The Perfect Developer Workspace: Lessons from a Real-World Cleanup
After analyzing a production developer workspace with over 9GB of projects, tools, and archives, I’ve discovered patterns that can transform how we organize our development environments. This guide shares real-world insights from organizing a workspace containing active AI projects, development tools, and research materials.
The Problem: Workspace Entropy
Most developer workspaces evolve organically, leading to:
- Scattered projects across multiple directories
- Unclear project status (active vs. archived)
- Duplicated tools and utilities
- Lost documentation in nested folders
- 1.5GB of “needs organizing” content
Sound familiar? Here’s how to fix it.