For example you may have multiple roles that require your attention like work, household, travel, kids extracurricular activities, etc.

It's much easier to find what you're looking for when each personal and professional role has a dedicated folder with specific resources for that role.

If you juggle multiple roles, or have multiple areas of life you're responsible for that don't coincide with one another, this strategy might be for you.

Examples:

• Work/Professional

• Work Tools

• Career Development

• Company Resources

• Personal

• Medical

• Financial

• Personal Projects

• Research

• How-to guides

• News Archives

• Study Resources

Strategy # 2 - Frequency of Use

Just like the title, this means you organize your bookmarks into folders based on how frequent your use is.

This strategy works well for someone who has a routine in their internet usage and wants quick access to frequently used sites, while keeping less frequent but important resources neatly organized.

Examples:

• Daily Use

• News

• Social Media

• Fitness Tracker

• Weekly Use

• Grocery shopping

• Online classes

• Hobbies

• Monthly Use

• Bill payments

• Monthly meetings

• Monthly Planning

Strategy # 3 - Project or Goal

When organizing by project or goal, your bookmark folders are categorized by a project or a focus area of your life.

This strategy works well for individuals who prioritize their time on personal or professional projects. It's easy to find what you're looking for when all of your resources for a specific project are in one main folder and subfolders.

Examples:

• Home Renovation

• Design Ideas

• DIY tips

• Budgeting

• Fitness Plan

• Workout routines

• Recipes

• Inspiration

• Family Planning

• Family activities

• Vacation Ideas

• Education

Strategy # 4 - Interest or Topic

This strategy is ideal for those who explore or research varied subjects and need a straightforward way to categorize each subject.

If you spend a lot of time going down the rabbit hole, you'll probably like this strategy! You can organize everything you find about an interesting topic in one main folder or subfolder, then you can come visit later and not feel worried about saving multiple bookmarks for that topic.

Examples:

• Hobbies

• Gardening

• Photography

• Cooking Recipes

• Shopping

• Electronics

• Home goods

• Fashion

• Entertainment

• Podcasts

• News & Events

• Books

Strategy # 5 - Type of Content

This strategy is similar to number four, it's ideal for those who consume a diverse range of digital media and want to organize by either how it's being consumed, like video vs audio, or what the content is for, like social and community or personal interactive tools.

Examples:

• Social & Community

• Social Groups

• Events

• Blogs

• Read/Watch Later

• Articles

• Videos

• Tutorials

• Creative Inspiration

• Art & design

• Music

• Photography

Helpful Tips

• Use Visual Elements! Visual elements for your folders can make it even easier to find exactly what you're looking for. Some of the best and simple visual elements you can use are emojis. Your eyes will jump straight to the emoji and over time be able to recognize the folder you're looking for faster.

• Examples - Work Tools 🧰or🔨, Household 🏠or 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦, Financial 💵or🤑, Medical 🩺or❤️‍🩹

• Just find and use emojis that will help you remember what the folder is for. Feel free to use more than one emoji if it helps you remember and differentiate folders.

• When you're just getting started, review your folders monthly and make adjustments where you need to, aka consolidating folders or creating new folders. Once your folders are consistently working, you're not adding or removing folders as often, review them quarterly, and then every six months or as needed.

Conclusion

Placing your bookmarks into organized folders and subfolders is an effective way to increase efficiency for your personal and professional life. When you've found the strategy you like best, you'll have an easy system to find important bookmarks and give new bookmarks a home when you need to.

This is a side note but it's definitely worth mentioning, having your bookmarks organized can reduce mental weight! You won't have any more frustration sifting through a random heap of bookmarks or random folders you made one time and forgot about.

If you're just getting started, prioritize at least 1-2 hours one weekend and update your folders, once you have your main folders set up, your subfolders will be easy! You can create as many subfolder as you need, but make sure it's clear what bookmarks are going into each folder.

Wishing you all the best in your organizing! ✨