If your Google Drive feels cluttered and overwhelming, here’s how to start fresh with a simple method that brings everything into one place. This is the foundation for getting organized and keeping your digital files manageable.

Step 1: Create a Temporary Folder or Shared Drive

• Decide whether you’ll use your main Drive or create a new Shared Drive.
• Name it something simple like “To Sort” or “To Do’s/Sort.”

Step 2: Gather All Files

• Collect everything into this one space — personal, work, even older company files.
• Download files from your computer, and pull in documents from any old email accounts or drives.
• Use the Google Drive search bar to track down forgotten files by keyword (e.g., PDF, invoice, screenshot).

Step 3: Remove Access (Optional but Recommended)

• Temporarily take back access from others so you can clearly see what’s in the Drive and who really needs access later.

Step 4: Set a Short Timer

• Spend just 10–15 minutes today moving files into your temporary folder.
• Don’t aim for perfection — the goal is to bring everything together.

⚠️ Important Notes

• Gathering is like Marie Kondo’s “pile” method — you need to see it all at once to decide what stays.
• Expect a little mess and overwhelm at this stage; that’s normal and necessary before organizing.
• Visibility is key: you can’t organize effectively if everything is scattered.

✅ Done! You’ve now created the foundation for a clean, organized Google Drive. Tomorrow, we’ll tackle purging — deciding what to keep, delete, or archive.