When my desktop turns into chaos, this is how I fix it. I clean up clutter, group files into folders, and set up a system that actually stays tidy for more than a day.
Instead of printing or copying notes by hand, I just open the PDF, highlight key sections, and add comments I can come back to later. Way faster and easier to search.
This process helped me stop procrastinating — I split my thesis into sections, tracked daily progress, and used notes and citations that were actually findable when I needed them.
I read and research a lot, and I needed a better way to keep it all organized. This workflow helps me save articles, notes, and ideas in one searchable space I can always come back to.
Academic texts can get dense fast, so I use this workflow to highlight key points, break them down into plain language, and save a clean summary I can actually review later.