👋 Hello!
This is issue #51 of Taskflow Tuesday, where I share 3 things that can help you to get digitally organized so that you can spend more time on what truly matters.
🗂️ 1. One Folder to Rule Them All
If your Downloads folder is a black hole, your desktop is a dumping ground, and your files are scattered across the cloud - your digital space is working against you instead of for you.
You don’t have a clear default place for your files to go.
Here’s a simple fix that’s worked for me and my clients:
Create one master folder in your file system.
Inside it, add 5-7 clearly named high level folders for categories like:
Projects
Admin
Resources
Clients
Personal
Quick Tips:
1️⃣ Add numbers before the folder name for your preferred file order.
🟠 Color code your favorite folders for even better organization.
Then:
Set your browser to download files directly into this master folder (not Downloads).
Move everything from your desktop into it.
Train yourself to put everything there first, then sort weekly.
Now instead of hunting across folders, you always know where to start.
Digital minimalism isn’t about having no files, it’s about having one place where they actually belong.
🤖 2. Let Gmail Do the Sorting For You
If your inbox feels like a digital junk drawer, email filters might be your new best friend.
Most people don’t know this, but Gmail lets you automatically label, archive, forward, or even auto-reply to emails based on a set of rules you define.
You can use filters to:
Skip the inbox for receipts, newsletters, or reports
Route patient or client inquiries into separate folders
Auto-label anything from Calendly, Stripe, or Notion
Silence noisy threads without missing important updates
Here’s how to set one up:
Open an email you want to filter
Click the 3-dot menu → “Filter messages like these”
Add or tweak the criteria (sender, subject, etc.)
Click “Create filter”
Choose your actions (apply label, skip inbox, forward)
Done.
Bonus tip: You can nest labels like folders, and use operators like OR, -, and * to fine-tune what gets caught.
Let filters do the heavy lifting.
🏷️ 3. Are You Addicted to the Save Button?
I wrote about this briefly a few weeks ago but I want to talk more about it today.
Let’s be honest: most of us don’t have a reading problem, we have a saving problem.
We save posts on Instagram.
We bookmark YouTube videos.
We click “Save” on Substack.
We screenshot tips, quotes, tweets, meal plans, workouts, articles, books...
And then… nothing.
No action. No integration.
Just a growing mountain of digital good intentions.
In a world drowning in information, the brain uses saving as a coping mechanism. We feel like we’re doing something productive ➡️ capturing wisdom, preparing for future action, but often it’s just procrastination disguised as progress.
This is what’s happening under the hood:
🧠 Your brain gets a little dopamine hit when you “save” something useful
😊 That hit creates a sense of closure or accomplishment
🫠 But because you never engage with the information, the loop never completes
😭 Over time, the clutter becomes overwhelming, and even guilt-inducing
Saving feels like control, but without action, it becomes noise.
3 Ways to Break the Save Loop
Engage Right Now
If something grabs your attention, watch it now. Read it now. If it’s not worth engaging with in this moment, ask yourself if it’s really worth saving at all.
Create a “Second Brain” System
Use tools like Notion, Readwise, or Apple Notes to intentionally file things that are truly worth coming back to, then schedule time to revisit them. Take time on your day off, go to the local coffee shop and spend some time intentionally engaging with the pieces you have saved.
Default to Delete
Most of what you save, you never return to. Be ruthless. Deleting is an act of clarity.
You don’t need more ideas. You need space to think.
And that starts with rejecting the save button addiction.
Want to work together?
👋 When you’re ready, here are 2 ways I can help you:
⚡️ Join The Taskflow Blueprint
A 4-week reset to help you build better habits, plan your ideal week, and create a system that works for your life.
If you book a discovery call, we’ll chat for 15 minutes, identify where you’re stuck, and I’ll give you 1–2 actionable takeaways you can implement right away.
That’s all for now! Have a great day. 👊🏼
David
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Love this! I'm trying really hard to minimize my saved things because like you mention I never come back to it. This week going to try to default to delete when possible.
Great article, David! I am so guilty of the save-for-later mindset.