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Storage locker logic cleared out 23 GB I didn't need | Digital Hoarders Anonymous - Vivisector

Storage locker logic cleared out 23 GB I didn't need

Last month I drove down to a Public Storage near my folks' place in Tucson to grab a box of old tax papers, and it hit me that I treat my hard drive exactly like that dusty unit. Every folder is packed with random subfolders named 'final_FINAL_v3' and duplicates I forgot I made. The manager there told me she charges people monthly just to forget what they own, and I realized I was doing the same thing with my desktop icons and cloud drive. I started a rule where if I haven't opened a file in 90 days, it moves to an 'archive' folder, then I set a reminder to actually delete that archive after another month. First pass cleared out 23 GB of old game installs and project exports I swore I needed. Now I'm down to one 'current stuff' folder and I barely think about backups. Has anyone else tried a two-step purge like that with a waiting period, or do you just rip the bandaid off and delete in one go?

2 comments

2 Comments

wade_kelly772mo ago

Ha! Sounds like digital hoarding with extra steps, but hey, whatever works to fool your brain.

mark_green2mo ago

and honestly that waiting period thing is the only way I can get rid of anything. I tried the whole just delete it all in one go thing once and panicked so bad I spent two days digging through my recycle bin. Now I do this weird thing where I move stuff to a folder called 'maybe dead' and set a reminder for like six weeks out. By the time the reminder hits I usually don't even remember what was in there, and that makes it way easier to hit delete. The 90 day rule is smart though, I might have to steal that. It's wild how much space you can claw back just by admitting you're never gonna open that old mod pack or that 12th version of a school paper.