Systems maintenance guide. The heavy cleanup is done — this document now tracks the habits, routines, and checkpoints that keep the workspace clean going forward.
Check ~/Downloads for accumulated files. Sort into the appropriate
Documents/ subfolder or delete. Goal: keep Downloads at ≤3 items at all times.
If a file doesn't have an obvious home, it goes to Personal/Reference/.
Verify nothing has accumulated at the ~/Documents/ root level. All user files belong in a subfolder. Zero tolerance — sort immediately or flag for next session.
Weekly
When new bank/credit card statements arrive, download PDFs to the correct
Financial/[Account] Statements/ folder.
Update financial-consolidation.html with latest balances. Verify interest tracking.
Pull follower counts from the public Spotify profile. Enter data via the tracker's "Add Month" modal. Cross-check against the profile page — some playlists may not render in web scrapes (use the app for verification).
MonthlyLoad chaosconsole.com and verify all 5 pages render correctly. Check that the local ~/Documents/Website/gary-dashboard/ copies match production. Note any 0-byte files or sync anomalies — iCloud can silently corrupt.
QuarterlyScan for duplicate files (especially "(1)" copies in Downloads or Documents). Review Financial/Tests or temp folders for leftover experiments. Delete with prejudice — if it hasn't been touched in 90 days and isn't a statement, it goes.
QuarterlyThe canonical folder structure under ~/Documents/. When in doubt about where a file goes, consult this map. New top-level folders should be rare — exhaust existing categories first.
| Folder | Contents | Cadence |
|---|---|---|
| Financial/ | Bank & credit card statements, organized by account subfolder | Monthly intake |
| Government/ | Tax returns, ID documents, legal filings | As needed |
| Government/Legal/ | Power of attorney, contracts, notarized docs | Rare |
| Insurance/ | Policy documents, claims, correspondence | Annual review |
| Medical/ | Health records, lab results, prescriptions | As needed |
| Personal/ | Miscellaneous personal files, receipts | Periodic |
| Personal/Reference/ | Guides, custom instructions, reference material | Catch-all |
| Website/ | chaosconsole.com source files, tracker backups | Per update |
| Website/gary-dashboard/ | Production dashboard HTML files (5 pages) | Monthly |
ls -la after every write.